Remains might be missing UVa student

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Searchers found human remains Saturday that could be those of a University of Virginia sophomore who has been missing since Sept. 13, police said.

Further forensic tests are needed to confirm whether the remains are those of Hannah Graham, but Graham’s parents were notified of the preliminary findings, Charlottesville police Chief Timothy Longo told a news conference.

Longo said a search team from the Chesterfield County Sheriff’s Office found the remains on an abandoned property in southern Albemarle County – the same region where police found the body of 20-year-old Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington three months after she vanished in 2009.

Last month, after arresting a suspect in Graham’s disappearance, police said they found a “forensic link” between the two cases.

Jesse Leroy Matthew Jr., 32, has been charged with abduction with intent to defile Graham. A preliminary hearing is set for Dec. 4 on the charge.

In the meantime, Matthew is being held in the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail.