NH NH - Maura Murray, 21, Haverhill, 9 Feb 2004 - #13

[DakotaMayi]

I am wondering if, instead of a 'tandem' driver, the second driver was in the car with her during the accident. Perhaps they had driven 'his' car and hidden it somewhere nearby earlier that day....then they came back to 'stage' the accident and her disappearance.
They walk to 'his' car, then drive off together.
I know that a second person was not seen with her, but that doesn't sway me from thinking that there could have been one. After all, she managed to get away to some unknown place, unseen within several minutes the accident taking place.
This gal is somewhere, and I think I prefer to believe that she is alive and living under a new ID, then laying somewhere out there alone in an unmarked grave.

I also try to think of things this way too. I really cannot explain what it is about Maura's case that makes me feel she is alive but I just do... I really wish I could explain myself better :gaah: yes I think most cases end with the most mundane explaination and every so often I think how has no one noticed Maura if she is out there then along comes cases like Lori's and I go back to believing she's alive.

 

[DakotaMayi]

Its easy to explain why the body wasn't recovered, she could be in a very remote area of the woods and although its a horrible thought, the wildlife in the area (bears?) may have destroyed and scattered her remains. There might not be much left to find. /QUOTE]

Sorry Shadowdancer I didn't see your post before I replied. Yes your right, despite my hope and the 'feeling' I have for Maura's situation this definitely an unfortunate possibility.

 

[JnRyan]

Lots of good points being made here. I don't believe I have ever commented on any of the threads, but I have read mostly all of the info posted as well as read J.R. blog posts (and the comments) from time-to-time.

One point I can't get past is that BOTH airbags were deployed (I cannot link it right now, but I am sure I have read it in several places.) Wouldn't that make it rather possible that there was a passenger in the car with Maura? I feel that if there was a passenger, with that person's help, that her disappearance was definitely pre-planned and a change of ID is definitely possible. She was a smart girl with many troubles. She could have made a fateful decision to run away and felt that there was no turning back once her case was made public. I feel for her family. Not having answers this many years later must be heartbreaking.

JMO

I can't find the reference, but after a certain year (2004? 2005?) airbag systems were changed in most cars so that if no one was in the passenger seat the passenger side airbag will not deploy. Prior to that time both airbags would deploy regardless of whether there was a passenger in the front or not. I believe Maura's Saturn was a pre-2000 model.

 

[pittsburghgirl]

I don't know where the box of wine was, but I wonder if an airbag deployment or other aspect of the accident could explain the spilled wine?

 

[Ozoner]

I can't find the reference, but after a certain year (2004? 2005?) airbag systems were changed in most cars so that if no one was in the passenger seat the passenger side airbag will not deploy. Prior to that time both airbags would deploy regardless of whether there was a passenger in the front or not. I believe Maura's Saturn was a pre-2000 model.

I was thinking that might be the case. I'm glad you cleared it up.

I remember reading about a case where a victim was thrown from a car during an accident, and it took them years to find his body, even though he was mere yards away from the site of the accident.

It is very easy to miss a body in wooded area.

 

[Caffeine]

I don't know where the box of wine was, but I wonder if an airbag deployment or other aspect of the accident could explain the spilled wine?

It's been awhile since I've spent any quality time with a box of wine...but that would have to be a heck of the crash to pierce both the box and the actual bag inside of it...I've always thought it was likely the wine was already open and/or not sealed well when driving.

She seemed to have a plethora of alcohol with her...who knows what she was mixing? Black Russian? Vodka and soda? Vodka and wine?

 

[JnRyan]

It's been awhile since I've spent any quality time with a box of wine...but that would have to be a heck of the crash to pierce both the box and the actual bag inside of it...I've always thought it was likely the wine was already open and/or not sealed well when driving.

She seemed to have a plethora of alcohol with her...who knows what she was mixing? Black Russian? Vodka and soda? Vodka and wine?

I thought I read that one of her favorites was Black Russians. I don't believe the vodka and kahlua were found in the car. She put them in her backpack before she left?

 

[Caffeine]

I thought I read that one of her favorites was Black Russians. I don't believe the vodka and kahlua were found in the car. She put them in her backpack before she left?

That's always been an interesting point, I don't think we've ever had a true picture of *exactly* what alcohol she got, instead a vague idea.

We know she had wine and it's generally thought there was vodka, Kahlua and perhaps even more.

