NH NH - Maura Murray, 21, Haverhill, 9 Feb 2004 - #12

[scoops]

Maura s cell phone bill flashed on her disappeared episode and it showed a 1207 call from a new city number which is where west point is. I don't know for sure the source that confirmed it was Billy but scoops is accurate with his factual information. I sometimes disagree with his conclusions but I'm sure he has the source. At any rate Maura got a call from some one who got their cell phone in New city at 1207 which is obviously much closer in time to her breakdown than the call with her sister. Btw there is no proof whatsoever that a phone call made Maura upset. None. The upsetting phone call story is 100% the assumptionof third parties. I have seen no proof that Maura ever got an upsetting phone call yet the new podcast takes it as fact that she did. One reason I find the podcast to be amateurish and poorly thought out.

yes, everywhere I looked pointed to that New City Ny number being Billly.

I for awhile thought the number either belonged to Billy or Julie, but Julie shows up on Maura's phone bill with a North Carolina phone number.

On the bill, Everytime that New City Ny number calls Maura or vice versa, two cell phone symbols show up by that number as well (which I believe either means) the phone calling or receiving is linked up to the other phone (like through a shared plan) or that both phones are using the same cell company.


Either way, the 12:07 a.m. phone call doesn't get brought up at all. And that is just plain odd.

Police only seem publically interested in the 10:10 phone call and family (for whatever reason) also seem to skip over that 12:07 a.m. phone call as well like it never took place.

 

[Sutton]

yes, everywhere I looked pointed to that New City Ny number being Billly.

I for awhile thought the number either belonged to Billy or Julie, but Julie shows up on Maura's phone bill with a North Carolina phone number.

On the bill, Everytime that New City Ny number calls Maura or vice versa, two cell phone symbols show up by that number as well (which I believe either means) the phone calling or receiving is linked up to the other phone (like through a shared plan) or that both phones are using the same cell company.


Either way, the 12:07 a.m. phone call doesn't get brought up at all. And that is just plain odd.

Police only seem publically interested in the 10:10 phone call and family (for whatever reason) also seem to skip over that 12:07 a.m. phone call as well like it never took place.

Huh. That's odd that Disappeared showed the bill but did not mention the call. And it's odd that Mrs. Rausch didn't mention it, especially because she brought up the possible missed/voicemail call.

Maura did go to school at West Point, so she could have still been in contact with someone else from the area.

But I agree with your reasoning, scoops, especially considering the symbol on the phone bill.

I believe this conversation was what pushed Maura into hysterical crying.

It's been a long time since I've seen the episode, but iirc, Billy did not appear. Am I misremembering? Did it say why he didn't participate?

 

[scoops]

Huh. That's odd that Disappeared showed the bill but did not mention the call. And it's odd that Mrs. Rausch didn't mention it, especially because she brought up the possible missed/voicemail call.

Maura did go to school at West Point, so she could have still been in contact with someone else from the area.

But I agree with your reasoning, scoops, especially considering the symbol on the phone bill.

I believe this conversation was what pushed Maura into hysterical crying.

It's been a long time since I've seen the episode, but iirc, Billy did not appear. Am I misremembering? Did it say why he didn't participate?

I find it RED FLAG odd that Sharon doesn't acknowledge a phone call that took place much closer to the time of Maura's breakdown.

Both Sharon and Billy got a hold of those cell phone records before police, they know that Billy talked to Maura at 12:07 a.m.

It would be crucial to know Maura's state of mind for those seven minutes during that phone call, considering her breakdown was likely no more than 10 to 20 minutes after she hung up with Billy at most.

Instead, Sharon publically has gone on record stating nothing at all about that phone call. Instead she goes public defending Maura's conversation with Kathleen as being a normal conversation that she doesn't believe would lead to Maura becoming upset.

This phone call between Maura and Kathleen is irrelevant.

If Maura's conversation with Billy at 12:07 was a meaningless conversation, then wouldn't that be important to note to defend the fact that Maura seemed fine when she talked to Billy two hours after Maura had talked to Kathleen.

Something is very fishy about that.

 

[scoops]

I find it RED FLAG odd that Sharon doesn't acknowledge a phone call that took place much closer to the time of Maura's breakdown.

Both Sharon and Billy got a hold of those cell phone records before police, they know that Billy talked to Maura at 12:07 a.m.

It would be crucial to know Maura's state of mind for those seven minutes during that phone call, considering her breakdown was likely no more than 10 to 20 minutes after she hung up with Billy at most.

