Search For Missing Groton Woman Continues Nearly 8 Months Later

GROTON, CT — Nearly eight months have passed since 22-year-old Sofia McKenna disappeared off the Connecticut coast last year over Memorial Day weekend. Family member Carol Fort reached out to Patch this week to inform the public that her young cousin is still missing as of January 2019.

"No signs of her have been found to date," Fort said in an email to Patch. "We are continuing to try to spread the word and to hopefully reach anyone who may have been out on the beach or on the water the night [Sofia] disappeared."

According to a new flyer created by Fort, McKenna and a friend, 20-year-old Spencer Mugford, went missing off the coast of Avery Point in the early morning hours of May 27, 2018. Their last known communication was a SnapChat photo taken around that time. (To sign up for Groton breaking news alerts and more, click here.)

"The boat they were alleged to be on was found on May 28, 2018 on Truman’s Beach on Long Island," Fort said in the flyer. "Spencer’s body was recovered in the waters between Connecticut and New York, approximately 2.5 miles southeast of Avery Point, near the Dumpling Islands and Fishers Island on June 8."

See also: Sofia's Army: Desperate Search For Missing Woman, 22, Continues

In an interview with Patch in August, Fort said McKenna grew up in North Stonington but was living in Groton at the time she disappeared.

According to the flyer, McKenna has a number of distinguishing marks or tattoos, including cherry blossoms with a butterfly on her shoulder, "searching for the thrill of it" on her ankle, her Zodiac sign (Cancer) behind her ear and "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light
unto my path" across her foot.

She is 5 feet and 9 inches tall, with brown hair and blue eyes.

"If you were in the vicinity of Avery Point or Avery Point Beach on Memorial Day Weekend, May 26-27, 2018, the weekend Sofia Mckenna disappeared, and if you believe you saw Sofia or Spencer during this time period, please contact the Connecticut State Police or contact one of the Administrators of Finding Sofia Mckenna (What happened to Sofia?) on Facebook," the flyer reads. "You may have information that could help us find Sofia!"

Fort said she hopes the flyer will circulate enough to jog the memory of someone who may have seen McKenna that night, or at the very least will remind people she is out there somewhere.

"Sometimes I think the unknown is worse than knowing," Fort said. "We don't want Sofia to be forgotten. She's been missing for too long. Sofia deserves to be searched for and she deserves to be found. We only want to bring her home to her family."

Photo credit: Hollie Dziedzic