NH NH - Maura Murray, 21, Haverhill, 9 Feb 2004 - #11

[Jerri Blank]

as far as the hit and run goes, i can tell you it is pretty much impossible that Maura was directly responsible for that. i lived one building over from where she was on duty that night and knowing everything i know about amherst, traffic patterns, the actual site of where Vasi was hit, the nature of student parking at UMass, and how security/res life interacted on a nightly basis - it isn't possible for her to have left work, gotten her car, driven it to the site of the accident and then to have stashed the car somewhere inconspicuous and returned back to work without being noticed.

maybe, just maybe, she lent her car to a friend and that person did hit him and she was tormented about that... but i dont know that would really be enough to cause someone to take her own life/fake her own death

 

[peacelikeariver]

He didn't find out about the accident until morning.

That. Makes. No. Sense.

I know people have time lined it out to show Maura couldn't have been involved in the hit and run on Vasi, but FM's insurance appraiser saw the Saturn with "extensive body damage" when he was reviewing the Toyota, which was before her "second" accident.

Hi y'all, I'm a lurker, disappeared addict, and I think this might be my first post. I'm fairly caught up to speed on JR's blog, but I'm somewhat surprised that he doesn't endorse or even engage the Vasi theory. He (JR) is trying to prove, or at least argue walkaway, and has a preponderance of small motives. Lately he's been honing in on the $4,000 question and why the car needed to be replaced pronto, none of which makes any sense.

Perhaps there's a catch-22: link her to Vasi conclusively, and she'll have greater motive to stay hidden. Another issue is that some of the Vasi-related web posts (okay, I'll say ithis web posts) have gone to some whackadoodle places involving local property deeds in Amherst, international conspiracy, unauthorized medical testing(?!). When a theory goes to crazy town, it can be tough to endorse any part of it until you've fully rehabilitated it. Part of me thinks that JR's been pursuing that angle, and that it could be a "reveal" in the book. Sneaking out mid-shift when you're an erratic, restless college student is not nearly as unlikely as much of her subsequent behavior.

I'm not endorsing the link. I'm just saying if one were searching for a precipitating event, that would seem to fit the bill in 75% of the ways.

 

[peacelikeariver]

it isn't possible for her to have left work, gotten her car, driven it to the site of the accident and then to have stashed the car somewhere inconspicuous and returned back to work without being noticed.

maybe, just maybe, she lent her car to a friend and that person did hit him and she was tormented about that... but i dont know that would really be enough to cause someone to take her own life/fake her own death

1. Love Jerri Blank. 2. Great points, basically invalidating my simultaneous first WS post

 

[Jerri Blank]

hey, all theories are worth tossing into the ring at this point! i just think the Vasi angle is one that doesn't pan out.

i am very thankful to NOT have firsthand knowledge in most cases i follow here in WS, but in the rare instances that I do - like this one - i figure it's worth sharing. i met maura a couple times through friends of friends, and dont claim to know anything about her as a person, but i do know UMass circa 2004, since I was there too.

ps... glad you recognized Jerri! i sometimes wonder if people here just think i am a very unfortunate looking person

and

:welcome6:

 

[Fireweed]

I mean the police found Vasi at 12:20 on the side of the road. Jerri, it is possible for someone to be lying on the side of the road in that area at night and go unnoticed for a while?

But I do agree that leaving a parking space at the dorms and coming back 10 minutes later and finding a parking space right away seems unlikely.

 

[walkingdeadgirl]

Hi y'all, I'm a lurker, disappeared addict, and I think this might be my first post. I'm fairly caught up to speed on JR's blog, but I'm somewhat surprised that he doesn't endorse or even engage the Vasi theory. He (JR) is trying to prove, or at least argue walkaway, and has a preponderance of small motives. Lately he's been honing in on the $4,000 question and why the car needed to be replaced pronto, none of which makes any sense.

Perhaps there's a catch-22: link her to Vasi conclusively, and she'll have greater motive to stay hidden. Another issue is that some of the Vasi-related web posts (okay, I'll say ithis web posts) have gone to some whackadoodle places involving local property deeds in Amherst, international conspiracy, unauthorized medical testing(?!). When a theory goes to crazy town, it can be tough to endorse any part of it until you've fully rehabilitated it. Part of me thinks that JR's been pursuing that angle, and that it could be a "reveal" in the book. Sneaking out mid-shift when you're an erratic, restless college student is not nearly as unlikely as much of her subsequent behavior.

