NH & MA-Maura Murray Part 5-merged

[dreamweaver]

A Theory:
Maura had been in 3 car accidents. Maura was upset by a phone call.
Maura spoke to a sister. Maura emailed her boy friend.
Maura packs up her room. She emailed her professors saying there is a death
in the family and she will be gone a week.
She searches online for resorts and condos.
She buys liquor and stops at atm.
She drives.
She has another car accident.
OR
She is hit by another car.
She does not want the police called.
The police are called and arrive within
minutes.
Maura M is nowhere to be found.
With all respect, I post the following ideas:
So,
I agree with some posters that she is under some kind of emotional stress.
Was she raped at college as some have suggested? Did she have a traumatic brain injury from the car accidents?
She obviously wanted to get away and be alone, think about things, drink some wine.

I try to keep things simple when I look at what may have happened.
If I were a young college student, close to a degree in nursing, scheduled to move closer to my boyfriend who is in the military in OK. What would make me
cry over a phone call, have car accidents, pack up my room, tell people there was a death in the family and leave school?
1. boy friend was cheating
2. marriage would not happen
3. would not graduate on time.
4. cheated on a test.
5. discovered she did not want to be a nurse.
6. felt she did not love the boy friend any longer.
7. pregnant.
8. disappointed parents and self.
9. numerous small things, boy friend seems coolish,
grades lower, might be pregnant, might have slept with someone
else, wrecked dad's car, no one could possible understand her life,
someone threatened to kill themselves because of her.

So, she leaves school.
Another accident.
Do not call police.
Four minutes tops and she disappears.
Check everything about the next two;
1. the first police officer.
He offers her a ride and then..
2. one of the neighbors.
They agree to let her hide in the house and then..
Contact Necrosearch.org.
But, LE has to request the search.

[emma l]

When I was at college one of my best friends disappeared for 2 days once. We shared a flat with her at the time and knew enough not to call the police, because we knew her very well. (It sounds odd now and as a fully formed adult I can't say I would do the same thing).

Anyway, it was the anniversary of he mothers death and she was really struggling with the pressures of our course at drama school (she cried during one class that I remember). No matter what we did she didn’t seem to do any better.

We were worried but had a sense she needed to be on her own. Turns out she'd been wandering around nearby park and drinking cheap cider for 2 days! She reappeared, a bit hungover but none the worse.

I also had a similar thing where I took off for a day when I was at college.

What I mean to say Dreamweaver is that I kind of sense your theory is half right. I have always thought that Maura took off. She panicked after her car crash and either hitchhiked or walked out of there, meaning to get away fro a few days, As theres no evidence that anything happened to her, she may feel like shes left it too long to come back.

The first thing my friend said when she reappeared after her 2 day hiatus? "I thought you would all be really p*ssed off with me".

As a young adult, it does often feel like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders.

[Simply Caustic]

I've been over to the Topix forum and I will attempt to summarize key pieces of information here. Please correct me and add what I miss. I still haven't read the whole thing.

Here it is: http://www.topix.com/forum/city/franconia-nh/T66DK0TLH7PP4VJ36

Background: There are a number of folks posting there that were former members of the Maura Murray Missing Forum at the (official I suppose) website. One of the private investigators from a team has posted there and has made some comments about what the team has concluded on and the makeup of the team. I can't be sure but even some of the early posters may have been members of her family - and it appeared a private investigator the family hired would read and post.

Basic timeline

At the start, a poster named "OH MY" alluded that he knew something. His posts, as judged by others, but not myself, appeared to them to be more then 1 person.
OH MY finally blurted out a name and then appeals were made for him to contact them.
I don't know what came of it.

There are references to a "BB" making some assertions, but I don't know what they were or how they were resolved.

The board has a belligerent feel at times - somewhat divided - but I am not sure why.

I entered very late. The PI explained what his group does on Page 193. I posted some new thoughts on page 192 and reposted my earlier theory from here on page 194 and asked him if Mr. Atwood knew for certain that it was Maura at the scene of the accident by comparing his memory to a photo.

I thought it was a yes or no question that would either place Maura as a run away or a victim of Mr. Atwood.

But the answer was "Maybe" with added pieces of information. You can read what the PI said on Page 194.

In summary he said that:

1. The broken window was created inside the car
2. The hood damage indeed is not consistent with the crash
3. They ruled out accidental death and suicide.
4. All of the after-disappearance sightings have been investigated and it was a not her

I then asked when he believed that Maura's actions were no longer voluntary

He said he believes after the hood was damaged.

I don't know what evidence he based his conclusions on - I believe he is a PI and he says he speaks for the team, but the team only releases a limited amount of information - no one contradicted him.

The conclusion was that the accident was staged and another woman was probably in the car instead of Maura and talked to Mr. Atwood.

I will continue later - but you can see all of this at Topix if you like.

B F

if i may say so, thanks for the update! succinct and informative TY

[pittsburghgirl]

There is also the new forum, where more detailed description of the PI investigation (including one of the detective's posts from Topix), pictures of the car, and other basic case information can be found.

http://findmauramurray.21.forumer.com/index.php

[docwho3]

Just stopping in to see if anything new has turned up.
It doesn't seem as if much of anything new and concrete has surfaced but I have only had time to read a few pages back so far.