Instead, Sharon publically has gone on record stating nothing at all about that phone call. Instead she goes public defending Maura's conversation with Kathleen as being a normal conversation that she doesn't believe would lead to Maura becoming upset.

This phone call between Maura and Kathleen is irrelevant.

If Maura's conversation with Billy at 12:07 was a meaningless conversation, then wouldn't that be important to note to defend the fact that Maura seemed fine when she talked to Billy two hours after Maura had talked to Kathleen.

Something is very fishy about that.

I am going to repost this, It has been posted before:

Sharon Rausch actually kept a diary that she wrote in (while the search for Maura was on-going)

The following is an excerpt from her diary in her own words.

Pay special attention to the fact that she introduces a phone call ( 1 a.m.) that absolutely didn't exist, while at the same time, she references the 10:10 p.m. phone call between Maura and Kathleen but doesn't mention anything about her son's call with Maura at 12:07 a.m.

SHARON RAUSCH - "We have been told by the police that Maura received or made a phone call on her cell phone at 1:00 AM on Friday, February 6th while she was on duty at her security job on the first floor of her dorm (The police and subsequently the media refer to this call as the “Thursday night” call that upset Maura). This was the Friday before Maura disappeared. It was reported to us that this call upset Maura to the point that she was crying hysterically and had to be assisted to her dorm room by her supervisor......... Kathleen always insisted that she never talked to Maura at that time. The NH police emphatically told Kathleen they knew better and told the media that the family was withholding information. In fact, when Maura’s cell phone bill arrived, it showed the last call during the time in question to be Thursday, February 5th at approximately 10:00 PM for 20 minutes to Kathleen. Kathleen concurred that she and Maura had talked at this time. But she insists that Maura was not crying, upset or speaking of any problem.
I can't imagine how scared and upset Kathleen must have been sitting there being questioned by the police, her sister has vanished in a very remote area...I sat with Kathleen and discussed this call many months later...I watched her still, then trying to remember anything she said that may have upset Maura...whatever Maura was upset about (regardless of what she told the supervisor) I don't believe it was that call at 10:00 p.m. I can't find the article that mentions the time of the call, either, but can verify from Maura's cell phone records that Kathleen did not call her cell after the earlier call. What was always curious to me was why it took police so long to verify the call and so little to verify the Maura/Red Cross call. I know that police were given all of the information about Maura's cell phone within the first couple of days.”

 

[scoops]

I am going to repost this, It has been posted before:

Sharon Rausch actually kept a diary that she wrote in (while the search for Maura was on-going)

The following is an excerpt from her diary in her own words.

Pay special attention to the fact that she introduces a phone call ( 1 a.m.) that absolutely didn't exist, while at the same time, she references the 10:10 p.m. phone call between Maura and Kathleen but doesn't mention anything about her son's call with Maura at 12:07 a.m.

SHARON RAUSCH - "We have been told by the police that Maura received or made a phone call on her cell phone at 1:00 AM on Friday, February 6th while she was on duty at her security job on the first floor of her dorm (The police and subsequently the media refer to this call as the “Thursday night” call that upset Maura). This was the Friday before Maura disappeared. It was reported to us that this call upset Maura to the point that she was crying hysterically and had to be assisted to her dorm room by her supervisor......... Kathleen always insisted that she never talked to Maura at that time. The NH police emphatically told Kathleen they knew better and told the media that the family was withholding information. In fact, when Maura’s cell phone bill arrived, it showed the last call during the time in question to be Thursday, February 5th at approximately 10:00 PM for 20 minutes to Kathleen. Kathleen concurred that she and Maura had talked at this time. But she insists that Maura was not crying, upset or speaking of any problem.
I can't imagine how scared and upset Kathleen must have been sitting there being questioned by the police, her sister has vanished in a very remote area...I sat with Kathleen and discussed this call many months later...I watched her still, then trying to remember anything she said that may have upset Maura...whatever Maura was upset about (regardless of what she told the supervisor) I don't believe it was that call at 10:00 p.m. I can't find the article that mentions the time of the call, either, but can verify from Maura's cell phone records that Kathleen did not call her cell after the earlier call. What was always curious to me was why it took police so long to verify the call and so little to verify the Maura/Red Cross call. I know that police were given all of the information about Maura's cell phone within the first couple of days.”

BTW: This 1 a.m. phone call reference by Sharon threw many sleuthers for a loop.

