Hours after an extensive search of a vehicle and an apartment just outside the city, Charlottesville Police Chief Timothy Longo addressed dozens of reporters and onlookers with what may prove to be a break in the case of missing UVA student Hannah Graham.
“It is possible that she could have been in the car,” Longo said.
Early this morning, officers executed search warrants—one for the apartment in the 100 block block of Hessian Hills Way, located off Georgetown Road in Albemarle County, and one on a vehicle that Longo declined to describe. According to Longo, a search of the car gave officers “sufficient probable cause” to obtain a search warrant for the apartment as well.
The search began around 5am and occurred, Longo said, when three people were at home inside. One of the people in the residence matches the description of the person of interest in the case— a heavyset black male in his 20s, 5’10-5’11” with close cropped hair—but officers had no probable cause to make any arrests, Longo said.
Hessian Hills residents have been milling around outside the search site since this morning, shocked and unnerved by the sudden connection of the case to the neighborhood.
“I love this place because it’s safe and it’s quiet,” said UVA law student and Hessian Hills resident Courtney Warren.
Warren said that the University has sent several e-mails to students since Graham’s disappearance, with information about general safety and services available. But as a second-year law student and relative newcomer to Charlottesville, Warren said it wasn’t until Graham’s disappearance hit the news that she learned about previous cases in the area, including the still-unsolved abduction and killing of Morgan Harrington in 2009.
“We had never heard about any of the other missing girls in recent years,” she said. “I feel like that’s something you should tell people and students.”
Warren said she’s always felt safe in the neighborhood and around Grounds, but Graham’s disappearance should encourage girls to take extra precautions, especially at night.
“It’s a good reminder,” she said. “Charlottesville is a very small town, and it feels very safe, but maybe too safe.”
Longo said the search process can take up to several hours. A press conference is scheduled for 3pm today at CitySpace downtown.
Want to help search for Hannah Graham?
The Virginia Department of Emergency Management has set up a registration site at http://helpfindhannah.brmrg.org for those looking to help look for Graham in organized searches over the weekend. Volunteers must first register, then show up at a 7pm briefing at John Paul Jones Arena tonight, Friday, September 19, where they’ll receive instructions and wristbands that designate them as part of the search. Registration and attendance at the briefing are mandatory for anyone who wants to participate.