Hannah Graham Missing University of Virginia Student News: Suspect Charged With Abduction

The search for missing University of Virginia student Hannah Graham continues even as authorities have zeroed in on an African-American suspect who has been charged with abduction with the intent to defile.

Ten days after the 18-year-old resident of Charlottesville, Va., disappeared early morning of Sept. 13 while having a drink with a man at a bar at the downtown mall, that man, identified as Jesse Matthew, 32, is now the subject of an arrest warrant, Charlottesville Police Chief Timothy Longo told reporters on Tuesday.

A wanted poster has been circulated by the Charlottesville Police for Matthew, who is also wanted for two counts of reckless driving.

The dreadlocked suspect, standing at 6'2" and weighing 270 pounds, previously went voluntarily to a police station over the weekend, along with several family members, and asked for a lawyer. At that time, there was no warrant for his arrest yet.

After speaking with a lawyer, Matthew and a second person suddenly and inexplicably drove off at a "high rate of speed," police said.

The police gave chase but backed off after seeing that the high-speed chase was endangering other motorists. The police later charged him with two counts of reckless driving.

But at that point the police still could not pin him down as a suspect in the Graham disappearance. This was primarily because the police didn't find any physical evidence inside his car that would implicate him in Graham's disappearance.

The police searched Matthew's house and car, but didn't find any object that could linked him to the crime. The police said investigators also did not find Graham's missing mobile phone inside Matthew's car when they searched it. Moreover, authorities could not match Graham's DNA inside the vehicle.

John and Sue Graham, Graham's parents, said although more than week has passed since they last saw their daughter, they remained hopeful that their daughter will return home safely. Nevertheless, they fear that she was a victim of "foul play."

"This is every parent's worst nightmare," John said. "I am certain that everybody in the room and those watching who is a parent knows that what happened to Hannah could happen to their child. We need to find out what happened to Hannah and make sure that it doesn't happen to anybody else."

Last weekend, more than 1,000 volunteers participated in a search for Hannah, according to authorities.

Following the student's disappearance, fear has gripped the quiet college town of Charlottesville. Students said they've begun walking in pairs at night and are paying closer attention to their surroundings.

Authorities are offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to the safe return of Graham.