Search for Virginia teen yields remains

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Searchers found human remains Saturday in the search for 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 said at a news conference.

The Albemarle County Police Department also said a volunteer search for Graham that had been planned for Sunday has been canceled so law enforcement can turn their attention to the new evidence. Longo said a search team from the Chesterfield County sher- iff’s office found the remains on an abandoned property in southern Albemarle County — the same area 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. Thousands of volunteers had searched for the 18-yearold Graham in the weeks since her disappearance.

“Countless hours, thousands of hours, have been spent by literally hundreds of law enforcement, civilian volunteers in an effort to find Hannah,” Long said. “We think perhaps today proved their worth.”