NH NH - Maura Murray, 21, Haverhill, 9 Feb 2004 - #14

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This maybe the earliest media broadcast about the case. Was filmed just a couple of days after Maura disappeared. It's a good way to get past the rumors that have been developed over the years and see what people were actually saying right at the time it happened. Need to click the watch this on youtube link in order to see it.
 
Although this is the first time I have seen this thread on Maura, I remember when this happened, and if I remember right, around the same time, there were a few other women that disappeared around the same time in NH.
I haven't read all the comments.I have read some of the 15 "hard facts."
This is all speculation on my part, but I think she was picked up by a stranger. Why?
First, there was snow on the ground, and if she drifted into the woods, she would have left tracks. There were no tracks.
Second, she locked her doors. Her possessions were in her car, and if she was planning on running away and leaving them behind, why bother locking the doors? I believed she had planning on returning to gather her belongings at some time, possibly at the tow yard after she sobered up (if she was drinking)
Third. I do believe she was drinking, and I believe she just wanted to leave the scene before the cops showed up.
So she locked her car, started walking after she told the bus driver she needed no help, a car stopped and asked her if she needed a ride. Desperate to get away from the scene, she took the offer.
Fourth. I don't believe there was a tandem car that was following her waiting to give her a ride to Canada, because the bus driver would have seen said car at the scene. I'm not sure if she had a cell phone or not, but I believe if any plans on running away was discussed, LE would have all cell phone history by now.
Fifth. If she did have a cell phone, I don't believe she set out on foot to get help ie. calling for a tow. She could have set in her warm car and called from her cell . The temps were below freezing that night. Again, I believe she was trying to flee the scene and took a chance with taking a ride from a stranger. I believe that stranger offered her a place to stay for the night until she sobered off, and something happened to her there.
 
Rocky1 said:
Although this is the first time I have seen this thread on Maura, I remember when this happened, and if I remember right, around the same time, there were a few other women that disappeared around the same time in NH.
I haven't read all the comments.I have read some of the 15 "hard facts."
This is all speculation on my part, but I think she was picked up by a stranger. Why?
First, there was snow on the ground, and if she drifted into the woods, she would have left tracks. There were no tracks.
Second, she locked her doors. Her possessions were in her car, and if she was planning on running away and leaving them behind, why bother locking the doors? I believed she had planning on returning to gather her belongings at some time, possibly at the tow yard after she sobered up (if she was drinking)
Third. I do believe she was drinking, and I believe she just wanted to leave the scene before the cops showed up.
So she locked her car, started walking after she told the bus driver she needed no help, a car stopped and asked her if she needed a ride. Desperate to get away from the scene, she took the offer.
Fourth. I don't believe there was a tandem car that was following her waiting to give her a ride to Canada, because the bus driver would have seen said car at the scene. I'm not sure if she had a cell phone or not, but I believe if any plans on running away was discussed, LE would have all cell phone history by now.
Fifth. If she did have a cell phone, I don't believe she set out on foot to get help ie. calling for a tow. She could have set in her warm car and called from her cell . The temps were below freezing that night. Again, I believe she was trying to flee the scene and took a chance with taking a ride from a stranger. I believe that stranger offered her a place to stay for the night until she sobered off, and something happened to her there.
Click to expand...
Good thoughts but on a separate note, no cell reception there back then and some say even now (although there are different technologies some of the different carriers use, so it may be carrier specific)
 
Rocky1 said:
Although this is the first time I have seen this thread on Maura, I remember when this happened, and if I remember right, around the same time, there were a few other women that disappeared around the same time in NH.
I haven't read all the comments.I have read some of the 15 "hard facts."
This is all speculation on my part, but I think she was picked up by a stranger. Why?
First, there was snow on the ground, and if she drifted into the woods, she would have left tracks. There were no tracks.
Second, she locked her doors. Her possessions were in her car, and if she was planning on running away and leaving them behind, why bother locking the doors? I believed she had planning on returning to gather her belongings at some time, possibly at the tow yard after she sobered up (if she was drinking)
Third. I do believe she was drinking, and I believe she just wanted to leave the scene before the cops showed up.
So she locked her car, started walking after she told the bus driver she needed no help, a car stopped and asked her if she needed a ride. Desperate to get away from the scene, she took the offer.
Fourth. I don't believe there was a tandem car that was following her waiting to give her a ride to Canada, because the bus driver would have seen said car at the scene. I'm not sure if she had a cell phone or not, but I believe if any plans on running away was discussed, LE would have all cell phone history by now.
Fifth. If she did have a cell phone, I don't believe she set out on foot to get help ie. calling for a tow. She could have set in her warm car and called from her cell . The temps were below freezing that night. Again, I believe she was trying to flee the scene and took a chance with taking a ride from a stranger. I believe that stranger offered her a place to stay for the night until she sobered off, and something happened to her there.
Click to expand...

