Drones have joined the search for any evidence that might point to the whereabouts of Hannah Graham, the missing University of Virginia student who disappeared Sept. 13.
The drones were loaned to police by Virginia Tech this week to
help police search rough terrain, The Roanoke Times reported. The Federal Aviation Administration granted permission for the aerial search on Wednesday.
The drones have traditional and infrared cameras, and one of them, an Aeryon SkyRanger, is capable of transmitting high-definition video.
“We believe this is a high priority,” Tech’s Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership Director Rose Mooney told the Times. “This is important work. That’s what UAS are very good at and we’re very happy we are able to assist here and we’re hoping we’re able to help them find something that’s significant to find Hannah. It’s all about finding Hannah.”
Graham, 18, disappeared sometime after being seen Sept. 13 at the Downtown Mall in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Police have arrested Jesse Matthew, 32, who was reportedly the last person seen with Graham. He has been charged with abduction with the intent to defile.
Police also have expanded their investigation into four other missing person cases in the area. DNA evidence tied Matthew to the disappearance and death of one of those missing women, Tech student Morgan Harrington, whose body was found months after she went missing.
In looking at other missing person cases,
CNN said police are also examining these cases: Cassandra Morton, whose body was found in November 2009; Samantha Ann Clarke, who disappeared on Sept. 13, 2010; and two students shot to death in 2009, Heidi Childs and David Metzler.
Mooney told the Times that the university, one of just six FAA certified drone test sites in the U.S., hopes to provide such support to other police departments and emergency services in the future.
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