Investigators in the case of missing University of Virginia student Hannah Graham released a statement on Thursday saying that they do not have any idea yet regarding the student's whereabouts but they have expanded their search to Texas after the leading suspect in her disappearance was arrested in the state.

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Charlottesville chief of police said that the search for Hannah Graham has expanded to the rural areas outside of UVA's town.

The 19-year-old student went missing two weeks ago after she went to eat dinner with a friend and never returned home after.

The initial area where the police searched centered on Charlottesville but after receiving over 1,500 tips, they have moved their search to Albemarle County. The police even appealed to land owners and real estate agents to check their properties and vacant houses.

Police recently arrested Jesse Leroy Matthew Jr., who was believed to be the last person seen with Graham before she went missing.

According to witnesses and CCTV footage, Graham was seen walking and running through some places in the area including the Downtown Mall, a gas station, and the Tempo Restaurant.

According to eyewitnesses, Graham encountered Matthew at the Tempo Restaurant after which the two walked off together.

Other details reported by The Washington Post stated that Matthew went into the restaurant briefly and purchased two beers while Graham waited outside.

Matthew was arrested while he was camping on a Bolivar beach and was said to have agreed to be escorted back to Virginia after he allegedly fled to Texas. Matthew will be back in Charlottesville this Saturday.

Matthew has been identified as a 32-year-old technician at an operating room at UVA. He is now charged with "abduction with intent to defile" meaning that the student might have been sexually molested.

Mattew allegedly fled the area as soon as the police were done questioning him about the disappearance of the young woman. He was later found 1,260 miles away from home.

Investigators from Virginia arrived in Texas on Thursday after receiving reports of a suspicious character refusing to identify himself to a local deputy.

After Matthew was arrested, he attended a hearing in Galveston.

Authorities said they had enough support to charge Matthew as they searched his apartment twice. They have gathered evidence and according to the source, clothing was given to a crime lab for testing. The results have not been released to the public yet.

Matthew had a couple of run-ins with the law as online records showed that the suspect was convicted back in 2010 due to trespassing. A 2009 case showed that he was charged but not prosecuted with assault and grand larceny. 

TagsHannah Graham, UVA student, missing, suspect arrested, MAtthew, defile, sexual molestation, Virginia, Texas, sexual assault, Kidnapping, graham, missing student, UVa, Texas, Virginia