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

[belimom]

Is there a method of suicide involving obstructing the tail pipe?? I've never heard of such a thing. The exhaust is toxic, so someone trying to commit suicide would want to breathe in that gas, not block it.

I actually haven't heard of anyone ever intentionally obstructing a tailpipe outside of a mechanic testing for leaks. I've heard of people opening up the exhaust so there's less resistance during the exhaust strokes. If noise weren't an issue you'd want it wide open with no muffler. Why on earth would someone ever obstruct the exhaust!?

None of the hypotheses make sense:

• Reduce engine smoking - Has anyone heard of this as even a folkloric remedy for car trouble?
• Suicide - Has anyone heard of a suicide method involving obstructing a tailpipe?
• Hiding evidence - If someone was trying to hide blood or alcohol, why not leave it out in the open? If they wanted the evidence to dry, why not spread it out over the engine block? They could have taken it anywhere away from the scene where it would be much less likely to be found.
• Someone intentionally disabling the car - I suspect the car would have had problems very quickly and not gotten far from the restaurant. If the pipe was only partially obstructed and the car still ran, she could have returned with the car to a populated area.
• Someone trying to throw off investigators - I can't imagine someone who committed a crime thinking, "I'll put a cloth up her car's tailpipe to throw them off." They didn't leave any other evidence of a crime, so they didn't need to leave evidence on purpose.

The weirdest thing about the rag was, according to posts on this board, her father didn't seem concerned and said that a rag in the tailpipe was normal. What? It sounds so bizarre. To me it's the one clue that makes this look like foul play.

Everything else seems normal (at least in Wisconsin):

• Upsetting phone calls
• Going to the north woods to think things through
• Crashing on an icy road
• Drinking and driving
• Fleeing the scene of an accident involving drinking
• Not thinking through carefully which items to take/leave, i.e. forgetting something important while taking other items out of habit with no intention of using it

I have done or known someone who foolishly did almost all of those things. I can't imagine stuffing a rag in a tailpipe, even if there was some bizarre problem with the choke not engaging. That's the one element that makes no sense.

I'm with you on the rag in the tailpipe looking like foul play. But you actually can get carbon monoxide poison that way because the fumes would flood the interior of the vehicle. This article is about snow blocking tailpipes, but it explains about blocked tailpipes:

...Instead of escaping into the atmosphere, exhaust fumes tend to concentrate under the car's chassis, where they can enter the heating system or cracks in the body.

Read more: http://www.baltimoresun.com/bal-te.carbon19feb19,0,2865977.story#ixzz2i5wP99zd

 

[OldSteve]

I don't think Maura was dressed properly for hiking. It was winter and I believe she was only wearing common street clothes and shoes. IMO, her shoes alone were inadequate for the winter conditions on a trail. They were probably okay for walking down the road though. She also left her gloves in the car.

Interesting how in all the time I've been following this case, I had not realized what BBM.

I've always wondered if she had a flashlight with her - so she could make a run for it at night... But now "no gloves" - it's something someone who knew her running habits could answer.

I know, for instance, my wife always would wear gloves - Not only because wind chills your hands, but protection for your hands if you trip and break your fall with your hands... .

 

[McSpy]

Interesting how in all the time I've been following this case, I had not realized what BBM.

I've always wondered if she had a flashlight with her - so she could make a run for it at night... But now "no gloves" - it's something someone who knew her running habits could answer.

I know, for instance, my wife always would wear gloves - Not only because wind chills your hands, but protection for your hands if you trip and break your fall with your hands... .

The searchers used those same gloves for the dog scent search. IIRC, she got those gloves as a present from her boyfriend's mother. Supposedly, Maura didn't like wearing gloves, which I can understand. I used to be the same way. I think she wasn't in the habit of wearing gloves at all, which is probably another reason why she didn't take them with her. IMO, she didn't even think of them when she fled the scene.

JMO

 

[McSpy]

Is there a method of suicide involving obstructing the tail pipe?? I've never heard of such a thing. The exhaust is toxic, so someone trying to commit suicide would want to breathe in that gas, not block it.