Dont know how many remember me but "hi" to those who do :)

[believe09]

Just stopping in to see if anything new has turned up.
It doesn't seem as if much of anything new and concrete has surfaced but I have only had time to read a few pages back so far.

Dont know how many remember me but "hi" to those who do :)

Doc-welcome back!!! We have missed you!!!

[MaedchenX]

I am from Mass and was checking out local message boards when I saw an anonymous post that stated:

"Maura Murray was seen in Montreal. She is alive and well."

found here: http://www.masslive.com/forums/amherst/

post number 3520 by user Sage2009

I take it completely for what it is worth, an anonymous unsubstantiated claim. Immediately I did an internet search thinking that there had been an official break in the case. Unfortunately that was not so. I found it unsettling and thought to share it here.

[dreamweaver]

I am from Mass and was checking out local message boards when I saw an anonymous post that stated:

"Maura Murray was seen in Montreal. She is alive and well."

found here: http://www.masslive.com/forums/amherst/

post number 3520 by user Sage2009

I take it completely for what it is worth, an anonymous unsubstantiated claim. Immediately I did an internet search thinking that there had been an official break in the case. Unfortunately that was not so. I found it unsettling and thought to share it here.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Certainly seems like a very mean hoax.

[MaedchenX]

--------------------------------------------------------------
Certainly seems like a very mean hoax.

I agree. Maybe I am reading far too much into it, but I find it so bizzare that anyone would make such a claim without some ulterior motive. Then again I am sure those who are more experienced with missing persons cases have seen the like of this before.

[murraydwyer]

I agree. Maybe I am reading far too much into it, but I find it so bizzare that anyone would make such a claim without some ulterior motive. Then again I am sure those who are more experienced with missing persons cases have seen the like of this before.

This has been posted in other places on the internet. Please know that the proper authorities have been notified of these posts and that the family has no knowledge of this alleged sighting beyond what was posted.

If there are any official updates of the status of Maura's disappearance it will be posted on the website www.MauraMurrayMissing.com as soon as possible.

[hmg]

--------------------------------------------------------------
Certainly seems like a very mean hoax.

As someone who lives in the area I can tell you that those MassLive message boards are very unreliable sources of information.

People have done worse things... does anyone remember that case where someone randomly called the parents of a missing girl and claimed they were her? The girl was killed by a serial killer months earlier. The person who made the call gained absolutely nothing from gaining the call, it was just a "joke" to them.

[Tonia]

NH may get cold case unit

Supporters of establishing a cold case unit to investigate unsolved homicides and missing person cases hope they took one step closer yesterday to getting a proposal past the Senate.
The Senate Judiciary Committee heard testimony from the bill's prime sponsor and several others who say such a unit could bring justice to families who have grieved for years about the unsolved murder of a loved one.
John Healy, a former state trooper, said he and several other private investigators have been working to solve the 2004 disappearance of Maura Murray, a case now believed to be a homicide.
After two searches of a wooded area in Haverhill, N.H., where Murray's car went off the road, searchers found two pieces of possible evidence, he said. That evidence, which Healy wouldn't describe, is now in the hands of the state attorney general's office.
"This case needs attention, it needs special attention so the evidence doesn't go cold," Healy said.
He said about 10 private investigators have been working on the Murray case pro bono.

More at link.

http://www.eagletribune.com/punewsnh/local_story_121020508.html?keyword=topstory

[Peabody]

Today, Monday, May 4th, Maura would have celebrated her 27th birthday.

My thoughts and prayers for Maura and all who love her!

[kaas]

I do wonder what evidence they found that leads them to now believe that Maura was murdered. This case has baffled me and I just wish for some answers for the family.

[Peabody]

.....seems New Hampshire will not be getting a Cold Case Unit.

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090501/NEWS02/305019933

[Peabody]

May 9, 2009

Maura Murray has been missing 5 years and 3 months today.

Too long and so sad.

Praying for Maura and all who love her.

[Peabody]

http://www.wickedlocal.com/hanson/ne...to-solve-cases (http://www.wickedlocal.com/hanson/news/police_and_fire/x1312019615/Brockton-area-families-of-the-missing-and-slain-turn-to-social-networking-sites-to-solve-cases)

BROCKTON - Families and investigators searching for clues in missing persons cases are turning to online social networking sites, hoping to tap potential witnesses throughout the country and world.
“It has become the first line of defense for some families,” said Helena Murray, aunt of Maura Murray, the Hanson college student who went missing in Woodsville, N.H., five years ago.
“It is one way to get the person’s name and picture out there to as many people as you can,” she said.
__________________

[Bobbisangel]

May 9, 2009

Maura Murray has been missing 5 years and 3 months today.

Too long and so sad.

Praying for Maura and all who love her.


I hadn't realized it has been that long. My heart goes out to her dad. I know he has done everything possible to try to find his girl. I still think the answer is back where they found her car. The car was wrecked and she didn't just vanish without a trace from there. Take another look at the cop and the bus driver. There had to have been some clues left with her car or in the vehicle that gave her a ride...did they go over both those vehicles I wonder. Just because a person is a cop in a very rural area doesn't mean he is a good one. A driver of a school bus...same thing. Seems like there was questions about the wrecked car, etsc. Maura was such a beautiful girl. I remember hearing about her disappearance and just feeling so sad for her and her family.

