UVa student Hannah Graham missing — UPDATED

By Lynn R. Mitchell

Looking at the freckled, smiling face of 18-year-old University of Virginia student Hannah Graham, I can only imagine the anguish her parents are feeling since she disappeared from sight in the wee hours of Saturday morning. Social media is spreading the news as police search and University officials warn students.

From ABC-7 (see 18-year-old U.Va. student Hannah Graham reported missing, community concerned):

Charlottesville police said their search had found no trace of the 18-year-old Graham, a 2013 graduate of West Potomac High School in the Fairfax County portion of Alexandria.

In her statement, [U.Va. President] Sullivan said the U.Va. community was “united in our deep concern” for Graham.

According to U.Va. officials, Graham is 5-foot-11 with blue eyes, light brown hair and freckles. She was last seen wearing a black crop top with mesh cut outs.

Anyone with information on Graham’s whereabouts was asked by the university to contact the Charlottesville Police Department at 434-970-3280.

Please spread the word and pray for the safety of this young lady.

UPDATE #1 — 9/16/2014 at 9:00 a.m.: NBC-29 out of Charlottesville is doing a good job of keeping this story front-and-center to keep viewers aware and alert of the situation (see Police search for missing UVa student).

UPDATE #2 — Roanoke Times (see Missing UVa student’s last text said she was lost).

UPDATE #3  at 10:30 a.m. — NBC-29 (see Search for missing UVa student continues). Police report, “Graham had been drinking heavily and was last seen at 12:15 a.m. Saturday at a party in the area of 14th, 15th, and Wertland streets. Graham talked with her friends via text messages around 1:30 Saturday morning but then her phone cut off and there were no more pings. Graham’s text messages that night have been described as normal. Her last message said she was lost in the area of 14th and Wertland.”

UPDATE #4 at 1:00 p.m. — Reporter Parker Slaybaugh with WVIR TV-8 in Richmond passed along this BREAKING NEWS: “Police Sources just told me ALL searches for missing UVA student Hannah Graham have been temporarily put on HOLD. Officials say 60 plus tips have come in and those tips are ‘shifting the search in another direction.’ Police are meeting right now to decide where to go from here. Police do say that Hannah Graham is still missing.”

UPDATE #5 AT 4:45 p.m. — The FBI has now joined in the search for missing UVa student Hannah Graham. The search site has shifted to the area around O’Brady’s Irish Pub near campus where she was seen on surveillance video. Her family has released a statement to the community. See Hannah Graham’s family releases statement, police refocus search.

Saturday, 9/20/2014 — It’s been a week since Hannah Graham disappeared. I have started a new page with the latest updated information (see 2,000 volunteers turn out to search for Hannah Graham).