Arrest made in case of missing Nelson County teen

The FBI made an arrest in the case of missing Nelson County teen Alexis Murphy on Sunday evening.

Authorities say they're withholding the suspect's name because of the "sensitive" nature of the investigation. The suspect has been charged with kidnapping the 17-year-old girl.

Authorities did not say whether they had located Murphy, although the release asks the public to contact them "with any information that would assist in locating Alexis and/or creating a time-line for authorities of her activities before her disappearance."

They have, however, made headway in the last five days.

Earlier Sunday, state and local officials were busy mapping the parking lot at the Carmike Cinemas movie theater in Albemarle County, where they found Murphy's car last week. A small team of investigators set up a laser scanning machine across from the parking lot, temporarily blocking one of the entrances and redirecting traffic while they mapped out the scene.

Laser scanners are typically used to render a three-dimensional model of a crime scene, which is more detailed and more accurate than a two-dimensional sketch.

On Thursday, the FBI released photos of Murphy entering a gas station in Lovingston.

Two days later, the FBI confirmed it was showing pictures of people last seen with Murphy to business owners in the area. NBC 29 reported Saturday that agents had paid visits to Ultimate Bliss, an adult shop, and the Quick Pik convenience store, both of which are on Angus Road in Charlottesville.

FBI spokeswoman Dennette Rybiski said Sunday that the people in the photos are not suspects, but agents are trying to identify and locate them.

"These are stills ... from the videos that we have been collecting all week - people that apparently were in proximity to Alexis at some point - and they want to talk to them in the hopes of generating more information," Rybiski said.

Murphy has been missing since Aug. 3. She is a rising senior at Nelson County High School.

Anyone with information that could help authorities locate Murphy should call (434) 263-7050.

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