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

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SophieRose said:
http://helenair.com/news/crime-and-...cle_4e1d2f5c-897c-5ce5-86c1-4f09eb4329eb.html

Though officials were pursuing a person of interest who was seen on surveillance footage, Lewis and Clark County Sheriff Leo Dutton said the individual has been ruled out.

"They had a still shot from a convenience store that they worked to find the person of interest. It was not somebody that was involved in this case," he said Thursday afternoon.

snip

While Rita Maze was on the phone with her husband, Rochelle Maze reportedly called the police officer who had taken the missing person's report.

"Every single thing my mom was saying to my dad, my dad was saying out loud and I was telling the officer," the daughter said.
Click to expand...

OH. MY. GOD.


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I really want to know when her car hit Post Falls. Did police find out after the fact that her car was seen on I-90 or did it hit after she had been reported missing?
 
350 miles away? If traveling on the interstate, that's no more than 7 hours. Phoned husband around 10pm??? Knocked out for 10 hours? Timeline hinky. JMO
 
wantjustice said:
I really want to know when her car hit Post Falls. Did police find out after the fact that her car was seen on I-90 or did it hit after she had been reported missing?
Click to expand...

What's your line of thinking in either scenario, whether they found out before her death or after?
 
Here's a timeline. There are some unexplained events included in it:

Rita’s daughter Rochelle Maze, told KHQ that her mother was in Helena Monday to visit family. She stayed overnight.

On Tuesday, she got in a car and started driving, called her husband around 11:25 a.m. and said she would go back to Helena to see her mom again.

She stopped at a rest stop and it’s there that she disappeared, later calling 911 and saying she’d been hit on the head and put in her own trunk.

At 3:40 pm, Rita’s husband tried to call her but she didn’t answer.
Then, according to Rochelle, Rita’s card was used at a convenience store in Kingston, Idaho at 4:16 pm.

With no contact from Rita, a missing person’s report was filed at 8:30 p.m.

Rochelle then said, a purchase was made in Ritzville, WA with Rita’s card at a Loves Travel Stop at 9:55 pm.

Finally, at 10:25 pm, Rita called her husband, saying, “Help me,” explaining she was taken and that the person she was with had her gun.

http://www.myfoxspokane.com/fbi-confirms-no-person-of-interest-in-rita-maze-case/
 
I just finished all 29 pages and I am :thinking:

Page 1 I'm "this is terrible! This poor woman/family" P29 "WTF happened here?"

I *am* wondering about one report, if someone who knows about these things can chime in, I'd appreciate it. My understanding is that carbon monoxide poisoning leaves the victim "cherry red", very obviously so, even to a non-medical passer by. So while I know the tox reports take a while to come back, if Rita had indeed been subject to exhaust poisoning, it would have been immediately apparent to those on the scene.

^Obviously the above has no real relation to the homicide/suicide question, but I'm interested in the tox results.
 
Gardener1850 said:
I didn't find one of the rear window but found video of shooting through the windsheild from inside the car and it looks the same. Why would that rear window completely shatter from one bullet hole? [video=youtube;2m5CAL_izfQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2m5CAL_izfQ[/video]
Click to expand...

I remember that video coming up in the Tim Bosma case about a side window that was mostly shattered, and was it proof of a gun fired from inside, unfortunately IIRC it wasn't discussed in court.

However, I do recall learning that windshield glass is shatter proof, but not side windows.

I believe car thieves will more likely shatter a back window, it's easier to drive than with a front window open and doesn't leave glass on the driver's seat.
 
Han said:
Here's a timeline. There are some unexplained events included in it:

Rita’s daughter Rochelle Maze, told KHQ that her mother was in Helena Monday to visit family. She stayed overnight.

On Tuesday, she got in a car and started driving, called her husband around 11:25 a.m. and said she would go back to Helena to see her mom again.

She stopped at a rest stop and it’s there that she disappeared, later calling 911 and saying she’d been hit on the head and put in her own trunk.

At 3:40 pm, Rita’s husband tried to call her but she didn’t answer.
Then, according to Rochelle, Rita’s card was used at a convenience store in Kingston, Idaho at 4:16 pm.

With no contact from Rita, a missing person’s report was filed at 8:30 p.m.

