Alexis Murphy, a Virginia teen who went missing last summer, has a family that still wants answers. After disappearing in August of 2013, she still hasn’t been seen or heard from, and investigators believe she was killed by Randy Allen Taylor, who was convicted for her abduction and murder in May, though a body was never found. Now, her aunt is assisting in the search for another missing teen, and says she knows all too well the agony her family is going through.
University of Virginia student Hannah Graham disappeared last week and was last seen at a bar, talking to a man authorities believe was Jesse Matthew. Matthew was questioned and allowed his car to be searched during the initial investigation, but soon after fled to Texas, where he was just taken into custody. As Graham’s family awaits news of what might have happened to her, Trina Murphy says she understands what they’re going through.
“The first two weeks are kind of a blur. You’re on this emotional roller coaster of ok she’s going to be found today. You wake up every morning, she’s going to be found today or a significant piece of information is going to be found today. The days run into weeks and the weeks run into months,” she said.
Investigators have released a statement clarifying that they don’t believe Matthew was involved in the disappearance of Alexis Murphy after rumors began to spread that his vehicle was seen in surveillance video of the teen on the day she was last seen.
“Some have questioned whether or not the surveillance video from Liberty Gas Station the night Alexis Murphy disappeared show her walking behind the back of an object some say looks like Jesse Matthews’ vehicle. FBI and Virginia State Police have re-examined that footage in light of these concerns and are confident that the orange object is not a vehicle, but a portion of a sign hanging from the window,” Nelson County Commonwealth’s Attorney Anthony Martin said in a statement.
Graham’s parents issued a statement earlier this week pleading for information about their daughter, and John Graham, her father, thanked Trina Murphy for her help during such a difficult time.
“They owe me no thanks. I would do this for anybody…Because when Alexis went missing I wanted the whole world looking for her and I know they feel the same way. As a parent, as the mother of a daughter, the aunt of a young girl that’s already missing I can’t imagine not going,” she said.