NELSON COUNTY, Va. — Officials in Nelson County announced Tuesday they will resume the search for missing teen Alexis Murphy.
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.
COMPLETE COVERAGE: The Search for Alexis Murphy
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 (434) 263-7050. 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. All Hannah Graham surveillance videos can be seen here. All reports filed on this case can be found here.
