Found Deceased MT - Rita Maze, 47, Wolf Creek, 6 Sept 2016 #1

[Inthedetails]

Well if they know it was Rita then they could already rule out this being a homicide pronto since she was suppose to be locked in the trunk. Instead they say they are not ruling anything out.

IMO

Some of us suspected suicide from the start and as information became available, it seemed more and more likely. I'm wondering what about the case makes you think it could be homicide?

Honest question - not snarky.

 

[jjenny]

Well if they know it was Rita then they could already rule out this being a homicide pronto since she was suppose to be locked in the trunk. Instead they say they are not ruling anything out.

IMO

And if it were a big guy wearing a hoodie (as she claimed a big guy wearing a hoodie abducted her), one would think they could rule out suicide. I would think police wouldn't want to rush into any declarations before investigation is complete.

 

[Gardener1850]

Does anyone know how tall Rita was?

 

[jjenny]

Does anyone know how tall Rita was?

Doesn't look that tall from her photos.

 

[oceanblueeyes]

Trying to catch up, not sure if it's been posted that she was allegedly hit in the head with a rock.

Maze’s husband reported the incident to police Tuesday after he received a frantic call from his wife claiming that a man had bashed her in the head with a rock and stuffed her inside the trunk of her car near a rest stop on Interstate 15 in Craig, Mont., said Dutton, whose agency is one of several involved in the multi-state probe.

http://nypost.com/2016/09/09/wifes-corpse-is-real-but-dramatic-kidnapping-tale-maybe-not/

Why in the world would she shoot herself in the stomach in order to commit suicide? Gunshot wounds to the abdomen area aren't immediately fatal. She would be suffering immensely in pain until she died.

Tilli, I missed this part but would you explain why two bullet casings were found in the trunk but she only had one shot to the abdomen? I also am trying to make sense on why blood would be found on the outside of the vehicle if she climbed into the trunk and that is where she shot herself. Still puzzled by that.

Also why would she drop a $20 outside of her vehicle yet leave $50 in her purse? I wonder if the money was hidden in her purse and I also wonder if her family knows how much cash she had with her.

Lets just say for argument sake this is a homicide. Maybe the guy had no vehicle and wanted a way to get to the area in Washington where her vehicle was located. Meaning the vehicle was the sole purpose for hijacking her vehicle so he could get to a destination he couldn't get to without hijacking a vehicle. Once there he left everything like it was when he no longer needed the vehicle.

As I read about Rita this gets more and more puzzling. Not one word about being depressed. Everyone that knew her says she was a wonderful woman and was so excited about being able to have precious time with the two children of her son's. She seems to be very close with her daughter and husband as well.

I don't think her mom is gravely ill. I didn't see that said anywhere.

IMO

Why would she go all the way to Washington to murder herself when she could have done in somewhere along the route in MT?

 

[Gardener1850]

Doesn't look that tall from her photos.

Thanks, I thought maybe she was tall. I was wondering if the hoodie they found in the trunk of her car has anything to do with why they might have difficulty identifying a person on cameras. Perhaps she put on the dark blue hoodie and kept her face out of view enough that they cannot be sure if it is her or someone else.

 

[blue22]

Why in the world would she shoot herself in the stomach in order to commit suicide? Gunshot wounds to the abdomen area aren't immediately fatal. She would be suffering immensely in pain until she died.

Tilli, I missed this part but would you explain why two bullet casings were found in the trunk but she only had one shot to the abdomen? I also am trying to make sense on why blood would be found on the outside of the vehicle if she climbed into the trunk and that is where she shot herself. Still puzzled by that.

Also why would she drop a $20 outside of her vehicle yet leave $50 in her purse? I wonder if the money was hidden in her purse and I also wonder if her family knows how much cash she had with her.

Lets just say for argument sake this is a homicide. Maybe the guy had no vehicle and wanted a way to get to the area in Washington where her vehicle was located. Meaning the vehicle was the sole purpose for hijacking her vehicle so he could get to a destination he couldn't get to without hijacking a vehicle. Once there he left everything like it was when he no longer needed the vehicle.

As I read about Rita this gets more and more puzzling. Not one word about being depressed. Everyone that knew her says she was a wonderful woman and was so excited about being able to have precious time with the two children of her son's. She seems to be very close with her daughter and husband as well.

I don't think her mom is gravely ill. I didn't see that said anywhere.

IMO

Why would she go all the way to Washington to murder herself when she could have done in somewhere along the route in MT?

But...if he just wanted the vehicle...he could have just taken it and left her there passed out.

