Charlottesville police executed a second search Monday in the apartment of the man they call a “person of interest” in the case of a University of Virginia student who has been missing for more than a week. Jesse Matthew, 32, the man police have repeatedly said they want to question about the disappearance of Hannah Graham, 18, was not at home when investigators arrived. Police left with several bags of evidence, while Matthew’s landlady, Frances Lee-Vandell, stood by and watched. Lee-Vandell told NBC News she often watches Matthew’s dog, Popcorn, and is “just as shocked as anybody” about the investigation.
Matthew visited the Charlottesville police station Saturday, but left before answering any questions, Police Chief Timothy Longo said Sunday. Two warrants are out for his arrest after a reckless driving incident shortly after, according to Virginia State Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller. Longo said he believes Matthew was the last person seen with Graham before she vanished. Matthew has been a patient technician at the U.Va. Medical Center since 2012, university spokesman Anthony P. de Bruyn told NBC News.
The search for Graham was streamlined Monday in an effort to focus on possible leads. Ninety percent of the possible evidence that more than 1,000 volunteer searchers uncovered over the weekend would likely be irrelevant, but still important to the process, said search coordinator Mark Eggeman. "We have to get to the 10 percent of the things that could potentially be relevant to get to the one thing that could turn this mission on a dime," Eggeman said. Rather than hundreds of community members scouring backyards and looking behind bushes, the coming days instead will see smaller groups of trained search and rescue crews using leads from the investigation to drive their search, Eggeman said. Longo said he's hoping for a "valuable" lead or piece of evidence that will "help us move this case forward."
IN-DEPTH
- Hannah Graham: What Happened to the Missing Virginia Student?
- Missing Virginia Student Hannah Graham's Parents Speak Out
- Hannah Graham Case: More Than 1,000 to Search for Missing U.Va. Student
SOCIAL
— Katie Wall and Elisha Fieldstadt