Yep and if that is the case who knows how far she would have gone. The sad part is is that if she went too far out of the area there is a decent chance her remains have already been discovered but it was nowhere near where she disappeared so they never would have connected the remains to the Maura case. All those states in that area are really small. Probably a decent chance she could have gone a couple states away that night from where the crash happened.
 
Rocky1 said:
Although this is the first time I have seen this thread on Maura, I remember when this happened, and if I remember right, around the same time, there were a few other women that disappeared around the same time in NH.

Please see my thoughts in bold...

I haven't read all the comments.I have read some of the 15 "hard facts."
This is all speculation on my part, but I think she was picked up by a stranger. Why?

First, there was snow on the ground, and if she drifted into the woods, she would have left tracks. There were no tracks.

Second, she locked her doors. Her possessions were in her car, and if she was planning on running away and leaving them behind, why bother locking the doors? I believed she had planning on returning to gather her belongings at some time, possibly at the tow yard after she sobered up (if she was drinking) this is a habit she may have had and it was done almost unconsciously. It was discovered that she had filled up her gas tank shortly before her trip. Even if she went to NH to kill herself, thus making a full tank irrelevant, it may have just been habit. When people are in panic mode (which it sounds like she was) they go on autopilot.

Third. I do believe she was drinking, and I believe she just wanted to leave the scene before the cops showed up. agree.
So she locked her car, started walking after she told the bus driver she needed no help, a car stopped and asked her if she needed a ride. Desperate to get away from the scene, she took the offer.

Fourth. I don't believe there was a tandem car that was following her waiting to give her a ride to Canada, because the bus driver would have seen said car at the scene. I'm not sure if she had a cell phone or not, but I believe if any plans on running away was discussed, LE would have all cell phone history by now. I agree, I have never bought this theory and I don't think many do.

Fifth. If she did have a cell phone, I don't believe she set out on foot to get help ie. calling for a tow. She could have set in her warm car and called from her cell . The temps were below freezing that night. Again, I believe she was trying to flee the scene and took a chance with taking a ride from a stranger. I believe that stranger offered her a place to stay for the night until she sobered off, and something happened to her there Butch Atwood (bus driver/resident of Haverhill) said there was no cell service in that area which is why he called police even after Maura claimed she called AAA as he knew that was false. My two theories (both have Maura deceased within 24 hours of the crash) are 1) picked up by a local creep about an hour or two after the crash. At this point she was freezing and desperate and had no choice but to accept. A local would know the area to dump the body. 2) she is in the woods and died of exposure. I know there were no tracks and that dogs did not track a scent but I still think this is slightly more likely than #1
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I suspect that your second suggestion, at the bottom of your reply, is the most likely one—that she headed back into the woods and died of exposure.

Was there any snow falling? If so, it could have covered her tracks?

In my opinion, the dogs failing to find her scent means nothing. It’s wonderful when dogs succeed, but they fail a lot of the time.
 
wary said:
I suspect that your second suggestion, at the bottom of your reply, is the most likely one—that she headed back into the woods and died of exposure.

Was there any snow falling? If so, it could have covered her tracks?

In my opinion, the dogs failing to find her scent means nothing. It’s wonderful when dogs succeed, but they fail a lot of the time.
Click to expand...
There was snow on the ground, but not fresh as in enough to cover her tracks after the crash.
There's a picture at the top of this page, If you scroll up you'll see tracks in the snow from what I'd say were made from LE and the tow company.
I believe LE ruled out her going into the woods. At that spot anyway.
I may be wrong, but I believe I read that
 
Rocky1 said:
There was snow on the ground, but not fresh as in enough to cover her tracks after the crash.
There's a picture at the top of this page, If you scroll up you'll see tracks in the snow from what I'd say were made from LE and the tow company.
I believe LE ruled out her going into the woods. At that spot anyway.
I may be wrong, but I believe I read that
Click to expand...

Thank you. Hmm—could she have walked along the road for a while, and then ducked into the brush when she heard a car coming? (Since you specified ‘at that spot.’)
 
wary said:
I suspect that your second suggestion, at the bottom of your reply, is the most likely one—that she headed back into the woods and died of exposure.

Was there any snow falling? If so, it could have covered her tracks?

In my opinion, the dogs failing to find her scent means nothing. It’s wonderful when dogs succeed, but they fail a lot of the time.
Click to expand...
How could they not have found any signs of someone trekking through the woods? The New Hampshire Fish and Game mentioned specifically they found absolutely no evidence that someone had walked in the woods. While prolonged exposure is not out of the possibility, it makes no logical sense for Maura to travel two and half hours north only to succumb to the elements. I'm not denying that it could happen, Maura seemed to have had an objective. The theory that she acquired a ride from a stranger works with the idea of the scent dogs losing her scent 75-100 yards down the road near the Atwood residence. In the desperate attempt to flee the scene, a non-transient driver catches her walking down the road, offers a ride, and with that may have ensued foul play. Theoretically speaking, if she did meet a tragic fate, she could me miles away and we're none the wiser.
 
