Resources for Missing Persons

According to current statistics, 4,000 people in the United States go missing every day. Sometimes a child suddenly vanishes from the bus stop or the local park or even from their own yard or bedroom. Or a teenager doesn�t return home after a walk to the neighborhood grocery store or a bike ride or a party with friends. Other times, an adult is mysteriously absent from their job or neighbors haven�t seen them for several days, and family and friends haven�t heard from them either.

Missing Person Case Updates with Photos

Ornaith Murphy


Ornaith, date, approximate 2001
Date Missing 12/16/2001
Missing From
Oakland, California
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Female
Race
White
Date of Birth 01/01/1946 (76)
Age 55 years old
Height and Weight 5'3, 150 pounds
Medical Conditions Ornaith suffers from arthritis; as a result, she limps and she needs cane to walk. She was reportedly depressed at the time of her disappearance.
Associated Vehicle(s) 1980 39-foot fiberglass auxiliary sailboat named Sola III with dark blue and gray circular emblems on both sides
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Brown hair, blue eyes. Ornaith is a native of Ireland. She broke both of her legs in a 1992 car accident and spent two years in a wheelchair and on crutches; the healed injuries may appear in an X-ray. She has undergone extensive surgery on her left knee.
Details of Disappearance Ornaith resided in Oakland, California in 2001. She and her husband, Kieran, were in the process of divorcing late in the year. They had moved together from the United States to Ireland in the late 1960s.
Ornaith was active in the sailing community and was an occasional contributor to sailing magazines. She owned a 1980 39-foot fiberglass auxiliary sailboat named Sola III. The vessel has dark blue circular emblems with one gray swirl painted on both of her sides. Ornaith normally berthed the boat at the Oakland Marina in the Jack London Square area of the city.
Ornaith was last seen in Oakland on December 16, the day after her estranged husband's disappearance. The vessel disappeared on the same day as Ornaith; it has never been located. The Sola III was captured on a video surveillance camera pulling out of the Oakland Marina at 8:36 p.m. on December 15. It had about one week's worth of food on it when it disappeared, but no safety or foul weather gear; it was not outfitted for a long-distance sail.
Kieran and Ornaith planned to meet on the day of his disappearance to discuss issues. Ornaith was seen working on her boat that day. A man fitting Kieran's description was seen near the boat on the evening of his disappearance, but it was never established that the man was in fact Kieran.
Witnesses reported hearing loud banging sounds coming from near the Sola III the evening he disappeared. The witnesses could not be sure that the sounds were gunshots, however. The next day, December 16, Ornaith called her niece from the Sola III. She said she was in a marina in Berkeley. Ornaith's niece invited her to breakfast, but Ornaith declined the invitation. She has never been seen or heard from again.
The Murphys are described as a witty, intelligent couple who enjoy reading classic literature. They amassed a small fortune through real estate speculation and have two sons together. Their marriage crumbled after Kieran had an extra-marital affair.
Kieran was living in an apartment in the Nob Hill area of San Francisco when he disappeared; Ornaith resided with her niece near Jack London Square in Oakland, near her boat. Both were the defendants of a lawsuit at the time of their disappearance; one of the buildings they owned had caught fire and a child had been badly burned.
Ornaith's family reported her as a missing person from Oakland. The estranged couple may be traveling together aboard the vessel. Another theory is that Ornaith shot Kieran and died by suicide shortly afterwards. There has been no evidence to support this, however, beyond the noises heard by witnesses.
Kieran was supposed to vacation in Mexico shortly after he disappeared. His and Ornaith's sons say it would be uncharacteristic of them to leave without warning. Although Ornaith is an experienced sailor who was the reportedly the first person from San Francisco to sail alone around Cape Horn in Africa, Kieran did not know how to sail it, and being on the water made him seasick.
The United States Coast Guard has been involved in the search for Kieran and Ornaith, but no evidence has been discovered. Neither of the couple's credit cards or bank accounts have been used since their disappearances. Their s remain unsolved, but their disappearances are considered suspicious.
Investigating Agency
San Francisco Police Department
415-553-0123
415-553-1071
415-558-5508
Other
California Attorney General's Office
KPIX
Latitude 38
Sailing Anarchy
The San Francisco Examiner
The San Francisco Chronicle

Missing Person Photos

A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are unknown. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found (such as at sea), or many other reasons. In most parts of the world, a missing person will usually be found quickly. While criminal abductions are some of the most widely reported missing person cases, these account for only 2 to 5 percent of missing children in Europe. By contrast, some missing person cases remain unresolved for many years. Laws related to these cases are often complex since, in many jurisdictions, relatives and third parties may not deal with a person's assets until their death is considered proven by law and a formal death certificate issued. The situation, uncertainties, and lack of closure or a funeral resulting when a person goes missing may be extremely painful with long-lasting effects on family and friends. A number of organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and images of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations, including the International Commission on Missing Persons, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), as well as national organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US, Missing People in the UK, Child Focus in Belgium, and The Smile of the Child in Greece.

Resources for Missing Persons

According to current statistics, 4,000 people in the United States go missing every day. Sometimes a child suddenly vanishes from the bus stop or the local park or even from their own yard or bedroom. Or a teenager doesn�t return home after a walk to the neighborhood grocery store or a bike ride or a party with friends. Other times, an adult is mysteriously absent from their job or neighbors haven�t seen them for several days, and family and friends haven�t heard from them either.

Missing Person Case Updates with Photos