It became fact that Maura received a phone call at 1 a.m. and because there was no record of this phone call on Maura's cell phone records, it led to speculation on message boards that someone called the dorm phone and Maura answered it. Sleuthers were also quoting police about this alleged mystery phone call, but they were using quotes the police were actually referring to a phone call Maura made to a fellow nursing student the day she went missing.

That is this case in a nutshell.

Just one little curve ball of mis- information can create a whole new world of false information.

 

[Fireweed]

Great info Scoops, thanks. It is great information like this that makes me question the research skills of the guys who do the podcast. I only listened to half the latest podcast today but it seemed quite clear to me that they did not even know that Maura's cell was connected to Billy's account.

Why wouldn't anyone from Maura's camp give an explanation as to the call with Billy? It's weird. The fact that it is seven minutes is also odd to me. I have had a really upsetting phone call with a boyfriend before, and those calls last around an hour, not seven minutes.

I also have yet to see the source that says unequivocally that Maura herself said she got a phone call which upset her that is why she was hysterical.

 

[Fireweed]

I just thought of something I thought I should get out there lest I forget. So on the latest episode of the podcast they were doing a (very poor IMO) analysis as to why Maura was using her dad's cell phone the night at the hotel to call Billy. Some think her cell phone died, but I wonder if maybe Billy had not been taking her calls? Or if he perhaps told her to never call him again? Would she maybe call him from a number he wouldn't recognize in order to trick him into picking up the phone and talking to her? Then he picks up and she is upset and sobbing and his manly protective instincts kick in right away and they are back on track again....just a thought.

 

[Sutton]

I am going to repost this, It has been posted before:

Sharon Rausch actually kept a diary that she wrote in (while the search for Maura was on-going)

The following is an excerpt from her diary in her own words.

Pay special attention to the fact that she introduces a phone call ( 1 a.m.) that absolutely didn't exist, while at the same time, she references the 10:10 p.m. phone call between Maura and Kathleen but doesn't mention anything about her son's call with Maura at 12:07 a.m.

SHARON RAUSCH - "We have been told by the police that Maura received or made a phone call on her cell phone at 1:00 AM on Friday, February 6th while she was on duty at her security job on the first floor of her dorm (The police and subsequently the media refer to this call as the “Thursday night” call that upset Maura). This was the Friday before Maura disappeared. It was reported to us that this call upset Maura to the point that she was crying hysterically and had to be assisted to her dorm room by her supervisor......... Kathleen always insisted that she never talked to Maura at that time. The NH police emphatically told Kathleen they knew better and told the media that the family was withholding information. In fact, when Maura’s cell phone bill arrived, it showed the last call during the time in question to be Thursday, February 5th at approximately 10:00 PM for 20 minutes to Kathleen. Kathleen concurred that she and Maura had talked at this time. But she insists that Maura was not crying, upset or speaking of any problem.
I can't imagine how scared and upset Kathleen must have been sitting there being questioned by the police, her sister has vanished in a very remote area...I sat with Kathleen and discussed this call many months later...I watched her still, then trying to remember anything she said that may have upset Maura...whatever Maura was upset about (regardless of what she told the supervisor) I don't believe it was that call at 10:00 p.m. I can't find the article that mentions the time of the call, either, but can verify from Maura's cell phone records that Kathleen did not call her cell after the earlier call. What was always curious to me was why it took police so long to verify the call and so little to verify the Maura/Red Cross call. I know that police were given all of the information about Maura's cell phone within the first couple of days.”

How do you have access to the diary entry? Was this released to the media or did you gain private access?

This is a BOMBSHELL.

Working under the assumption the New City phone number on the cell phone bill is Billy's, then the diary entry shows complete deception by Mrs. Rausch.

The diary entry claims:

•The police said Maura made/received a cell phone call at 1:00am on Friday that caused such distress she needed assistance returning to her room
•The police insist the call was to/from Kathleen
•Kathleen denies the call
•The police are accusing the Murrays of withholding info
•The Rausch's find out police are wrong/lying when they receive the cell phone bill and it shows the last call that evening was at 10:00pm
•Mrs. Rausch feels badly for Kathleen because the police put her through this additional stress
•The police struggle to verify this call, but are somehow able to verify the Red Cross call
•The police had the necessary cell phone details within the first few days and should have been able to track down the distressing call

If this diary entry is legit and I read it correctly, Mrs. Rausch makes the police out to be incompetent and dishonest, Maura to be emotionally fragile, Kathleen to be mistreated, the Murrays to possibly be complicit, herself to be sympathetic and concerned. These are all based on lies and misdirections.

