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

[Chad_York]

No the police already has checked the property (with cadaver dogs as well) and found nothing of interest there. I think it was just Fred Murray that the former owners denied access to. If I was in that type of situation where a potential crime of a missing person happened next to where I lived and I had already fully cooperated with police but still had the parent bugging me about it I might act the same way as well. Even if you didn't have anything to do with it you still wouldn't like being questioned by people who had no qualifications to do any official questioning.

You can't really blame Fred because of all he has been through but at the same time I think has had a habit of going on wild goose chases and in making accusations when he had little to no evidence to support his claims. That's basically what the A-Frame house was and it seems that that is what this is as well.

And as far as him finding evidence you need to remember that he is the one paying all these investigators. So of course they probably want to give him a little bit of hope and not simply just take his money and run leaving him feeling even more hopeless than he was before.

Now of course I guess there is a chance there might be something there but I highly, highly doubt it.

Jeffery Sterlzin mentioned in the an article that they only searched outside the house but nothing was ever mentioned inside. Dad believes new info will lead to missing nursing student's remains 15 years after she vanished | Daily Mail Online

Fred is like any other persistent parent desperately searching for their missing child. He's distraught, tired, and fed up with the legal boundaries in order to get something done. I can't blame him for his frustrations. It would be absolutely devastating to him if they do dig up the property basement and find that it's not Maura. However, if it does, it will bring much deserved closure. I'm worried about Fred but understand his frustration and determination to get that property searched immedaitely. Unfortunately, we will have to wait until spring before an official investigation into the basement is conducted. If Fred becomes impatient or feels law-enforcement is taking prolonging the excavation, he stated he would fund the dig himself.

 

[aThousandYearsWide]

On The 15th Anniversary Of Maura Murray's Disappearance, Is There A New Lead?

"A NEW LEAD?

Fred Murray recently told reporters that he believes that Maura's remains may be hidden in a basement in Woodsville, New Hampshire. He made the comments to news channel WBZ after two different trained cadaver dogs responded to possible human remains in a residence near the site of Maura's accident.

Murray said that neighbors told him they believed someone had concealed a body there under a concrete slab around the time that Maura went missing — but revealed that the owners always refused to answer the door or let him inside.

Eventually, the home changed hands, and the new owners gave Murray access to investigate. WBZ reported that on three separate occasions, two cadaver dogs and ground-penetrating radar equipment all "pinged the exact location Fred had been tipped about."

Murray told the press in an interview, 'I can’t even bring her home and bury her. I got to leave her in somebody’s cold, stinking cellar where she’s been murdered.'"

 

[sony12]

Jeffery Sterlzin mentioned in the an article that they only searched outside the house but nothing was ever mentioned inside. Dad believes new info will lead to missing nursing student's remains 15 years after she vanished | Daily Mail Online

I think that article might be trying to put a little of their own spin on the story. It's never quoted that they never searched inside the house. It is only quoted that they searched the area. Anytime the article says they only searched outside the house it is only said in the authors own words.

Does LE saying they searched the area only mean they searched the outside of the house? Maybe. But we can't assume that from a statement saying that they searched the area (especially when the police was talking about the basement of the house in the same statement that they said they searched the area).

 

[sony12]

Is he a conspiracy theorist, since he doesn't want Haverhill investigators involved at all because he believes they are involved somehow, or has one influenced him unduly about this one house? How and why?


When was the house initially searched? As in, how long after her disappearance?

Next, what is causing Mr. Murray to zero in on this one house? Specifically, that his cadaver dog searches and radar used in the basement show there's "something there" and he believes it's Maura's body.
He's wanting LE to dig up a basement floor 15 years after Maura disappeared. Why now? AND, it's not his call and it's not his house either.

There are some fairly interesting photos here:
Dad believes new info will lead to missing nursing student's remains 15 years after she vanished | Daily Mail Online

All we know is that LE searched the area. Rather that means just outside the house or both inside and outside we really don't know. But it does seem they feel fairly confident this new lead isn't going anywhere.

