Charlotesville Virginia, Alexis Murphy-17

[meme]

Suspect arrested in case of missing Va. girl; search for Alexis Murphy continues

Posted on: 11:57 am, August 12, 2013

CHARLOTESVILLE, Va. — A suspect in the case of a missing Virginia teenager is now in custody, however the search for Alexis Murphy continues, the FBI confirmed during a news conference on Monday.

Authorities confirmed Randolph Taylor, 48, was arrested on Sunday. Officials said Taylor is charged with abduction but declined to provide any additional information about Murphy, who has been missing since last Saturday.

During a press conference on Monday, authorities said they will continue to search for Murphy “for as long as it takes to find her.”
The FBI is investigating whether Murphy’s disappearance is connected to similar cases in the area, however officials declined to provide any additional information.

Murphy’s mother spoke during the press conference and asked for help from the public.

“If anyone knows anything, please let us know,” she said.
Murphy was last seen on Aug. 3 by her family at a gas station in Lovingston, Virginia. Her car was found in the parking lot of a multiplex in Charlottesville three days later.

Last week, FBI agents and state police focused on the Cannery Loop neighborhood near Route 29 in Nelson County. Investigators said that is where Murphy’s cell phone hit a cell phone tower.

myfox8.com/2013/08/12/suspect-arrested-in-case-of-missing-va-girl-search-for-alexis-murphy-continues/

[meme]

Law Enforcement Holds Press Conference Announcing Arrest in Alexis Murphy Case

FBI Richmond
August 12, 2013


Media Coordinator/COS Dennette Rybiski
[phone]

Commonwealth Attorney (CA) of Nelson County Anthony Martin; Sheriff David Brooks, Nelson County, Virginia Sheriff’s Office; Colonel Steven Flaherty, Virginia State Police; and Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Jeffrey Mazanec, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced today that Randy Allen Taylor was arrested yesterday and charged with abduction in the disappearance of Alexis Tiara Murphy.

Taylor, 48, of the 10000 block of Thomas Nelson Highway in Lovingston, Virginia, was taken into custody yesterday without incident and remains in custody without bond, says CA Martin.

SAC Mazanec expressed that the FBI’s role in this case has been one of bringing as many resources and as much expertise to this investigation as quickly as possible, as well as requesting the public to continue calling in with tips. Specifically, investigators are requesting information from anyone who may have encountered Mr. Taylor and/or seen his vehicle just prior to and since Alexis’ disappearance on August 3, 2013.

Please continue to contact authorities at [phone] with any information that would assist in locating Alexis and/or creating a timeline for authorities of her activities and that of Taylor prior to her disappearance.

It’s imperative that if you’ve seen something, you say something.

www.fbi.gov/richmond/press-releases/2013/law-enforcement-holds-press-conference-announcing-arrest-in-alexis-murphy-case

[meme]

Alexis Murphy missing: FBI announces arrest in case of missing 17-year-old Va. girl

August 11, 2013 - 09:31 pm
Updated: August 13, 2013 - 10:39 am

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WJLA) - A man has been arrested and faces abduction charges in central Virginia, reportedly in connection with the continued disappearance of a 17-year-old girl.

Authorities say Randolph Taylor, 48, was arrested Sunday while authorities continue to search for Alexis Murphy.
During a Monday press conference, federal authorities say they are still searching for Murphy.

“We will keep looking for her as long as it takes to find her,” says Nelson County Commonwealth's Attorney Anthony Martin.

Jeff Mazanec, special agent in charge of the FBI's Richmond Division, said authorities continue to follow leads in the case to "find Alexis very soon." Mazanec also addressed speculation that the case may be connected to other similar disappearances or abductions in the region, saying officials are "certainly looking at all possibilities."

Murphy's mother, who spoke at the press conference, pleaded for information about her daughter.

“If anyone knows anything, please let us know,” said Murphy’s mother Laura Ann Murphy.

Murphy was last seen Aug. 3 by her family. Her car was found in the parking lot of a multiplex in Charlottesville three days later.
Laura Ann Murphy is trying to keep it together as she waits for word about her daughter's disappearance and likely abduction.
“Someone calls me, I'm like, ‘I hope it's her.’ I look at my phone hoping it’s her,” Murphy says. “Even the day she went missing, I kept calling her cell phone.”

On Monday, the FBI and local authorities searched the home where Taylor lives. They are also looking for anyone who has seen his late model GMC suburban with Virginia tags.

Around the small town of Lovingston, there are pink ribbons to remember Alexis and posters with details of her disappearance.
Alexis' aunt Angela Turner drives around town with her niece’s missing poster in her window, hoping Taylor’s arrest will lead to her niece.

“I just want her home,” Turner says. “I just want everybody to be together.”

Read more: www.wjla.com/articles/2013/08/alexis-murphy-missing-fbi-announces-arrest-in-case-of-missing-17-year-old-va-girl-92614.html#ixzz2bsaouYMl
Follow us: @abc7news on Twitter | WJLATV on Facebook

[meme]

Suspect in Alexis Murphy Abduction Held Without Bond

NELSON COUNTY, VA—Randy Taylor, the suspect in the abduction of missing Nelson County teen Alexis Murphy will remain in jail without bond, a judge ruled Tuesday.

Taylor was appointed a public defender in court. He is charged with abduction in Murphy's disappearance. His next court date will be January 9, 2014.