But when you consider she spent only $40...we're probably not talking giant liquor bottles here. But the fact they are missing complicates things more.

It's been argued we went to wander off and drink herself to death, or she was picked up by a friend or stranger or simply took the alcohol out to try and remove further liability for a DUI...maybe a box of wine wouldn't fit in her bag?

Regardless, I tend to think brought the alcohol to her next location to continue the drink mixing later...perhaps to forget the fact she just made a huge mistake.

The question is: where did she take it?

 

[Pettibon Junction]

I've read before that there were dark stains in the snowbank beside the car - evidence that Maura had poured out the contents of her drink. If she took the other bottles with her (the box of wine being hopelessly damaged and too cumbersome to run with), it's easy to picture her pouring them out on the road and then chucking them into the woods as she fled the scene. It's unknown whether the police ever found these bottles but if so, it would give a good idea of which direction she ran in and where she may ultimately have ended up.

 

[Captain_Khan]

Regardless, I tend to think brought the alcohol to her next location to continue the drink mixing later...perhaps to forget the fact she just made a huge mistake.

The question is: where did she take it?

I wonder if she intended to drink further in order to muddy a potential breathalyser test from the police. If she had alcohol with her, she could at least claim she started drinking after the accident, but not before.

We know there is no phone signal where she crashed, but that the people in the house nearby saw a light in the car they suspect may have been a phone. Do you think she wandered away from the car to try to get some signal?

 

[Caffeine]

I wonder if she intended to drink further in order to muddy a potential breathalyser test from the police. If she had alcohol with her, she could at least claim she started drinking after the accident, but not before.

I think that's basically why she left the scene. If she isn't present then essentially there's no proof she was ever driving and no way police could charge her. Removing the alcohol from the car could have had a dual purpose: further leaving less proof of intoxication behind and of course to drink it later.

Though, with the box of wine, I get the impression she may have tried to take the box in her backpack to discard later, but maybe it didn't fit and she just thought it was a lost cause and left it behind. There was already a spill inside and outside the car, she probably panicked and figured there's no way to cover for it unless she flees.

We know there is no phone signal where she crashed, but that the people in the house nearby saw a light in the car they suspect may have been a phone. Do you think she wandered away from the car to try to get some signal?

Yeah that's a reasonable possibility. She obviously would have preferred the help of a friend or someone she knew, so that may have been her first thought after leaving the accident.

But I think the reality of the situation set in quickly: she crashed the car, she's likely drunk, there's booze spilled everywhere inside...and there's no cell service in the area. Plus it's dark and freezing cold. Seems to be a pretty desperate situation for her.

 

[pittsburghgirl]

I've always wondered if the wine box was broken by an airbag.

 

[cujenn81]

I believe MM's motive for the trip to NH heavily depends upon whether she was the driver responsible in the hit and run accident. And, unfortunately, I don't think we'll ever know the answer to that question.

If she was responsible for the hit and run, I think there's a good chance she wanted to end her life but hadn't decided on a definitive plan yet. I think she was probably counting on her BF or friends to convince her not to leave town. When they didn't, she continued to make horrible and careless decisions (like driving under the influence in dangerous weather conditions despite having recently wrecked two vehicles) because it didn't really make a difference to her at that point anyway. She finds herself in yet ANOTHER accident, she's drunk, and she knows the cops will know as well. When the guy pulls up to offer her help, she freaks out and tells him not to call anyone but panics after he leaves because she knows he probably will anyway. So she takes off running into the woods, or down the road a bit, to hide out while she figures out what to do next. She already felt defeated and the accident would have only made her feel worse, so she may have just decided to lay down and die. Literally.

If she wasn't responsible for the hit and run, I think she'd planned to get away for a few days just to clear her head, gather her thoughts, and make a few tough decisions. After wrecking her car, she knew she would be busted for driving under the influence and made a rash decision to hide in the woods to avoid going to jail. After they towed her car, she wasn't left with many options and succumbed to the elements.

Regardless of MM's reasons for the trip... ultimately, I think the outcome was the same. I think it's unlikely that someone she knew picked her up and she managed to disappear without a trace. I also believe the odds are slim that she was murdered by some random stranger.

Searching for human remains in heavily wooded areas is a very treacherous task. People can often be overlooked, only to be randomly discovered years later in an area that had already been thoroughly searched.