We don't really know if Fred is a conspiracy theorist but John Smith (a person that has been working with him) definitely is. In all honesty I think John Smith is more interested in 'sticking it to police' than he is in actually finding Maura.

Now why they chose to start honing in on this house? Basically for the same reasons that they chose to start honing in on the A-Frame house. Rumors and local gossip. The A-Frame house came into the picture because someone once went up to Fred and showed him a knife that they thought was used as a murder weapon and the knife belonged to his brother who once lived at A-Frame. As flimsy of evidence as that is to base a search investigation on that was what Fred was basing it off of. And this current house is pretty much the same. Someone once told him they thought a body was once brought into the house.

Basically Fred has made a habit of basing his leads off of local spook stories within a small town community. So it's no wonder that LE aren't really taking his claims seriously any longer.

 

[sony12]

For everyone who is linking to this Daily Mail article I do have to say that Daily Mail has a habit of being a bit of a click-bait journalism site. I am a big Star Wars fan and so naturally I spend a lot of time interacting with the Star Wars community online as well.

Daily Mail constantly gets their info from a youtuber that is widely known to just make stuff up or base all his 'leaks' off of reddit or 4chan rumors.

Just as an example here is an article that Daily Mail wrote about potential leaks from Ep. VIII

Star Wars source reveals Episode VIII details on Luke Skywalker's lightsaber | Daily Mail Online

If you watched Ep. VIII you can tell how much truth there was in that article to what ended up being in the movie. Pretty much none.

So in other words if you choose to read Daily Mail realize that they generally aren't big on getting correct info out there and are more interested in getting headlines.

 

[Jmoose]

No the police already has checked the property (with cadaver dogs as well) and found nothing of interest there. I think it was just Fred Murray that the former owners denied access to. If I was in that type of situation where a potential crime of a missing person happened next to where I lived and I had already fully cooperated with police but still had the parent bugging me about it I might act the same way as well. Even if you didn't have anything to do with it you still wouldn't like being questioned by people who had no qualifications to do any official questioning.

You can't really blame Fred because of all he has been through but at the same time I think has had a habit of going on wild goose chases and in making accusations when he had little to no evidence to support his claims. That's basically what the A-Frame house was and it seems that that is what this is as well.

And as far as him finding evidence you need to remember that he is the one paying all these investigators. So of course they probably want to give him a little bit of hope and not simply just take his money and run leaving him feeling even more hopeless than he was before.

Now of course I guess there is a chance there might be something there but I highly, highly doubt it.

From what I’ve read, only the outside of the property had ever been searched-never inside until just recently, because the former owners wouldn’t allow anything other than a search of the exterior. Now, I have no idea whether or not cadaver dogs could have “hit” on the outside of the house, if she was buried in the basement inside; it may be that an exterior search with the dogs might have been sufficient. It is obvious to all of us that Fred is tortured by his daughter’s disappearance; my theory is that it isn’t only that she is missing, but that his attitude towards her recent failures may have contributed to her fleeing to the White Mountains. I hope he finds out what happened to her one day.

 

[sony12]

From what I’ve read, only the outside of the property had ever been searched-never inside until just recently, because the former owners wouldn’t allow anything other than a search of the exterior. Now, I have no idea whether or not cadaver dogs could have “hit” on the outside of the house, if she was buried in the basement inside; it may be that an exterior search with the dogs might have been sufficient. It is obvious to all of us that Fred is tortured by his daughter’s disappearance; my theory is that it isn’t only that she is missing, but that his attitude towards her recent failures may have contributed to her fleeing to the White Mountains. I hope he finds out what happened to her one day.

