After a viral video claimed law enforcement wasn't doing enough to remove a submerged vehicle owned by missing person Christina Murphy, many residents reached out to 23ABC saying they believed the situation was unjust. However, a life-long friend and two family members of Murphy say that video didn't tell the full story - and has brought them more pain.
- Adventures with Purpose live streamed a video regarding the vehicle of Christina Murphy that is currently submerged in the Kern River near Lake Isabella.
- Christina Murphy went missing on July 22, though she is believed to have gone into the Kern River with her vehicle.
- Adventures with Purpose live-streamed their video on September 10.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
I met with Chirstina Murphy’s friend of 26 years, Alisha Ernst, while she took a break during her shift as a nurse at Ridgecrest Regional hospital. She told me she used to work with Murphy.
“She treated every patient like it was the first patient she's ever dealt with, and she loved them and she cared for them like they were her, her person, her family,” Ernst said.
Ernst, who knows the father of Murphy’s children and several of her family members, remembers Murphy as an incredible nurse and as an incredible friend.
“She was the best - she was kind and caring and so funny,”
On Tuesday a private dive team named Adventures with Purpose live-streamed a video near where Murphy’s car is believed to be submerged in the Kern River.
With over 100,000 views on Youtube - Ernst says it’s made more people aware of Murphy, who hasn’t been since since July 22, but said that it has had a negative impact on close-friends and family members. Ernst says she has seen those online incorrectly speculate on what happened to Murphy.
“Privacy was important. Her children's privacy was important.”
In the video Adventures with Purpose accuses Kern County Sheriff's Office and Search and Rescue of negligence because they have not yet recovered Murphy’s car.
“This is the worst law enforcement agency I’ve ever seen,” said a member of the dive-team in the viral video.
But Ernst says the family has been aware of the situation and understands that it is a process that should be done safely.
“The biggest frustration with all of this is that she is a person that would have never ever wanted to put someone else in danger. That guy made it seem like there is no danger, there absolutely is.”
She said that Murphy's mother and fiance did not want the dive team there. Ernst was the one who responded to Adventures with Purpose when they reached out to her.
“I said it’s under control, they have a plan in place, we are waiting for the water levels to drop, everything is handled, everything is fine.”
The dive team still showed up. in the video adventures with a purpose made false claims about the father of Murphy's children, who works for law enforcement.
“Josh get down here because you know who you are, you work for the Sheriff's office and you have the ability to expedite this.” said Founder of Adventure with Purpose Jared Leisek.
“You can’t insert yourself into an investigation, especially when it’s someone that’s next of kin. It was completely uncalled for and now it’s turned into this big dramatic thing online that is now destroying the mental well-being of her children.”
I spoke with Murphy's mother and her brother, Cameron Patterson, over the phone and they confirmed what Ernst had told me.
Patterson says while he appreciates the work Adventures with Purpose does, he wishes they thought about the impact on Murphy's family - especially her children- and that he feels like it crossed a line when Leisek mentions Murphy’s daughter in the video.
“And Josh, as a dad, talking directly to you. If your daughter sees this and you get pissed off about it, good, I want your daughter to see this,” Leisek said in the video.
“If you had to say something to these people online who didn’t know Christina Murphy, but think that they’re advocating for her, do you have a message for those people?” I asked.
“Stop. It’s not your business, you don’t get to have a soundbite in this. This is her life, this is her childrens' memories that you are messing with.”
She tells me the story not being told is Murphy's struggles with mental health and substance abuse - which she believes led to the accident that ended with Murphy’s car in the river.
“Her story as to why she's sitting in the bottom of the river is because of alcoholism, and with her being an ER nurse, we are expected to go from trauma to trauma to trauma, and we don't have any sort of training to learn how to cope with those things.”
Ernst tells me she’s seen firsthand the burnout and trauma that leads healthcare workers to turn to drugs and alcohol.
“It’s actually kind of one of those things where it is trauma bonding after a bad day, everyone goes out to the bar, and that can’t be something that remains that way.”
Her brother told me that as children, Murphy helped him grow, and that he loved her, but was aware that she was an alcoholic.
Ernst says Murphy was always there for her friends when needed.
“She messaged me and she said, 'What can I do to actually help you?'”
But she wasn’t always sure how to help herself.
Ernst says stories like Murphy's are common in the healthcare industry, and is advocating for changes like being granted time off after a traumatic experience and having access to resources that can help healthcare workers cope with the stress they face everyday.
“She was saving people's lives and bringing them back to life. You know, by the grace of God, she had those skills.”
She wants people to remember Murphy for the person she was.
“She was loving and caring and compassionate – everything you could want in a person”
And says what happened with Murphy illustrates why changes need to be made.
“If you want closure for this, pray for her family. God gave us this human for a reason. She went through her struggles for a reason.”
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