[Peabody]

Bumping for Maura...........

December 10, 2009, she has been missing 5 years, 10 months, 1 day

Prayers for Maura and all who love her.

[Peabody]

Dec 11, 2009 11:13 pm US/Eastern

http://wbztv.com/local/cold.case.maura.2.1365538.html


MISSING UMASS STUDENT LISTED ON NH COLD CASE SITE

A Cold Case Unit, newly created by the New Hampshire Department of Justice, now lists the name of a college student from the South Shore on on its

<SNIP>

"Based on what I know, I believe Maura was killed," says Helena Murray of Weymouth, who is married to a cousin of Maura. Helena has been trying for nearly six years to find out what happened to the Hanson woman whose car was involved in minor accident on Route 112 in Haverhill, New Hampshire. When police arrived on scene, Maura was gone.

"Somebody knows something. Whether Maura's alive and got a ride or whether Maura is dead, somebody knows something," says Helena who wrote Governor John Lynch in 2005 asking Maura's name to be listed along with other cases that had gone cold.

"The state of New Hampshire needed to list these cases," she says. Finally, it has created a Cold Case Unit (http://doj.nh.gov/coldcaseunit/index.htm) and has included Maura's name on its Web site. "I was very pleased to see her name on the list," says Helena who maintains a web site called Maura is Missing (http://www.mauramurraymissing.com/). She says some of Maura's friends have been cold-called by a man and woman who've visited the site and are interested in the case which makes her uncomfortable.

[PrayersForMaura]

"Disappeared" --- all new Series on the ID channel (Investigation discovery) --- features a special on Maura Murray in January 2010.

I will keep everyone posted.

[Peabody]

http://www.nashobapublishing.com/townsend_news/ci_14069502
Bad reputation ends supposed search....


<snip>
Missing Persons' Web site, www.mpsiu.com (http://www.mpsiu.com/), boasts that it has "cold case specialists" -- essentially subcontractors -- but Reinhart admits his background is in "sales and business development." He is not a licensed private investigator. His specialty is determining human behavior.
Reinhart, who lives in Newton, said Missing Persons is run from a "virtual office" in Washington, D.C.
Reinhart said Missing Persons was formed three months ago, and after preliminary investigations chose to focus on Quimby and missing University of Massachusetts Amherst student Maura Murray. The company Web site now lists seven "investigations," including the 1982 missing-person case of 17-year-old Judith Ann Chartier, of Chelmsford.

<snip>


FYI: When I saw this story online, my first action was to contact the Murray Family. I learned from them that they have NEVER been contacted by Reinhart, they have never contacted him, nor do they know him. I also learned that in their efforts to learn more about the story, the link to his business http://www.mpsiu.com (http://www.mpsiu.com/) has been taken down.



Just my opinion, but it seems there is ANOTHER scammer out there attempting to take advantage of Missing Person's Families. What a shame!

If this person is not a scammer, he needs to do the right thing by these families!!

[Peabody]

"Disappeared" --- all new Series on the ID channel (Investigation discovery) --- features a special on Maura Murray in January 2010.

I will keep everyone posted.

The Family was Notified:

(http://investigation.discovery.com/videos/disappeared-sneak-peeks-maura-murry.html) Disappeared Sneak Peeks: Maura Murry


email a friend (javascript:%20void(null);)
share on social networks (javascript:%20void(null);)

Maura Murray goes missing after her car swerves off a dark and windy road over 140 miles away from her dorm. Years later, her family refuses to give up their seach. Don't miss this episode premiere on February 8 at 10 PM e/p!

http://investigation.discovery.com/videos/disappeared-sneak-peeks-maura-murry.html

(http://investigation.discovery.com/videos/disappeared-sneak-peeks-maura-murry.html)

[PrayersForMaura]

Just a head's up for those who don't know and a reminder for those who do..... The Investigation Discovery Channel is featuring Maura Murray next Monday night, 2/8/2010 on their new series called Disappeared.
I believe this is the last of the series. It airs at 9pm CST.

Maura's dad really moved me in the previews for this show.
Please tune in if you can to show your support for Maura.

Thanks

[Peabody]

"Tests are being performed on possible new evidence in the mysterious disappearance six years ago of University of Massachusetts nursing student Maura Murray in Haverhill, according to Lt. James White, head of the New Hampshire State Police Major Crime Unit. Tuesday will mark the sixth anniversary of the day Murray vanished in the North Country after crashing her car on remote and winding Route 112 during a snowstorm shortly before 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 9, 2004.

Some time in the last two weeks, police received new information in the case, White said, though he declined to say exactly what it is.

This case is very much active." he said.

As a result of the new leads, White said, police collected items that are now in the process of being tested.

Union Leader...Nancy West 2/7/1
Article not online

[iluvmua]

"Tests are being performed on possible new evidence in the mysterious disappearance six years ago of University of Massachusetts nursing student Maura Murray in Haverhill, according to Lt. James White, head of the New Hampshire State Police Major Crime Unit. Tuesday will mark the sixth anniversary of the day Murray vanished in the North Country after crashing her car on remote and winding Route 112 during a snowstorm shortly before 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 9, 2004.

