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

New Posts

Wow 17 years ago tonight....It's like a beam of light came down out of the sky and just took her....we are no closer after all these years than we were then....

Somebody has to know something or saw something.....it's been bugging you all these years, but you didn't say anything because it seems insignificant.....It's time to tell what you saw or what you heard, it might help....do it anonymously if you have to, but say it to somebody who will know what to do with the info......
 
Last edited:
The family is now petitioning for a historical marker on Route 112, where she disappeared.

A group is also suing to get investigators to release seven photos of Maura's car after the crash.

"At this point, I hardly talk to the cold case unit. They're not really … doesn't really seem like they're working on anything. I can't stop working on this, my family can't stop, and this community, too, is fired up and proactive," said Julie.

A private group will search the woods near the crash scene again in the spring, like the do every year.

"The case involving Maura Murray's disappearance remains an open investigation," The New Hampshire Attorney General's office said in a statement Tuesday, urging anyone with information to contact New Hampshire State Police.
https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/new...-murray-17-years-after-disappearance/2699335/
 
To be honest I really do disagree with the Murray family trying to get a historical marker put at that location. It's not their land. If the people who own the land are ok with doing it then it's all good but it should be up to them to put it up. If the Murray family is truly intent on putting a marker there then I think they need to talk to the landowners and be willing to purchase the segment of the land around the car crash. We need to remember that people live around that area and they may not want a marker placed their that will only bring more attention to the site.
 
I wouldn't want it, sorry Maura, I wouldn't want it next to my home. I know sounds mean but it's a sad story and things like this can hurt your property values. unless it is just a small marker...people all over are obsessed with Maura and it could be a continuous draw of strangers near my home. mOO
 
minazoe said:
I wouldn't want it, sorry Maura, I wouldn't want it next to my home. I know sounds mean but it's a sad story and things like this can hurt your property values. unless it is just a small marker...people all over are obsessed with Maura and it could be a continuous draw of strangers near my home. mOO
Click to expand...

Agreed. And if the Murray family is still intent on doing it then they need to compensate the land owners in the area.
 
On the 17th anniversary of the disappearance of Maura Murray, her family is still hopeful.

"I'm hoping something shakes loose this year," said her older sister, Julie.

Julie's and Maura's brother, Kurtis, held a virtual candlelight vigil Tuesday at 7:30 p.m., the last time Maura was seen.
Cold Case: Family Searching for Maura Murray 17 Years After Disappearance
 
sony12 said:
To be honest I really do disagree with the Murray family trying to get a historical marker put at that location. It's not their land. If the people who own the land are ok with doing it then it's all good but it should be up to them to put it up. If the Murray family is truly intent on putting a marker there then I think they need to talk to the landowners and be willing to purchase the segment of the land around the car crash. We need to remember that people live around that area and they may not want a marker placed their that will only bring more attention to the site.
Click to expand...

The family offered to buy and/or rent the land (even just that portion of it) and the owners refused. Ideally, the owners would just leave the blue ribbon tree in place and this wouldn't be an issue.
 
frozenlemonade said:
The family offered to buy and/or rent the land (even just that portion of it) and the owners refused. Ideally, the owners would just leave the blue ribbon tree in place and this wouldn't be an issue.
Click to expand...

Sounds a bit like the owner is getting tired of the attention their property is getting.

Wouldn't be surprised if they are having issues with people walking onto their property without anykind of approval and looking around.
 
Last edited:
I think we have to ease up on "she got drunk and crashed her car"....fact is we don't know what condition she was in.

True, she purchased alcohol and there was evidence she was drinking a wine cooler at the time she slid off an icy road. I've slid into a ditch while driving on a snowy road stone cold sober.

All we know is Maura, the back pack and the alcohol are gone and all we're left with what the heck happened to her.....

I don't know about the permanent memorial at the site but, I think if the current property owner doesn't mind the blue ribbon is ok...
 
minazoe said:
It's not just that, while we all love Maura and know she did not deserve to die ( if she is indeed dead). There is a good chance she was driving around up there under the influence
of alcohol.

She could have killed some innocent person or persons.

Drunk Drivers KILL.

is it really right to sanitize this story and make her a monument? I feel like it's wrong..even if she is a victim to make a monument/marker for her. Many many drunk drivers are killed, disappear into lakes and rivers, kill innocent people, cause property damage and terrorize the streets with their nightly coin toss of driving home from the bar...driving with open bottles in the car, and even with their children in the car.

I don't want to be super judgey..I realize her plight and the pain of losing her is unbearable
for her family I am sure.

If I was her family I would try to accept the real Maura. and accept her imperfections.

Donate to alcohol related charities. Help young people to understand the danger.

EDUCATE.

this will do a service to Maura's memory.

mOO
Click to expand...