I'm not endorsing the link. I'm just saying if one were searching for a precipitating event, that would seem to fit the bill in 75% of the ways.

Welcome from the lurkiness.:seeya:

One link I found...Maura's cell made a call that Saturday to Reliance Auto, which is owned by the same person who owned Vasi's residence.

Jerri, I got the impression Vasi was walking to the campus when he was hit. Do you happen to know how far away that accident actually occurred? I think she either hit him and didn't realize it until The Call, or had lent someone her car and they were calling to tell her about the accident. Something definitely happened to her car before she disappeared. That would also explain the severe, uneven damage that the officers originally thought was caused by Maura crashing into trees, when she really crashes into a snow bank.

 

[Jerri Blank]

I mean the police found Vasi at 12:20 on the side of the road. Jerri, it is possible for someone to be lying on the side of the road in that area at night and go unnoticed for a while?

But I do agree that leaving a parking space at the dorms and coming back 10 minutes later and finding a parking space right away seems unlikely.

i suppose you are correct that he didnt get hit right at 12:20, i hadnt thought of that possibility!

... but from what i remember security shifts started somewhere between 7-9 p.m. and there is no way he lay unnoticed for 4+ hours in that intersection of Amherst on a "Thirsty Thursday" with heavy amounts of foot traffic nearby heading in to town, or directly going by on the way down to main street (i would guess that street was 80% student rented houses for UMass and Amherst students- with parties happening at multiple spots any given weekend night).

also, student parking at umass was seriously the worst. depending on when you got your permit you may been assigned to park in a lot 30+ minutes from where you lived. lots were overcrowded and heavily ticketed for non-permit parkers, so student lots would be a terrible place to stow a car used to hit someone for several hours.

 

[walkingdeadgirl]

I mean the police found Vasi at 12:20 on the side of the road. Jerri, it is possible for someone to be lying on the side of the road in that area at night and go unnoticed for a while?

But I do agree that leaving a parking space at the dorms and coming back 10 minutes later and finding a parking space right away seems unlikely.

I think I read that when his ride didn't pick him up, he took off walking around midnight.

 

[Fireweed]

Hey I was just thinking about something after reading some old articles on this case. So apparently it was eight months after Maura disappeared that Billy's mom took a good look at the cell phone records (because that is what people do - they wait eight months to do the obvious). Well anyway, it was then that everyone found out that Maura had made a phone call about renting a condo in Bartlett. See, if I was a family member or friend searching for Maura, once I found out about this, then my focus would shift to Bartlett. I would start to think that maybe she made it there that night.

Was Bartlett ever really looked into by anyone that closely? Because if Bartlett was her destination, it would make the most sense to me that she simply kept on going to her destination that night.

 

[Jerri Blank]

Welcome from the lurkiness.:seeya:

One link I found...Maura's cell made a call that Saturday to Reliance Auto, which is owned by the same person who owned Vasi's residence.

Jerri, I got the impression Vasi was walking to the campus when he was hit. Do you happen to know how far away that accident actually occurred? I think she either hit him and didn't realize it until The Call, or had lent someone her car and they were calling to tell her about the accident. Something definitely happened to her car before she disappeared. That would also explain the severe, uneven damage that the officers originally thought was caused by Maura crashing into trees, when she really crashes into a snow bank.

i guess it would depend where on campus he was walking... triangle connects to n. pleasant and e. pleasant. going on n. pleasant and then down fearing street, he could have been at the edges of the southwest residential area (also where maura lived/worked) in about 10-15 minutes. if he continued straight on n. pleasant he would have walked through frat row and been at the campus center in 15-20 minutes. a couple more minutes to northeast or central living areas. if he had taken e. pleasant street at the fork, he could have been headed to either orchard hill or sylvan living areas. i never really walked up e. pleasant at night because it seemed scarier to me, but i'd guess that would take 25ish minutes to the back of o hill and 30ish to sylvan.

that is all a lot of info which probably means nothing since i have no clue where he was going!

also, anecdotally... i lived on campus in southwest for 3 years. i had a car all 3 years and had many friends who lived on main street and over that side of amherst... i think i drove down triangle street maybe 2 times ever. i did walk it plenty, but it just wasnt a route i or anyone i knew ever drove. maybe my friends and i were the exception to the rule though?

 

[Fireweed]

I wonder, was Bear Notch Road - the road that connects 112 to Bartlett - even open that time of year?

