Marshall PD officer Murdoch honored after quick actions in local 16-year-old's abduction

MARSHALL - Marshall Police Chief Mike Boone recognized one of his officers April 15 for his actions after a 16-year-old Madison girl was reported missing last month.

Officer Tori Murdoch was recognized by Boone during his report to the Marshall Town Board April 15 at Town Hall.

According to Boone, on March 22, a 16-year-old girl was reported missing after leaving Madison High School, and had last been seen near the Marshall Ingles.

Boone said the 16-year-old girl was abducted and transported to near Richmond, Virginia, by three Western North Carolina residents - two adult females and one adult male.

The three North Carolina men were detained and charged March 22. A fourth man, a Virginia resident, is still at large but has charges pending in Virginia and through the Madison County Sheriff's Office, Boone said.

After the girl's parents called Madison County 911 dispatch, Madison County Sheriff's Office law enforcement officers protested the jurisdiction of the case, according to Boone.

"Officer Murdoch, instead of arguing with them, he didn't hesitate, he just started working the case," Boone said. "Officer Murdoch is a great asset to this department, and never gives less than 100%."

According to Boone, Murdoch charged and arrested the three individuals for transporting the girl out of state.

Murdoch worked with Marshall Police Sgt. Kenny Brown, as well as the Henrico County Police, near Richmond, Virginia. The girl was returned home the same night, Boone said.

If it weren't for Murdoch's swift actions, that may have not been the case, Boone said.

"The young lady was located that night, several hours later, but that night, and she was returned home safely," Boone said. "Because of what Officer Murdoch had done, there's no doubt she would not have been returned that night. Tori just grabbed the bull by the horns and took off with it. If he hadn't done that, she would have made it to her, well, she was close to her destination, where this guy was luring her."

Murdoch said the situation was "stressful," given the nature of the case.

"I kept having to scroll, like 20 to 30 miles. The only thing we could do was to ping her phone, and then have to scroll 20 to 30 miles to look up what agency that was, call them and get an actual person on the phone, have something sent over on the computers," Murdoch said. "A bunch of times, probably three or four times, by the time we did that, boom, they blow through, until I finally got somebody on the ground, an officer on his phone."

Murdoch said the defendants "drove all over the place like a pinball," and were eventually apprehended in a church parking lot.

"You can imagine, every law enforcement agency along the way that he's contacting, and then you're pinging again in a different location," Boone said. "So, it wasn't just calling one agency and saying, 'Hey, you're looking for this vehicle.'"

Murdoch commended a Madison County E911 dispatcher for his work in helping to locate the girl.

"This kid up at dispatch, he was doing some incredible stuff. He was like a NASA comptroller," Murdoch said. "He drew a line on the screen, and makes a triangle. I hear him say, 'I guarantee you they're behind that church there,' and we got 'em."

According to Boone and Murdoch, it is unclear if the girl's abduction is connected to a larger trafficking operation.

"We don't know for sure if it was part of a trafficking operation, but it wasn't good either way," Murdoch said. "Again, it's one thing if your son goes doing some type of stuff. But this is completely different."

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Murdoch honored after quick actions in local 16-year-old's abduction