Also, seemingly normal, happy people commit suicide all the time. Suicide doesn't have one mental state. JMO

 

[AceDetective]

What kidnapper is going to force their victim to withdraw $25 from the bank?

btw, to answer the question from earlier, why do so many people think it was suicide?
It's because LE started to call the abduction story into question.
On September 8, the Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich said “Yes, you should” when asked by news outlets whether they should be skeptical of the abduction story.
That highly suggests they have info that it wasn't an abduction.

 

[oceanblueeyes]

And if it were a big guy wearing a hoodie (as she claimed a big guy wearing a hoodie abducted her), one would think they could rule out suicide. I would think police wouldn't want to rush into any declarations before investigation is complete.

I do agree with that. Until they are 100% sure of what happened to Rita and if its homicide or suicide they shouldn't stoke the fire with conjecture. If they have proof she did this to herself they should respectfully come out and say that..... of course advising her family first.

It just seems unfair to her family to me. JMO. If they know this was a suicide then the quicker they let the family know the better it will be for them. Not that they will ever get over losing their mom/wife/grandmother but at least they will know there isn't a dangerous man running loose out there somewhere.

JMO

 

[bluesneakers]

I can't remember - do we know for sure they have images from the two stops?

Even if they do show her they still have to finish their investigation - using her card isn't evidence of anything other than using it. Anyway, I think it's unlikely but if she had been carjacked the carjacker could have threatened her and forced her to use her card. She might have skipped over that part in a panic while locked in the trunk. They have to consider all possibilities.

JMO and just thinking.

 

[JaimeInLA]

Why in the world would she shoot herself in the stomach in order to commit suicide? Gunshot wounds to the abdomen area aren't immediately fatal. She would be suffering immensely in pain until she died.

Tilli, I missed this part but would you explain why two bullet casings were found in the trunk but she only had one shot to the abdomen? I also am trying to make sense on why blood would be found on the outside of the vehicle if she climbed into the trunk and that is where she shot herself. Still puzzled by that.

Also why would she drop a $20 outside of her vehicle yet leave $50 in her purse? I wonder if the money was hidden in her purse and I also wonder if her family knows how much cash she had with her.

Lets just say for argument sake this is a homicide. Maybe the guy had no vehicle and wanted a way to get to the area in Washington where her vehicle was located. Meaning the vehicle was the sole purpose for hijacking her vehicle so he could get to a destination he couldn't get to without hijacking a vehicle. Once there he left everything like it was when he no longer needed the vehicle.

As I read about Rita this gets more and more puzzling. Not one word about being depressed. Everyone that knew her says she was a wonderful woman and was so excited about being able to have precious time with the two children of her son's. She seems to be very close with her daughter and husband as well.

I don't think her mom is gravely ill. I didn't see that said anywhere.

IMO

Why would she go all the way to Washington to murder herself when she could have done in somewhere along the route in MT?

She wasn't shot in the abdomen. She was shot in the heart, with additional damage to the abdomen. I interpreted that as: she was in a fetal position in the trunk, held the gun to her heart, at a downward angle. The bullet went through her heart and downward into her abdomen.

A murderer would have just shot her in the head to guarantee a fatal shot.

 

[Tillicum]

Why in the world would she shoot herself in the stomach in order to commit suicide? Gunshot wounds to the abdomen area aren't immediately fatal. She would be suffering immensely in pain until she died.

Tilli, I missed this part but would you explain why two bullet casings were found in the trunk but she only had one shot to the abdomen? I also am trying to make sense on why blood would be found on the outside of the vehicle if she climbed into the trunk and that is where she shot herself. Still puzzled by that.

Also why would she drop a $20 outside of her vehicle yet leave $50 in her purse? I wonder if the money was hidden in her purse and I also wonder if her family knows how much cash she had with her.

Lets just say for argument sake this is a homicide. Maybe the guy had no vehicle and wanted a way to get to the area in Washington where her vehicle was located. Meaning the vehicle was the sole purpose for hijacking her vehicle so he could get to a destination he couldn't get to without hijacking a vehicle. Once there he left everything like it was when he no longer needed the vehicle.

As I read about Rita this gets more and more puzzling. Not one word about being depressed. Everyone that knew her says she was a wonderful woman and was so excited about being able to have precious time with the two children of her son's. She seems to be very close with her daughter and husband as well.

I don't think her mom is gravely ill. I didn't see that said anywhere.

IMO

Why would she go all the way to Washington to murder herself when she could have done in somewhere along the route in MT?

Sorry OBE I don't have any answers. I do think if the shot went in at an angle at the chest, it would've damaged the stomach as well. IMO the shot hit the chest first and that's why she was already deceased when they found her.

It's all very confusing and I'm not sure what I believe happened. I've even had the crazy thought that it started out as a scam between Rita and someone else and they were really setting her up.