 

[walkingdeadgirl]

Walking everywhere seems logical to me, too, Jerri, especially if parking was such a problem. Then again, I wouldn't have done several things that appear to have taken place.

Fireweed, that's interesting... They were pissed LE waited 10 months to look at her cell records. Seems like they waited almost that long themselves. I don't think anyone checked Bartlett. I think LE extended the BOLO to Burlington, because Maura had map quest directions in her car, but AFAIK, no one looked anywhere, because FM is convinced she is dead and still in the Woodsville area.

 

[Fireweed]

Her last phone call was to the condo in Bartlett, and she was driving towards Bartlett. I am just using a few brain cells here to conclude that her destination was most likely Bartlett. Too bad it has been ten years. It would have made sense to have questioned hotel clerks or looked to see if any hotel there had a 1 am check in (assuming she jogged).

 

[walkingdeadgirl]

Her last phone call was to the condo in Bartlett, and she was driving towards Bartlett. I am just using a few brain cells here to conclude that her destination was most likely Bartlett. Too bad it has been ten years. It would have made sense to have questioned hotel clerks or looked to see if any hotel there had a 1 am check in (assuming she jogged).

They did talk to that woman eventually, and after so much time she didn't specifically remember Maura, but felt like she would have remembered someone who sounded upset, and was positive Maura didn't end up renting the condo, because they wouldn't have had one available on such short notice.

I really think many areas that should have been searched were neglected because of the conflicts between FM and LE.

 

[Fireweed]

I do not think that Maura actually rented the condo. That has been established a long time ago. What I think is that she intended to head towards Bartlett, as evidenced by trying to rent a condo there and by her driving in that direction.

 

[walkingdeadgirl]

I agree.

I think (I will double check) that local hotels were checked...local to Woodsville. If she had cash, she could have used the name Minnie Mouse. I get the feeling they just showed her picture to the desk and checked the guest list for her name.

Or because of that accident, she could have hitched out of the area and gone straight to Bartlett.

Maybe we need maps.

 

[peacelikeariver]

Welcome from the lurkiness.:seeya:

One link I found...Maura's cell made a call that Saturday to Reliance Auto, which is owned by the same person who owned Vasi's residence.

Yeah, that originated from the same guy whose blog I derisively linked to. That's where The Vasi Angle starts to kind of go to crazytown, local crank territory for me. None of those lines that were drawn seem to make a lot of sense to me.

 

[Fireweed]

I agree.

I think (I will double check) that local hotels were checked...local to Woodsville. If she had cash, she could have used the name Minnie Mouse. I get the feeling they just showed her picture to the desk and checked the guest list for her name.

Or because of that accident, she could have hitched out of the area and gone straight to Bartlett.

Maybe we need maps.

You can rent a room with cash, but I have never stayed at a hotel that did not need a credit or debit card for "incidentals." Then again, as we know, Maura was not a stranger to using someone else's credit card if she had to.

 

[scoops]

Welcome from the lurkiness.:seeya:

One link I found...Maura's cell made a call that Saturday to Reliance Auto, which is owned by the same person who owned Vasi's residence.

Jerri, I got the impression Vasi was walking to the campus when he was hit. Do you happen to know how far away that accident actually occurred? I think she either hit him and didn't realize it until The Call, or had lent someone her car and they were calling to tell her about the accident. Something definitely happened to her car before she disappeared. That would also explain the severe, uneven damage that the officers originally thought was caused by Maura crashing into trees, when she really crashes into a snow bank.

Vasi's hit and run took place less than a mile from where maura was working.

Maura could've parked her car (initially) in the parking lot reserved for security that is right in front of the front door to the dorm maura was working at. It would've taken her 5 seconds to walk from the dorm to her car.

Even though Maura also lived less than 20 seconds from the dorm she was working at, if I had the opportunity to park my car right by the front door of the dorm i was scheduled to work at (so i could take a quick break at some point during my shift) I would take advantage of that instead of parking my car miles away.

Maura's shift was 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. She is required by law (I beileve) to get a break during her shift.

 

[walkingdeadgirl]

You can rent a room with cash, but I have never stayed at a hotel that did not need a credit or debit card for "incidentals." Then again, as we know, Maura was not a stranger to using someone else's credit card if she had to.

I worked in hospitality for many years. We would take a cash security deposit and let the guests pay cash for any room service charges, and have them come down daily to pay for movies and phone calls. It's a pain, but some properties will do it.