Randy Allen Taylor, 48, of Livingston, was taken into custody Sunday and has been charged with felony abduction. Despite the arrest, the teen's whereabouts and condition remains unknown.

"We will keep looking as long as it takes to find her," authorities said Monday.

The 17-year-old was last seen leaving her Nelson County home Saturday, August 3. She was later captured that evening on surveillance footage at a Liberty gas station in Nelson County on her way to go shopping in Lynchburg.

Murphy's car was later found in a movie theater parking lot in Albemarle County.

She was last seen wearing a pink blouse, floral-print spandex pants and brown boots and was carrying a dark and light colored gray purse.

"If anyone knows anything, please let us know," Murphy's mother said during Monday's press conference.

Police continue to ask for the public's help, and anyone with information is asked to call police immediately.

She is described as a black female with black hair and brown eyes, 5 foot 7 inches tall, 156 pounds.

Anyone who may have seen Murphy or may have information is urged to contact authorities immediately at [phone].

The Associated Press reports court records show Taylor's criminal record stretches back more than 20 years, including a 1992 burglary conviction in Virginia Beach and a 2005 arson conviction in Albemarle County.

Taylor is set to make his first court appearance in a Nelson County courtroom at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Stay with 8News for updates.

www.wric.com/story/23063300/arrest-in-alexis-murphy-case

[meme]

Orange Investigators Aid in Alexis Murphy Search, Clarke Case Active

Posted: Aug 13, 2013 12:36 PM CDT
Updated: Aug 13, 2013 2:31 PM CDT

Timeline: The Search for Alexis Murphy
Investigators in Orange County are now aiding in the search for Alexis Murphy.

Randy Taylor, arrested on an abduction charges in the Murphy case on Sunday, may also be linked to the case of a woman that disappeared in Orange almost three years ago, according to a 2012 newspaper article from The Hook.

Orange County commonwealth's attorney hopes Taylor's arrest will prompt more leads in Samantha Clarke's disappearance. Clarke, 19, went missing in 2010 and was never found.

Investigators in Orange are assisting to coordinate efforts and share information.

www.nbc29.com/story/23125075/orange-investigators-aid-in-alexis-murphy-search-clarke-case-active

[meme]

Randy Taylor, Suspect In Alexis Murphy Disappearance, Is Person Of Interest In Another Disappearance

Posted: 08/13/2013 6:29 pm EDT
| Updated: 08/13/2013 6:57 pm EDT


A 48-year-old man who was charged in connection with the disappearance of Virginia teenager Alexis Murphy, is also a longtime person of interest in the disappearance of another teenage girl, authorities said.

According to Orange County commonwealth's attorney Diane Wheeler, Randy Taylor is the last person to have contact with Samantha Clarke, a 19-year-old who disappeared three years ago.

"The investigation is still continuing and he remains a person of interest to us," Wheeler told The Huffington Post.

Dee Rybiski, an FBI spokeswoman in Richmond, told HuffPost authorities are looking at a possible connection between the disappearances of Murphy and Clarke. "Any responsible law enforcement agency looks at every avenue," Rybiski said.

On Monday, authorities announced Taylor's arrest for abduction by force in connection with the disappearance of 17-year-old Murphy. He is being held without bond at the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail.

Murphy, a senior at Nelson County High School, has been missing since the evening of Aug. 3.

"She was supposed to be doing some back-to-school shopping in Lynchburg, but she never made it," Murphy's cousin, Tiffany Murphy, told The Huffington Post.

Alexis Murphy was active on Twitter and made her last tweet to her more than 13,000 followers at 6:40 p.m. She wrote: "I actually look cute right now."

Authorities with the Nelson County Sheriff's Office who are investigating Murphy's disappearance, said they have surveillance video from a Lovingston gas station that shows Murphy enter the station at about 7:15 that night. Taylor also was allegedly spotted in the video footage.

What happened to the teenager after that remains a mystery. The sheriff's office, the FBI and the Virginia State Police conducted ground and aerial searches for Murphy.

On the evening of Aug. 6, three days after her disappearance, Nelson police found Murphy's white 2003 Nissan Maxima abandoned in the parking lot of a movie theater in Albemarle County, just north of Charlottesville and about 39 miles from the Lovingston gas station.

The same day, authorities searched Taylor's Lovingston home, but whether they found anything related to the case remains unclear. The search warrant has been sealed under court order.

Nelson police said they have video footage of Taylor from Ultimate Bliss, an adult novelty store, taken the same day Murphy disappeared, but the timing on the video is unclear. The shop, police said, is just two miles from the movie theater where the car was found.

According to the News & Advance, Taylor has a lengthy criminal record that includes charges of assault, stalking, statutory burglary, grand larceny, arson and brandishing a firearm.

Taylor has never been charged in the disappearance of Clarke.

But Wheeler said Taylor knew Clarke and was in contact with the teen prior to her disappearance. "He was the person who last had contact with her ... He had multiple contacts with her in the days immediately preceding her disappearance," Wheeler told HuffPost.

Clarke, whose home is in Orange County neighboring Nelson County where Murphy lives, disappeared on Sept. 13, 2010. A recent graduate of Orange County High School, she told her then-13-year-old brother that she was going out for the evening. When she failed to return home the following day her mother reported her missing.

Unlike Clarke, Murphy, who was scheduled to begin school on Monday, has no known ties to Taylor.

