Nearly a week after her disappearance, the search for missing Nelson County teenager Alexis Murphy is centered on Charlottesville. The FBI and other investigators have set up a base in the city, where the 17-year-old’s car was found Tuesday in a movie theater parking lot on Route 29.
Murphy vanished Saturday, August 3, after telling family that she was going shopping in Lynchburg, police said. She was last seen Saturday night at a gas station 30 miles north of there in the small town of Lovingston, about halfway between Lynchburg and Charlottesville on Route 29.
Her white 2003 Nissan Maxima, Virginia plates WYN-3706, was found Tuesday in the parking lot of the Carmike Cinema in Charlottesville. A K-9 unit tracked the scent from Murphy’s car to a nearby apartment complex, where FBI agents and Nelson County detectives continued their search. Investigators now say they’re reviewing security camera footage from businesses along Route 29. They have also released stills from footage of Murphy stopping at the Lovingston gas station.
The Bureau held a press conference Wednesday, August 7, urging citizens to remain vigilant and come forward with any information, and along with the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office, is circulating a “seeking information” poster with photos and a description of Murphy: She is black, 5’7’’, weighs 156 pounds, and was last seen wearing a pink shirt, floral-print full-length spandex pants, and brown boots, and was carrying a dark and light-colored grey purse. She has her right nostril and left side of her upper-lip pierced.
Hundreds of friends and family gathered at the Nelson County High School football field for a vigil for Murphy Thursday. Her family has urged the public to help police in their search.