There is no evidence that Maura was a drunk driver at the time this happened.
 
i think about this young lady alot. I wonder what happened to her. i strongly believe she was going to meet someone and that person or persons killed her. Someone knows something and what happened. It is going to take time but the truth will eventually come out. I do not believe this woman is alive. According to her family she was not the type of person to just walk away she lover her family too much for that. Plus there has been no activity since the day she went missing. IDK guys!
 
Maura Murray of Hanson, Massachusetts, was 21 when she disappeared after crashing her car in Haverhill, New Hampshire, more than 17 years ago. Her family has been looking for answers ever since.

A tree near the spot where she was last seen has been adorned with a blue ribbon dedicated to Murray's memory.

Monday, Murray's family said that tree was cut down for unknown reasons.

"This cruel act has strengthened my family's resolve to fight for answers until we find Maura and hold accountable those responsible for her disappearance," Maura's sister, Julie Murray, said in a statement. "With the destruction of the Blue Ribbon tree we urge Mr. Ben Wilson, Director of the N.H. Division of Historical Resources, to swiftly approve Maura's historical marker request recognizing the historical significance of Maura's disappearance at the location she was last seen on Rt. 112, Haverhill, N.H. in 2004."

The family officially made the request for the marker in October. Since then, the family says more than 400 emails and phone calls have been sent to the division, and petitions have garnered "3,367 signatures from all 50 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, and forty-two different countries."
Cold Case: Tree With Memorial to Woman Who Disappeared in 2004 Cut Down
 
imstilla.grandma said:
Maura Murray of Hanson, Massachusetts, was 21 when she disappeared after crashing her car in Haverhill, New Hampshire, more than 17 years ago. Her family has been looking for answers ever since.

A tree near the spot where she was last seen has been adorned with a blue ribbon dedicated to Murray's memory.

Monday, Murray's family said that tree was cut down for unknown reasons.

"This cruel act has strengthened my family's resolve to fight for answers until we find Maura and hold accountable those responsible for her disappearance," Maura's sister, Julie Murray, said in a statement. "With the destruction of the Blue Ribbon tree we urge Mr. Ben Wilson, Director of the N.H. Division of Historical Resources, to swiftly approve Maura's historical marker request recognizing the historical significance of Maura's disappearance at the location she was last seen on Rt. 112, Haverhill, N.H. in 2004."

The family officially made the request for the marker in October. Since then, the family says more than 400 emails and phone calls have been sent to the division, and petitions have garnered "3,367 signatures from all 50 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, and forty-two different countries."
Cold Case: Tree With Memorial to Woman Who Disappeared in 2004 Cut Down
Click to expand...
This is really a tough one. On one hand, I understand the family’s desire to commemorate the spot. But I can also understand a property owner wanting to eliminate temptations to trespass- and add memorial “litter” in the woods (ribbons, stuffed animals, notes). As much as I hope Maura & her killer are found, I don’t think this should meet criteria for “historical” marker. If everyone who ever went missing or died had a historical marker at the spot... well, that’s just waaaaay too many markers. Maybe a better solution would be a giant in-your-face local billboard to keep the pressure & facts front & center. Idk.

ETA: If the NH historical marker people deem Maura to be a person of “historical significance” to the state, a marker could be approved. It doesn’t specify if a person should be “significant” in life or in death.
New Hampshire Historical Highway Markers, New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources
 
Last edited:
I can understand the family wanting to have a historic marker involved, however, what would it say?
"Maura Murray hit a tree here, and she is still missing?"
According to Julie, her conclusion is that someone other than Maura is responsible for her disappearance. Is that accurate history?

The marker would have to be placed and maintained on land owned by the town, which means a certain distance from the center line, next to the road, but not on the tree owners land.

My guess is, as mentioned above, is that the land owner that owns the tree is tired of people trespassing on his land. That's why there are "no trespassing signs" posted on the tree.

"A cruel act?" It's the owner's tree, on his land, and he can do what he wants with it.
What if someone ran off the road and hit someone's house? Does that give people the right to wrap ribbons around that every year? If not, why not? Is there a difference? Does that mean the house can never be torn down?
 
I feel like Maura wouldn't accept help from a school bus driver
because he would be viewed an authority figure who might report her and her booze to the police.

mOO
 
While it's well within the right of the owner to tear it down, that doesn't mean it wasn't deemed cruel. The Murray family fought tirelessly to have the ribbon around the tree protected. It helps serve as temporary memorial for Maura since they do not know of her fate. This is not to say that trespassers or people littering is acceptable, it's not, but the tree was all the family had to commemorate Maura's life. Until she's found, what else do they have now that the tree is gone. It won't stop people from searching, nor will it stop the will of the people to help the Murray family find peace and closure.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

DNASolves

Who is Escambia County John Doe (1989)?

Members online

... and 63 more.
Total: 2,715 (members: 64, guests: 2,651)

Online statistics

Members online
64
Guests online
2,651
Total visitors
2,715
Totals may include hidden visitors.

Forum statistics

Threads
592,183
Messages
17,964,803
Members
228,714
Latest member
hannahdunnam
Back
Top