Again we don't really know if they searched the inside of the house. All that has been quoted from the Law Enforcement side was that the area was searched. That could mean just the outside or it could mean inside as well. In anycase they seemed pretty confident that the location was not a lead. From what I have seen a lot of the people who are stating that the inside of the house wasn't searched are citing that Daily Mail article and Daily Mail is not a good source to get accurate info from

 

[Jmoose]

Again we don't really know if they searched the inside of the house. All that has been quoted from the Law Enforcement side was that the area was searched. That could mean just the outside or it could mean inside as well. In anycase they seemed pretty confident that the location was not a lead. From what I have seen a lot of the people who are stating that the inside of the house wasn't searched are citing that Daily Mail article and Daily Mail is not a good source to get accurate info from

Good to know re: Daily Mail

 

[Caffeine]

Daily Mail is basically as good as the NY Post is here in the States, but regardless, they aren't the only ones reporting this.

If this is the individual I'm thinking of, he's done a good job of keeping his name out of this but a lot of people have discussed this person before and I don't think it's a lead that's been fully exhausted yet. From what I gather, police have made contact, did an extremely brief search outside the home and subsequently were denied a search inside the house and didn't cooperate with police further.

We aren't talking about RF here either.

So perhaps there was a search of the "area" of this home, I highly doubt there was ever any interior access and Fred seems to be specifically talking about a basement inside of a home.

Maybe the old Conrad FB post years back was not about RF after all. Maybe John Healy speaking of Atwood's fear of a prominent local had some merit to it.

I know a lot of folks are ready to dismiss any lead from this case as a rumor or a dead end but I don't believe for a moment this case can't be solved. And eventually that day will come.

 

[SeekingJana]

Jeffery Sterlzin mentioned in the an article that they only searched outside the house but nothing was ever mentioned inside.

It would be absolutely devastating to him if they do dig up the property basement and find that it's not Maura. However, if it does, it will bring much deserved closure. I'm worried about Fred but understand his frustration and determination to get that property searched immediately. Unfortunately, we will have to wait until spring before an official investigation into the basement is conducted. If Fred becomes impatient or feels law-enforcement is taking prolonging the excavation, he stated he would fund the dig himself.

Not that I think she's buried in someone's basement, but if her father feels that strongly about it, and has the legal permission of the owner in writing to dig in the residence's basement and has had a structural engineer verify that his digging will not harm the house foundation or walls, then it's likely he should start bringing in men with shovels.

I don't think LE is going to get involved due to liability issues regarding the possible loss or causal instability of the home's structural integrity if they bring in digging equipment.

He says he's been focused on this house and a former resident for the entire 15 years. So, I think he should get strong, capable guys in with hand digging as the method of searching, not heavy equipment which could later be blamed by him for scooping up something important if no remains are found.

He says radar has shown the spot, so he should know the approximate area and depth. Probably, some young men with shovels would like a job, and likely, many would like a chance to help someone with a long- missing daughter and a broken heart.

Respectfully, IMO

 

[SeekingJana]

Again we don't really know if they searched the inside of the house. All that has been quoted from the Law Enforcement side was that the area was searched. That could mean just the outside or it could mean inside as well. In anycase they seemed pretty confident that the location was not a lead. From what I have seen a lot of the people who are stating that the inside of the house wasn't searched are citing that Daily Mail article and Daily Mail is not a good source to get accurate info from

If you have a more accurate or better source regarding where police searched the house in question, I'd love to read it elsewhere.
Otherwise, it is up to each person as to whether the articles in the DM are worth their personal time or not.
IMO, they tell us a lot more about our news quicker than our own newspapers do. And, later we find out they were completely accurate. On any given day, when I go to The Drudge Report, at least 4-8 articles redirect to the Daily Mail. Something to think about.

They do not get their info from a youtuber. If the article is not a DM exclusive, then there is a red link at the bottom of the article with the source material or a clickable link to a TV station in the article.
I often find out MORE info from the original newspaper or blog or whatever, but I don't find that the info is DIFFERENT in basic content in most cases.