I actually haven't heard of anyone ever intentionally obstructing a tailpipe outside of a mechanic testing for leaks. I've heard of people opening up the exhaust so there's less resistance during the exhaust strokes. If noise weren't an issue you'd want it wide open with no muffler. Why on earth would someone ever obstruct the exhaust!?

None of the hypotheses make sense:

• Reduce engine smoking - Has anyone heard of this as even a folkloric remedy for car trouble?
• Suicide - Has anyone heard of a suicide method involving obstructing a tailpipe?
• Hiding evidence - If someone was trying to hide blood or alcohol, why not leave it out in the open? If they wanted the evidence to dry, why not spread it out over the engine block? They could have taken it anywhere away from the scene where it would be much less likely to be found.
• Someone intentionally disabling the car - I suspect the car would have had problems very quickly and not gotten far from the restaurant. If the pipe was only partially obstructed and the car still ran, she could have returned with the car to a populated area.
• Someone trying to throw off investigators - I can't imagine someone who committed a crime thinking, "I'll put a cloth up her car's tailpipe to throw them off." They didn't leave any other evidence of a crime, so they didn't need to leave evidence on purpose.

The weirdest thing about the rag was, according to posts on this board, her father didn't seem concerned and said that a rag in the tailpipe was normal. What? It sounds so bizarre. To me it's the one clue that makes this look like foul play.

Everything else seems normal (at least in Wisconsin):

• Upsetting phone calls
• Going to the north woods to think things through
• Crashing on an icy road
• Drinking and driving
• Fleeing the scene of an accident involving drinking
• Not thinking through carefully which items to take/leave, i.e. forgetting something important while taking other items out of habit with no intention of using it

I have done or known someone who foolishly did almost all of those things. I can't imagine stuffing a rag in a tailpipe, even if there was some bizarre problem with the choke not engaging. That's the one element that makes no sense.

Recently, I read an interesting reason for putting a rag in a tail pipe. It can keep mice from building nests in the exhaust area. If Maura was leaving her car in the lot for long periods of time, perhaps someone suggested she put a rag in the tail pipe for that reason. I had a mice nest in my air filter once. It was discovered because my car was always stalling, so I got it checked out.

On a separate thought, wouldn't it be odd if that rag was the reason Maura's car was acting up and it wasn't an engine problem after all? Perhaps she forgot that she put it in there?

 

[Captain_Khan]

I don't think Maura was dressed properly for hiking. It was winter and I believe she was only wearing common street clothes and shoes. IMO, her shoes alone were inadequate for the winter conditions on a trail. They were probably okay for walking down the road though. She also left her gloves in the car.

I only think she decided to head towards where hikers were likely to be after the car accident on Route 112, not actually go hiking. She didn't plan to have the accident - I still think she had been heading towards a town in oder to stay a night or two. She had been heading somewhere, but after the accident she had to do something to hide that DUI, and heading towards a group of people that she might feel an affinity for seems like a possibility?

Also, people have mentioned that she didn't take her gloves - however, I think she might have taken another pair. Those ones left in her car were a Christmas present she had barely worn - well, what if she just kept those in her car, and before she set out she grabbed the gloves she had at university?

 

[yikes-stripes]

I don't know if it's just taboo to say this, and that's why it hasn't come up, but I've never seen anyone mention the possibility that maybe Maura was pregnant. To add to that, now that I'm thinking about it more, the upsetting phone call could have been the results of her pregnancy test. Perhaps she was already worried/having a hard time before that because she had taken an at-home test, but this clinical confirmation was what really set her off. On top of everything else going on in her life, she just couldn't handle it (explaining her odd behavior following the call.) She may have decided to drive to a familiar, comforting, place with the intention of committing suicide, or perhaps she was attempting to get far away from anywhere she would be recognized, in order to have a secret abortion. If her family, or at least her father, knew of the pregnancy, that could be why some details/comments/behaviors may seem somewhat evasive or sketchy, as he (or they) feel the need to "protect Maura's reputation" and her secret. Of course this is all just my opinion, and not even necessarily the theory I'm committed to, just an idea that's been swirling around in the back of my head for a while now of a possible scenario for what led up to the accident. Unfortunately, while this scenario could possibly explain some of what went on prior to the accident and help us to better understand the mindset she might have been in at the time, it does not, however, get us any further in figuring out what ultimately happened to Maura after she crashed her car. I wish it did, because that is what's most important. She deserves to be found, regardless of what "her story" was. <3

