NH NH - Maura Murray, 21, Haverhill, 9 Feb 2004 #15

[Chad_York]

I could see myself freaking out when a guy driving a bus offers you a ride so you can call the police especially if you were trying to take a and go somewhere to clear your head. Someone more your age or going in the opposite will give you a ride you might take it. You could get dropped off at a gas station or somewhere and then get another to somewhere else or you get in a psycho's car. You could also end up invited to party at some point. Who knows who you meet. If you traveled in multiple vehicles people might not know they had her in their car. It sounds stupid and probably is I can't judge. I do have an issue with someone like the bus driver who had the best of intentions not realizing how they and their large vehicles come off to women or even kids. The stranger danger stories usually involve older men (men older than the victim) and sometimes they offer assistance or ask for it. If I'm hitchhiking and I'm choosing who can help me I feel like I have some control. That's probably dangerous to think that way. Does that make sense or just sound nuts?

I completely understand. One thing I have always wondered, would Maura have jumped in the car if the driver was a woman?

 

[Darkness]

This was her 2nd accident in as many days....I think she needed to get away from that scene in any way she could have....especially with an open container in the car....

She also was a really good cross country runner...if she got away on foot she could cover 3-4 miles in a half hour....then turned into the woods??

Wow...is this coming February 17 years?

will we ever find out what happened??

 

[dotr]

VIDEO at link.
''In an exclusive interview, Western Mass News spoke with Maura's sister Julie as her family still searches for answers.''
Nov 17, 2020
Disappearance of UMass student remains unsolved
''Now, 16 years later, Maura has never been found. In an exclusive interview, Western Mass News spoke with Maura's sister Julie as her family still searches for answers.''

''Maura Murray was a nursing student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. On February 9, 2004, she emailed her professors and told them there had been a death in her family and she would be off-campus for a week, but after that day, she was never seen again.

“There was no death in the family,” her sister Julie Murray said.

The 21-year-old disappeared after a car accident in Haverhill, New Hampshire on Route 112''

''Not a single piece of evidence has ever surfaced,” Julie said. “Not a single person, not one has come forward in 16 years.”

So where is Maura? What happened to her? Her family wants these answers.

If you know anything about what happened to Maura, you can submit a tip to the Cold Case Unit as well as Maura's family.''

 

[sony12]

will we ever find out what happened??

This could easily turn into one of those cases that never gets solved because there really isn't a good idea of where to look for her. Even if she went into the woods we really don't know where she entered the forest or how deep she traveled into it. And if she did indeed accept a ride from someone her body could be hundreds/thousands of miles away from the accident scene. And if she did accept a ride from someone they can't even be a 100 percent certain that she is even dead.

 

[sony12]

There also is a real possibility that her body has already been found but it was found in a location that people wouldn't even associate the body with the Maura Murray case. All it would take for that to happen would be if her body was without any identification.

 

[BodyOfWater]

I believe she removed the liquor from the car to hide it at the back of the house. But that’s when...

 

[SAMS]

I believe she removed the liquor from the car to hide it at the back of the house. But that’s when...

Which house?

 

[sony12]

I personally don't think she went anywhere near any of the houses. She had already refused help from one neighbor and she wouldn't be trying to hide alcohol by any of the houses. She either went into the woods or went up the road either by foot or vehicle.

 

[BodyOfWater]

I personally don't think she went anywhere near any of the houses. She had already refused help from one neighbor and she wouldn't be trying to hide alcohol by any of the houses. She either went into the woods or went up the road either by foot or vehicle.

Since it appears Maura removed the liquor from the car post “crash” & didn’t consume or lose possession of the bottles beforehand, there are the following possibilities:

1) she removed the bottles to hide incriminating evidence. Where? Where would be the best place to hide it especially if you wanted to reclaim it later? Did LE even check the trash cans? And for this to be effective she would also need to remove herself for the night as she would likely fail the breath/sobriety test. But that would also need to assume she had been drinking.

2) she removed the bottles to keep with her (where she was hiding) until she could return to the vehicle.

There was rumour that she handed over multiple empty bottles to claim a couple of dollars at the liquor store on route, so surely she would want to hang on to the alcohol.

Anyway possibility 1 & 2 would mean that she needed to hide the alcohol one way or another be it locally or on her person.

But discounting that there are 2 other possibilities:

3) she removed the bottles to take with her on her journey be it foot or has already been offered a lift.

4) she removed the bottles to have her last drinks before committing suicide.

I like to cover every possibility so other possibilities are that BA or LE stole the alcohol which of course is unlikely but as I say I believe it is healthy to cover absolutely every eventuality.