"She is a senior in high school. She has a full scholarship for volleyball and is planning to go to college. She's a good kid and has never been in trouble with the law," Tiffany Murphy said.

Alexis Murphy is described as an African American female, 5-foot-7, weighing 156 pounds. She was last seen wearing a pink blouse, floral spandex pants and brown boots. She was carrying a gray purse.

"We hope she's still alive. That's what we're praying for. Not knowing is the worst. It's horrible. You hear about this stuff on TV, but you never think that it could be someone you know. I just hope they find her soon," Tiffany Murphy said.

Anyone with information concerning the whereabouts of Alexis Murphy should contact the Nelson County Sheriff's Office at [phone].

www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/13/alexis-murphy-missing_n_3750520.html

[meme]

Alexis Murphy’s alleged kidnapper among last to see other missing teen: cops


Randy Taylor, who was arraigned Tuesday in the Murphy case, is said to be among the last to see Samantha Clarke, 19, who disappeared from Orange County, Va., in September 2010.

Alexis Murphy, 17, is still missing, although police believe they have arrested her abductor.

The Virginia man charged with kidnapping a teen girl who is still missing was among the last people to see another teen before she vanished in 2010, police said.

Randy Taylor, 48, was arraigned Tuesday for allegedly abducting Alexis Murphy, 17, who was last spotted Aug. 3 at a gas station near her home in Nelson County.

Taylor’s arrest drew renewed attention to the disappearance of Samantha Clarke, 19, who disappeared from Orange County, which is two counties from Nelson County, in September 2010.


Randy Taylor is being held without bond at Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail.

Taylor, among the last to see her, was never arrested nor charged in Clarke's disappearance, which is still under investigation.

Authorities would not say whether the cases are connected, but FBI Special Agent Jeffrey Mazanec noted, "We are certainly looking into all possibilities."

As investigators try to find Murphy, family and friends are covering her hometown of Shipman with bows that are pink, her favorite color, to raise awareness about her case.

Hundreds gather in light rain for a candlelight vigil for Alexis Murphy on Thursday in Nelson County, Va. The girl has been missing since Aug. 3.

Murphy's family said the alleged kidnapping likely occurred while she was heading toward Lynchburg to get her hair done for a school portrait earlier this month.

The rising high school senior's white Nissan Maxima was found three days later in a movie theater parking lot, reported ABC News.

FBI agents search for clues in a Nissan Maxima, Murphy’s vehicle.

"I want her to come home because today would've been her first day of school," Murphy's mother, Laura, said Monday. "I carried my youngest son to school this morning, but I didn't have my daughter to take."

Taylor, who was taken into custody Sunday, has a vast criminal record that stretches back more than 20 years, reported The News & Advance of Virginia.

Nelson County and Orange County authorities are working together to share whatever information they have that may be helpful, according to Orange County Commonwealth Attorney Diana H. Wheeler.

Taylor is being held without bond at Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail.


Read more: www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/alexis-murphy-alleged-kidnapper-missing-teen-cops-article-1.1426611#ixzz2bydQKg9u

[meme]

Defense: Missing teen Alexis Murphy was in suspect's camper

Alexis Murphy and a man left in separate cars after Randy Taylor bought drugs, his lawyer said.

On the evening Alexis Murphy went missing, she stood inside Randy Allen Taylor’s ramshackle camper while a man with her sipped Icehouse beer and smoked marijuana with Taylor, his lawyer said Wednesday.

Taylor, 48, didn’t know the man’s name but purchased $60 in marijuana from him, said Michael Hallahan, Taylor’s court-appointed attorney. Murphy, 17, neither smoked nor drank as the group talked, Hallahan said.

The Nelson County teen and the man left in separate cars before dark, Hallahan said. He never saw them again.

Eight days later, after finding a strand of Murphy’s hair in Taylor’s camper, authorities arrested him on an abduction charge, Hallahan said. He is being held without bond in Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail and faces a maximum 10-year prison sentence if convicted.

“We absolutely say that he is maintaining his innocence,” Hallahan said. “The evidence is very weak, from what I hear.”

Hallahan said the man police want is the one who sold his client marijuana —black, in his early 20s, wearing cornrows and driving a 1990s sedan with 22-inch rims.

“Finding a hair in the residence doesn’t mean he abducted her,” Hallahan said. “He told law enforcement that on Aug. 3, [Murphy] was in his residence, with a male associate.

“They’ve made no public efforts to try to locate this male,” Hallahan said.

Murphy was last seen at about 7 p.m. Aug. 3, when she left her Shipman home on a back-to-school shopping trip to Lynchburg, authorities said. Eleven days later, there still was no sign of her.

Federal, state and local authorities returned Wednesday to the Lovingston plot where Taylor lived in the blue-and-white camper authorities hauled off on a flatbed truck earlier in the week. Crews from the FBI, Virginia State Police and Nelson County Sheriff’s Office arrived at the residence with canine units and ATVs.

Barking dogs echoed throughout the woods surrounding the dilapidated home off U.S. 29, about 2 miles north of Lovingston.

A wooded gully about 10 feet from U.S. 29 was bordered with crime scene tape Wednesday afternoon. Investigators focused on the area for hours, entering the woods with gloves, evidence tags and cameras.

Searching through the gully, one canine handler shouted, “We found it!”

