In a proclamation this week, Governor Terry McAuliffe has declared April 29th “Missing Persons Day.” He hopes setting aside a day each year to remember and honor those who are lost, can help raise awareness for them and their families.
Almost four years ago Alexis Murphy went missing. She was 17, captain of the volleyball team and heading into her senior year at Nelson County High School.
And although a man is now in prison for her murder, she’s never been found. She’s one of more than 600 people in Virginia whose cases are still open, and are considered missing persons. Trina Murphy is her aunt.
“Really you’re like on a pendulum between hope and despair. You know? You’re waiting essentially to find a body or for someone to come walking back through the door," Murphy says. "And it’s just a really difficult place to be.”
Murphy has since become active with the advocacy group Help Save the Next Girl. This year, in hopes of raising awareness, they successfully lobbied Virginia’s lawmakers to make every April 29th Missing Persons Day.
Governor Terry McAuliffe signed the official proclamation Monday.