And she never mentions the real phone call in question! The one to her/from her son that she knows about because she gets the bill.

Is this a correct understanding? If so, how clever, how smooth, how awful.

 

[Sutton]

The diary seems odd and convenient. I don't know many adults who keep a diary, but maybe I run with a less introspective crowd. Or maybe SR kept it in order to keep the search details straight, which would make sense.

Why did she not mention the 12:07am call? There was evidence proving its existence. Why go on record with a lie?

I am baffled by the diary entry--if it's real.
The most innocent scenario: SR didn't want to admit Billy said something to Maura that SR thought may have caused Maura to commit suicide.
Other scenario: She is covering up foul play for someone.

Even working off the most innocent scenario, the diary entry is cunning in it's "complexity," it creates numerous layers of suspicion and confusion. And why bother? Why not just say Maura and Billy talked, they had a normal conversation?

IMO.

 

[Lolacat]

Quite honestly, this does not surprise me at all. We have had conflicting statements/details from pretty much everyone close to Maura. Look at Fred and the discrepencies and confusion about what happened when Maura returned to his hotel room in the wee hours on Sunday morning. Sharon, Fred et al have *always* had a specific narrative when it comes to Maura and that is that she is the all american girl who was madly in love with Billy and wanted nothing more than to become a nurse, marry Billy, settle down and have his babies.
It is this exact reason why people question the family's version of events which then provokes accusations from others of people being "mean". Its isnt being "mean" for the sake of it, it is valid questioning because their version of events simply dont make any sense or fit with the details that we know to be true.

 

[Caffeine]

I think the phone calls are important to sort out but ultimately there may have been things in Maura's life at the time that only herself or few others knew about that might be important piece of the puzzle...we just can't substantiate that like we can with some log or such.

Two such instances come to mind:

1) Perhaps her getaway to the north was truly meant to be a secret - because it had to be. Maybe initially she wanted to book lodging somewhere with a small group of friends. I'm sure many students had parents who owned cabins up north and in turn instead of renting, the idea was floated to secretly stay there for a few days. When the crash occurred Maura may have decided to dodge a DUI, ride in a secondary vehicle with friends and continue to the destination, calling to tow the car and pick it up in a few days. Maybe the excursion entailed hard partying and something horrible happened to MM and her friends decided to conceal her death and the fact they were at a place without permission.

2) 2004 was well before Craigslist, FB and such but meeting people online was not unheard of at the time. Maybe MM had a rendezvous with a mystery guy who made the travel accommodations, drove tandem with her and simply left her car behind when the accident occurred, whisking her away to her eventual demise.

I'd like to think this one could be solved by gathering all the pieces, processing them and putting everything together to form a neat picture...but I think a lot of those pieces are gone with Maura and/or not willing to be voluntarily shared.

 

[scoops]

How do you have access to the diary entry? Was this released to the media or did you gain private access?

This is a BOMBSHELL.

Working under the assumption the New City phone number on the cell phone bill is Billy's, then the diary entry shows complete deception by Mrs. Rausch.

The diary entry claims:

•The police said Maura made/received a cell phone call at 1:00am on Friday that caused such distress she needed assistance returning to her room
•The police insist the call was to/from Kathleen
•Kathleen denies the call
•The police are accusing the Murrays of withholding info
•The Rausch's find out police are wrong/lying when they receive the cell phone bill and it shows the last call that evening was at 10:00pm
•Mrs. Rausch feels badly for Kathleen because the police put her through this additional stress
•The police struggle to verify this call, but are somehow able to verify the Red Cross call
•The police had the necessary cell phone details within the first few days and should have been able to track down the distressing call

If this diary entry is legit and I read it correctly, Mrs. Rausch makes the police out to be incompetent and dishonest, Maura to be emotionally fragile, Kathleen to be mistreated, the Murrays to possibly be complicit, herself to be sympathetic and concerned. These are all based on lies and misdirections.

And she never mentions the real phone call in question! The one to her/from her son that she knows about because she gets the bill.

Is this a correct understanding? If so, how clever, how smooth, how awful.

One correction on my part. Diary may be my own words and she (Sharon) may have actually referred to these notes as her posting in her journal.


This stuff was put out by her online (I believe) on their own forum that was started by family members many years ago.

