Missing persons cases along U.S. Route 29 in Virginia

Since 1996 there has been an unusually high number of cases involving young women disappearing along U.S. Route 29 (US 29) in Virginia, or an area known as the "Route 29 Corridor". Five young women disappeared in five years between 2009 and 2014, earning it a particularly notorious reputation. Cases- Alicia Showalter Reynolds: Then 25-year-old Alicia Showalter Reynolds disappeared March 2, 1996, as she was driving to Charlottesville, Virginia, from Baltimore, Maryland. Her abandoned car was found on the shoulder of Route 29 southbound near Culpeper County and her remains were found in May of the same year 15 miles (24 km) away in Lignum. Julianne Williams and Laura “Lollie” Winans: Julianne Williams and Laura “Lollie” Winans, 24 and 26 respectively, were found dead at their campsite in Shenandoah National Park in May 1996. Anne Carolyn McDaniel: The 20-year-old Anne Carolyn McDaniel was last seen leaving a group home in the town of Orange on September 18, 1996. Her burned remains were found four days later within just 10 miles (16 km) of the location where Alicia Showalter Reynolds's body was found. Morgan Dana Harrington: Morgan Dana Harrington was a 20-year-old student at Virginia Tech when she disappeared from Charlottesville near John Paul Jones Arena while attending a Metallica concert on October 17, 2009. Her body was found at Anchorage Farm in Albemarle County months later on January 26, 2010. On September 15, 2015, Jesse Matthew was formally charged with first degree murder and abduction with intent to defile in the murder of Morgan Harrington Samantha Ann Clarke: The 19-year-old Samantha Clarke was last seen in Orange shortly after midnight on September 13, 2010. She has never been seen or heard from again, and while her disappearance is considered suspicious there has been no evidence of foul play. Sage Smith: Sage Smith, aka Dashad and Unique, was a 19-year-old transgender female last seen in Charlottesville on November 20, 2012, waiting for a date very close to the location where Alexis Murphy's abandoned car was found in August, 2013. Alexis Tiara Murphy: The Alexis Murphy abduction occurred on August 3, 2013, when the 17-year-old went missing after leaving her home in Shipman reportedly headed to Lynchburg. She was seen on security footage at a gas station in Lovingston, Virginia and her car was later found outside a theater off US 29 in Charlottesville. While her body has never been found, a suspect was taken into custody and charged with her abduction. Randy Taylor was later found guilty of first-degree murder in the commission of an abduction and abduction with intent to defile in connection with the disappearance of Murphy. Hannah Graham: The disappearance of Hannah Graham occurred very early on the morning of September 13, 2014, when the 18-year-old University of Virginia student went missing and was last seen at the "downtown mall" in Charlottesville. On September 24, 2014, Jesse L. Matthew was arrested in Galveston County, Texas, while being wanted for the abduction and abduction with intent to defile Graham. On October 18, 2014, Graham's remains were found at an abandoned property in Albemarle County, Virginia. Jesse L. Matthew is scheduled to appear in court on December 4, 2014. Jessie Matthew entered an Alford plea and was sentenced to three life terms. Potential links between cases: Given the short time frame and similarities between the cases, specifically the small geographic region where they occurred and the age and gender of the victims, it is often wondered whether the cases are linked. The main suspect in Reynolds's disappearance is a man from Maryland named Darrel Rice who people believe is the "Route 29 Stalker". The stalker was reported to have flagged down women in an attempt to get them to pull over onto the side of the road by citing mechanical problems with their cars. Taylor, the man charged with the abduction of Murphy, was a friend of Clarke and is known to have called her cell phone several times on the night of her disappearance but he has never been charged with anything in relation to her case. Despite many people suggesting Taylor was the Route 29 Stalker, police have said there is nothing linking the case and Taylor was in prison when Reynolds was killed. Matthew, the man arrested in the disappearance of Hannah Graham has been linked forensically by DNA suggesting he had some contact with Harrington the night of her disappearance, police have said. By the request of Taylor's attorney, police are testing Murphy's car and checking her social media history to see if she had any contact with Matthew.