Rochelle then said, a purchase was made in Ritzville, WA with Rita’s card at a Loves Travel Stop at 9:55 pm.

Finally, at 10:25 pm, Rita called her husband, saying, “Help me,” explaining she was taken and that the person she was with had her gun.
Click to expand...

Correction: Rita never called 911. She only called her husband.
 
There is a video of the car being towed away at this link: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/17520...was-driven-to-be-murdered-in-boot-of-own-car/

Also from the end of that video Sheriff Ozzie was interviewed and asked if people need to be afraid of a dangerous suspect in the area. He said that there are indications that such a person would be moving quickly and there was nothing to indicate the suspect stayed in Spokane, so Spokane residents have no reason to fear--he is long gone (my paraphrase). I don't know when that interview was done but that is completely different from saying "there is no suspect to fear" as some have been interpreting comments from LE.
 
Ragamuffin said:
I just finished all 29 pages and I am :thinking:

Page 1 I'm "this is terrible! This poor woman/family" P29 "WTF happened here?"

I *am* wondering about one report, if someone who knows about these things can chime in, I'd appreciate it. My understanding is that carbon monoxide poisoning leaves the victim "cherry red", very obviously so, even to a non-medical passer by. So while I know the tox reports take a while to come back, if Rita had indeed been subject to exhaust poisoning, it would have been immediately apparent to those on the scene.

^Obviously the above has no real relation to the homicide/suicide question, but I'm interested in the tox results.
Click to expand...

I am interested too. I'd like to know if fumes would make her incapable of making the phone calls. From what she said on the phone calls, she had been in the trunk for hours and hours by that time.

I don't know what the ventilation is like in a trunk. How long do tox results take?

jmo
 
Han said:
Was her family expecting her to come home or did they believe she was going back to Helena?
Click to expand...

I believe they were expecting her home. About 5 hours before she finally called them. She had a phone with her in the trunk for 10 hours and never called 911 or home?! Yah right.
 
I wonder if there is not some kind of protocol for entering a car at the scene of a crime, especially if it is expected that there is someone in the trunk and a possible perpetrator on the run? Could the police have broken the window to reach the seat latch to check the trunk? This would mean that evidence on the front doors, keys, steering wheel etc is left intact...
 
Inthedetails said:
I am interested too. I'd like to know if fumes would make her incapable of making the phone calls. From what she said on the phone calls, she had been in the trunk for hours and hours by that time.

I don't know what the ventilation is like in a trunk. How long do tox results take?

jmo
Click to expand...

Unless there is a leak in the exhaust system, there should not be any fumes at all in the trunk. The exhaust goes out the pipes and into the air. The trunk is not airtight from the passenger compartment, so there cannot be fumes in the trunk!
 
I hate saying this but I am leaning towards self-inflicted. I guess I would find it more realistic that this unknown male would have hit Post Falls before she was even reported missing. This might make me think there's a little more to this story. I can't see a guy kidnapping someone and hanging around Montana with the intent of driving over to Washington State anyway. It just seems so weird. I-90 was utilized all over the place so why not head this way right away. Why would he drive all over? So if her car hit Post Falls after she was reported missing, I would think it was her driving. I am sure her phone was blowing up from her family by this point. Seems like she was hesitating somewhat. I kind of feel the weird trip to Ritzville was her not being able to decide. I am guessing she has been over to Spokane before and knows it well enough. Most of us in Washington, Idaho, and Montana are very comfortable with these communities and we are quite familiar with the cities and towns along I-90. I think she was in a sad place :(. Whatever happened, I hope her family gets answer.
 
eucalyptuz said:
I wonder if there is not some kind of protocol for entering a car at the scene of a crime, especially if it is expected that there is someone in the trunk and a possible perpetrator on the run? Could the police have broken the window to reach the seat latch to check the trunk? This would mean that evidence on the front doors, keys, steering wheel etc is left intact...
Click to expand...

I thought that too, but I think someone upthread mentioned the window was like that then LE arrived.

That's why I think it was the first gunshot, even though some think that a gunshot wouldn't shatter the window. I can't think of any other explanation.

I've lost track of whether the car was found with locked or unlocked doors.

jmo
 
I'm just curious, what would happen to the Go Fund Me money if this was ruled a suicide? I'm not saying that's what I think it is, I'm just wondering.

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