Get the latest information on the search for Hannah Graham in the WTOP live blog.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — With sunny skies and cool temperatures, searchers returned to the woods and fields south of Charlottesville Sunday looking for University of Virginia sophomore Hannah Graham, who disappeared Sept. 13.
“The weather has been very kind, it’s been beautiful. The cooler temperatures are good for both us and the dogs,” says Mark Eggeman, the head of Search and Rescue for Albemarle County Emergency Management.
Searchers fanned out along the Route 29 corridor south of Charlottesville, looking for any sign of the missing 18-year-old by the roadway and into the fields and woods.
“We have about 50 people out here, 10 canine units, ground units, Albemarle County Police Department is using [all terrain vehicles] [Sunday] to search along some more of the roads,” Eggeman says.
Although Graham has been missing for more than two weeks, Eggeman insists the trail has not gone cold.
“As long as new information and leads keep coming in, the case continues to build. This is a long way from dying off … there’s over 1,600 leads we’re working through now, so there’s a lot of activity,” Eggeman says.
Volunteer searchers included individuals and dogs from Chesapeake Search and Rescue and Piedmont Search and Rescue.
“The teams are very dedicated. They are committed to this. I would say determined, very determined,” Eggeman says.
Last week, police identified Jesse Leroy Matthew Jr., a hospital worker, as the last person to be seen with Graham early on the morning of Sept. 13.
Matthew was returned from Texas late Friday after he was found on a beach near Galveston. He is being held without bond at the Charlottesville-Albemarle Regional Jail.
Matthew, 32, is expected to make his first court appearance on Thursday to face a charge of abduction with intent to defile — or sexually molest.
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