Jesse Matthew, the suspect in the disappearance of University of Virginia student Hannah Graham, was arrested in Texas and will not be fighting extradition.

Hannah Graham Is Still Missing

Matthew, 32, worked as a nursing assistant at the University of Virginia Hospital, where Graham, 18, was a sophomore in the College of Arts & Sciences. He was arrested Wednesday, after being identified as a suspect on Tuesday.

Graham disappeared on Sept. 13 from the University area ass he was coming home from a party at around one in the morning. She was last heard from at 1:20 a.m. on Sept. 13, when she sent a text message to a friend saying she was lost. She has not been heard from since.

While friends, family and the University community continue to search for Graham, the police offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to her recovery, and her parents, John and Susan Graham have released statements regarding their daughter, pleading with anybody who might have seen her to come forward.

“Somebody knows what happened to Hannah. And others watching may know something helpful and may not even realize it. We know Hannah was downtown early on Saturday morning. Hannah was distinctively dressed. Did you see Hannah? Do you think you might have seen Hannah? Please, please, please call the tip line with anything that might just help us to bring Hannah home,” Graham’s parents said in a statement no Sunday, Sept. 21.

Jesse Matthew Arrested

Matthew was identified as a man on a security tape with Graham, and is believed to be one of the last people to see her alive. Police searched Matthew’s car, saying they had evidence that Graham entered his vehicle, and, after DNA testing, they issued a warrant for his arrest.

Matthew is being charged with “abduction with intent to defile and two counts of reckless driving.”

During a court appearance on Thursday, Sept. 25, Matthew said he would not fight extradition to Virginia, where he will face the abduction charges. Police have confirmed that the extradition process has begun, and searches for Graham are being extended to Galveston, Texas, where Matthew was arrested.

“This case is nowhere near over. We have a person in custody but there’s a long road ahead of us and that long road includes finding Hannah Graham,” said Charlottesville Police Chief Timothy Longo in a press conference on Wednesday.

Article by Olivia Truffaut-Wong

Olivia Truffaut-Wong was born and raised in Berkeley, California, where she developed her love of all things entertainment. After moving to New York City to earn her degree in Film Studies, she stayed on the East Coast to follow her passion and become an entertainment writer. She lives on a diet of television, movies and food.