Fact- checking with multiple sources is always a good idea, but in a cold case, info is sparse because there's not a lot of continued public interest in general after 15 years. Most people assume something like " She ran away" or " She died" and move on to more current news. Not that it's right, but that most people are not as invested in crime crime discussion and discoveries as certain groups, such as WS, are.

Respectfully, IMO

 

[sony12]

If you have a more accurate or better source regarding where police searched the house in question, I'd love to read it elsewhere.
Otherwise, it is up to each person as to whether the articles in the DM are worth their personal time or not.
IMO, they tell us a lot more about our news quicker than our own newspapers do. And, later we find out they were completely accurate. On any given day, when I go to The Drudge Report, at least 4-8 articles redirect to the Daily Mail. Something to think about.

They do not get their info from a youtuber. If the article is not a DM exclusive, then there is a red link at the bottom of the article with the source material or a clickable link to a TV station in the article.
I often find out MORE info from the original newspaper or blog or whatever, but I don't find that the info is DIFFERENT in basic content in most cases.

Fact- checking with multiple sources is always a good idea, but in a cold case, info is sparse because there's not a lot of continued public interest in general after 15 years. Most people assume something like " She ran away" or " She died" and move on to more current news. Not that it's right, but that most people are not as invested in crime crime discussion and discoveries as certain groups, such as WS, are.

Respectfully, IMO

The issue I had with the Daily Mail article that was posted is that a lot of the juicy material that was in it was not quoted material. Now it just isn't the Daily Mail as a lot of online news sites are guilty of the same thing. They have a habit of taking statements given to them and putting a bit of their own personal spin on it. In this case trying to place meaning on when the officer told them the area had already been searched. Did the officer officially tell them that only the outside of the house was searched or looked into? Probably not or else it would have been quoted. Chances are the only thing the officer the journalist was talking to told him/her was what was quoted in the article. And everything else was simply the journalists perspective/opinion/tactics used to try to get attention directed to the article.

Spending much time looking through online articles it is good to just pay attention to officially sourced material and ignore everything else. As a lot of these online journalists tend to put more focus on making an attention seeking article than they do in getting a 100% factually accurate article.

 

[SeekingJana]

iPhone error. Mea culpa
Respectfully submitted.

 

[sony12]

I didn't see anything written about Maura Murray that was " juicy material" as in, suggestive of improper behavior other than the factual statement that alcohol she likely purchased was found in her vehicle.
I thought it was un-sensational, which is a good quality to appeal to the public and get her case back before our eyes.

Although I do not know this to be factual, it's likely to me that the only person who would THINK " Did the dogs go into the house or were they simply sniffing around outside?" would be Fred Murray, who likely was the source for the entire article.
He's quoted, LE is not.

The part about the one house search is as follows, linked in my post above.
QUOTE:
"Fred had long suspected that his daughter's body may be in a home near to the crash site. The area outside the home had previously been searched for her body but nothing was found.

Fred had never been able to gain access until the end of last year, after the property changed hands.

Murray said two separate visits by cadaver dogs and a radar scan last fall identified something underneath the basement floor. "END QUOTE.
The interview with Fred Murray was by phone from his residence, as is stated.

Fred Murray is the only source listed as being interviewed, so he's telling HIS SIDE of things. Although the words " Fred" or " Murray" were not used in the ONE SENTENCE about where the dogs were or were not, he contributed every other quote, and the omission of his name one time does NOT mean he didn't say the dogs didn't search the house. He OBVIOUSLY has a bias against the former homeowner, which IS stated in the article.
If the DM or any other source wants to print this, it's their and his right once he talked to them on the record.
I read elsewhere that LE declines to comment on Maura's case.

Does any of this affect her case 15 years later? IMO, no. What he's doing is human behavior. His purpose is to creating doubt and suspense as to " what's in that one basement" to generate interest in Maura's case on the 15th anniversary of her going missing.

It's biased, of course, when neither the former homeowner nor LE will speak about this issue, but anyone with reading comprehension can see: This is a human interest story told from the perspective of the father, and only the father.
IMO, if the former homeowner is innocent ( which I believe the person is) then likely there are grounds for libel in the article and in other recently published articles from other online sources with statements about this person.

