Crime & Safety

Still No Sign Of Missing Peconic Teen Wednesday Morning

Police said case does not qualify for an Amber Alert.

As heavy rains pounded down in Peconic Wednesday morning, the anguished mother of a missing 16-year-old teen said there is still no sign of her daughter, who has been gone since Monday.

Charlotte Murray said Wednesday that there had been no news of her daughter overnight.

Murray said she felt "as any mother would -- awful."

Meanwhile, frantic community members desperate to help bring Ashley home have voiced questions about possible search parties -- and asked why no Amber Alert has been issued for the teen.

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"This particular case does not qualify for an Amber Alert, which are reserved for cases more closely associated with confirmed abductions. Further searches are always something we would have at our disposal, but they are dictated by information developing during an investigation of areas to search," Southold Town Police Chief Martin Flatley said Wednesday morning.

When asked if search parties would be organized to help look for her daughter, Murray said, "The police and detectives have been very supportive. We leave everything in their hands."

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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.

Hundred 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.

When last seen, Ashley, who is 5'4 and 140 pounds, with auburn hair, was wearing red baggy sweat pants, and a black-and-gray corduroy zippered sweatshirt with a hood.

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.


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