 

[OldSteve]

I don't know if it's just taboo to say this, and that's why it hasn't come up, but I've never seen anyone mention the possibility that maybe Maura was pregnant. To add to that, now that I'm thinking about it more, the upsetting phone call could have been the results of her pregnancy test. Perhaps she was already worried/having a hard time before that because she had taken an at-home test, but this clinical confirmation was what really set her off. On top of everything else going on in her life, she just couldn't handle it (explaining her odd behavior following the call.) She may have decided to drive to a familiar, comforting, place with the intention of committing suicide, or perhaps she was attempting to get far away from anywhere she would be recognized, in order to have a secret abortion. If her family, or at least her father, knew of the pregnancy, that could be why some details/comments/behaviors may seem somewhat evasive or sketchy, as he (or they) feel the need to "protect Maura's reputation" and her secret. Of course this is all just my opinion, and not even necessarily the theory I'm committed to, just an idea that's been swirling around in the back of my head for a while now of a possible scenario for what led up to the accident. Unfortunately, while this scenario could possibly explain some of what went on prior to the accident and help us to better understand the mindset she might have been in at the time, it does not, however, get us any further in figuring out what ultimately happened to Maura after she crashed her car. I wish it did, because that is what's most important. She deserves to be found, regardless of what "her story" was. <3

New contributors to this thread are always welcome! Here my take -

MM being PG has come up that she had done some computer searched regarding alcohol and pregnancy IIRC.
We don't know why she was doing that search - for school, for?

The upsetting phone call was very late at night, so don't think it would have come from a clinic/doc, and don't think it's the type of info that would have been left in a voice mail if it were that case that she got it by calling into her VM

 

[OldSteve]

I only think she decided to head towards where hikers were likely to be after the car accident on Route 112, not actually go hiking. She didn't plan to have the accident - I still think she had been heading towards a town in oder to stay a night or two. She had been heading somewhere, but after the accident she had to do something to hide that DUI, and heading towards a group of people that she might feel an affinity for seems like a possibility?

Also, people have mentioned that she didn't take her gloves - however, I think she might have taken another pair. Those ones left in her car were a Christmas present she had barely worn - well, what if she just kept those in her car, and before she set out she grabbed the gloves she had at university?

Heading back to town makes sense in that it would have been over the road the just traveled.
It's what I would do...
Tricky part is that would be the way LE was coming toward her crash and hard not to be seen...
Also dog tracking shows her going opposite direction...

I wondered about her seeking shelter in the under-construction, empty house nearby. Something else I would do, but my wife says a woman would not do.

Just happens the house was being built by the same person who came forward sometime later (weeks?) claiming to have seen her miles away from the crash, not heading to town, but toward the mountains....

 

[McSpy]

I only think she decided to head towards where hikers were likely to be after the car accident on Route 112, not actually go hiking. She didn't plan to have the accident - I still think she had been heading towards a town in oder to stay a night or two. She had been heading somewhere, but after the accident she had to do something to hide that DUI, and heading towards a group of people that she might feel an affinity for seems like a possibility?

Also, people have mentioned that she didn't take her gloves - however, I think she might have taken another pair. Those ones left in her car were a Christmas present she had barely worn - well, what if she just kept those in her car, and before she set out she grabbed the gloves she had at university?

I think the area she was heading is very quiet during the winter. There are ski mountains and people do indulge in outdoor activities in the area, but she would probably need to get to a ski town to find like-minded young people. She was heading into a national forest. She would have had to trek many miles to the next town through pitch black darkness. It was possible, but it would have been a very long, dark scary trek. It is so dark, one cannot see their hand in front of their face. On this board, we have often wondered if she had a flashlight.