Some time in the last two weeks, police received new information in the case, White said, though he declined to say exactly what it is.

This case is very much active." he said.

As a result of the new leads, White said, police collected items that are now in the process of being tested.

Union Leader...Nancy West 2/7/1
Article not online

I hope this is what the police have been waiting for to crack this case wide open.

Is there any possibility that Maura could still be alive?

[PrayersForMaura]

REMINDER: 4 minutes until showtime:

Just a head's up for those who don't know and a reminder for those who do..... The Investigation Discovery Channel is featuring Maura Murray TONIGHT, 2/8/2010 on their new series called Disappeared.
It airs at 9pm CST.

Maura's dad really moved me in the previews for this show.
Please tune in if you can to show your support for Maura.

[quiqui]

I feel so bad for her family. I hope this coverage sparks some new information.

[future criminologist]

Mr. Murray just breaks my heart - he reminds me of my own father (Boston accent included).

The NH police bungled this one from the first day - I really hope the Cold Case unit can rectify the errors and give Mr. Murray some answers. I will be following this case closely.

Her "Disappeared" episode left out a few things - the rag in the tailpipe, for example. The neighbor who thought she saw a man in the car. Similarities to Brianna Maitland's case. I was surprised they didn't offer more - I feel like I know more about this case than what was revealed in the episode.

[wanttohelp]

Hi all,
I'm watching the episode of disapeared. I am joining in with you guys on this case. The thread for some reason has made me look twice ever since I can remember and then her father is what made me want to watch the show so bad (from the preview) Its weird but sometimes I think I get signs about things, not psychic, hard to explain I guess. It will take me awhile to catch up on the threads but I'll be back.

[Dejasade]

"Tests are being performed on possible new evidence in the mysterious disappearance six years ago of University of Massachusetts nursing student Maura Murray in Haverhill, according to Lt. James White, head of the New Hampshire State Police Major Crime Unit. Tuesday will mark the sixth anniversary of the day Murray vanished in the North Country after crashing her car on remote and winding Route 112 during a snowstorm shortly before 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 9, 2004.

Some time in the last two weeks, police received new information in the case, White said, though he declined to say exactly what it is.

This case is very much active." he said.

As a result of the new leads, White said, police collected items that are now in the process of being tested.

Union Leader...Nancy West 2/7/1
Article not online

do we know anything more about this?? I wonder what kind of "tests" are being done?

[katier]

Saw the show last night. Puzzling to say the least. I am from MA. near Umass actually, so it was a reminder for me. I had forgotten all about this.

[PrayersForMaura]

Mr. Murray just breaks my heart - he reminds me of my own father (Boston accent included).

The NH police bungled this one from the first day - I really hope the Cold Case unit can rectify the errors and give Mr. Murray some answers. I will be following this case closely.

Her "Disappeared" episode left out a few things - the rag in the tailpipe, for example. The neighbor who thought she saw a man in the car. Similarities to Brianna Maitland's case. I was surprised they didn't offer more - I feel like I know more about this case than what was revealed in the episode.

I was surprised, too, that they didn't mention the rag in the tailpipe.
I pray everyday that Mr. Murray gets some answers.

It sure doesn't seem that Maura is alive. Otherwise she'd have been in contact, I am sure.

Is it possible a trucker picked her up where the dog lost her scent?
Can LE sit and watch cars that regularly travel that road and questions the drivers? It's just been soooooo long. LE seemed to make a lot of mistakes in this case.

There had to be footprints in the snow, tire tracks, etc.

[Peabody]

Tonight sometime between 7 pm and 7:30 pm ( February 9, 2010 ) Maura Murray will have been missing for 6 years.

Her family knows no more about her missing now than when they first learned she was gone.

Please join me in prayer for answers to this mystery and for comfort of her family and friends.

[katier]

My prayers went out to Mauras family tonight. I actually read this thread from start to finish today. It seems that it has been so long and new information will be hard to come by. It is all so sad.

[belimom]

My prayers went out to Mauras family tonight. I actually read this thread from start to finish today. It seems that it has been so long and new information will be hard to come by. It is all so sad.

I believe this was one of the first cases I read from start to finish as well. It's also one of the ones that has stayed with me and that I think about often. Welcome to Websleuths, by the way...

[Peabody]

By Steven Dodrill
February 8, 2010
As the 6th anniversary of Maura's disappearance passes on Tuesday, her heartbroken family and friends will continue to look for answers.


Over the past six years, there's been very few new details released by investigators about the disappearance, but an article published in the New Hampshire Union Leader on Sunday states that tests are being performed on possible new evidence.


It's not clear what that evidence is.


Maura's family did not learn about the latest developments from State Police, instead, the family found out from a Union Leader reporter, who called to seek comment from the family.


complete article at
http://www.959watd.com/news.php?Hanson-Six-years-later-mystery-still-surrounds-Maura-Murray-disappearance-2928

[pittsburghgirl]

Well, if "it" is being tested, it's forensic. That suggests fingerprints, DNA, human remains, etc., or they've gone back to the car or the items therein and found something. But the article says that work is based on new "leads." Wow. Wonder what?

Let's hope this case is going somewhere now.

