Family of murder victims seek justice despite stalled investigation

BRADENTON (FOX 13) - There's not a day that goes by that Bud and Grace Moriarty don't think about the pain of their daughter's murder. That pain only grows worse each moment her killers are allowed to walk free.

"She was bright. Very private. Very independent. Extremely independent and a lot of fun," said Grace Moriarty.

Kelly Moriarty, 38, went missing in mid-December 2011. She was confirmed dead when her leg washed up on a St. Petersburg beach on December 27, just several days later.

Moriarty's girlfriend Doris "Pat" Carter was also missing. Her body has never been recovered.

The Moriartys tell FOX 13 they don't feel the case is any closer to being solved than it was when it started, nearly five years ago.

They're frustrated with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, who they say has done a dismal job of keeping them up to date.

Calls go unreturned.

Questions go unanswered.

Since the agency began investigating the case, nearly a half-dozen detectives have been on the case, according to the Moriartys.

What bothers the family most, is that they've been told detectives are looking at Carter's daughter, Stacy Muralt, and son-in-law, Anthony Muralt, in the disappearance and presumed deaths of both women.

There is some evidence which points to their potential involvement. Surveillance video shows Carter's daughter entering a safety deposit box that belonged to her mother, days after the couple went missing.

Phone pings also place Stacy near the Gandy Bridge in St. Pete around the time of the disappearances.

The Muralts have been interviewed, but were never arrested.

​"You know it's bad enough to have your daughter murdered but when somebody cuts you up into pieces and all we have is part of her leg, they're animals," said Bud Moriarty.

A sheriff's office spokeswoman tells FOX 13 she can't comment on ongoing investigation. In a statement, HCSO says Major Robert Ura has been in constant contact with the Moriartys about the case.

They dispute that account.

"I'll never let it go as long as I'm alive and can breathe and I mean that sincerely. Grace will tell you we wake up with this every day and go to bed with it every night.," added Bud Moriarty.