 

[SmoothOperator]

Yes, I too recall the pregnancy and alcohol internet searches on Maura's computer(my paraphrasing here as I don't recall the EXACT words she used to search this topic)...just that it was related to the subject of pregnancy and the effects of drinking alcohol on a fetus.. While I've never been particularly certain that Maura was pregnant, I certainly wouldn't be at all surprised if we were to at some point learn that she was pregnant(and its something that I have always had in the back of my mind and kept open as a possibility).. IMO as someone up thread mentioned if this were found to be true then certain issues would make more sense and/or be more easily understood..

But again its the issue of none of these particular dynamics of the case are likely to in any way progress Maura's being found.. So many of the theories offered and discussed do make a lot of sense, fit perfectly, and explain a lot of the nonsensical issues..but us figuring out what the exact dynamics were that led up to the single car accident, doesn't seem to help find the answers of what happened to/where Maura is.. Its so frustrating..a near decade and IMO not one, single, solitary centimeter closer to knowing what happened and where she is than was known from day 1/week 1..

I do feel strongly that the reason why none of the important issues and dynamics that led up to Maura's single car accident on Wild Ammonoosuc Rd are helpful in finding the truth of what happened to her immediately following that accident.. I believe the reason none of those seemingly critical pieces of the puzzle are helpful is due to the fact that what happened to Maura immediately following the accident is absolutely 100% unrelated to anything/anyone in Maura's life leading up to that moment in time.. Its why IMO the entire puzzle can be pieced together and solved(and IMO likely already has) as to what was happening in Maura's life in the months, weeks, days, hours, and even minutes leading all the way up to her taking those very first steps away from her vehicle, in fleeing the scene.. The puzzle of Maura's life can be completed, but yet still no inkling or slightest clue as to what/who/how/where Maura disappeared from after fleeing the scene of the accident that night..

If the scenario is how I theorize it to be, then there is NOTHING AT ALL from Maura's entire life that would help give/find the answer to the what/who/how/where regarding her disappearance.. If her choice to get into a vehicle shortly after fleeing the scene put her in the ultimate of vulnerable positions with a predator..well, then as I said, sadly our racking our brains to solve the puzzle of Maura's difficult and dysfunctional life leading up to the accident/her fleeing, none of it would help due to an opportunistic predator being the factor that DRAWS THE LINE, in the proverbial sand, distinguishing clearly/completely BETWEEN the point in time LEADING UP TO his path crossing with Maura...and from the exact point WHEN THEIR PATHS CROSSED and everything that took place THEREAFTER.. IMO there would be no correlation between the two and one would have nothing to do with the other..they would be completely separate, unrelated, and IMO *could be* exactly what is the biggest, problematic issue at play here, in resolving Maura's case..

IMO *IF* indeed the opportunistic predator factor is accurate.. IMO, sadly this factor greatly diminishes the likelihood of solving, and most importantly finding Maura Murray..all Jmo..

**Just to be clear in my saying that I believe its quite possible that no answers lie within Maura's life leading up to her disappearance, I am not attempting to put a kabosh on all discussions/theorizing about what possible difficulties were at play in Maura's life leading up to her disappearance.. NOT AT ALL is that what I'm saying or attempting to imply.. I am merely voicing an opinion regarding what I do see as a quite likely possibility here in this case..the opportunistic predator..and the great detriment that factor would be in terms of finding the answers to what happened/where Maura is..all jmo, tho**

 

[Captain_Khan]

Heading back to town makes sense in that it would have been over the road the just traveled.
It's what I would do...
I wondered about her seeking shelter in the under-construction, empty house nearby. Something else I would do, but my wife says a woman would not do.

Just happens the house was being built by the same person who came forward sometime later (weeks?) claiming to have seen her miles away from the crash, not heading to town, but toward the mountains....

Obviously I don't know what state of construction the house was in at the time, but Maura could have thought she would be likely to get caught there. She might imagine police searching nearby for her, and decides to get the heck out of the way in case they do?

The second point is really interesting. It could be extremely relevant and the key to this whole mystery. However, I guess it is also not strange that somebody who lived locally would be in the surrounding area at the time.

