University of Virginia student Hannah Graham was first reported missing five weeks ago, and over the weekend a significant finding turned this open case into a death investigation. Sgt. Dale Terry of the Chesterfield Sheriff's Department was with a small search team ready to call it a day when they made a gruesome discovery. Behind an abandoned home nearly 8 miles from where Graham was last seen, Terry and his team discovered a skull and bones scattered across a creek bed with a pair of black pants nearby. While it will take forensic testing to be certain whether these are the remains of Graham, a continued search for her has been called off. Investigators are also working to tie Jesse Matthew to several crimes.
When speaking with the press regarding the discovery Terry said:
"It was not buried, and its location was not far from the road. There was not any crushing of any bones. As far as skull, everything looked to be intact to me. I do believe God wanted us to find what we found. I don't know how else to explain it other than something inside me told me to just continue to look."
Police in Charlottesville, Virginia, have since blocked off the area where the remains were found and have launched a full scale search in hopes of finding more evidence. Jesse Matthew is the last person seen with Graham, and he has been locked up for weeks, refusing to talk. Investigators have already been able to link Matthew's DNA to the 2009 murder of Morgan Harrington and to at least one sexual assault.
Police are reportedly going over several open cases involving missing college girls over the last several years to see if Matthew is somehow linked to them as well. Already the phrase "serial killer' has started to be used when referencing Matthew's still-unfolding history and a DNA match to the remains that were recovered over the weekend seems to be anticipated.
While everyone had hoped to find Graham alive, it seems the mood has shifted to hopes that her grieving parents can at least get a sense of closure if the remains found are a DNA match.
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