Police say a male nursing assistant is a "person of interest" in the mysterious case of University of Virginia student Hannah Graham, who went missing on September 12. Although no arrests have been made, authorities were reportedly able to confirm that Jesse 'LJ' Matthew says he met up with the 18-year-old at Charlottesville Downtown Mall the night she went missing. He also reportely admitted to buying her alcoholic drinks at a bar.
But that's as far as it went, the man swears. Matthew, a nursing assistant at UVA Hospital, says he went his way that night and Hannah went hers, and that the British teen did not get into his car, as police suspect.
A surveillance video from that night shows Hannah wandering around the mall. At first, police were suspicious of a man whom they saw following the young woman, but when they questioned him, he claimed his only intention was to see if the girl needed help and that he spotted another man putting his arm around her.
That other man is believed to be Matthew.
According to the man's grandmother, police searched both his car and his apartment and removed three bags from his home. Authorities haven't confirmed whether they still suspect Hannah got into Matthew's vehicle, but as of now, there is not enough evidence or probable cause to arrest him.
Meanwhile, this girl's poor family is just sitting and waiting to hear something -- anything -- about their daughter. I can't imagine how they feel, but our hearts certainly go out to them and we will continue to hope for the best in this bizarre, horrifying case.
How do you suspect this person of interest ties into this case?
Image via AP