GA GA - Anthony Murrill, 9, Atlanta, 14 Nov 1971

[walt91]

Added to NamUs and NCMEC earlier this month. So tragic that a child can be missing for half a century without any documentation :/

NCMEC

NamUs

Demographics​

Missing Age 9 Years
Current Age 60 Years
First Name Anthony
Middle Name--
Last Name Murrill
Nickname/Alias--

Sex Male
Height 5' 2" (62 Inches)
Weight 95 lbs
Race / Ethnicity Black / African American

Circumstances of Disappearance: Anthony was 9 years old when he went missing on November 14, 1971. He was last seen at home in the Harris Homes community on Sells Avenue in Atlanta, Georgia.

 

[victoriarobinson642]

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It looks like his case has been on the radar of at least NCMEC for four years. I wonder how he just made it into NAMUS.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

Following. I wish more information was available regarding what is suspected to have happened to him.

Out of curiosity I checked NamUs for any other still -missing children from Georgia around the same time period. I only found one other case (MP10554) and I think it's probably  not related to this one. (A completely different type of victim - teenage girl- and not in Atlanta.)

 

[Mysteries1974]

I’m glad he made it onto NamUs. I found Anthony’s case while searching through NCMEC earlier this month and submitted his case. I also remember there was a podcast featuring his brother

 

[Mysteries1974]

Podcast link: The Disappearance of Anthony Murrill - Impact Statement

In 1971, 9-year-old Anthony Murrill climbed into his top bunk as his older brother Vincent dozed off. This was the last confirmed sighting of Anthony Murrill.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

Podcast link: The Disappearance of Anthony Murrill - Impact Statement

In 1971, 9-year-old Anthony Murrill climbed into his top bunk as his older brother Vincent dozed off. This was the last confirmed sighting of Anthony Murrill.

How absolutely tragic.
Thank you for the link. I will listen this week.

 

[PommyMommy]

Anthony Murrill – The Charley Project

Anthony, circa 1971

• Missing Since 11/14/1971
• Missing From Atlanta, Georgia
• Classification Endangered Missing
• Sex Male
• Race Black
• Date of Birth 01/18/1962 (61)
• Age 9 years old
• Height and Weight 5'2, 95 pounds
• Distinguishing CharacteristicsAfrican-American male. Black hair, black eyes.

Details of Disappearance​

Anthony was last seen at his residence in Harris Homes, a now-demolished housing project on Sells Avenue in Atlanta, Georgia, on November 14, 1971. He lived with his mother, stepfather and siblings, and shared a room with his thirteen-year-old brother. They slept in bunk beds.
That night Anthony went to sleep in the top bunk and his brother slept in the lower one. His brother slept through the night and didn't hear or see anything suspicious. When his brother woke up in the morning, he was gone. There were no indications of a struggle. He has never been heard from again.

Despite Anthony's young age, the police initially classified him as a runaway and thought he might have traveled to North Carolina where he was originally from and where he still have relatives. After they could find no sign of Anthony in North Carolina, authorities changed their minds and said they thought he was still in Atlanta.

Anthony's family did not believe he had run away from home. They described him as a normal, happy child who was close to his family and had no reason to run away from home.

According to Anthony's brother, the boys' stepfather, Edward Groves, was violent and had once stabbed their mother. A neighbor reported seeing Anthony getting into Groves's car, but then recanted his statement.

Groves has not been named as a suspect in Anthony's case, but Anthony's brother thinks he could have been involved. His brother theorizes that their stepfather sent Anthony to live with Groves's family members, possibly in order to hurt Anthony's mother. The case remains unsolved and Anthony's family hopes he is still alive.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Family members told the NCMEC that a neighbor saw Murrill playing outside before he got into a vehicle with a man.
He hasn't been seen since the NCMEC said.
When Murrill went missing, Atlanta Police initially labeled him as a runaway. Murrill's family disagreed with their findings, telling the NCMEC that he wouldn't have run away from home.
The 9-year-old was the youngest, adored by his three brothers and well-known in the community, according to the NCMEC.

