NH NH - Maura Murray, 21, Haverhill, 9 Feb 2004 - #14

[Tarik]

There is probably a good chance that the authorities just thought it was a drunk individual who crashed her car and chose to flee to escape any repercussions from the situation (which is probably exactly what happened but the problem was that that drunk individual never came back). You don't need an EMT for that. Also the whole SUV 001 thing is nothing but absurd speculating. I would imagine if the police think there might be a drunk individual in the area they do call for back up just so that person will be easier to control if they have a run in with them.

A witness calling the police within days to report that is "absurd speculating"? Good to know, I'm sure you'll find the courage to contact Karen MacNamara and tell her that directly. There was no initial investigation into the incident so nobody was thinking anything about it being a drunk individual, there is no factual basis to that.

 

[sony12]

A witness calling the police within days to report that is "absurd speculating"? Good to know, I'm sure you'll find the courage to contact Karen MacNamara and tell her that directly. There was no initial investigation into the incident so nobody was thinking anything about it being a drunk individual, there is no factual basis to that.

There was no factual basis that people were thinking it was a drunk individual who had decided to run off to avoid getting in trouble???????? Car crashes with booze found inside and individual flees the scene. That's basically the only hard facts we have with this case. Car crashes with booze found inside and individual flees the scene. No there was no chance that the individual was drunk and that absolutely would not have been on the mind of the authorities. Give me a break.

 

[Tarik]

There was no factual basis that people were thinking it was a drunk individual who had decided to run off to avoid getting in trouble???????? Car crashes with booze found inside and individual flees the scene. That's basically the only hard facts we have with this case. Car crashes with booze found inside and individual flees the scene. No there was no chance that the individual was drunk and that absolutely would not have been on the mind of the authorities. Give me a break.

While that could have been on someone's mind back then, the information was never given to the public until weeks later and also there was no evidence to suggest Maura had been drinking that night.

 

[sony12]

While that could have been on someone's mind back then, the information was never given to the public until weeks later and also there was no evidence to suggest Maura had been drinking that night.

Common sense tells you she was drinking. A 21 year old girl who had a history of not handling booze very well crashes her car with booze found inside and promptly flees the scene. Are you going to try to tell people she wasn't drinking???

 

[Tarik]

Common sense tells you she was drinking. A 21 year old girl who had a history of not handling booze very well crashes her car with booze found inside and promptly flees the scene. Are you going to try to tell people she wasn't drinking???

Butch Atwood said she looked disoriented but not drunk, she may have been tipsy at the most but flat-out drunk there is no evidence to back that up.

 

[sony12]

Butch Atwood said she looked disoriented but not drunk, she may have been tipsy at the most but flat-out drunk there is no evidence to back that up.

Well you just keep on giving a stupid 21 year old who had a history of making very bad decisions the benefit of the doubt. I'll just go with what the likely scenarios were.

 

[Lavinia]

Please don’t refer to a Maura as “a stupid 21 year old girl” - her family members might browse this thread. She was an intelligent, hardworking young woman who was backed against a wall by pressure, anxiety and some poor decisions. There is no doubt she made some bad decisions in the time leading up to her disappearance but we’ve all made those. But for most of us, we were in safe places or had people by us that cared and maybe a little bit of luck - none of which Maura had that night.

In my opinion, she probably was drinking when she got into that accident. Butch saying she looked disoriented and not drunk doesn’t hold too much weight for me as 1) he had never met her 2) it seems like it was a conversation that lasted less than a minute 3) it was dark and that were not speaking directly face-to-face as he was in the bus and she was in the car.

Well you just keep on giving a stupid 21 year old who had a history of making very bad decisions the benefit of the doubt. I'll just go with what the likely scenarios were.

 

[Skigirl]

Butch Atwood said she looked disoriented but not drunk, she may have been tipsy at the most but flat-out drunk there is no evidence to back that up.

People who drink a lot get very good at hiding their intoxication when need be. They can still be too impaired to drive, especially on an unfamiliar road in the dark.