Investigator Billy Mays, of the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office, said no information will be released on Wednesday’s search.

He noted, however, crews have shifted from a missing person search to a criminal investigation.

FBI spokeswoman Dennette Rybiski would not say what investigators found on the property. She declined to comment on Hallahan’s claim about another man with Murphy.

“Law enforcement was back out conducting follow-up searches,” Rybiski wrote in an e mail. “We’re currently reviewing all evidence collected by the FBI and the [Virginia State Police] in connection to Alexis’ investigation and are not releasing details of items collected thus far.”

As investigators continued the push to find Murphy, who should have started her senior year at Nelson County High School on Monday, Murphy’s family worked to project her story into the national spotlight with appearances on network cable.

The low hum of news coverage emanating from the living room could be heard Wednesday outside the family’s Shipman home. Murphy’s father recalled the last time he saw her. The shopping trip was a topic of conversation.

“You kind of constantly rerun that day through your head, over and over,” said Troy Brown. “The days go by so fast now, it’s like you wake up, blink, and it’s dark again.”

He said he hasn’t slept well since she disappeared. He said he won’t until she comes home and hits him up for a back-to-school shopping spree. And leads her volleyball team to victory and applies to Radford University, Longwood University and Lynchburg College, as she had planned.

“Words just can’t express how I feel right now. It’s like a nightmare,” Brown said. “And it could happen to anyone, I mean, it was my child this time, but it very well could have been anyone’s child.”

He asked the community to keep praying, stay positive and leave the pink ribbons dotting Nelson County in Murphy’s honor hanging high to help light her path home.

One of those ribbons hangs on the wooden mailbox fronting Mary and Ray Wood’s home on James River Road, along the path to the Murphy home .

“As soon as I heard Claudia’s Florist and Gifts was making them, I knew I had to put one out,” Mary Wood said. “I just hope she comes home safe. That’s what I’m praying for.”

www.roanoke.com/news/2150555-12/defense-missing-teen-alexis-murphy-was-in-camper.html

[meme]

Suspect claims drug dealer, Alexis Murphy left house together


NELSON COUNTY, Va. (WTVR) – The attorney for Randy Taylor, the man behind bars for Alexis Murphy’s disappearance and once questioned about another missing girl, said that his client was not the last person to see Alexis alive.

Charlottesville attorney Mike Hallahan, who represents Taylor, told WDBJ that Taylor said he ran into Alexis at a gas station in Lovingston on the Saturday she was last seen. In fact, Taylor said that he and Alexis talked about marijuana and claimed the teen asked him to help her find a dealer.

According to Taylor’s attorney, this wasn’t the first time Taylor and Alexis talked about cannabis. Taylor claims Alexis spotted him smoking weed last month at the car wash where he worked and said the two struck up a conversation about the drug.

Following the encounter at the gas station, Hallahan said Taylor and Alexis went back to his house where they ran into a black male who sold Taylor some pot. Taylor said Alexis and the dealer then left his home. Taylor’s attorney said that was the last time his client saw Alexis. [BONUS: Click here to read more on this story from WDBJ]

wtvr.com/2013/08/15/suspect-claims-drug-dealer-alexis-murphy-left-house-together/

[meme]

August 15, 2013 4:45 PM


Alexis Murphy Update: Lawyer for man accused of abducting missing Va. teen says disappearance may be tied to drug deal

(CBS/AP) CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - The man accused of abducting Virginia teenager Alexis Murphy was with her the night she vanished, but his lawyer says he didn't have anything to do with the disappearance -- rather, it may be connected to a drug deal.


Randy Allen Taylor's court-appointed lawyer, Michael Hallahan, maintained his client's innocence Wednesday as investigators returned to Taylor's Lovingston property.

Randy Allen Taylor's court-appointed lawyer, Michael Hallahan, maintained his client's innocence Wednesday as investigators returned to Taylor's Lovingston property.

Hallahan alleged that Taylor ran into the 17-year-old at a gas station Aug. 3, the day she disappeared, CBS affiliate WTVR reports, and that Taylor asked the teen if she could find him a drug dealer. It wasn't the first encounter between the two, the lawyer alleged - nearly a month before, while Taylor was working at a local carwash, he says Murphy started talking to Taylor after she noticed he was smoking marijuana.

The night Murphy vanished, Hallahan said the 17-year-old was at Taylor's camper with another man. The lawyer said Taylor bought marijuana from the man and smoked it with him, and that the two left in separate cars.


Hallahan said Taylor didn't know the man, but he was described as a black male in his early 20s, wearing cornrows and driving a 1990s sedan with 22-inch rims.

Authorities have said Murphy was last seen around 7 p.m. Aug 3, when she left her home to go shopping in Lynchburg. Her car was found in the parking lot of a multiplex in Charlottesville three days later.

After finding a strand of Murphy's hair in Taylor's camper eight days after she was last seen, authorities arrested him on an abduction charge, Hallahan said. Taylor is being held without bond in Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail and faces a maximum 10-year prison sentence if convicted.

Hallahan described the evidence against his client as "weak.'

"I don't like the way that people are already saying bad things about Mr. Taylor and they don't know anything about the case,"Hallahan told WTVR. "Hundreds and hundreds of cars go from the Liberty (gas station) every afternoon and every morning. A lot of them are heading North. I could be a suspect. I get gas there and go back to my office all the time."