This forum has long since been shut down, but I was able to track down some stuff from it, including about three to four Sharon Rausch journal entries which she posted herself onto the family forum.

I don't have her exact words on this, but I believe she in fact was keeping a journal of events to keep facts straight about this case.

My own personal opinion is that anytime family has divulged information publically, whether for an newspaper interview, TV interview or message board, they have been very careful and even strategic in how they have answered.

I don't think they ever figured/ counted on that regular people following the case would be pouring over Maura's cell phone records for instance and therefore, the need to have to talk about that 12:07 a.m. phone call never arose (as an example).

I don't have any ill-feelings towards Maura's family at all.

They have a loved one that they do not know where she ended up (IMO) and they were trying to do anything in order to get Maura found, even if that meant strategically being deceptive.

I don't believe the family is out trying to make everyone interested in this case look like fools.

I do think they did not like the response from police they were getting in those early days in trying to find her, so much so, that they attempted to force the police into devoting more resources and staying active in trying to locate Maura like what would happen if say a 10-year old girl went missing in the white mountains.

Why the family would spoon-feed information to the public that wasn't all complete or accurate?

Because they needed the public on their side, to intensify the pressure on the police to find Maura.

It is my firm belief, that Fred knew within days of his daughter going missing that he wasn't going to find Maura alive.

 

[Fireweed]

I agree with scoops here. The family was/is doing what they think is right to find Maura. To them, the best way to do that was to infantilize her and make her look like the perfect "good girl" so that LE and the public would be forced to search harder for her.

Here is Kathleen Murray in The Daily Collegian September 9, 2004:

"It was just a regular phone call. It made no difference to me. It was just Maura calling me, that was that. I told her about my day and quarreling with my fiance" Murray said. "I don't know what I could have done to upset her... Seriously, I think she just wanted to get out of work."

So a peer of Maura's who is not likely to infantilize her thinks that there was no phone call and that Maura was just trying to get out of work. Uh-huh. Yup. I still do not think that Maura was as much of a little girl victim of mean people on the phone as her family makes out. I think that Kathleen, her own sister close to her age who knew her well, is dead-on when she says that their was no phone call and that Maura was just trying to get out of work. I for one don't think she was trying to get out of work due to laziness or anything, but rather as a set-up for her later "death in the family email".

We have a 1:00 AM "breakdown" when Maura last talked on the phone 45 minutes previously. Maura never once said "I got an upsetting phone call." Her supervisor saw the phone on the desk and heard Maura mumble something like "my sister" and the supervisor 100% just assumed that Maura was upset because of phone call. This eventually became a "fact" of this case that has no basis in what actually happened.

I believe that Kathleen's initial notion as the what happened that night is correct - Maura faked a breakdown in order to get out of work.

 

[Sutton]

One correction on my part. Diary may be my own words and she (Sharon) may have actually referred to these notes as her posting in her journal.


This stuff was put out by her online (I believe) on their own forum that was started by family members many years ago.

This forum has long since been shut down, but I was able to track down some stuff from it, including about three to four Sharon Rausch journal entries which she posted herself onto the family forum.

I don't have her exact words on this, but I believe she in fact was keeping a journal of events to keep facts straight about this case.

My own personal opinion is that anytime family has divulged information publically, whether for an newspaper interview, TV interview or message board, they have been very careful and even strategic in how they have answered.

I don't think they ever figured/ counted on that regular people following the case would be pouring over Maura's cell phone records for instance and therefore, the need to have to talk about that 12:07 a.m. phone call never arose (as an example).

I don't have any ill-feelings towards Maura's family at all.

They have a loved one that they do not know where she ended up (IMO) and they were trying to do anything in order to get Maura found, even if that meant strategically being deceptive.

I don't believe the family is out trying to make everyone interested in this case look like fools.

I do think they did not like the response from police they were getting in those early days in trying to find her, so much so, that they attempted to force the police into devoting more resources and staying active in trying to locate Maura like what would happen if say a 10-year old girl went missing in the white mountains.

Why the family would spoon-feed information to the public that wasn't all complete or accurate?

Because they needed the public on their side, to intensify the pressure on the police to find Maura.

It is my firm belief, that Fred knew within days of his daughter going missing that he wasn't going to find Maura alive.

Okay, this was an online posting meant to convey info to the public about the details of the case. Not a "Dear Diary" entry. Thanks for explaining and for originally tracking down the post.