I think the area she was heading is very quiet during the winter. There are ski mountains and people do indulge in outdoor activities in the area, but she would probably need to get to a ski town to find like-minded young people. She was heading into a national forest. She would have had to trek many miles to the next town through pitch black darkness. It was possible, but it would have been a very long, dark scary trek. It is so dark, one cannot see their hand in front of their face. On this board, we have often wondered if she had a flashlight.

I don't think she was aiming for the town. Wild Ammonoosuc Road has a lot of sightseeing, camping and picnic areas - I think maybe she was hoping to stumble across one of those before long. I doubt she expected to find young people just like her or anything like that - but her and her father would have met many hikers, campers etc throughout her life, and she possibly imagined she could stay out of the way of LE there for a few hours - as I mentioned before, possibly with company and warmth.

As for how dark and scary it was - I sort of have some experience with this. I know it is probably a bit different in my case, being from the UK, and it can be terrifying - but at the same time, when you have the adrenaline running through you, somehow you just do it, and know you'll count your lucky stars later. Maura also had experience, as a runner, and I wonder if she just underestimated how far she would have to run to find somewhere to rest.

Then, if she ever arrived at a nearby meeting point, we need to ask what kind of person camps in the forest in February...

 

[Captain_Khan]

While I've never been particularly certain that Maura was pregnant, I certainly wouldn't be at all surprised if we were to at some point learn that she was pregnant...

Do we know the last time Maura had visited/been visited by/been home at the same time as Billy?

 

[BillNH]

Do we know the last time Maura had visited/been visited by/been home at the same time as Billy?

Wasn't it Christmas or Thanksgiving? I thought Mrs. Rausch said that MM and Billy were together at their home on the holidays.

 

[BillNH]

Yes, I too recall the pregnancy and alcohol internet searches on Maura's computer(my paraphrasing here as I don't recall the EXACT words she used to search this topic)...just that it was related to the subject of pregnancy and the effects of drinking alcohol on a fetus.. While I've never been particularly certain that Maura was pregnant, I certainly wouldn't be at all surprised if we were to at some point learn that she was pregnant(and its something that I have always had in the back of my mind and kept open as a possibility).. IMO as someone up thread mentioned if this were found to be true then certain issues would make more sense and/or be more easily understood..

But again its the issue of none of these particular dynamics of the case are likely to in any way progress Maura's being found.. So many of the theories offered and discussed do make a lot of sense, fit perfectly, and explain a lot of the nonsensical issues..but us figuring out what the exact dynamics were that led up to the single car accident, doesn't seem to help find the answers of what happened to/where Maura is.. Its so frustrating..a near decade and IMO not one, single, solitary centimeter closer to knowing what happened and where she is than was known from day 1/week 1..

I do feel strongly that the reason why none of the important issues and dynamics that led up to Maura's single car accident on Wild Ammonoosuc Rd are helpful in finding the truth of what happened to her immediately following that accident.. I believe the reason none of those seemingly critical pieces of the puzzle are helpful is due to the fact that what happened to Maura immediately following the accident is absolutely 100% unrelated to anything/anyone in Maura's life leading up to that moment in time.. Its why IMO the entire puzzle can be pieced together and solved(and IMO likely already has) as to what was happening in Maura's life in the months, weeks, days, hours, and even minutes leading all the way up to her taking those very first steps away from her vehicle, in fleeing the scene.. The puzzle of Maura's life can be completed, but yet still no inkling or slightest clue as to what/who/how/where Maura disappeared from after fleeing the scene of the accident that night..

If the scenario is how I theorize it to be, then there is NOTHING AT ALL from Maura's entire life that would help give/find the answer to the what/who/how/where regarding her disappearance.. If her choice to get into a vehicle shortly after fleeing the scene put her in the ultimate of vulnerable positions with a predator..well, then as I said, sadly our racking our brains to solve the puzzle of Maura's difficult and dysfunctional life leading up to the accident/her fleeing, none of it would help due to an opportunistic predator being the factor that DRAWS THE LINE, in the proverbial sand, distinguishing clearly/completely BETWEEN the point in time LEADING UP TO his path crossing with Maura...and from the exact point WHEN THEIR PATHS CROSSED and everything that took place THEREAFTER.. IMO there would be no correlation between the two and one would have nothing to do with the other..they would be completely separate, unrelated, and IMO *could be* exactly what is the biggest, problematic issue at play here, in resolving Maura's case..