FBI spokeswoman Dennette Rybiski declined to comment on Hallahan's statements about the other man or say what evidence has been collected.

Alexis Murphy / WDBJ
Authorities returned to Taylor's home Wednesday, searching the area with dogs and ATVs. Investigators focused on a wooded area for hours, entering with gloves, evidence tags and cameras.

Investigator Billy Mays of the Nelson County Sheriff's Office declined to release information about the search but noted that crews have shifted from a missing-person search to a criminal investigation.

Murphy's father, Troy Brown, said he hasn't slept well since she disappeared and won't until she comes home.

"Words just can't express how I feel right now. It's like a nightmare," Brown said. "And it could happen to anyone, I mean, it was my child this time, but it very well could have been anyone's child."

Taylor was investigated as a person of interest in the case of Virginia teen Samantha Clarke, who vanished three years ago in Orange County, about an hour and a half away. He was never charged in that case. A prosecutor told WTVR that Taylor was one of several people Clarke had contact with before her disappearance.

Anyone with information on the case is asked to call [phone].

www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57598754-504083/alexis-murphy-update-lawyer-for-man-accused-of-abducting-missing-va-teen-says-disappearance-may-be-tied-to-drug-deal/

[meme]

FBI: Alexis Murphy's cell phone found

Posted: Tuesday, September 3, 2013 11:47 am
Updated: 5:39 am, Wed Sep 4, 2013.

The FBI confirmed this morning that a cell phone belonging to missing Nelson County teenager Alexis Murphy was located during searches associated with her disappearance.

Murphy, 17, was reported missing Aug. 3, after she was believed to have left her Shipman area home for a shopping trip to Lynchburg.

The FBI would not say where the phone or how many other phones have been located.

Searchers last week recovered a sweater-like shirt from a creek below a bridge in the Shipman area, according to news reports.
However, Nelson County investigator Billy Mays told the Lynchburg News & Advance on Tuesday that the sweater did not belong to Murphy. He declined to go into further detail.

The FBI said it would release no more information about the case, which has resulted in the arrest of Randy Allen Taylor on an abduction charge. A key search area is near Taylor’s home north of Lovingston, just off U.S. 29.

Coordinated, large-scale foot searches for Murphy did not begin until recent days. Her car was found in Charlottesville and surveillance footage captured her image at a gas station in Lovingston the day of her disappearance; Taylor was also visible in that location that day but not in Murphy’s presence.

A lawyer for Taylor, 48, has said that Murphy and Taylor were together at his home but that Taylor, who was arranging a drug deal, was not the last person with Murphy. The attorney has not said whether Taylor informed investigators about the meeting with Murphy and another man before his arrest Aug. 11.

Taylor is being held without bond.

www.timesdispatch.com/news/state-regional/fbi-alexis-murphy-s-cell-phone-found/article_23d70150-14b0-11e3-a8f6-0019bb30f31a.html

[meme]

Missing teen’s mom relieved after cell phone located

NELSON COUNTY, Va. (WTVR) – The mother of Alexis Murphy said she was relieved investigators found her missing daughter’s cell phone. Laura Murphy told CBS 6 reporter Tracy Sears that Alexis, 17, kept the phone with her all day and night.

The phone, recovered during the investigation into Murphy’s disappearance, was positively identified as belonging to Murphy, the FBI released Tuesday.

“Since this is an on-going sensitive investigation, where evidentiary items and search information is sealed; no further discussion will be entertained,” the FBI said in a statement. “This sole release of information is only being made to advise the public that we no longer need assistance looking for that one item.”
Murphy disappeared on August 3.

“In order to protect the integrity of the investigation and ensure that Mr. Randy Allen Taylor gets a fair trial in Nelson County, Virginia, absolutely no further information will be released about this investigation,” the FBI statement continued.
Taylor, arrested last month, is charged with abduction.

Laura Murphy told Sears she felt Alexis was still alive and said she wished Taylor would tell investigators all that he knew about her daughter’s disappearence.

On Saturday, search crews were looking in and around the Rockfish River off Route 29 for clues. Charlottesville-area media reported crews found an item of clothing during that search. Investigators would not confirm why they were at that location and what may have been found.

Laura Murphy says she is sustained by the community, police, and volunteer search crews who continue to look for her daughter.

wtvr.com/2013/09/03/alexis-murphy-phone-update/

[meme]

Lead investigator discusses search for Alexis Murphy

Posted on: 7:41 am, September 4, 2013
updated on: 07:42am, September 4, 2013

NELSON COUNTY, Va. (WDBJ7.com) – The lead investigator in the Alexis Murphy abduction case is speaking for the first time since the search began for the missing 17-year-old girl.

Tuesday marked one month since Murphy’s disappearance.
In an exclusive interview with WDBJ7, Nelson County investigator Billy Mays said the case gets stronger every day.

“This case has pretty much consumed every minute of my days for over the past month,” Mays said. “This case went leaps and bounds since day one.”

Investigators recovered a number of cell phones during their search. On Tuesday, the Federal Bureau of Investigation confirmed one of those cell phones belonged to Murphy.
Mays recalled filing the initial missing persons report back on August 3.

“The logistics behind it I don’t want to say it was a nightmare, but it was challenging to get that all in place and as quick as we did,” he said.

wtvr.com/2013/09/04/alexis-murphy-investigator-speaks/

[meme]

Lynchburg Volunteers Revive Search for Alexis Murphy

Updated: Sun 11:32 PM, Dec 01, 2013

December 1, 2013

It has been nearly four months since 17-year-old Alexis Murphy went missing.