[future criminologist]

Well, if "it" is being tested, it's forensic. That suggests fingerprints, DNA, human remains, etc., or they've gone back to the car or the items therein and found something. But the article says that work is based on new "leads." Wow. Wonder what?

Let's hope this case is going somewhere now.

I really hope it's the knife that was handed to Mr. Murray by a local years ago, claiming it was the murder weapon. LE had never tested it for any DNA - can you believe that? It supposedly sat in storage. (LE also returned all of Maura's 'personal items' to her family, thereby disrupting the chain of custody of evidence and compromising anything that could have been tested. Unbelievable).

from the Whitman-Hanson Express (which has an EXCELLENT writeup on her case):

http://www.whitmanhansonexpress.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=81:maura-is-missing-part-iv-the-aftermath&catid=912&Itemid=83

"In late 2004, a man came forward to Fred with a stained, rusty jackknife. The stains were a reddish-brown color, Fred said. The man told Fred he thought his brother may have been connected to Maura's disappearance. At the time of Maura's accident the brother was living less than a mile away, the man related. He described his brother as having a record of violence and said that his brother's live-in girlfriend began acting strange around the time of Maura's disappearance.

Fred tried to turn the knife over to police but did not get beyond the plate glass window at state police headquarters, "I have what could be evidence in a capital crime," he recalled saying to the dispatcher, but the dispatcher said no one was available at headquarters to accept such evidence. Fred was told to come back during regular work hours. Fred then mailed the knife to state police along with all the information he received on the suspect. A few days later Fred received a proof of receipt that his package had reached the police but was never contacted by police regarding the knife or the possible suspect.

The man who came forward with the rusted jackknife died earlier this year. Efforts to reach his brother were unsuccessful.

The brother's identity and the identity of the man who approached Fred are not being disclosed because there is no evidence he is considered a suspect in Maura's disappearance. Police refused comment when asked about the knife."


In this case, it appears that LE incorrectly used deductive reasoning - they established a theory to begin with and tried to fit all the evidence discovered into that one theory, instead of being open to possibility and letting the evidence lead them to a theory or conclusion.

[pittsburghgirl]

The knife would certainly be a possibility, if we are casting about for potential evidence to be "tested." And sad to say, yes I can believe the LE would be handed potential evidence and find it unworthy of consideration. Police work is subject to the same "human error" factor as driving a car or (in my case) cooking something.

I still want to know what the new lead is.

[gnomony]

Does anyone have any idea why she was interested in Burlington, Vermont and searched for directions there before she left? Is it known that she had any friends there or had stayed there in the past?

[pittsburghgirl]

She had been there on family trips before. If you are interested in the case, the official Maura Murray website has links to local newspaper articles that provide this kind of information on the case. (There are probably links on earlier Maura WS threads; I don't have the link handy as I am leaving work right now!).

[PI_Baker]

Does anyone know if she kept a flashlight in her car e.g., in the glove compartment or in her roadside emergency kit and if so was it missing from the car when it was found? This would at least indicate she willingly left the car on foot.

[nola]

Any updates on what the new evidence may be? Could it be the carpet from the A-frame house that the cadaver dogs reacted to some time back? Was that lead ever explored?

Does anyone know if the trunk of Maura's Saturn was opened at the scene of the accident? Is there any way that Maura hid inside after she put the rag in her exhaust pipe? If she was determined to leave without her family's knowledge and wanting to avoid a DUI...maybe she took advantage of hiding in plain sight (so to speak) --she had just witnessed how a car is treated when towed that previous Sunday morning when she crashed her dad's car...once she arrived at the tow center (back on Route 10) she would have been closer to busier streets or maybe a bus stop...

just trying to figure out a way that Maura could still be alive...

[nola]

Do recall that Maura had an emergency kit in the trunk - it should have had a flashlight in it (most do) - not sure that any details have been released about its contents - except to say that a rag that according to her dad was part of the kit was found in her exhaust pipe ---

[Darkness]

Any updates on what the new evidence may be? Could it be the carpet from the A-frame house that the cadaver dogs reacted to some time back? Was that lead ever explored?

Does anyone know if the trunk of Maura's Saturn was opened at the scene of the accident? Is there any way that Maura hid inside after she put the rag in her exhaust pipe? If she was determined to leave without her family's knowledge and wanting to avoid a DUI...maybe she took advantage of hiding in plain sight (so to speak) --she had just witnessed how a car is treated when towed that previous Sunday morning when she crashed her dad's car...once she arrived at the tow center (back on Route 10) she would have been closer to busier streets or maybe a bus stop...

just trying to figure out a way that Maura could still be alive...
Wow, Nola I never thought she could have hid in the trunk! That's one way to leave the scene.

Why did she put the rag in tail pipe? I always thought a bad guy did, and just waited for her to stall.

[nola]

My theory is that she didn't want anyone to attempt to move or drive the car after it was towed and while she was still in the trunk---so putting the rag in the pipe would make it stall, right ---
What if she wanted to get back into Haverhill (route 10) where she could get to a bus stop or use her calling card (cell doesn't work) to arrange for someone to pick her up. She could have left the car in route to Lavoie's or once the car was deposited on the lot. Remember her family didn't find out about the abandoned car until late in the day on Tuesday --Maura had lots of time to leave the area without notice. I really think that she wanted to escape her life --something drove her out of Amherst that day --something that she hid from her family. ...again just wishful thinking.