IMO *IF* indeed the opportunistic predator factor is accurate.. IMO, sadly this factor greatly diminishes the likelihood of solving, and most importantly finding Maura Murray..all Jmo..

**Just to be clear in my saying that I believe its quite possible that no answers lie within Maura's life leading up to her disappearance, I am not attempting to put a kabosh on all discussions/theorizing about what possible difficulties were at play in Maura's life leading up to her disappearance.. NOT AT ALL is that what I'm saying or attempting to imply.. I am merely voicing an opinion regarding what I do see as a quite likely possibility here in this case..the opportunistic predator..and the great detriment that factor would be in terms of finding the answers to what happened/where Maura is..all jmo, tho**

MM had at least 2 classes that could have resulted in those types of searches. Nursing 398F and Nursing 326. One of them, I cant recall which, covered childbirth although both were mainly about child care. It stands to reason that the childbirth portion would be at the early stages of the class and that it is possible that they searches were related to that. This is not conclusive evidence of the reason for the searches, but a plausible alternative to her being pregnant.

 

[SmoothOperator]

MM had at least 2 classes that could have resulted in those types of searches. Nursing 398F and Nursing 326. One of them, I cant recall which, covered childbirth although both were mainly about child care. It stands to reason that the childbirth portion would be at the early stages of the class and that it is possible that they searches were related to that. This is not conclusive evidence of the reason for the searches, but a plausible alternative to her being pregnant.

Yep, ITA that the searches were most likely for school related research(which too has been discussed over the years when discussing the pregnancy possibility)..

Thanks for refreshing my memory on what classes MM was taking that would/could easily have been covering pregnancy/alcohol effects on fetus thus MM's reasons for having searched these topics on the internet..

**Please forgive the limitations that come w/my posting via mobile ATM**

 

[sinenox]

Hey all,

New to this community. I just wanted to say a few things about this case, because I've read everything I can on it, and it just wont let me go. Maybe it's because we're similar in ages and other factors, but Maura's disappearance is something that lingers in my mind all of the time.

Perhaps the most maddening part of this case is that there is so much evidence. The crime scene and the surrounding area were established and searched reasonably quickly, and we know due to the temperature and her clothing and the ground cover that she couldn't get far. There were actually a lot of witnesses in this case, comparatively, and if you trust them then the timeline is exacting. In fact, the number of witnesses sort of covers for potential problems that any single witness might introduce. For example, if the responding officer had hit her and sought to cover up the scene, or if the driver who lived up the road had sought to abduct her.

After staying up a couple of nights thinking about this, and talking through it with a friend, here are my 2 cents: Due to the timeline mentioned above, there was only a window of about 5 minutes (or, if you give the witnesses some room for error, a maximum of ~15 minutes) for Maura to disappear. Unless the person who lived up the road (and his wife) managed to stash her and return to the scene relatively quickly, there is only one remaining option: that she was picked up opportunistically, during that few minute gap between witnesses. No matter how I turn it around in my head I can't come up with another compelling explanation. Furthermore if I were in her situation - horrified, potentially under the influence, sure that the cops are coming, standing in the cold - this option would be appealing especially with the length of time she had been standing there by that point. I'm sure that someone else has mentioned this.

If that's the case then I think it actually bodes well for the investigation for the following reasons:

1. The person who picked her up must fit a specific profile (likely someone put together and comforting, perhaps similar to her father who helped her to solve many of her problems) since she rejected help from a number of other people.