Now, volunteers around Nelson County are continuing to search for clues.

Members of the Self Help Obtaining Positive Opportunities (SHOPO) group in Lynchburg drove up to search. Nearly a hundred volunteers scoured the sides of Route 29 in Lovingston, trying to find anything that could lead to Alexis.

SHOPO normally does roadside cleanup on Sundays, but today they decided to drive to Nelson County to aid in the search.

“It's about bringing the community together and helping as many people as possible,” says SHOPO president B.B. Shavers. “It was just an opportunity to meet some great people and let them know whatever they need we will be there for them.”

“Today proves that you got a lot of people that care and a lot of people support the Murphy family to find this talented young lady.”

Volunteers searched all along Route 29, including the property of Randy Taylor, who was arrested in August in connection with Alexis’ disappearance.

Family and friends of Alexis were also involved in the search and appreciate all the support they received from community members.

“We've had a tremendous amount of support of people who have come out to help search,” says Angela Taylor, Alexis' aunt. “We're looking for any and everything that may be a clue.”

Volunteers were instructed to call the authorities if they find something during the search.

“My heart and prayers everyday are with the family and today I hope and pray that God watches over all of us and gives us eyesight to get what we need so that the family can have some kind of a closure,” says Sandra Block, a volunteer in the search.

Volunteers searched from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, hoping to bring authorities one step closer to bringing Alexis home.

www.newsplex.com/home/headlines/Lynchburg-Volunteers-Revive-the-Search-for-Alexis-Murphy--234012331.html

[meme]

Volunteers search for clues in Alexis Murphy disappearance

LOVINGSTON – More than 100 people turned out Sunday to search the roadside and woods along U.S. 29 for any sign of Alexis Murphy, the Nelson County teenager who went missing in August.

“Today proved that no matter where you are from, or what background you are from, or what color you are, people can come together for something positive, and it was a very humbling feeling,” said Ronald “B.B.” Shavers, a leader in the volunteer effort.

The searchers “found a couple of things of interest that we hope can lead to something positive to bring this young lady back home,” Shavers said.

Law enforcement personnel didn’t have any role in organizing the search, although they were notified of it, and didn’t confirm anything about its findings, Shavers said.

A search dog showed curiosity at a spot near the Rockfish River, but its significance hadn’t been determined, Shavers said late Sunday afternoon.

Nearly 60 of the searchers assembled at E.C. Glass High School Sunday morning before heading to Lovingston in response to a public appeal from Shavers, which he issued through a group called Self Help Obtaining Positive Opportunities. Some members of the organization, known as SHOPO Nation, meet regularly on Sunday afternoons to pick up trash along Hill City streets.

The Lynchburg party joined about 50 more searchers, including several members of Murphy’s family, in the Nelson County High School parking lot before fanning out for five hours of walking and poking through fallen leaves for any kind of link to Murphy.

Angela Taylor, Alexis’ aunt, told the searchers they should look for a blue cell phone cover and a two-toned gray purse the teen-ager was carrying when she was last seen Aug. 3 at the Liberty gas station in Lovingston.

The purse and phone cover were “two items that were never recovered that Alexis had with her that day,” Taylor told the searchers.

Nearly half of the volunteers converged on property just north of Lovingston, where Randy Allen Taylor had lived in a trailer.
Taylor, 48, is in jail awaiting trial in February on an abduction charge in Murphy’s disappearance.

The volunteers hiked the wooded hillsides behind the property and poked through trash piles that almost certainly had been searched last summer by FBI and other law enforcement officers.
The volunteers hoped to find some piece of evidence that may have been obscured by late summer’s foliage.

One searcher used a stick to pick up a length of duct tape, hoping it might mean something.

The search on the Taylor site was interrupted when a relative of the property’s owner showed up and demanded that the group leave.

But Laura Murphy, mother of the 17-year-old Alexis, persuaded the relative to let the volunteers continue searching.
Several members of the group said they came out to help because they had been following news reports on Murphy’s disappearance.

“It just touched my heart,” said Christopher Perkins, a Lynchburg resident. “It was just something I wanted to give, and that’s why I’m out here today,” Perkins said.

Kathy Newton of Lynchburg said she’d been “following the case since it happened, and, being a mother, I can’t imagine going through something like this.”

“If everybody got together and searched, there is a possibility we could find her,” Newton said.

David Byerly, a recently retired Lynchburg resident, said he wanted to get involved in volunteer work.

“It was interesting that a local group put this volunteer effort together, and I thought I’d try to help,” Byerly said.
Mike Osei, a SHOPO member, said he was trying to be optimistic about the case.

“I think there is still a good chance she may be alive,” Osei said while looking through the woods where the suspect had lived.

www.newsadvance.com/news/local/article_6cdda156-5af1-11e3-af39-0019bb30f31a.html

[meme]

Girl’s blood in suspect’s trailer, Virginia prosecutor tells jury


May 3, 2014

LOVINGSTON, Virginia- The blood of a missing 17-year-old Virginia girl along with signs of a violent struggle were found in the trailer of a man charged with her murder, a prosecutor said in opening arguments of the handyman’s trial on Friday.