[Darkness]

Nola, I hope your right............But its been a long time.......I don't know

[PrayersForMaura]

Does anyone know what upset Maura so bad that she cried that day and wanted to get away? I mean, any friends of hers have ANY theories?

Was she pregnant perhaps?
Guess she wouldn't be drinking if she was pregnant though.

Any possibility she was failing a class? Any family troubles?
Was she diagnosed with an illness of any sort?

[nola]

I just learned of Maura's story this week...so I am still stuck at square one-- it just seems to me that something happened at U-Mass the previous Thursday that started a domino effect in Maura's behavior and life. What have her U-Mass friends offered?--the ones she hung out with Saturday night prior to crashing her dad's car (why did she want to see her dad in the middle of the night?)-I have not seen any details about or interviews with those college friends.

If the investigation could only uncover why she left Amherst, we would know if the hope that she is still alive is reasonable.
Leaving the accident scene undetected without being abducted is only possible if she did stay with the car in my mind. Does anyone know how her car was processed? Was her Saturn ever really processed for prints - if she was in the trunk - her finger prints would be on the release latch and lid...Wonder where the car is now?

[Darkness]

I think her friends were interviewed but they didn't shed much light on Maura's mood. I think Maura was a very private person, things that you & I would share with friends she wouldn't.

The car was processed by LE "months" after it was towed to the garage. At the time of her disappearance LE thought she just walked away on her own, so the car was just towed away. Processing was part of the new investigation so we never heard if anything usable was found in or on the car. Boy!..... skin cells on the rag, beer bottle in back seat, DNA, fingerprints in the car, hair-fibers in car....I wonder what was found!! On the other hand the someday defense attorney is going to have a field day on how the whole LE handling of this case.

[nola]

Wonder where the car is now...if the trunk were processed for fingerprints...would the interior release latch and inside lid show MM's prints?

If Maura did leave the scene via the tow - the possibilities of her current location are then very different than what is now believed.

If she were suicidal, and wanting to do harm to herself --my bet is that she continued to a Bartlet mountain area- climbed to a remote spot where she may never be found. But if she were planning to meet someone - she could have found a pay phone and called for that person to pick her up. She could be living in Canada now.

What drove her out of Amherst is the key to solving this mystery.

[pittsburghgirl]

Does anyone know what upset Maura so bad that she cried that day and wanted to get away? I mean, any friends of hers have ANY theories?

Was she pregnant perhaps?
Guess she wouldn't be drinking if she was pregnant though.

Any possibility she was failing a class? Any family troubles?
Was she diagnosed with an illness of any sort?

From what I've read in the media and on several web sites, these are questions for which no one has certain answers. All of them (as well as others) have provided jumping off points for various theories for internet posters.

I have no idea what her friends might think about her disappearance. Really, in terms of her intentions for the trip, there are several possibilities:

1. She was going to NH alone for a short "break" but fully expected to return to UMass.
2. She was going to NH alone as the first stage in setting up her own disappearance.
3. She was going to NH to commit suicide.
4. She had some sort of "business" in NH, either a meeting with someone else (friend, lover or associate) or somewhere in particular that she wanted to go.

Then, there is the question of where and when she disappeared. The question here involves whether it was Maura at the site of the wreck in NH. Was it Maura with her hair down or a man with long hair or someone else? If Maura was not at the car wreck site, either she was abducted (taken against her will at some earlier stage of the trip), or someone else was driving the Saturn with her permission. That individual may have had an unfortunate accident (but didn't want to be caught with the car) or was carrying out a plan to dump the car and stage an accident.

If Maura was at the car wreck site, she might have left the car voluntarily to stage an accident, abandoned it because she couldn't face wrecking two in a week or abandoned it because she had been drinking and didn't want to take a breathalyzer. She might have been picked up by someone she was planning to meet, by a helpful stranger, or a killer.

It's possible that the reasons for the trip have nothing to do with Maura's disappearance, other than putting her in the place where she was last seen, and thus speculating about them is a waste of time. Or it might be that her disappearance is directly and materially connected to her reasons for the trip (e.g., that she was killed by the person she intended to meet or that her intention all along was to disappear.

Myself, I've never liked the fact that she bothered to put meaningful items in the car, which were then just left there. I'm bothered by speculation that there was damage to the Saturn not consistent with the situation at the scene of the accident. And I'm bothered by the issue of why a woman who nearly always had her hair up or in ponytail in pictures would start out on a car trip with her down. That makes me wonder if it was Maura in the car at all or whether the witness accounts about Maura at the scense were at all correct.

[gnomony]

I've missed some bits and pieces in this long thread, so maybe this has been addressed -- but something bothers me.

She spent about $40 on alcohol just before she left -- Bailey's, Kahlua, vodka and a box of red Franzia wine.

At today's prices and in my New England location, 375 ml bottles of the liquor would be about $12-$13 each, and the box of Franzia red wine would be about the same. I'm assuming that prices have increased in six years, so it's a reasonable guess that she could buy roughly the same amount for about $40 back then.

Only the wine was found in the car, and it appeared that she had been drinking some of that out of a coke bottle. The liquor was gone.