2. If someone did pick her up, they weren't following her. There was no damage on the car to suggest that another person caused the accident, and no other vehicles apparently stopped near her. Nor were conditions really amenable to following, so this was a chance meeting. This likely means that the person is a local, from the perspective of probability. Predators rarely hunt in their back yard, as we've seen with a few major arrests recently in my area who went to other states to perpetrate their crimes - an opportunistic grab like this suggests that someone may have departed from their comfort zone to pick up a victim who fell in to their lap.

3. Because the person is likely local (it seems improbable that this person was also passing through and would take a chance on being on the road for long periods with a soon-to-be-missing girl) there is bound to be evidence nearby. Using dogs on a wider scale, or looking at people who have relocated in the past few years, might be a way to narrow down the list of areas where she may be found. For that matter even suggesting that someone local was involved may cause people to rethink the behavior of neighbors around that time.

I sincerely hope that she is found.

 

[CircuitGuy]

The person who picked her up must fit a specific profile (likely someone put together and comforting, perhaps similar to her father who helped her to solve many of her problems) since she rejected help from a number of other people.

She may have paradoxically looked for someone not all that put together and not similar to her father if she was dodging LE.

An older, responsible person might say she really needs to report this to the authorities and be seen by a doctor. You never know if you have a serious injury that's asymptomatic in the shock after an accident. If if he agrees she's uninjured, he might feel it's questionable to give her a ride to some hotel without reporting it to the police.

A more irresponsible person might not worry about those unlikely perils and might invite her stay at his house that night. So she may have been attracted to people who seemed a little sketchy and ended up going off with a hard-core criminal.

 

[belimom]

Welcome, sinenox!

Your post makes a lot of sense. I also think that she was picked up by someone who just unfortunately happened to be passing by, or who saw her walking/running down the road if she tried to take off.

As for someone that she was 'seeking out', I don't think she gave much thought about who she got into the car with. I think that if she willingly got into another vehicle that night, it was because someone offered to help --- either to get her away from LE, or to offer medical help, or to offer to get her somewhere warm/get her some food/let her calm down.

 

[scoops]

Hey all,

New to this community. I just wanted to say a few things about this case, because I've read everything I can on it, and it just wont let me go. Maybe it's because we're similar in ages and other factors, but Maura's disappearance is something that lingers in my mind all of the time.

Perhaps the most maddening part of this case is that there is so much evidence. The crime scene and the surrounding area were established and searched reasonably quickly, and we know due to the temperature and her clothing and the ground cover that she couldn't get far. There were actually a lot of witnesses in this case, comparatively, and if you trust them then the timeline is exacting. In fact, the number of witnesses sort of covers for potential problems that any single witness might introduce. For example, if the responding officer had hit her and sought to cover up the scene, or if the driver who lived up the road had sought to abduct her.

After staying up a couple of nights thinking about this, and talking through it with a friend, here are my 2 cents: Due to the timeline mentioned above, there was only a window of about 5 minutes (or, if you give the witnesses some room for error, a maximum of ~15 minutes) for Maura to disappear. Unless the person who lived up the road (and his wife) managed to stash her and return to the scene relatively quickly, there is only one remaining option: that she was picked up opportunistically, during that few minute gap between witnesses. No matter how I turn it around in my head I can't come up with another compelling explanation. Furthermore if I were in her situation - horrified, potentially under the influence, sure that the cops are coming, standing in the cold - this option would be appealing especially with the length of time she had been standing there by that point. I'm sure that someone else has mentioned this.

If that's the case then I think it actually bodes well for the investigation for the following reasons:

1. The person who picked her up must fit a specific profile (likely someone put together and comforting, perhaps similar to her father who helped her to solve many of her problems) since she rejected help from a number of other people.

2. If someone did pick her up, they weren't following her. There was no damage on the car to suggest that another person caused the accident, and no other vehicles apparently stopped near her. Nor were conditions really amenable to following, so this was a chance meeting. This likely means that the person is a local, from the perspective of probability. Predators rarely hunt in their back yard, as we've seen with a few major arrests recently in my area who went to other states to perpetrate their crimes - an opportunistic grab like this suggests that someone may have departed from their comfort zone to pick up a victim who fell in to their lap.