Respectfully submitted, and IMO only. Not for copying to any other source.

LE was quoted as well. They were quoted as saying they already searched the area and it says the persons name. Unless we are just talking about two separate articles.

I was talking about this article

Dad believes new info will lead to missing nursing student's remains 15 years after she vanished | Daily Mail Online

And in that one it clearly quotes one of the officers. Are you looking at a different article?

 

[SeekingJana]

LE was quoted as well. They were quoted as saying they already searched the area and it says the persons name. Unless we are just talking about two separate articles.

I was talking about this article

Dad believes new info will lead to missing nursing student's remains 15 years after she vanished | Daily Mail Online

And in that one it clearly quotes one of the officers. Are you looking at a different article?

Reading on iPhone the article ends with huge photos of her face and the car, but the rest is identical.
I believe there was an issue with further text loading quickly due to the mobile device's limitations compared to my computers.

I just read the article from your link and yes, there's more.
I'm sorry for the mobile device error as there was just no more text on my screen after some huge photos downloaded..I still think this was a piece Fred wanted done to generate interest and perhaps a free dig in someone's basement.

 

[bradfordsleuth]

I have a theory about what wasn't right with her before she disappeared. Maura Murray was crashing and burning for some time before the actual car crash and her disappearance. I believe she did die very soon after the crash, likely due to hypothermia or another outdoor related accidental death.

Regarding WHY she may have left like she did:
Like all student nurses, Maura knew there is a code of ethics and conduct for both nursing students and registered nurses with licenses.

Students are and have always been monitored very carefully by their professors and clinical instructors, because the nursing programs are rated separately from the college's accreditation and standing. A pass rate on the licensing exam after graduation, called the NCLEX- RN of at least 90% is considered adequate, and the best schools have a consistent yearly average passing rate of around 98%.This rate is very important to the Dean Of Nurses for each college's nursing program as the programs for nurses are professionally rated by an outside national team which receives all of the NCLEX-RN scores for all accredited nursing schools annually and compiles the data independently. The data for each nursing program is either stated online or it's available from the professional group which does the rating ( sorry, but they recently changed names and I do not have the current name at hand).It's crucial for the nurse graduate and the nursing school to be known as producing top quality graduates, excellent nurses in practice, and for the nursing school to maintain an excellent standing with their annual national rating after the students take and pass or fail the NCLEX-RN exam. The term " passing rate" applies to the actual national exam, the NCLEX- RN, which is taken by graduate nurses in order to be licensed.. ( NCLEX stands for National Council Licensure Examination) and being qualified to sit for the exam, taking it, and passing is the only way for a graduate student to become an RN.

I believe, personally, from my long career as a registered nurse in a very competitive nursing program at a great SEC college, that Maura thought, or maybe already knew she had messed up to the point of expulsion from her nursing program. It hadn't already happened, as far as we know, but this girl, from all accounts, was way too messed up emotionally, and with alcohol abuse, ( as crashing 2 cars in a short period of time while impaired and the petty thefts she was starting to engage in through very foolish means easily detected ( not that there's a smart way), and the alcohol in her car are, when put together, signs of alcohol abuse) to continue her studies, clinical hands on care, to graduate and become a registered nurse at that time. She could have dropped out for personal reasons, and re-registered after she had dealt with her problems ( with a letter of explanation and extra references), but I've never read any indication that she wanted any changes in these problem areas of her young life.

Her personal problems would be a valid urgent reason to panic and perhaps leave, if being a nurse was her true calling and passion. I don't know if it was, but if not, she'd likely already reached that conclusion as well. I've never seen the issue of " wanting to be a nurse" addressed, just that she was in a nursing program.

Maybe her despair was as great as the percentage of students who were kicked out of my class year after year. I don't know. Some of the people who failed in my class were devastated, and some never found any other career. They only wanted to be nurses.

