The family of missing UVA second-year Hannah Graham has issued a statement thanking the University community for support and asking for help in finding the 18-year-old girl, whom they say “would not disappear without contacting family and friends.”
John and Susan Graham described their daughter as empathetic, highly responsible, and organized.
“She loves the University of Virginia, and all summer she was looking forward to the start of the new school year,” reads the statement, released by the University Tuesday afternoon. “We express our sincere gratitude to law enforcement and everyone who is involved in the search for Hannah. We also thank the University for the full attention they are devoting to the situation.”
Police have indicated the search for Graham has shifted east to the area around McGrady’s Irish Pub, where surveillance footage apparently captured her walking around 12:45am Saturday. Police have said Graham sent a text message around 1:20am—the last contact anyone had with her. She was not reported missing to police until Sunday afternoon.
On Monday afternoon, police released two photos of Graham they said were pulled from surveillance footage, apparently in an apartment hallway, a few hours before she disappeared. In the images, she’s wearing the outfit she was last seen in: a shiny crop top and black skinny jeans.
Charlottesville police have established a dedicated line at 434-295-3851 for tips related to Graham’s disappearance.
The full statement is as follows:
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Sept. 16, 2014 — Hannah Graham’s family issued the following statement today regarding the disappearance of their daughter, a second-year student at the University of Virginia. Hannah has been missing since early Saturday morning, and law enforcement officials are actively searching for her. The family asks that the public and news media respect its privacy at this time.
“Since learning of Hannah’s disappearance, we have been heartbroken and at the same time heartened by the outpouring of support and help we have received. We remain hopeful that Hannah will be found soon. We urge anyone with any information, however insignificant it may seem, to call a newly dedicated tip line at 434-295-3851 at the Charlottesville Police Department.
“Those of us who know and love Hannah know that she would not disappear without contacting family or friends. She is highly responsible and organized. She embraces life with energy and enthusiasm and has enriched the lives of many. Her empathy is evident in her daily interactions with us and her friends. She loves the University of Virginia, and all summer she was looking forward to the start of the new school year. U.Va. is her intellectual home, a place that stimulates her thinking on a broad variety of topics. Socially, she has found kinship and passion with her fellow members of the Ski Team.
“We express our sincere gratitude to law enforcement and everyone who is involved in the search for Hannah. We also thank the University for the full attention they are devoting to the situation. The kindness and support of so many – her friends at U.Va., particularly her friends on the Ski Team, her friends from high school, our neighbors, and the larger community – mean so much to us at this difficult time.
“Please join us in our fervent wish for Hannah’s safe return home. Once again, if you have any information at all, however insignificant it may seem, please call 434-295-3851.”