WASHINGTON – A 48-year-old man has been arrested in the disappearance of Alexis Murphy, a Virginia teenager who has been missing for more than a week.
Nelson County Commonwealth’s Attorney Anthony Martin says Randy Allen Taylor was taken into custody Sunday in connection with the disappearance of 17-year-old Alexis Murphy of Lovingston. Murphy has not been found.
Court records show Taylor is charged with abduction by force, which is a felony. He remains in jail without bond.
The FBI have also released a photo of the late-model GMC Suburban Taylor was driving, in the hopes that someone recognizes it.
Murphy went missing on Aug. 3, and her vehicle was found in the parking lot of a multiplex in Charlottesville three days later. Surveillance photos last place her at a Liberty Gas station in Lovingston.
Authorities say they are checking rough terrain around Lovingston and where Murphy’s car was found. FBI Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Mazanec says officials are looking into the possibility that the case is connected to other abductions in the area.
Murphy is described as a 5-foot-7 black female who weighs 156 pounds. She was last seen wearing a pink blouse, floral spandex pants and brown boots, and was carrying a gray purse.
She has black hair and brown eyes, and her right nostril and the left side of her upper lip are pierced.
Authorities are asking for public assistance in finding Murphy. Anyone with information concerning her whereabouts can contact the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office at 434-263-7050.
WTOP’s Hank Silverberg and The Associated Press contributed to this report. Follow @hsilverbergWTOP and @WTOP on Twitter.
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FBI have released a photo of the truck that suspect Randy Allen Taylor was driving in the hopes that someone recognizes it. (Courtesy FBI)