I don't think she had concrete plans about doing anything else with her life when she packed and took off, just wanted to escape from the pressure, and maybe to go drink to forget for a while, and maybe finish falling apart. And, maybe she did just that on her own terms, in her own way. It's so sad that she didn't get help from school counselors or student advisors, or an outside source of professional help.

. Respectfully, IMO

This is one of the best theories I have seen posted.

 

[sony12]

Reading on iPhone the article ends with huge photos of her face and the car, but the rest is identical.
I believe there was an issue with further text loading quickly due to the mobile device's limitations compared to my computers.

I just read the article from your link and yes, there's more.
I'm sorry for the mobile device error as there was just no more text on my screen after some huge photos downloaded..I still think this was a piece Fred wanted done to generate interest and perhaps a free dig in someone's basement.

No problem. I think the reporter reached out to both Fred and someone officially associated with the case. They were (in my opinion) writing it in a way that favored Fred's side of the story and in trying to make it look like the police didn't do as much as they could have.

I agree he may be doing this to try to get people to donate money for a potential new dig for them. Also agree that the cops won't be involved both because they probably don't think it is going to lead anywhere and also they wouldn't want to be involved in messing up someone's house (they would need far more evidence than just local rumors to do something like that).

 

[Jmoose]

LE was quoted as well. They were quoted as saying they already searched the area and it says the persons name. Unless we are just talking about two separate articles.

I was talking about this article

Dad believes new info will lead to missing nursing student's remains 15 years after she vanished | Daily Mail Online

And in that one it clearly quotes one of the officers. Are you looking at a different article?

I think my issue is that, if the authorities had already searched the inside and outside of the house in question, I don’t believe Fred would be all over this house right now-he would be satisfied that cadaver dogs had not found anything in the previous search. This is why, irrespective of the Daily Mail’s reputation, that it may be true that the house had not ever been searched completely until now, with new owners allowing this recent search.

 

[Chad_York]

I have a theory about what wasn't right with her before she disappeared. Maura Murray was crashing and burning for some time before the actual car crash and her disappearance. I believe she did die very soon after the crash, likely due to hypothermia or another outdoor related accidental death.

Regarding WHY she may have left like she did:
Like all student nurses, Maura knew there is a code of ethics and conduct for both nursing students and registered nurses with licenses.

Students are and have always been monitored very carefully by their professors and clinical instructors, because the nursing programs are rated separately from the college's accreditation and standing. A pass rate on the licensing exam after graduation, called the NCLEX- RN of at least 90% is considered adequate, and the best schools have a consistent yearly average passing rate of around 98%.This rate is very important to the Dean Of Nurses for each college's nursing program as the programs for nurses are professionally rated by an outside national team which receives all of the NCLEX-RN scores for all accredited nursing schools annually and compiles the data independently. The data for each nursing program is either stated online or it's available from the professional group which does the rating ( sorry, but they recently changed names and I do not have the current name at hand).It's crucial for the nurse graduate and the nursing school to be known as producing top quality graduates, excellent nurses in practice, and for the nursing school to maintain an excellent standing with their annual national rating after the students take and pass or fail the NCLEX-RN exam. The term " passing rate" applies to the actual national exam, the NCLEX- RN, which is taken by graduate nurses in order to be licensed.. ( NCLEX stands for National Council Licensure Examination) and being qualified to sit for the exam, taking it, and passing is the only way for a graduate student to become an RN.

I believe, personally, from my long career as a registered nurse in a very competitive nursing program at a great SEC college, that Maura thought, or maybe already knew she had messed up to the point of expulsion from her nursing program. It hadn't already happened, as far as we know, but this girl, from all accounts, was way too messed up emotionally, and with alcohol abuse, ( as crashing 2 cars in a short period of time while impaired and the petty thefts she was starting to engage in through very foolish means easily detected ( not that there's a smart way), and the alcohol in her car are, when put together, signs of alcohol abuse) to continue her studies, clinical hands on care, to graduate and become a registered nurse at that time. She could have dropped out for personal reasons, and re-registered after she had dealt with her problems ( with a letter of explanation and extra references), but I've never read any indication that she wanted any changes in these problem areas of her young life.