Where was Harris Homes?​

Harris Homes was initially a whites-only complex, but segregation was being enforced less by the 1960s. Murrill’s home was off Sells Avenue, which runs along Dean Rusk Park and Ashley Collegetown apartments.

New image released after 9-year-old went missing more than 50 years ago in Atlanta

Anthony Murrill was last seen at his home in Atlanta. Police initially labeled the 9-year-old as a runaway, but his family believes otherwise.

www.11alive.com

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Unfortunately, the Atlanta Police classified Anthony’s case as a runaway, even though he was just nine years old. There was no sign of a struggle in his bedroom, and his older brother did not report hearing anything suspicious in the night. Anthony and his family originally hailed from North Carolina, and the Atlanta Police Department believed that a nine-year-old child had somehow traveled back to North Carolina to be with relatives. His mother, of course, refuted this, but the police refused to listen. When the police failed to find any sign of Anthony in Georgia, or North Carolina, they finally listed him as a missing person.

While Anthony’s mother said that her son had no reason to run away from home, Anthony’s brother told a different story. His brother claimed their stepfather was violent and even once stabbed their mother. Anthony’s brother does not believe that he ran away from home and believes that his stepfather likely holds the answers as to what happened to him. If Anthony is still alive, he would be sixty-one years old.

Police Still Looking for Information on Missing Child from 1971 - NewsBreak

Anthony Murrill would be 61 if he were found today. Nine-year-old Anthony Murrill was last seen at his home on Sells Avenue in Atlanta, Georgia, on Novembe

original.newsbreak.com

 

[Megsc]

Unfortunately, the Atlanta Police classified Anthony’s case as a runaway, even though he was just nine years old. There was no sign of a struggle in his bedroom, and his older brother did not report hearing anything suspicious in the night. Anthony and his family originally hailed from North Carolina, and the Atlanta Police Department believed that a nine-year-old child had somehow traveled back to North Carolina to be with relatives. His mother, of course, refuted this, but the police refused to listen. When the police failed to find any sign of Anthony in Georgia, or North Carolina, they finally listed him as a missing person.

While Anthony’s mother said that her son had no reason to run away from home, Anthony’s brother told a different story. His brother claimed their stepfather was violent and even once stabbed their mother. Anthony’s brother does not believe that he ran away from home and believes that his stepfather likely holds the answers as to what happened to him. If Anthony is still alive, he would be sixty-one years old.

Police Still Looking for Information on Missing Child from 1971 - NewsBreak

Anthony Murrill would be 61 if he were found today. Nine-year-old Anthony Murrill was last seen at his home on Sells Avenue in Atlanta, Georgia, on Novembe

original.newsbreak.com

Is the stepfather still alive ?

 

[lightofmine99]

Anthony is now on the Doe Network!

6659DMGA

 

[Diane Redfern]

Anthony’s older sister said that a half hour after he was last seen, he called her and stated he was at a drive-in restaurant eating a hamburger and was heading to Hickory, North Carolina where his father, Lawrence Miller and other relatives live. Due to this, police initially classified Anthony as a runaway. On November 17th, he possibly tried to call his mother but the call was interrupted before he could fully identify himself.
Police in North Carolina were notified of the disappearance and the possibility that Anthony was heading there. His father and other relatives were looked into and said they hadn’t seen the boy at all since his disappearance. A week later, Anthony allegedly called his sister again and said he was on “Mead Road” but hung up before revealing anything else.
His mother, Ola Lee Murrill, said the only Mead Road she knew of was in Decatur but when police asked anyone in that area if they had seen Anthony, they all said no. Extensive searches of the area around his home and other areas turned up no evidence of his whereabouts.
(...)
Investigators and his family instead suspect that he was abducted by someone and might’ve been murdered afterwards. Two months after Anthony disappeared, nine year old Deborah Lynn Randall was abducted while walking home from a laundromat in Marietta, Georgia. She was later found sexually assaulted and murdered in a wooded area in Cobb County, Georgia. The cases were not linked, however, and there’s no evidence to suggest a connection. Randall’s killer has since been identified as a man who committed suicide in 1974.
Police questioned Edward Groves after his disappearance since he was seen speaking with the child before he disappeared. He originally agreed to perform a lie detector test but later refused on the “advice of some friends.” He lived in Jackson, Georgia at the time of Anthony’s disappearance.
(...)
Anthony was tutored by a Sandy Springs High School Student, Bobby McCann, in 1971 and a photo of them during a tutoring session was published in the local newspapers. McCann said he remembered the child fondly and recalled a time where he and his then-girlfriend took Anthony out to dinner at a diner. McCann later moved to South Florida where he attended college when his mother called and told him Anthony was missing.
McCann said his mother told him that Anthony had run away from home, something he didn’t believe. He said the boy he knew would never have left his family behind and said he was very kind, capturing the hearts of everyone around him. He says he is heartened that the case is being investigated so that the family and community can finally gain closure.

