”End This Nightmare”: Hannah Graham's Parents Release Statement One Month After Daughter's Disappearance

As the search for Hannah Graham stretches into a second month, the parents of the missing University of Virginia student are renewing their plea for information about their daughter's disappearance. 

"We truly appreciate the enormous effort that is being made to find Hannah," John and Sue Graham said in the statement released Monday. "It is heart-breaking for us that the person or persons who know where Hannah is have not come forward with that information. It is within their power both to end this nightmare for all, and to relieve the searchers of their arduous task."

The Grahams also asked residents of Charlottesville and its neighboring counties to search their properties if they haven't yet done so.

"Please, please, please help us to bring Hannah home," they said.

Hannah Graham, a second-year student at the University of Virginia, went out for a night with friends on Friday, Sept. 12, but never came home. She was last seen on surveillance video on Charlottesville's downtown mall in the early-morning hours of Saturday, Sept. 13.

The video shows a man police identified as 32-year-old Jesse Matthew wrapping his arm around Graham. He is also accused of buying the 18-year-old woman alcohol.

Two weeks after Graham's disappearance, Matthew -- a hospital worker and former taxi driver -- was arrested in Texas. He has been extradited to Virginia, where he is in custody.

Matthew has been charged with abduction with intent to defile. He is not due for a court appearance in the case until December.

Investigators believe Matthew acted alone and did not know Graham before her disappearance.

In late September, police announced that Matthew had been linked to the 2009 abduction and murder of Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington.

Shortly after, Harrington's parents publicly pleaded with Matthew to provide information to Graham's parents.

"I would like to appeal to him to please give the family information about where Hannah is. We need to find Hannah Graham. It is vital," said Gil Harrington, the mother of Morgan Harrington, during an appearance on NBC's "Today" show Sept. 30.

The Harrington case also has a DNA connection to a 2005 rape in Fairfax County.

In their statement Monday, Hannah Graham's parents thanked authorities for their help in the search, including Charlottesville Police Chief Timothy Longo, Mark Eggeman of the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, their teams, "and all of the wonderful people who have dedicated so much of their time to help search for Hannah."

"Words cannot adequately express our gratitude to them, and to the many others who have provided us with support throughout this ordeal," the Grahams' statement said.

Contact Us