NELSON COUNTY, Va. (WTVR) -- The mother of 17-year-old Alexis Murphy, who has been missing for nearly two weeks, is speaking out about claims her daughter was searching for marijuana before she vanished.
In her own words, Alexis tweeted about being high and “hitting the weed.” And in pictures the 17-year-old can be seen smoking something.
Days after Randy Taylor was arrested and charged with the abduction of the missing Nelson County teen, Taylor's attorney said his client admits he saw Alexis the day she disappeared. However, but claims he wasn't the last one to see her.
According to Mike Hallahan, Taylor's attorney, his client said he met Alexis nearly a month ago while working at a local car wash where Taylor said the teen spotted him him smoking pot -- and sparked up a conversation.
Laura Murphy, Alexis' mother calls the claims baseless lies and said her "daughter wouldn't even associate herself with anyone like that.”
Could Taylor be telling the truth about what happened the night Alexis disappeared?
"If they can catch him in a lie, it has implications on the whole story. The more they can punch holes in his tale, the better for prosecutors,” CBS 6 legal expert Todd Stone said.
Taylor also told his attorney when the pair saw each other at Lovingston gas station, Taylor claimed he asked the teen if she could find him a drug dealer.
That's a claim Trina Murphy, Alexis’ aunt, finds hard to believe.
"Why would someone of his caliber need to ask a 17-year-old girl where to buy weed? I can imagine that he probably knew where to buy that,” said Murphy.
Later that day, Hallahan said his client, Alexis and a black man described as having cornrows met up at Taylor's Nelson County home. That's where Taylor said he bought $60 worth of marijuana. After that, Taylor claims the last time he saw Alexis was when she and the man drove off in separate cars.
Murphy's aunt said Taylor’s elaborate description is laughable.
"It doesn't take a rocket scientist, it’s society,” Trina Murphy said. “A black man with cornrows and a car with rims… how stereotypical."
Murphy said she thinks Taylor is spinning the tale as an explanation for why Alexis' DNA would be in his house.
Investigators have not released any information about the person Taylor alleges was the last to see her.
Alexis' mother, who said the waiting and wondering is terrible, prays Taylor will tell the family where her daughter is.
When CBS 6 asked about the teen's Twitter account and marijuana-related messages, her mother and aunt said the 17-year-old is not a party girl and does not smoke or drink.
“I do caution the public when you’re making comments about it, please don’t do so in such a way that says that some how says how young girls dress or what they put on their Twitter feed or their Facebook page would invite this,” said Trina Murphy.
Stay with CBS 6 News and WTVR.com for the latest developments on this story.
