Richmond authorities said that human remains found last December has been confirmed as Alexis Murphy’s, nearly 8 years after she vanished from a Lovingston gas station.
“All the search have continued throughout the seven years,” Nelson County Sheriff David Hill said. “There’s always information that comes in from time to time. Some of those leads have been fruitful.”
On Dec. 3, 2020, Alexis’ remains were discovered at a private property not far from Stagebridge Road, which is 3.5 miles away from the gas station the victim was last seen alive at.
Even before finding the remains, Randy Taylor, 55, was convicted of the murder and sentenced to serve two consecutive life sentences.
Authorities gathered overwhelming evidence against the man who had been at the same gas station at the time of Murphy’s disappearance with an employee testifying that they talked before leaving in a car.
Taylor’s camper was the scene of the crime: There police found a bloody shirt, black hair, and a fingernail with Murphy’s DNA. Her crushed cellphone was also found.
“While we have been grieving the loss of Alexis since 2013, we remained hopeful that she would be found alive and well,” Murphy’s family said.
“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.”