But a defense lawyer for the accused man, Randy Taylor, 48, said there was no evidence of either a murder or an abduction.

Taylor is accused of abducting Alexis Murphy, a high school senior, in August 2013 while she was on a shopping trip, and then killing her. The case drew national attention and has riveted the close-knit mountainous region of western Virginia.

Nelson County Commonwealth’s Attorney Anthony Martin told jurors that Murphy’s blood was found on a shirt that had been balled up and shoved under a couch in Taylor’s trailer.
Martin said her hair extensions were found in the shirt, and a strand of Murphy’s hair was discovered on Taylor’s pillow, according to DNA evidence.

Murphy’s torn fingernail and part of an earring were found in the trailer’s carpeting, Martin said.
“All of this will show that a violent struggle occurred,” he told the jury of seven women and five men.
“Alexis Murphy will be a silent witness” to what happened to her through the evidence, he said.
Many of Murphy’s family members, who were seated in the public gallery of the Nelson County Circuit Court, wept as Martin detailed the evidence.

Martin called 18 witnesses as he opened the prosecution’s case, including Murphy’s mother and father who testified that she was a hopeful teenager looking forward to going to college. Like many teenagers, they said Alexis – who lived with her mother and grandmother – was glued to her cell phone.

When she didn’t return texts or calls the night she disappeared or the morning after, her mother – a postal employee who works nights – said she began fearing the worst.

“She always called when she was going to be late,” Laura Murphy said, sobbing into a handkerchief.
Although no body or other remains have been found, authorities have charged Taylor with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of abduction with intent to defile.

If convicted of all charges, Taylor could spend the rest of his life in prison.

Prosecutors contend that surveillance video at a gas station shows Taylor opening the door for Murphy and talking with her on the night she disappeared, and that he was one of the last people to see her alive.
But defense attorney Michael Hallahan told the jury that nobody knew what happened to Murphy.

“There is no evidence of a murder and no evidence of an abduction,” Hallahan said in his opening remarks. Hallahan contended there was not enough proof to convict Taylor.

He said that another man might have been with Murphy that night and possibly could have harmed her.

thetrialdiaries.wordpress.com/2014/05/03/girls-blood-in-suspects-trailer-virginia-prosecutor-tells-jury/

[meme]

Nelson County officials continue search for missing teen Alexis Murphy

POSTED 5:35 PM, OCTOBER 21, 2014,
BY ALIX BRYAN, UPDATED AT 06:15PM, OCTOBER 21, 2014

NELSON COUNTY, Va. — Officials in Nelson County announced Tuesday they will resume the search for missing teen Alexis Murphy, according to WCAV.

Murphy was 17-years-old when she went missing from her Nelson County home on August 3, 2013. She left her home and headed to Lynchburg to do some shopping. Murphy was traveling in a white 2003 Nissan Maxima GLE SE with Virginia license plates WYN-3706.

She was last seen alive on surveillance camera at a Liberty gas station in Lovingston. More than 72 hours later after the FBI and law enforcement agencies began their search to find Murphy, the white Nissan Maxima, with the correct license plates, was found in the parking lot of the old Carmike Theatre in Charlottesville.

Randy Taylor was convicted of her murder in May 2014, and later sentenced to two-life terms. Her body has never been found. Taylor asked for a reduced sentence of 20 years, if he helped investigators locate Murphy.

The announcement that the search for Murphy would continue comes just three days after human remains were found off of Old Lynchburg Road in Albemarle County, that could be those of missing UVa. student Hannah Graham. A positive identification of those remains is expected Tuesday or Wednesday.

In early October the Nelson County commonwealth’s attorney says additional “scientific testing” would take place following a request from the lawyer of Randy Taylor, the man found guilty of murdering Alexis Murphy.

Nelson County Sheriff Brooks clarified with CBS 6 reporter Laura French that the search for Murphy will take place in Orange County in areas Taylor frequented. This is an area that they started searching months ago but it was challenging due to heavy brush therefore, it had already been planned to resume in the fall when the brush died down.

Brooks says this has nothing to do with the Graham investigation and again “was already planned.”

Detective Billy Mays of the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office released this statement following the announcement, according to WCAV:

“Our goal has always been to bring Alexis home, and to bring closure to the family.”

Anyone with information about Murphy’s disappearance is asked to call the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office at [phone]. All reports filed on Alexis Murphy and Randy Taylor can be found here.

Anyone with information about Jesse Matthew, Hannah Graham or Morgan Harrington is asked to call the tipline at 434-295-3851.

snipped-

wtvr.com/2014/10/21/nelson-county-officials-plan-new-search-for-missing-teen-alexis-murphy/

[meme]

Nelson Authorities to Resume Search for Alexis Murphy

Posted: Oct 21, 2014 3:08 PM CDT
Updated: Oct 21, 2014 5:04 PM CDT


Nelson County investigators say they will search for Alexis Murphy next month. Sheriff David Brooks says the search will take place in Orange County in November.

Brooks says the search for Murphy was already planned before University of Virginia student Hannah Graham disappeared and will include just law enforcement. They will search in Orange County in November but will not disclose a specific date or location.

Investigators say they actually started the search in August but had to stop because the area they were searching was too overgrown. Brooks says they are looking in Orange because of the ties Randy Taylor, the man convicted of her abduction and murder, has to that area.

