Friends and family gathered at the Islands & Ocean Visitor Center last Thursday night for a community conversation with the Homer Police Department concerning the case of missing Homer woman Anesha Duffy Murnane. She has been missing since October 17, 2019. Duffy’s friends and family facilitated the conversation. KBBI's Christina Whiting is assisting in organizing efforts to find Duffy. Whiting helped facilitate the meeting.
With a photo of Duffy projected on the auditorium screen, longtime friend Tela O’Donnell Bacher and stepfather Ed Berg shared a bit about Duffy and addressed questions, like, “Is it possible that she just left Homer without telling anyone?” to which Berg replied, “Absolutely not.”
“People ask could she have just taken off. I say to them, “could I just leave Homer? Or, could you just leave Homer? It’s hard to conceive of just doing it, " said Berg. "The logistics of pulling something like that off and not leaving a track. It would take a phenomenal amount of preparation. She didn’t just go off on a lark.”
Lieutenant. Ryan Browning of the Homer Police Department said Duffy’s case remains a priority and spoke about ongoing law enforcement efforts, which have included the FBI and State Troopers. Browning said that despite the hundreds of tips that have come in from community members, there have been no leads.
“That’s what we’re doing. Every day. Bringing in other agencies, other investigators, other people who have done this a lot. Collaborating with them and seeing what are we missing, what do we need to do, where do we go from here. Getting other agencies involved is what we’re doing and that’s the best I can answer for you,” said Browning.
Attendants asked if it is likely that someone she knows abducted her.
Browning said that possibility has not been ruled out.
In response to questions, Lieutenant Browning confirmed that Homer Police Department
did investigate local registered sex offenders and individuals living in the same building as Duffy. Browning added that community members have been incredibly helpful.
"The willingness for people to come out and crawl through the woods, to get dirty and search, to help the family with meal trains...keeping Duffy alive in the case, statewide and nationwide. For us law enforcement, the phone calls, the tips, even if it seems like it might not be something, don’t hesitate to pick up the phone and call. The more information we have, the better.”
He says the only negative is that community members are sharing information on the Bring Duffy Home Facebook page, instead of calling the police.
"Get off of there and call us," said Browning. "That would be the only thing, having gone through this, that I would like to see more of - direct contact with us. There are channels that people can go through if they want to remain anonymous through CrimeStoppers. Or if someone doesn’t want to give me their name, that’s okay. I still want the information."
Duffy is 38 years old, five feet, eleven inches tall. She has brown hair, blue eyes and weighed 170 at the time of her disappearance. She was last seen wearing a light blue coat and carrying a purple and gray plaid purse.
Anyone with tips, suggestions or questions relating to Duffy’s disappearance are encouraged to contact the Homer Police Department directly at 907-235-3150 or rbrowning@ci.homer.ak.us.