 

[oceanblueeyes]

But...if he just wanted the vehicle...he could have just taken it and left her there passed out.

Also, seemingly normal, happy people commit suicide all the time. Suicide doesn't have one mental state. JMO

That's true but maybe he didn't want anyone to know he had stolen the vehicle. If he left her there then they would have a BOLO on her vehicle.

You don't have to tell me about suicide. Happy people really don't commit suicide. They aren't happy. They may pretend to be happy.

 

[Tillicum]

She wasn't shot in the abdomen. She was shot in the heart, with additional damage to the abdomen. I interpreted that as: she was in a fetal position in the trunk, held the gun to her heart, at a downward angle. The bullet went through her heart and downward into her abdomen.

A murderer would have just shot her in the head to guarantee a fatal shot.

How do we know she was shot in the heart?

 

[blue22]

Because people aren't thinking clearly when they commit suicide. Here's a weird double suicide that I always remember from 2003.

http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Big-Sur-deaths-appear-to-be-suicides-2-Long-2582716.php

As to why the women were found bound with tape and rope, with garbage bags fastened tightly over their heads, and why Toves was wearing a Kabuki- style mask, Kanalakis said, "It's very, very difficult to understand what goes through someone's mind when they are determined to kill themselves. We are at a loss to explain it."

I agree.

When I was in college, a girl I grew up with committed suicide. She set herself on fire. Her mother came home to her daughter burning on their land. Instead of calling for help, she wrote a note and set herself on fire and burned with her. People take their lives in ways we will never understand.

 

[oceanblueeyes]

Sorry OBE I don't have any answers. I do think if the shot went in at an angle at the chest, it would've damaged the stomach as well. IMO the shot hit the chest first and that's why she was already deceased when they found her.

It's all very confusing and I'm not sure what I believe happened. I've even had the crazy thought that it started out as a scam between Rita and someone else and they were really setting her up.

Thank you anyway for replying. Nice to 'see' you btw.

I am not in the least saying that it wasn't a suicide but its a strange one and different from most.

The two bullet casings are odd to me when they say she was shot once.

All I know, I wish this would come to an end one way or the other and if she did commit suicide its really a private matter for the family who will always question 'why.'

All I keep thinking about is those poor little grandbabies. I know you cant tell by photos but Rita looked to be a very kind woman.

IMO

 

[blue22]

That's true but maybe he didn't want anyone to know he had stolen the vehicle. If he left her there then they would have a BOLO on her vehicle.

You don't have to tell me about suicide. Happy people really don't commit suicide. They aren't happy. They may pretend to be happy.

I would think a missing woman in a trunk is a far greater risk, but that's JMO.

As far as happy people not commiting suicide...that's why I said "seemingly." I only mention that, because people too often say..."She wasn't depressed. She was happy. She had a beautiful family, a good job, a promotion, a wedding, etc." (By people, I mean in the general sense...not pointing that at you specifically.) People don't have to visibly be depressed for suicide to be an option.

 

[JaimeInLA]

How do we know she was shot in the heart?

Just looked at the statement again to confirm. The medical examiner statement says she was "shot once in the heart and abdomen area." They led with the heart, so guess I assumed that was the primary wound. It also would guarantee death. An abdomen shot wouldn't necessarily guarantee death.

 

[bluesneakers]

But...if he just wanted the vehicle...he could have just taken it and left her there passed out.

Also, seemingly normal, happy people commit suicide all the time. Suicide doesn't have one mental state. JMO

This is so true. Attempts can also be well planned or impulsive. If Rita committed suicide this seems like a complicated way to do it, but with the odd parts to the story it also seems not planned out. Warning signs aren't the same for everyone - sometimes there aren't any. If you have a gun you're at a higher risk and she had one sitting right there.

 

[Gardener1850]

Sorry OBE I don't have any answers. I do think if the shot went in at an angle at the chest, it would've damaged the stomach as well. IMO the shot hit the chest first and that's why she was already deceased when they found her.

It's all very confusing and I'm not sure what I believe happened. I've even had the crazy thought that it started out as a scam between Rita and someone else and they were really setting her up.

BBM.
I had that thought briefly as well. What if it was an accidental death? What if she was having an affair or hired someone to drive with her in the trunk and fake an abduction but she died from fumes or the suffocating heat of the trunk. Then the accomplice paniced, shot her in the chest and closed the trunk to make it look like suicide. This came into my mind when watching Nancy Grace's expert talk about why they would wait for toxicology reports before determining manner of death. I think this is highly unlikely, BTW, but it seemed just as likely as a hit man or a suicide at the very beginning when we had very little info. As things trickle out, it does seem they think she made up the abduction. It remains to be seen what the cameras and forensics will reveal.