Hannah Graham still has not been found after nearly a month of searching, and locals think that the search could take much longer based on other cases that have occurred in the area in the past, according to Fox News .
Because the local terrain in Albemarle County, Virginia, is both expansive and densely wooded, it is easy for things — even Graham’s body — to go unnoticed for months at a time. One local citizen, David Bass, is well aware of the possibility of coming across Hannah’s remains at a much later date. Bass found the remains of another woman who had gone missing, Morgan Harrington, nearly four months after she had been abducted from a Metallica concert in October 2009. After finding Harrington, David believes Hannah might be out-of-sight, but not out-of-range.
“Is there a place somewhere where we haven’t been? I mean, of course… It takes a long time to see these things in rural places. Morgan went missing in October. It took me till January to find her. Most of southern Albemarle is like my farm.”
Additionally, new DNA evidence seems to indicate that Morgan had the same killer as Graham, furthering the possibility that Hannah’s body may be found in the same area. In addition to being seen on tape with Graham just before she disappeared, Jesse Matthew, Jr. linked positively to DNA evidence from Harrington. He is currently in custody, but is not speaking with police about where Graham’s body may be found.
Information leading to the arrest of Hannah and Morgan’s killer has a total of $250,000 in reward money riding on it. In Graham’s case, local authorities are offering $100,000 if Hannah is found alive, while Harrington’s family and Metallica have offered a total of $150,000 for the conviction of her murderer. Metallica has also released a PSA pleading for tips about Morgan’s case.
Authorities are also running Matthew’s DNA against two other violent cases against women that have occurred in the area over the past decade. Both of the 19-year-old women Samantha Ann Clarke DaShad Laquinn Smith are in the same age range as Graham and Harrington. Like Hannah, neither of the women were ever found.
Despite mounting evidence linking Jesse to Graham and Morgan, his father, Jesse Matthew Sr., maintains that his son is innocent.
“For a big man, he’s as gentle as they come… The only thing I could see, him, maybe trying to give the girl a ride or help her out… To kill or hurt somebody, that’s not my son.”
Virginia Department of Emergency Management plan to cover 70 percent of Albemarle County this week, hopefully leading to Hannah Graham’s body being found.
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