Friends Organize Search Party For Ashley Murray

Frantic with worry over a Peconic teen who went missing on Monday, friends and neighbors are working together to organize a search party.

According to the Facebook page "Ashley Come Home," organizers have met with the Southold school district and Ashley's family to organize the search.

The search party will meet on Thursday at Southold High School by the flag pole at 3 p.m.

"The Murray family told me that police have combed Long Island and have searched every possibility from the end of Riverhead to the end of Orient," the Facebook post reads. "Because of this the family encourages us to keep looking but what would be in her best interest is to please print out as many copies as you can of this photo, for while we are searching for her we will be handing out this photo and posting it in as many stores we can."

The post added that "because of her note stating she was going to a 'watery grave' our main focus would be under bridges, beaches, but are not limited to these locations. Ashley was known to mainly be in the Mattituck, Southold, and Greenport areas so those towns are also our main focus."

Also on Wednesday afternoon, Southold Town police issued a missing person update on Ashley.

The release stated that police are continuing to search for Ashley ,who was last seen at approximately 8 a.m.. on Monday at her Spring Lane home in Peconic.

Ashley is described as a white female, approximatley 5'4" tall, weighing about 140 lbs. She has brown to redish brown hair, blue eyes and has a scar on her right wrist.

Ashley wears hearing aids in both ears, the release said. She was last seen wearing a black and gray hooded sweatshirt, red sweatpants and black boots.

Southold police said they have received dozens of tips from the public and are currently following up on a number of leads.

The investigation is being conducted with the assistance of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, several other East End police departments, as well as Suffolk County and New York State Law Enforcement Agencies.

A Missing Person Alert, which includes photographs of Ashley can be viewed on the town website by clicking here. 

Investigators are encouraging anyone with any information about the whereabouts of Ashley Murray to contact the Southold Town Police Department at (631)765-2600. All calls will be kept confidential and any assistance is appreciated.

Since news spread that 16-year-old Ashley Murray went missing Monday morning, the North Fork community and caring residents across the East End and beyond have come together in an outpouring of concern and love, desperate to bring her home safely.

On Tuesday, friends created a Facebook page, "Ashley Come Home," filled with messages, photos, and shared information, gathered in the hope of helping to find her.

"Ashley, It's pouring rain and it's so cold outside. You don't have a winter coat, which worries everyone in this weather. Please come home to the warmth, to the love, to the people who care so much about you," a concerned friend wrote Wednesday morning.

Hundreds of Facebook users have shared Ashley's photo and her story, working together to light the teen's path back to her family.

The message that resonates, loud and strong, is simple: "Ashley, you are loved. We miss you."

Dr. Sarah Alward, of East Hampton, wrote Patch, offering to help in a search, if organized. "I'm almost eight months' pregnant but I could walk around for a few hours to help look for her.  It breaks my heart for her family."

Ashley's mom, Charlotte Murray, said her daughter left a suicide note, which claimed she was upset with the world, mentioning a "watery grave" and a stranger "taking her to a deep abyss."

Murray said her daughter had been posting dark Facebook status updates, saying that she was "no longer afraid," and "was just going to do it."

RELATED: Peconic Teen Still Missing; Search Continues

Southold Police were on the scene near Murray's Peconic home Monday with a dive team and search dogs. By Monday night, the physical search had been called off and an "investigative search" continued.

The teen was still missing as of Monday morning, with nothing new to report, said Flatley. 

Her daughter, Murray said, left with no money, but had her iPhone. The phone, however, has no signal and cannot be traced. Murray said it could be turned off or under water – a mother's greatest fear.

"The worst part was when it got dark last night," she said. "I just thought, 'She should come home now. It's nighttime.' I don't know if she got to sleep in a bad last night or if she's in the back of a car," her mom said.

Her daughter, Murray said, left without phone chargers, medication for her anemia, clothes or even a toothbrush.

Murray said her daughter's last text, to another girl, was sent from Southold and also mentioned suicide.

On Monday morning, officers began a missing persons' search.

The call came in at approximately 10:45 a.m. Monday, Flatley said. Searches were conducted near the area where the teen resides, he added, including a flyover search of the Peconic Bay.

"We're hoping we or family members can make contact with her so we know she's accounted for," Flatley said.

Related Topics: Ashley Murray and Missing Peconic Teen