Vigil Held for Long Missing Carmel Teenager
By Anna Young
Carmel and Putnam County residents gathered for a candlelit vigil Sunday night to pay their respects for Robin Murphy, the teenager who mysteriously and tragically disappeared 22 years ago.
More than a dozen people came together at the Shop-Rite Plaza Shopping Center on the anniversary of Murphy’s disappearance, April 9, raising awareness and still seeking answers.
“We need to make the community aware that this has happened in our town and it has not been solved,” said Kathy, a Carmel resident who organized the vigil. “We need to remember her, we cannot forget about her and we can never let this happen again.”
Kathy, who had no affiliation with Murphy, added that since Murphy went missing she feels a personal connection to her and has never forgotten her.
“So many people have forgotten about it and so many people don’t know about it, but they should know,” she said.
On Apr. 9, 1995, 17-year-old Murphy was on route to meet her boyfriend for dinner when she made a stop at the Shop-Rite center where she was last seen at approximately 7:30 p.m. Police later found Murphy’s car parked in the shopping center and four days later found her purse, wallet and keys in a grassy area behind the stores. She hasn’t been seen since and her case has never been closed.
While little evidence has pointed police in the right direction, Carmel Police Detective-Sergeant Michael Nagle said police continue to receive phone calls regarding the case and will search selective areas following any leads that come their way.
“We’ll check areas, but as far as hard evidence or hard information, there hasn’t been anything that will break the case, unfortunately,” Nagel said.
Nagle, who was assigned this case four years ago, said police found evidence in 2001 but it wasn’t enough to move forward with an arrest or grand jury.
“I know there’s people out there who have the smallest bit of information who never call the police,” Nagle said. “There’s someone out there who knows something, there’s someone out there that has a feeling in their stomach that something isn’t right and I implore them to call.”
Susan Wright, a Carmel resident whose daughter Josette Wright was found dead after a 13-month disappearance in Nov. 1995, agreed people in the town have answers the police are looking for.
“I know there’s people in this town that know the answers to where Robin is, so somebody needs to step forward and end this torture for their loved ones,” Wright said. “For 13 months I didn’t know where Josette was, but to go 22 years is obviously unimaginable.”
Even though it was a light showing of residents at the vigil, law enforcement will never give up in their search for the truth.
“Her (Murphy) missing poster is in the Carmel Police Department, it hasn’t moved and it won’t move until we bring closure to this case,” Nagle said.
If you have any information concerning this case, contact Carmel Police Department at 845-628-1300.