Sheriff Brooks says the search for Alexis Murphy has been ongoing, even if you didn't see it in the media. Detective Billy Mays of the Nelson County Sheriff's Office says they haven't given up hope and owe Murphy's family some closure.

Murphy was last seen on August 3, 2013 at a gas station in Lovingston. An extensive search was conducted but Murphy was not found. Randy Taylor was arrested on August 11, 2013 and charged in relation to the case.

In May 2014, after a five-day trial, Taylor was found guilty of first-degree murder and abduction and sentenced to two life terms. At sentencing he asked for a 20-year sentence in exchange for information leading to Murphy's location. The family declined.

www.nbc29.com/story/26849296/nelson-authorities-to-resume-search-for-alexis-murphy

[starr]

Stephon Dingle CBS19
‏@stephon_Dingle
BREAKING: Formal request made to FBI lab by Nelson CA, results expected in 5-7 days. #JesseMatthew #AlexisMurphy #RandyTaylor #DNA @cbs19


Stephon Dingle CBS19 ‏@stephon_Dingle 18m18 minutes ago
BREAKING: Nelson CA confirms to @cbs19 Randy Taylor Def. Attny request DNA testing to determine if Jesse Matthew was in Alexis Murphy's Car

[Pawleys]

That would be incredible if they convicted the wrong guy!

[earl]

Oct 22, 2014 18:31:43 GMT -5 Pawleys said:

That would be incredible if they convicted the wrong guy!

Yes it would. Though odd if innocent him offering to help find her for reduced sentence.

[meme]

'Finally able to bring Alexis home': After 7 years, missing Nelson County teen's remains found


LOVINGSTON — Alexis Murphy has finally been found.

Authorities on Wednesday announced the remains of Murphy, who went missing seven years ago at age 17, were found in Nelson County in December.

Murphy went missing Aug. 3, 2013 after visiting a gas station in Lovingston. Randy Allen Taylor, 55, was found guilty of murder and abduction in the disappearance of Murphy in May 2014; he's serving two life sentences.

"We were finally able to bring Alexis home," Nelson County Sheriff David Hill said Wednesday. "It just means the world to us."

The remains were located Dec. 3 on private property near Stagebridge Road, along U.S. 29 in Lovingston. The Nelson County Sheriff's Office received positive identification of the remains as Murphy's on Feb. 5, the sheriff's office said on social media on Wednesday afternoon.

Snip:


www.google.com/amp/s/newsadvance.com/news/local/finally-able-to-bring-alexis-home-after-7-years-missing-nelson-county-teens-remains-found/article_8aeced79-098e-5417-b457-3084cdc4f29c.amp.html

[meme]

Remains of Nelson County teen Alexis Murphy found seven years after her murder

Authorities have now closed the case

NELSON COUNTY, Va. – Authorities have found the remains of Alexis Murphy, a Nelson County teenager who was murdered in 2013.

Alexis was 17-years-old when she was last seen in August 2013 at a gas station in Lovingston, and investigators said her body had gone undiscovered until Dec. 3, 2020.

Since 2013, authorities said searches have continued for her body with the search area increasing over time.

Her remains were found on private property near Stagebridge Road along Route 29 in Lovingston, according to the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office.

The remains were taken to the Central District Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Richmond for identification, and investigators said her remains were identified on Feb. 5.

Authorities said they worked with Alexis’ family on when to tell the public about the discovery of her body to allow them time to grieve and make the proper arrangements.

“All the searches have continued throughout the seven years. It’s been continuous,” said Hill. “There’s always information that comes in from time to time. Some of those leads have been fruitful, but it’s just branched out and continued to go further and further north.”

Hill didn’t go into detail about the latest developments or why it took so long to find Alexis and told 10 News that investigations like this involve many different factors and other components to analyze.

Randy Taylor, 55, is serving two life sentences for Murphy’s murder. Taylor has maintained his innocence and filed for an appeal in 2015, which was denied. While her body was not found at the time of his sentencing, investigators found enough evidence to charge him with abduction and murder.

Authorities said due to the discovery of Alexis’ body, successful prosecution and a thorough investigation, this case is no longer active.

Hill is glad to bring the Murphy family some closure.

“The promise was made to bring her home and it’s a pretty good feeling,” said Hill. “No one gave up. It’s been continuous. Family, friends, the agencies that have been involved, federal agencies, state agencies, the community just as a whole.”

Alexis’ family has released the following statement:

Our family is so grateful for the continuing love, support and prayers for Alexis and our family over the past 7 years. While we have been grieving the loss of Alexis since 2013, we remained hopeful that she would be found alive and well. Alexis was the fashionista, athlete and joker of our family; we were blessed to have loved her for 17 years and her memory will continue to live on through us all. Our family would like to extend a heartfelt thanks and sincere gratitude to the citizens of Nelson County, the FBI, the Virginia State Police, the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office and all of the search and rescue teams for your commitment and unwavering support to find Alexis. You all kept the promise made in 2013, to bring Alexis home!

During this time, we ask that you continue to lift our family up in prayer and in the words of Alexis, ‘Keep Hope Alive’.”

Respectfully,

Family of Alexis Murphy

www.google.com/amp/s/www.wsls.com/news/local/2021/02/17/remains-of-nelson-county-teen-alexis-murphy-found-seven-years-after-her-murder/%3foutputType=amp

[Reality]

Hi Meme, good to see that you are still around.