My opinion is that at that point in time suicide was not on her cards given a number of contributory factors. Since BA claimed that she lied to him about service reception, etc., we are better to assume that she was thinking about her future wellbeing & as I stated it really does look like she removed the bottles to temporarily conceal evidence AND herself meaning she had every intention to return to her car/life but probably got lost hiding in the woods instead of accepting a ride (which was unlikely a willing car would be passing & be leaving (not returning home) the area at that time). But what benefit would there be waiting it out in freezing cold woods? The car & windscreen was damaged & would need time & money to fix it if it even was economically viable. A courtesy car may have been an option perhaps the next day, somehow? How would she report & collect it & did she she even have the correct roadside cover?

How long would she need to wait it out in the cold woods & with no reception to sort matters?

Maura should have also been aware that by abandoning the vehicle (especially how it was allegedly left), LE would likely tow it away so there would be little point waiting it out until whenever.

The point being that she either removed the liquor to hide it or maybe there was already a ride waiting. Waiting it out in the woods just wouldn’t have solved anything given the state of the vehicle.

So, if she was hiding in the woods having later came to her senses & feeling the cold, she would have had no other option than to return to the car & seek help, even if it meant her being in serious trouble with LE.

Given that possibility, the reasons she couldn’t return were that she’d got lost, died, fell asleep & died, was attacked by an animal/ person or went to commit suicide OR had already accepted a lift — BUT there is almost zero possibility that she decided to wittingly spend the night in the woods (after thinking it over) as how would that mend or guarantee that her car would be there the next morning, the same as if she’d have accepted a lift with the plans to stay over at a hotel (if she could afford it).

 

[BodyOfWater]

This could easily turn into one of those cases that never gets solved because there really isn't a good idea of where to look for her. Even if she went into the woods we really don't know where she entered the forest or how deep she traveled into it. And if she did indeed accept a ride from someone her body could be hundreds/thousands of miles away from the accident scene. And if she did accept a ride from someone they can't even be a 100 percent certain that she is even dead.

Will we ever find out? If foul play was involved, it’s almost a certainty unless those involved died (some suspects have died).

If it was a woods related death then there’s every possibility that any bone remnants have been scattered by animals/the weather & covered. Very unlikely but still possible with future technology.

One thing to bear in mind is that everyone connected with the case has been declared a suspect by someone or another. From the ex-boyfriend to his mother, from the bus driver to LE officers, from locals to serial-killers, from the elements to wild animals everyone. Even Jeffrey Epstein & Ghislaine Maxwell are suspects now as she had a hideout in the locality.

BUT all of these theories make sense, they all plausibly sound like they were somehow involved in murder!, BUT they all can’t be. And since all can’t be guilty that would mean NONE of them might be guilty (doesn’t have to be ONE of them). It might just be a woods related death.

 

[BodyOfWater]

This was her 2nd accident in as many days....I think she needed to get away from that scene in any way she could have....especially with an open container in the car....

She also was a really good cross country runner...if she got away on foot she could cover 3-4 miles in a half hour....then turned into the woods??

Wow...is this coming February 17 years?

will we ever find out what happened??

Granted, she was probably fast on her feet but still she would have needed to get from point A to B assuming she even knew which direction to go or how far it was away. She would have known she’d still have to hitch a ride unless she was banking on getting back into phone coverage to call a taxi. But she’d still have to know where she was & back then the phone wouldn’t have been able to tell her where.

If she was hiding out in woods, she wouldn’t have needed to go that far either.

 

[BodyOfWater]

I completely understand. One thing I have always wondered, would Maura have jumped in the car if the driver was a woman?

I think both male & females would feel more comfortable accepting a ride from a woman.

Rumours had been circulated that Maura may have been pregnant & had deliberately tried to crash her (& her dads car) more than the twice we already are aware of to help terminate a rumoured pregnancy. I worked with someone who did just that so I wouldn’t completely disregard it (some people go on impulse rather than through the official channels — people can’t always think rationally when faced with pregnancy) but we have to be very sceptical of rumour & work with facts & clues. That said I do take the two accidents we aware of to be a clue & that’s why I mention it. Were they really accidents or a little forced? Why was she going up that way & lied about a family member dying. Two accidents in quick-succession on their own accord seems a big stretch to the imagination.

 

[BodyOfWater]

I agree. Why would she run to some unknown neighbor’s house looking for help when she had just refused help from one of said neighbors? That doesn’t make much sense. The only way I could believe she went to another neighbor’s house is if a female neighbor came outside and asked her if she needed help. She’s in the woods. She just hasn’t been found yet. JMO.

I too disagree that Maura would have refused help from BA to only seek help from a random stranger.

Granted BA wasn’t an oil painting but certainly wasn’t scary to look at. And in any case he was a BUS DRIVER & not only that but a SCHOOL BUS DRIVER.

If Maura wasn’t comfortable to let someone who had been cleared & employed to take custody of & drive about school children, then she wouldn’t trust anyone, especially some people blindly by knocking on their door who wouldn’t be able to better remedy the situation either.