Chad_York said:
How could they not have found any signs of someone trekking through the woods? The New Hampshire Fish and Game mentioned specifically they found absolutely no evidence that someone had walked in the woods. While prolonged exposure is not out of the possibility, it makes no logical sense for Maura to travel two and half hours north only to succumb to the elements. I'm not denying that it could happen, Maura seemed to have had an objective. The theory that she acquired a ride from a stranger works with the idea of the scent dogs losing her scent 75-100 yards down the road near the Atwood residence. In the desperate attempt to flee the scene, a non-transient driver catches her walking down the road, offers a ride, and with that may have ensued foul play. Theoretically speaking, if she did meet a tragic fate, she could me miles away and we're none the wiser.
Click to expand...

They really only checked the immediate area for footprints as far as I know. She easily could have gone up road a little ways and then went into the woods. Infact a smart individual who was trying to avoid detection would do that over going into the woods immediately around the crash site.

You shouldn't really take the scent dog thing a 100% as gospel. THe people involved in the case have even said that dogs aren't real reliable a lot of the time. If she did manage to get a ride in the very short amount of time she was out there just a hundred or so feet from the crash then she got really lucky. Chances are probably better that she did run up the road a ways and then either go into the woods or found a ride with someone.

Remember there were also accounts of someone seeing a girl running a long the road about five miles a way from the crash that night. Of course that was said a while after the event happened and they could be remembering wrong or just making the entire thing up but it should still be taken just as seriously as the scent dogs.
 
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Laughing said:
And, Brianna Maitland was so close in space & time....

VT - VT - Brianna Maitland, 17, Montgomery, 19 March 2004

We may never know.
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I think there is a strong suspicion that Maitland was involved in significant drug activity and that might be the reason for her disappearance. Though Maura is often viewed as being an irresponsible young adult I don't think many think her disappearance was because she was involved in a drug circle.
 
sony12 said:
I think there is a strong suspicion that Maitland was involved in significant drug activity and that might be the reason for her disappearance. Though Maura is often viewed as being an irresponsible young adult I don't think many think her disappearance was because she was involved in a drug circle.
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LE ruled out connections, but similar age, similar appearance, car accidents, less than 100 miles apart.

We here at WS tend to look for patterns like that....
 
Laughing said:
LE ruled out connections, but similar age, similar appearance, car accidents, less than 100 miles apart.

We here at WS tend to look for patterns like that....
Click to expand...

Yeah in my opinion though there was no car accident in the Brianna Maitland case. I think that scene was a 100% staged. If you look at the photo of the barn (old house) there was very little damage done to it by the car.

hqdefault.jpg


If the car truly ran into the barn the whole side of that structure would be caved in. At best the car was slowly backing into the side of the barn and it only slightly hit the corner of it.
 
sony12 said:
They really only checked the immediate area for footprints as far as I know. She easily could have gone up road a little ways and then went into the woods. Infact a smart individual who was trying to avoid detection would do that over going into the woods immediately around the crash site.

You shouldn't really take the scent dog thing a 100% as gospel. THe people involved in the case have even said that dogs aren't real reliable a lot of the time. If she did manage to get a ride in the very short amount of time she was out there just a hundred or so feet from the crash then she got really lucky. Chances are probably better that she did run up the road a ways and then either go into the woods or found a ride with someone.

Remember there were also accounts of someone seeing a girl running a long the road about five miles a way from the crash that night. Of course that was said a while after the event happened and they could be remembering wrong or just making the entire thing up but it should still be taken just as seriously as the scent dogs.
Click to expand...
Right, plus they searched what...the day after? And then several days later by air as well? It was pretty spaced apart from what I remember. I don’t think it’d be as easy as people think to find signs of someone that had at one point gone into the woods.
 
sony12 said:
I think there is a strong suspicion that Maitland was involved in significant drug activity and that might be the reason for her disappearance. Though Maura is often viewed as being an irresponsible young adult I don't think many think her disappearance was because she was involved in a drug circle.
Click to expand...
Agreed.
 

Started watching a bit of this series off of youtube. Nothing to do with the Maura case of course but it is a story of a couple that got lost in the woods while hiking. Does make you wonder how many of the missing hiker cases ended up being situations like this but they just weren't lucky enough to be found.

True story though probably slightly dramatized in order to make it more interesting to viewers than just a couple kids wondering around in the forest for a few days.
 
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