Her personal problems would be a valid urgent reason to panic and perhaps leave, if being a nurse was her true calling and passion. I don't know if it was, but if not, she'd likely already reached that conclusion as well. I've never seen the issue of " wanting to be a nurse" addressed, just that she was in a nursing program.

Maybe her despair was as great as the percentage of students who were kicked out of my class year after year. I don't know. Some of the people who failed in my class were devastated, and some never found any other career. They only wanted to be nurses.

I don't think she had concrete plans about doing anything else with her life when she packed and took off, just wanted to escape from the pressure, and maybe to go drink to forget for a while, and maybe finish falling apart. And, maybe she did just that on her own terms, in her own way. It's so sad that she didn't get help from school counselors or student advisors, or an outside source of professional help.

. Respectfully, IMO

I think you bring up a solid argument. Very well stated.

Did Maura intend on being a nurse after how stressful and complicated her life was becoming. The choices she made subsequent to her disappearance seemed as if she was acting in defiance of her career choices. The theft at West Point. Maura knew that it was against code to steal and yet, she did it anyway. Why? To get away from what apparently didn't fit her interests. Military life wasn't for Maura. West Point could have easily have expelled her but allowed Maura to transfer schools. So she transferred to UMASS to become a nurse, like her mother. Now, I can't speak on your knowledge about the nursing program but from your description of it, the stress level seemed absolutely overwhelming. Trying to retain an inordinate amount of information on this particular subject would drive any sane person crazy, at least from my perspective. Eventually, she gets into trouble again with the credit card fraud. Again, Maura attempts to sabotage another great opportunity? Why? The judge gives her a slap on the wrist orders her to stay out of trouble for a certain period of time to have the criminal charge expunged from her record. So now she has been given essentially two get out jail free cards. Maura is smart, compassionate, funny, and well respected among her peers, but for an inexplicable reason, she continues this pattern of insubordination. Then the incident with her father's car. She drives after a night of drinking and totals it. I know her sister Julie mentioned that they never wanted to disappoint their father but to the extent of driving his car back to the hotel supposedly inebriated only to total the car? These choices made by Maura make no sense. As you've stated, maybe she thought her nursing career was compromised or she just threw caution into the wind? Yet, she was never given a DUI or a citation for the accident. Three exemptions from three separate incidents.

The explanation for the trip to the White Mountains was to clear her head. I can understand if you want to drink your sorrows away but why travel two and a half hours away north? Ideally, she could have gone to a local pub. Though, she chose to drive far away - which, in my opinion, means it was planned. Maybe not on paper, per say, but in her head, she had a place to escape to. Familiarly within a specific place can often bring back memories, relinquish the bad and concentrate on the good. Places she visited during the summer; Jigger Johnson, Mount Tripyramid, Mount Kerrigan, Tuckerman Ravine, etc. These were places Maura was familiar with and could relate back from childhood experiences. Did something happen at one of these places that triggered a memory? Why the directions from MapQuest to Burkshire and Burlington Vermont? Curious.

Overall, the question we need to ask ourselves is was Maura hiding something that she couldn't admit to anyone and/or was she her own worst enemy?

 

[sony12]

I don't think we can realistically say that Maura was intentionally trying to sabotage anything. I think it would be more accurate to say that Maura was just a stupid 21 year old kid that was making a lot of the mistakes that many stupid 21 year old kids make.

These people often aren't purposely trying to be reckless. They are just naturally reckless. Maura really wasn't going through anything different than many late teens or early twenty something year olds go through. The only thing that separates her decisions from many others is that she disappeared. Where as most of these kids grow up and look back at themselves and realize how dumb they were at the time. Maura will seemingly forever be that dumb reckless college kid.