I think most people here would trust being in the custody of a recognised bus driver who carried children than someone unlicensed & unvetted.

 

[thebigcookie]

I too disagree that Maura would have refused help from BA to only seek help from a random stranger.

Granted BA wasn’t an oil painting but certainly wasn’t scary to look at. And in any case he was a BUS DRIVER & not only that but a SCHOOL BUS DRIVER.

If Maura wasn’t comfortable to let someone who had been cleared & employed to take custody of & drive about school children, then she wouldn’t trust anyone, especially some people blindly by knocking on their door who wouldn’t be able to better remedy the situation either.

I think most people here would trust being in the custody of a recognised bus driver who carried children than someone unlicensed & unvetted.

This makes sense. If Maura, wouldn’t accept help from BA then I don’t think she would have gotten a ride from someone else. If someone else initially agreed to give Maura a ride and she got in their car then that person saw what kind of shape Maura was in and smelled alcohol on her breath they might just decide to drive her to a police station. And that is what Maura wanted to escape. I believe she probably got lost in the woods and froze to death there.

 

[Chad_York]

I think both male & females would feel more comfortable accepting a ride from a woman.

Rumours had been circulated that Maura may have been pregnant & had deliberately tried to crash her (& her dads car) more than the twice we already are aware of to help terminate a rumoured pregnancy. I worked with someone who did just that so I wouldn’t completely disregard it (some people go on impulse rather than through the official channels — people can’t always think rationally when faced with pregnancy) but we have to be very sceptical of rumour & work with facts & clues. That said I do take the two accidents we aware of to be a clue & that’s why I mention it. Were they really accidents or a little forced? Why was she going up that way & lied about a family member dying. Two accidents in quick-succession on their own accord seems a big stretch to the imagination.

What evidence is their to suggest she was pregnant? That was only put forth by Lt. Scarinza from the web-search results found on her computer "the effects of drinking on a baby" Erin O'Neil was quick to point out that those were common terms used nursing clinical assignments, as mention in the O2 Documentary. In the possessed property report, one pack of Triphasil Birth Control pills was found with four missing. Even on the chance that she was hiding a pregnancy, who would have been the father? I ask because I doubt it was Bill since he was stationed in Oklahoma. It's important to note that the White Mountains was more than just a vacation spot for Maura, it was a second home. I doubt that any attempt to hide a pregnancy would have unraveled in the events leading up to her disappearance. Staging an accident in the hopes of throwing off the investigation seems entirely too much work - Maura had successfully disappeared into thin air and managed to not be seen? How is this possible? I think she acquired a ride with someone native to the area. Though in the attempt to distance herself from the accident, she met with fatal tragedy. Two accidents within a 36 hour period does make you wonder what was weighing heavily on Maura's mind.

 

[sony12]

What evidence is their to suggest she was pregnant? That was only put forth by Lt. Scarinza from the web-search results found on her computer "the effects of drinking on a baby" Erin O'Neil was quick to point out that those were common terms used nursing clinical assignments, as mention in the O2 Documentary. In the possessed property report, one pack of Triphasil Birth Control pills was found with four missing. Even on the chance that she was hiding a pregnancy, who would have been the father? I ask because I doubt it was Bill since he was stationed in Oklahoma. It's important to note that the White Mountains was more than just a vacation spot for Maura, it was a second home. I doubt that any attempt to hide a pregnancy would have unraveled in the events leading up to her disappearance. Staging an accident in the hopes of throwing off the investigation seems entirely too much work - Maura had successfully disappeared into thin air and managed to not be seen? How is this possible? I think she acquired a ride with someone native to the area. Though in the attempt to distance herself from the accident, she met with fatal tragedy. Two accidents within a 36 hour period does make you wonder what was weighing heavily on Maura's mind.

Her being pregnant is just speculation which is no different than anything anybody else on here is doing (including the people who think she was taken and killed by a local). With that said it would be pretty naive to think that Maura wasn't sexually active at the time she disappeared and when people are sexually active occasionally people do get pregnant. Maura was in college and she lived in the dorms and college kids that live in on campus housing tend to lead very active sex lives regardless if they are in a relationship with someone from outside the school or not.

As far as who it would be well there is a lot we don't know about Maura's personal life. We only know about a few that she was around and the chances that those would have been the only people Maura was friends with would be very slim to none. There is probably a good chance that not even her family knows much about her personal life as families do tend to keep some things from one another unless they have the type of relationship where they tell each other anything (and few college aged kids have that kind of relationship with their families).

There is simply a lot about Maura's life that we don't know and the chances of her being pregnant at the time of her disappearance is definitely there. Even from the little that we do know about her life we can tell just from that that she definitely wasn't an angel.