If my assumptions about bottle size and pricing are correct, the three missing liquor bottles each contained 12.7 oz. Drunk as she may have been at the time of the accident, it seems unlikely that a 120-pound young woman could have consumed 38 shots of liquor, plus some of the wine, in roughly three hours.

This suggests to me that she stopped somewhere before the accident site and that she either left off the liquor or that someone joined her in consuming it.

Where did the Bailey's, Kahlua and vodka go?

As an alternative theory, if she really did consume all that alcohol (and threw the bottles out the window), a good samaritan could have picked her up at the accident scene only to have her immediately die in his car. Who knows what he might then have done or why...

[nola]

From what I have read when MM disappeared also missing was a black backpack that she always had with her. It is assumed that she took it with her along with her cell phone, id, cash, etc.,.

It is known what she purchased because the receipt was still in the car.
There was also an ATM video showing MM withdraw the $280 in Amherst--would be interesting to know if her hair was up or down in the clip. I have never seen the ATM video - but LE did say that she was alone in it and did not look as if she were in distress. There was also an interview with her sister saying that MM had Tylenol PM with her too.

About her hair: Wonder if the airbag deploying would undo the typical bun/ponytail? There was a pretty big spider web break in the windshield on the driver side...Butch Atwood could have caught her with her hair falling down...

Any insight about when the hit and run near U-Mass campus occurred? I know that Vasi was discovered before midnight either wondering the streets or lying in the street with a head injury - but what if MM had hit him with her car earlier that evening before she went to her security job...what if she had been drinking and wasn't sure what she had hit.....she could have realized that she did in fact hit a person while at work ---maybe someone phoned to let campus security know about a possible hit and run --she got confirmation and that's why she became so upset that night. What time did MM go to work that night? where was she before work?

So many questions -- and very little insight offered from the U-Mass friends that I have seen.

[pittsburghgirl]

There was also an ATM video showing MM withdraw the $280 in Amherst--would be interesting to know if her hair was up or down in the clip. I have never seen the ATM video - but LE did say that she was alone in it and did not look as if she were in distress. There was also an interview with her sister saying that MM had Tylenol PM with her too.


I agree that the ATM machine could give us at least some confirmation about what Maura looked like as she left Amherst. If her hair was up, then I have real questions about the identity of the person in NH, because women almost never undo their hair once it's up--it never looks right and is not comfortable. There's also the possibility she had it cut before she left, which might indicate either an intent to change her appearance or else some emotional state that made her want "a change."

As to the issue of the liquor, it's odd to me that she would take the liquor but not the jewelry and other sentimental items--unless she figured she didn't want to be caught with liquor in the car and so packed it out and left the other stuff, figuring to get it back later. But then--why leave wine in the Coke bottle? That's a dead giveaway for drinking.

Most of the time, this case makes no sense at all. It may just be that Maura was tired and not thinking too well, after a long drive and a second accident in a few days.

[gnomony]

From what I have read when MM disappeared also missing was a black backpack that she always had with her. It is assumed that she took it with her along with her cell phone, id, cash, etc.,.

Okay, I missed that. So perhaps she took the liquor with her. Thx.

[cluciano63]

the bottled of liquor would have been very heavy to carry and seems like they would have been found if she ditched them...

what is the saddest thing to me is that i truly believe she has a father who would have helped her with and understood anything that she could have been going through...my heart breaks for him- i do not think she could possibly be alive as imo she would never let her family go through this...i hope the police truly do have something to break this case that will hold up, it has been such a mess...

[nola]

Does anybody know why she left West Point? I recall her dad saying something about her wanting to save lives (nursing); not wanting to take them --- but I have heard other reports that she was asked to leave?? Not sure what's the true story...

If she thought she had killed the pedestrian near U-Mass campus that Thursday night--this could be enough to shatter anyone's belief in themselves. Even question whether she would want to put family and friends through something she was entirely responsible for...
...trying to imagine what would make this girl run is impossible without more information from people who interacted with her each day...

[pittsburghgirl]

There might be a big difference between a young woman who had been driven to succeed (distance running, West Point, etc.) taking a weekend or a week to get her thoughts and life in order, taking a break and a young woman "running" from or to something. Even if she had been "running," there is no sign that she intended to leave everything but the backpack behind her. She didn't even zero out her bank account. It comes down to this:

1. Either she planned to disappear (or worse)

2. Or she intended to be gone only a few days.

In either case, she could have met with foul play. While her behavior is intriguing, there is no way to know whether her intentions for the week or so ahead of her have anything to do with her disappearance (other than putting her in the geographical location where her car was abandoned).

[cluciano63]

i think that even if she meant initially to disappear, she never would have kept it up this long and cause so many people so much pain, it does not fit with what her family and friends know of her and she could not be unaware that they were all looking for her, if she were still alive. I think that people that do that and can stay "gone" usually have committed a terrible crime or don't really have close family ties, and this does not seem to fit Maura.

[pittsburghgirl]

i think that even if she meant initially to disappear, she never would have kept it up this long and cause so many people so much pain, it does not fit with what her family and friends know of her and she could not be unaware that they were all looking for her, if she were still alive. I think that people that do that and can stay "gone" usually have committed a terrible crime or don't really have close family ties, and this does not seem to fit Maura.