Based off the info in the entry, I feel the info SR posted was quite deceptive. I don't fault anyone for that, if it was done with the sole intention of finding Maura. But I am not sure that was the main purpose. I need to look at some other things and re-watch the episode before I decide.

 

[Sutton]

Were cadaver dogs taken to the area that summer? How many/how long did they search/how extensive was the search, etc.? Were they bloodhounds?

 

[Caffeine]

I watched the Disappeared episode for the first time. I dont really know what to make of Sharon, granted it's not her daughter missing, she just came off as very straight forward and unemotional about it. It seemed like she just wanted her son and Maura to seem like perfect people.

Despite some people's opinion of Fred, he's always come off as genuinely tormented by it.

Not to say they aren't hiding any small details, but out of both parents I didn't get much of an emotional feel for Sharon. Maybe that's just her personality.

 

[scoops]

Were cadaver dogs taken to the area that summer? How many/how long did they search/how extensive was the search, etc.? Were they bloodhounds?

No.

As I am trying to recall, there was a search done within days of the accident, but that involved a scent-trail dog and not a cadaver dog. And because of the location, time of the year and cross-winds, the investigators knew going in to the dog's search, that it was only going to be able to track for 100-yards or so before it would lose any scent it picked up, no matter which direction the dog went. the dog did pick up a scent right from where Maura's car ended up and the dog headed east before abruptly stopping at the intersection of Rt. 112 and Bradley Hill Rd., almost precisely where the investigators thought the dog would become confused/ lose scent.

Almost three years later in October of 2006, another search with dogs took place around the accident scene. This search did not involve police.

It was a group of volunteers helping Fred and his family.

They brought out four dogs that were trained to find human remains.

They covered a five-mile radius around the accident location, but were limited to searching on public property and the dogs eventually turned up nothing.

 

[Fireweed]

I do not put too much stock into those searches myself. I completely believe that the searches were thorough and professional, but unfortunately the best searches have their limitations. I know that Renner is convinced that these searches would have turned up Maura if she was there, but I am not. We have seen too many cases where a body was found by accident years later either in the search area or right outside the search area. Actually the body being found right outside the search grid happens often enough that I must seriously question the skills of the people who determine what the search range ought to be.

 

[Caffeine]

…but were limited to searching on public property and the dogs eventually turned up nothing.

That's precisely why they don't find her, IMO. They're limited to searching public property.


I know search parties aren't a guarantee. People make mistakes. Under the assumption we're thinking she left the scene alone on foot and say, died from exposure to the elements, she could have very well roamed aimlessly, refusing to seek help from a homeowner and maybe did so in search of a cell signal.

But even so, we're talking about a cold, dark NH winter night. One would have to wonder, why veer away from the road? Why risk getting lost?

If we were taking about an August evening, sure I think those conditions would favor being able to effectively distance herself from the accident on foot.

But in February, by all accounts, she seemed ill prepared to make any serious distance on foot, in my mind.

 

[Sutton]

No.

As I am trying to recall, there was a search done within days of the accident, but that involved a scent-trail dog and not a cadaver dog. And because of the location, time of the year and cross-winds, the investigators knew going in to the dog's search, that it was only going to be able to track for 100-yards or so before it would lose any scent it picked up, no matter which direction the dog went. the dog did pick up a scent right from where Maura's car ended up and the dog headed east before abruptly stopping at the intersection of Rt. 112 and Bradley Hill Rd., almost precisely where the investigators thought the dog would become confused/ lose scent.

Almost three years later in October of 2006, another search with dogs took place around the accident scene. This search did not involve police.

It was a group of volunteers helping Fred and his family.

They brought out four dogs that were trained to find human remains.

They covered a five-mile radius around the accident location, but were limited to searching on public property and the dogs eventually turned up nothing.

So the fact that the tracking dog lost Maura's scent at the intersection does not necessarily indicate she got into another vehicle. I wasn't aware that the handler/investigator predicted that outcome based on the poor conditions. All we know from the dog is that Maura headed in an easterly direction (no negative implications, I love most dogs and the sacrifices they make for humans every day).

There are many SAR teams that will come out at their own or for little expense (TX EquuaSearch, NecroSearch, NE SAR, many SARS in CO). But I don't know how many existed in 2004, or if they were well known or how organized the travel aspect was. I wonder if any were ever asked to come or offered to come and could not get LE's cooperation.

This would really show who, if anyone, was hindering the search.