 

[Chad_York]

Her being pregnant is just speculation which is no different than anything anybody else on here is doing (including the people who think she was taken and killed by a local). With that said it would be pretty naive to think that Maura wasn't sexually active at the time she disappeared and when people are sexually active occasionally people do get pregnant. Maura was in college and she lived in the dorms and college kids that live in on campus housing tend to lead very active sex lives regardless if they are in a relationship with someone from outside the school or not.

As far as who it would be well there is a lot we don't know about Maura's personal life. We only know about a few that she was around and the chances that those would have been the only people Maura was friends with would be very slim to none. There is probably a good chance that not even her family knows much about her personal life as families do tend to keep some things from one another unless they have the type of relationship where they tell each other anything (and few college aged kids have that kind of relationship with their families).

There is simply a lot about Maura's life that we don't know and the chances of her being pregnant at the time of her disappearance is definitely there. Even from the little that we do know about her life we can tell just from that that she definitely wasn't an angel.

To preface: I asked a very simple question - what evidence is their to suggest that Maura was pregnant? One could make an argument against the idea since birth control was found in her car, one could say she was pregnant but we have no way of proving it. This isn't to say that she wasn't sexually active. We just don't know. While it's noted in some regard that sexual exploits are explored during certain ages of young adulthood, it shouldn't classified as universal. Not everyone goes through life the same way. Unless we have physical, tangible evidence that could prove Maura was pregnant, it is only a theory. I would hope you would agree.

Maura was capable of many things - some of which we know; academically successfully, hard-working, athletic, intelligent, and determined. What we don't know is the struggle aspect. What were her demons? What weighed heavily on her mind? Could Maura have had a battle between herself, her family, the world, or within her group of friends? What would cause someone to run away? Was she running away? OR was she going home? There are many facets to this case but what is certain is that Maura disappeared and no one has seen her since. What could possibly have been her fate? There are many theories and in the aforementioned comment, I simply stated that I think she could have acquired transportation from someone native to the area. This isn't ruling out the other possibilities (i.e. succumbing to the elements, accident, new life) but in MY OPINION makes the most sense. I am not saying Maura was perfect, but she was/is a human being who deserves our utmost honor and respect.

 

[sony12]

To preface: I asked a very simple question - what evidence is their to suggest that Maura was pregnant? One could make an argument against the idea since birth control was found in her car, one could say she was pregnant but we have no way of proving it. This isn't to say that she wasn't sexually active. We just don't know. While it's noted in some regard that sexual exploits are explored during certain ages of young adulthood, it shouldn't classified as universal. Not everyone goes through life the same way. Unless we have physical, tangible evidence that could prove Maura was pregnant, it is only a theory. I would hope you would agree.

Maura was capable of many things - some of which we know; academically successfully, hard-working, athletic, intelligent, and determined. What we don't know is the struggle aspect. What were her demons? What weighed heavily on her mind? Could Maura have had a battle between herself, her family, the world, or within her group of friends? What would cause someone to run away? Was she running away? OR was she going home? There are many facets to this case but what is certain is that Maura disappeared and no one has seen her since. What could possibly have been her fate? There are many theories and in the aforementioned comment, I simply stated that I think she could have acquired transportation from someone native to the area. This isn't ruling out the other possibilities (i.e. succumbing to the elements, accident, new life) but in MY OPINION makes the most sense. I am not saying Maura was perfect, but she was/is a human being who deserves our utmost honor and respect.

There is no evidence that she was pregnant. Just like there is no evidence that she was taken by someone local. If you want people to give you proof to back up their opinions they aren't going to be able to do it. Just like you can't give them proof to back up yours. Everyone on this thread is just throwing ideas around.

 

[Chad_York]

There is no evidence that she was pregnant. Just like there is no evidence that she was taken by someone local. If you want people to give you proof to back up their opinions they aren't going to be able to do it. Just like you can't give them proof to back up yours. Everyone on this thread is just throwing ideas around.

As I stated, it is only my opinion that she acquired a ride based on the information we have available. Take that as you will. We must be ever mindful that when we assert a claim, it should be substantiated as oppose to making a subjective stance. As I am sure you know, misinformation is quite prevalent throughout this case. As long as we continue to keep facts separate from the theories, the ship sails smoothly.

 

[minazoe]

sadly even in our society, saying someone might be pregnant ( out of wedlock, horrors, shudder..) or that some one was sexually assaulted, holds some degree of unspoken blame on the victim. So talking about these matters is deemed "disrespectful" to the victim.

it's not.

we need to get over this. it's not a disrespect to the young woman.
that said I personally think anything is possible. we all know Maura was upset and something was motivating
her actions.

there is no evidence of a pregnancy...but I will say this.

way too many pregnant women are murdered by their baby's fathers, so I think this is something LE looks into right away. But really , unless she told someone, we might never know.

mOO