Nearly six weeks after Anesha “Duffy” Murnane went missing in Homer, efforts by family, friends, law enforcement and community members to locate her continue. Murnane left her supportive housing apartment at 12:13 p.m. on October 17, as evidenced by video taken at the apartment complex. She is believed to have been heading for a medical appointment just a few blocks away and has not been seen since.
The Homer Police Department’s current theory is that Murnane got into a vehicle near the intersection of Heath Street and Pioneer Avenue. What kind of vehicle, who was driving, and whether or not she got in willingly is unknown.
With no leads in the case to date, the community remains on alert, posting flyers, sharing information on social media and keeping updated through emails and weekly canvassing efforts. Family, friends and community members gathered together for a vigil at WKFL Park this past Saturday.
Approximately 50 people participated in the four-hour vigil. They held signs, as well as candles and lanterns.
Homer community member Kate Finn is a lifelong friend of Duffy and her family. She was at the vigil all afternoon to show support to both the family and the community.
“I am so happy to see so many people here today because what we want to do is bring hope, which there’s always always hope. We want to bring action and we want to bring out hearts to this situation that has been going on so long it’s inconceivable really. So we’re here to share our love and support for Sara and Ed and for the whole community to know that we do step up, that we will act,” said Finn.
Finn believes in the best of humanity and that someone in the Homer community may hold the key to information that leads to Murnane’s return.
“I never ever give up on human beings to do the right thing, eve and I think that there’s people who may have information that they’re subtly aware of," said Finn. "So many people in town were out and about on the day that Duffy disappeared and I think that someone may easily have seen something that they didn’t consider relevant at the time. Look back on it now and think about that day, October 17, somewhere around one o’clock in the afternoon. Where were you? What were you doing? What did you see?"
Lara Fleenor and her daughter Shelby helped to organize the vigil and have attended all of the canvasses over the last month. While neither of them knew Murnane or her parents, Ed and Sara, before Murnane went missing, they are committed to doing whatever they can to help.
I was raised here and I’ve raised four kids here and I just can’t imagine what Ed and Sara are going through. I put the word out there and the flyers out there because Duffy could be anybody’s sister and anybody’s daughter and I think we need to remember that and how important it is to bring her home,” said Fleenor.
Lisa Talbott, pastor of Homer United Methodist Church spoke to KBBI’s Christina Whiting after the vigil.
"I think that one of the most important things we can do as Duffy’s community is to hold onto hope. To hold onto hope for her, and her safety, to hold onto hope for her family, so that they know that we have not forgotten, we are not ignoring this, that we are still looking for Duffy. Hope is an anchor to the soul and we all anchored our feet down together onto to the ground that connects all of us, and anchored our feet to the ground that connects us to Duffy wherever she is," said Reverend Talbot.
More information about community efforts can be found at the Facebook page “Bring Duffy Home.” The Homer Police Department can be reached at 235-3150 and anonymous tips can be made to Peninsula Crime Stoppers at 907-283-8477.