3. Because the person is likely local (it seems improbable that this person was also passing through and would take a chance on being on the road for long periods with a soon-to-be-missing girl) there is bound to be evidence nearby. Using dogs on a wider scale, or looking at people who have relocated in the past few years, might be a way to narrow down the list of areas where she may be found. For that matter even suggesting that someone local was involved may cause people to rethink the behavior of neighbors around that time.

I sincerely hope that she is found.

Some good thoughts Sineox.

Unless Maura went to the contractors house that night and something happened, I believe based on what is known, that Maura did accept a ride that night.

but where I differ from some is that I believe nothing sinister happened from that ride.

Maura's case is not that popular in the whole scheme of things. For websleuthers and lovers of shows like Disappeared and 20/20, Maura's case is well known.

But Maura's case never came close to being a media firestorm such as the Natalie Holloway case.

What I am saying is that a good samaratin could've easily picked Maura up that night and taken her further east (away from cops) and dropped her off and went about their business and never thought back to that night again. They could've been just driving through the area and not have been from around there and therefore they really would not have been exposed to much Maura murray local media coverage.

One other point.

It was night and it was very dark out.

When you think of someone prowling around looking to kidnap someone, I would go out on a limb and say that they wouldn't be out looking for a young women in the pitch dark in the middle of nowhere. It just seems like the odds of an encounter for a predator might not be very good.

And as far as just an opportune circumstance that an axe murderer just happened to cross paths with Maura that night randomly, just keep in mind that it was dark and anyone driving a vehicle in the pitch black dark that sees a figure (with dark clothes on walking or running) is not (right away) going to be able to make out whether or not that person is even male or female. Maura was likely covered up somewhat because it was February.

I had an encounter (less than a year ago) with someone on a highway around 1:30 a.m.

This person was standing a few feet off the road along the side of the highway jumping up and down and waving their arms as I was getting ready to approach.

I noticed the person's arms moving, but nothing else as I approached. It scared the p-jesus out of me. But I did slow up. I did not immediately stop right next to this person, I turned and stopped my car plenty of feet away from this person so that the front of my car was angled right at this person and I turned my high beams directly on him. It was then that I noticed he was by himself and he didn't have a vehicle nearby and he looked to be in his late 20's or 30's and in good enough health. After being able to make him out once I was stopped, I made the assessment to not help him and I quickly left the scene.

Turns out he had crashed his car almost nine miles down the highway (DUI) and had knocked the power out in part of my home town from hitting something (a pole or something). The police were at the site of his wrecked car as I drove into town and it was then that I put two and two together. And it was in our paper two days later.

 

[McSpy]

Obviously I don't know what state of construction the house was in at the time, but Maura could have thought she would be likely to get caught there. She might imagine police searching nearby for her, and decides to get the heck out of the way in case they do?

The second point is really interesting. It could be extremely relevant and the key to this whole mystery. However, I guess it is also not strange that somebody who lived locally would be in the surrounding area at the time.


I don't think she was aiming for the town. Wild Ammonoosuc Road has a lot of sightseeing, camping and picnic areas - I think maybe she was hoping to stumble across one of those before long. I doubt she expected to find young people just like her or anything like that - but her and her father would have met many hikers, campers etc throughout her life, and she possibly imagined she could stay out of the way of LE there for a few hours - as I mentioned before, possibly with company and warmth.

As for how dark and scary it was - I sort of have some experience with this. I know it is probably a bit different in my case, being from the UK, and it can be terrifying - but at the same time, when you have the adrenaline running through you, somehow you just do it, and know you'll count your lucky stars later. Maura also had experience, as a runner, and I wonder if she just underestimated how far she would have to run to find somewhere to rest.

Then, if she ever arrived at a nearby meeting point, we need to ask what kind of person camps in the forest in February...

I do think Maura could have ran pretty far, but I also think she could have hurt herself too. One of my many, many theories is her jumping over a snow bank on the side of the road to hide, because of an approaching car. She thought they were the police and they were looking for her, but on the other side of the snowbank was a drop. She tumbled and injured herself, which resulted in immobility and then succumbing to the elements.