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[Wisdom]

I've been following this case for along time but haven't had much time to really start digging since I was focusing on other cases. I came across this article from 2006 and found it extremely interesting (link below). The cast of characters mentioned farther down in the article and their horrible crimes in the Burlington, Montgomery, and other areas can't be ignored since it wasn't too much of a jaunt from the Haverhill area. I firmly believe Maura ran from the scene and came across the wrong person(s). The tandem driver theory doesn't make sense to me because she would've just told Butch she had a ride ahead of or behind her instead of coming up with a different excuse.

http://www.wnd.com/2006/03/35310/

 

[The Farm]

I believe MM's motive for the trip to NH heavily depends upon whether she was the driver responsible in the hit and run accident. And, unfortunately, I don't think we'll ever know the answer to that question.

If she was responsible for the hit and run, I think there's a good chance she wanted to end her life but hadn't decided on a definitive plan yet. I think she was probably counting on her BF or friends to convince her not to leave town. When they didn't, she continued to make horrible and careless decisions (like driving under the influence in dangerous weather conditions despite having recently wrecked two vehicles) because it didn't really make a difference to her at that point anyway. She finds herself in yet ANOTHER accident, she's drunk, and she knows the cops will know as well. When the guy pulls up to offer her help, she freaks out and tells him not to call anyone but panics after he leaves because she knows he probably will anyway. So she takes off running into the woods, or down the road a bit, to hide out while she figures out what to do next. She already felt defeated and the accident would have only made her feel worse, so she may have just decided to lay down and die. Literally.

If she wasn't responsible for the hit and run, I think she'd planned to get away for a few days just to clear her head, gather her thoughts, and make a few tough decisions. After wrecking her car, she knew she would be busted for driving under the influence and made a rash decision to hide in the woods to avoid going to jail. After they towed her car, she wasn't left with many options and succumbed to the elements.

Regardless of MM's reasons for the trip... ultimately, I think the outcome was the same. I think it's unlikely that someone she knew picked her up and she managed to disappear without a trace. I also believe the odds are slim that she was murdered by some random stranger.

Searching for human remains in heavily wooded areas is a very treacherous task. People can often be overlooked, only to be randomly discovered years later in an area that had already been thoroughly searched.


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This has been such a tuff one. That has laways been my line of thinking also. That her body just has not yet been discovered and I never thought that she was picked up by a stranger. While on a trip to N.H. and being close at the time to where this happened I took a ride by there and I remember thinking automatically that it was a local person or that she was in the woods somewhere (deceased) and the searchers were just not able to find her.
Then somewhere down the road we hear stories of people being located after years of being missing either by choice, deceased or kidnapped so we can never really throw those assumptions out the window.
I just can't even begin to imagine the terror the families of the missing go through.

 

[Ozoner]

This has been such a tuff one. That has laways been my line of thinking also. That her body just has not yet been discovered and I never thought that she was picked up by a stranger. While on a trip to N.H. and being close at the time to where this happened I took a ride by there and I remember thinking automatically that it was a local person or that she was in the woods somewhere (deceased) and the searchers were just not able to find her.
Then somewhere down the road we hear stories of people being located after years of being missing either by choice, deceased or kidnapped so we can never really throw those assumptions out the window.
I just can't even begin to Yuri imagine the terror the families of the missing go through.

In other words, we're at exactly the same place we were 12 threads ago:
~49% chance she wandered into the wilderness and died from exposure (possibly deliberately)
~49% chance she was abducted and murdered by a stranger
~2% chance she disappeared voluntarily and assumed a new identity

 

[DakotaMayi]

As we're in the same place with a lot of cases. I think its hard to put pecentages on what's happened at all.

 

[bluesneakers]

Is there a poll set up for Maura?

 

[DakotaMayi]

Is there a poll set up for Maura?

I'm not sure. Would be interesting to have one if not. Does anyone else know?

 

[Caffeine]

I'm not sure. Would be interesting to have one if not. Does anyone else know?

I think Renner had a poll on his blog, but his belief is that she ran away, so naturally most of his blog readers do as well.

I think generally most believe she either 1) died from exposure to elements in the woods 2) ran off and started a new life 3) met with foul play or 4) committed suicide

Of course you have other theories that people have mentioned over the years: police involvement, accidental death etc.

It's definitely puzzling, as there's no clear smoking gun here. But generally after a decade, considering the notion of her being deceased from whatever reason isn't outside the realm of possibility.