Source: Anthony Lee Murrill

These calls are very weird. I mean, he apparently called his sister and his mother, people who could easily identify if it was Anthony or not. The family seemed to deny the runaway theory from the begining, but sometimes they said others he was a runaway, so...
Was Anthony calling or someone pretending to be him?
Was it possible in the 1970s to verify the origin of a call?
Why did that neighbour recant its testimony?

Ola Lee Murrill Young (unknown-2007) - Find a...

Homegoing Celebration for Mother Ola Lee Murrill-Young of East Point, will be held Saturday, June 23, 2007 at 12 noon at Central Holiness Church of Deliverance, 1069 Washington St. Apostle JT Barnett, pastor, officiating. Remains will be placed in state from 10am until hour of service...

es.findagrave.com

 

[Nancy Drew RN]

Anthony Murrill "with housing volunteers" via "Volunteer Atlanta" a year before he vanished

Clipping found in The Atlanta Journal published in Atlanta, Georgia on 6/16/1970. Anthony Murrill "with housing volunteers" via "Volunteer Atlanta" a year before he vanished

www.newspapers.com

Anthony Murrill last seen outside the cab of mom's former bf on Nov 14, 1972

Clipping found in The Atlanta Journal published in Atlanta, Georgia on 2/3/1972. Anthony Murrill last seen outside the cab of mom's former bf on Nov 14, 1972

www.newspapers.com

6 Atlantans Post Reward for Lost Boy

Clipping found in The Atlanta Journal published in Atlanta, Georgia on 5/21/1972. 6 Atlantans Post Reward for Lost Boy

www.newspapers.com

Anthony Murrill 1023 Sells Ave SW, ATL

Clipping found in The Atlanta Journal published in Atlanta, Georgia on 12/29/1971. Anthony Murrill 1023 Sells Ave SW, ATL

www.newspapers.com

 

[victoriarobinson642]

Anthony Murrill "with housing volunteers" via "Volunteer Atlanta" a year before he vanished

Clipping found in The Atlanta Journal published in Atlanta, Georgia on 6/16/1970. Anthony Murrill "with housing volunteers" via "Volunteer Atlanta" a year before he vanished

www.newspapers.com

Anthony Murrill last seen outside the cab of mom's former bf on Nov 14, 1972

Clipping found in The Atlanta Journal published in Atlanta, Georgia on 2/3/1972. Anthony Murrill last seen outside the cab of mom's former bf on Nov 14, 1972

www.newspapers.com

6 Atlantans Post Reward for Lost Boy

Clipping found in The Atlanta Journal published in Atlanta, Georgia on 5/21/1972. 6 Atlantans Post Reward for Lost Boy

www.newspapers.com

Anthony Murrill 1023 Sells Ave SW, ATL

Clipping found in The Atlanta Journal published in Atlanta, Georgia on 12/29/1971. Anthony Murrill 1023 Sells Ave SW, ATL

www.newspapers.com

The second article includes another photo of him.