Forensic evidence has linked Jesse Matthew Jr., who was arrested last week in connection with the disappearance of University of Virginia student Hannah Graham, with another student killed five years ago.
CBS 6 said Friday in an exclusive report that Matthew was linked to the death of Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington, who disappeared in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2009 and whose remains were found in January 2010.
“For the past five years, the Virginia State Police has been aggressively pursuing the investigation into the disappearance and death of 20-year-old Morgan D. Harrington of Roanoke, Va,” Virginia State Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller wrote in an email to CBS 6. “Last week, the arrest of Jesse L. Matthew Jr., 32, of Charlottesville, Va., provided a significant break in this case with a new forensic link for state police investigators to pursue. There is a still a great deal of work to be done in regards to this investigation and we appreciate the public’s patience as we move forward.”
Harrington’s mother, Gil Harrington, told CBS 6 that her family was “relieved” to get to this point and that she would let investigators do their jobs.
“We are heartbroken for her family. We know what they’re going through,”
Harrington told CBS 6 right after Graham disappeared. “Police need information. They need to process tips. Please reach out to police and do not be the filter. Even if you think it does not make sense, let police be the filter.”
At the time, when she was asked about possible connections in the cases, Gil Harrington said that her “mind goes that way,” but she was more focused on hoping for a good outcome for the Graham family, WTVR.com reported.
Harrington’s death also was connected in 2010 to a sexual assault case in Fairfax City, Virginia.
In that case a woman was grabbed by a man as she walked home from a supermarket in 2005. He took her to a swimming pool nearby and assaulted her, leaving her there.