Suspect Jesse Leroy Matthew Arrested in Texas; Wanted for Charleston, Virginia Abduction of Hannah Graham

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Police arrested the man suspected of kidnapping a University of Virginia Student on the beach near Galveston, Texas Wednesday. Meanwhile, the search for the 18-year-old continues.

A man wanted in the abduction of 18-year-old University of Virginia student Hannah Graham has been arrested on a beach in Gilchrist, Texas near Galveston, Texas, police announced Wednesday. Gilchrist, Texas is an unincorporated residential community and beachfront resort northeast of Galveston with a population of about 750 to 1,000.

Jesse Leroy Matthew Jr. was charged Tuesday with felony abduction with intent to defile Hannah Graham, after a manhunt started Saturday night when Charlottesville police reported he involved them in a high-speed chase after avoiding questions about Graham’s Sept. 13 disappearance.

Galveston County Sheriff’s deputies about 3:30 p.m. Wednesday investigated a 9-1-1 call about a suspicious person camping in a tent on a beach in nearby Gilchrist on the Bolivar Peninsula. A license plate check of a light blue Nissan Sentra nearby produced search results that alerted police of a connection with high-profile fugitive Jesse Leroy Matthew Jr, who surrendered without incident.

Extradition to Charleston, Virginia is underway.

Police say they have captured the man charged in the recent disappearance of a University of Virginia student. Charlottesville Police Chief Timothy Longo says 32-year-old Jesse Leroy Matthew Jr. is in custody in Galveston, Texas.


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