The remains of a 17-year-old Virginia girl who vanished seven years ago have been identified three months after being discovered on private land outside Lynchburg, according to authorities.
Alexis Tiara Murphy was last seen on surveillance footage at a gas station in Lovingston on Aug. 3, 2013. She had left her home in Shipman and was on her way to visit Lynchburg when she disappeared, the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office said.
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Randy Taylor, a 48-year-old man spotted in the same surveillance video, has already been convicted in the slaying and sentenced to two life terms.
A search for the teen by local, state and federal law enforcement officials at the time turned up no signs of the girl.
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The search went cold for more than seven years until police were alerted to the remains on property near Stagebridge Road along Route 29 in Lovingston on Dec. 3. The chief medical examiner in Richmond then positively identified the deceased as Murphy on Feb. 5.
Authorities delayed telling the community about the gruesome discovery to allow the girl’s family to grieve and make arrangements, reports said.
“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,” her family said in a statement.
“With the comprehensive investigation, successful prosecution by the Nelson County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office and the recovery of Alexis, this case is now no longer active,” the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office announced.
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