I agree. It wouldn't take much to pick up the phone and make a call to a friend, even if she couldn't face her parents for some reason. And I cannot for the life of me think she would miss her mother's funeral.

[belimom]

I agree. It wouldn't take much to pick up the phone and make a call to a friend, even if she couldn't face her parents for some reason. And I cannot for the life of me think she would miss her mother's funeral.

i think that even if she meant initially to disappear, she never would have kept it up this long and cause so many people so much pain, it does not fit with what her family and friends know of her and she could not be unaware that they were all looking for her, if she were still alive. I think that people that do that and can stay "gone" usually have committed a terrible crime or don't really have close family ties, and this does not seem to fit Maura.

I think the most compelling evidence for foul play is: no body (or any evidence at all - clothes, shoes, etc). Even if she had harmed herself and a wild animal got to her remains, there would be evidence. And there has been nothing.

[nola]

There might be a big difference between a young woman who had been driven to succeed (distance running, West Point, etc.) taking a weekend or a week to get her thoughts and life in order, taking a break and a young woman "running" from or to something. Even if she had been "running," there is no sign that she intended to leave everything but the backpack behind her. She didn't even zero out her bank account. It comes down to this:

1. Either she planned to disappear (or worse)

2. Or she intended to be gone only a few days.

In either case, she could have met with foul play. While her behavior is intriguing, there is no way to know whether her intentions for the week or so ahead of her have anything to do with her disappearance (other than putting her in the geographical location where her car was abandoned).

You are right --she may have just wanted to get away --but if that's it-- then she would have contacted her family as soon as she got to a phone. I so want this girl to be alive (as we all do) and it is so sad to think that something bad could happen so quick and leave no trace. I know it happens all the time -- but with Maura -"Running" in my mind gives more hope for her safety. I keep trying to work out a reason that she would feel that she was not worthy of her loving family---????. Obviously, nothing she could have ever done would have made this true --but young people don't always realize this truth in the face of crisis. The search for a reason to run/ a crisis (if there was one) directs my attention to her actions/behaviors before Monday.

Prayers for Maura and her family...

[nola]

There might be a big difference between a young woman who had been driven to succeed (distance running, West Point, etc.) taking a weekend or a week to get her thoughts and life in order, taking a break and a young woman "running" from or to something. Even if she had been "running," there is no sign that she intended to leave everything but the backpack behind her. She didn't even zero out her bank account. It comes down to this:

1. Either she planned to disappear (or worse)

2. Or she intended to be gone only a few days.

In either case, she could have met with foul play. While her behavior is intriguing, there is no way to know whether her intentions for the week or so ahead of her have anything to do with her disappearance (other than putting her in the geographical location where her car was abandoned).

You are right --she may have just wanted to get away --but if that's it-- then she would have contacted her family as soon as she got to a phone. I so want this girl to be alive (as we all do) and it is so sad to think that something bad could happen so quick and leave no trace. I know it happens all the time -- but with Maura -"Running" in my mind gives more hope for her safety. I keep trying to work out a reason that she would feel that she was not worthy of her loving family---????. Obviously, nothing she could have ever done would have made this true --but young people don't always realize this truth in the face of crisis. The search for a reason to run/ a crisis (if there was one) directs my attention to her actions/behaviors before Monday.

Prayers for Maura and her family...

[cluciano63]

this is slightly off topic...but the Disappeared episode this week was about Michelle McMullen, I think her name is, who vanished in a very similar way, her car found off the road when she was meant to be driving between PA and LA back to college...evidence since seems to point that she IS alive and is running from the law, as she was being looked at as a suspect into a theft at her job. She was spotted working at a motel in W. VA two months later and fled as soon as she saw that friends of her family recognized her, according to police and motel employees. Her family still does not believe that she is hiding out there on her own, but the case was pretty compelling that she is. So it is POSSIBLE that Maura could be alive (i wish but am not hopeful) as Michelle even left her young son as well as parents and friends...all of whom are extremely worried and now LE just has her listed as a fugitve (which it seems to me she was, at least at that point when seen.) Did anyone else see this show and know the case I am talking about? There are a lot of similarities...

[Darkness]

I still think a cold blooded predator could work the rest stops on the I91 interstate.

I think Maura's gas tank was nearly full when the car was found. I think this "predator" who poses no threat at all, "helped" her with her poorly running car at the the last gas station and somehow got around the trunk of her car and stuffed the rag into her tail pipe.

All he has to do then is lag back and wait for the car to stall and then "help" again!

[nola]

Good theory - probably a person who has experience at this sort of abduction. Wonder if there were likely persons living in this area in 2004 with past arrest for "stalking" females driving or walking alone. Any police reports with this type of behavior towards female motorist would be a great place to start.
There are crimes (abduction/murder) in neighboring MA with a potential suspect who moved to NH following the discovery of Molly Bish's body. Did that person live near I91 in 2004?

[Darkness]

I don't think this guy is a local of Woodsville, somebody would have said something by now. ie angry ex-girlfriend etc.

I think this is an experienced loner type guy who does what he does by himself.

Nola lets hope LE developed the type of leads you talked about. Maybe they have a few suspects and they just need that one more piece of evidence to tie him to the abduction.