 

[sony12]

Please don’t refer to a Maura as “a stupid 21 year old girl” - her family members might browse this thread.
.

We probably do need to keep in mind that family members and friends may browse this thread. However I have absolutely no sympathy at all for people who drink and drive. And those who do it repeatedly and continue to do it even after they have gotten in trouble because of it in the past are even worse. It kind of indicates that they just don't give a flip.

When I was 21 my friends and I had a lot of fun as well. Went to parties, hung out with girls, and drank a lot. Even though we drank a lot we still knew (even at the age of 21) the dangers of mixing alcohol and driving. And we thus always made arrangements to have designated drivers when we did go out drinking. And we lived on a college campus as well with no parents around making sure we did that stuff. So even though we probably do need to be careful about how we approach talking about those things I do think criticizing her maturity and choices are totally warrented.

 

[SP84]

I’m very surprised at how much argument there is in this forum regarding the morality and character of a young person drinking and driving. Young people are immature. Doesn’t make it OK, but why is everyone so hung up on this? The point to focus on is what happened to Maura. You’re wasting your time debating this subject. I don’t understand the idea that someone can be so shocked that young people make poor choices, immature choices. Do you not know any young people? Regardless, something happened to her, and she and her family deserve answers and justice. Instead of clutching your pearls at the thought of a young person using poor judgement, step off of your high horse, and check your conscious at the fact that a daughter, sister, friend has disappeared.

 

[sony12]

I’m very surprised at how much argument there is in this forum regarding the morality and character of a young person drinking and driving. Young people are immature. Doesn’t make it OK, but why is everyone so hung up on this? The point to focus on is what happened to Maura. You’re wasting your time debating this subject. I don’t understand the idea that someone can be so shocked that young people make poor choices, immature choices. Do you not know any young people? Regardless, something happened to her, and she and her family deserve answers and justice. Instead of clutching your pearls at the thought of a young person using poor judgement, step off of your high horse, and check your conscious at the fact that a daughter, sister, friend has disappeared.

You might want to read the rest of the replies SP84. There are people on here doubting that alcohol was even an issue and isn't part of this story. That is why the alchohol subject is even being brought up. Alcohol is likely the reason she left her car in the first place.

In this case like it or not alcohol and how Maura handled it is going to be a part of the story. Now if she was an individual who had never gotten herself into significant trouble in the past and there was no indication she was making poor choices the night she disappeared than it would be uncalled for to put much emphasis on alcohol or her maturity level. But unfortunately that isn't the case with Maura.

 

[Rose_Red]

I’m curious if the initial accident in her fathers car caused a concussion or a slow brain bleed. It’s possible that adding alcohol to a head injury caused confusion or a possible blackout, thus leading to her 2nd accident. She seemed to be confused in thinking her car would make it that far up into the mountains. I know she packed up her dorm. Again, this leads me to wonder if she was confused in thinking the semester was over before it even began.

I have always believed she went back to Butch’s Home to calm down and never came out. I believe she had one, possibly two head injuries by this time and may have collapsed and died at Butch’s Home. Out of fear, she was buried and never seen again. Generally people don’t leave their things and lock the doors if they don’t plan on coming back later.


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The second accident was likely caused by driving in darkness in a possibly icy or wet road that had several curves and turns as well as drinking and driving.

If she was disorientated and not thinking straight, why come up with the lies to her professors, complete her homework, and do research on possible hotels she could have stayed in.

We don't know that she packed her things. It is possible that she didn't unpack to begin with after Winter Break, since it was the start of the semester.

Her car made it into another state. The car was still functioning when Fred started it up years and years later.

Butch Atwood did the responsible thing and called the police immediately after he spoke to Maura. He didn't have to do that. As far as I know, he has been forthcoming with the police and was cooperating throughout the investigation. There was also a couple other people at his home at the time.

This theory of her head injuries and just suddenly died in Butch Atwoods house seems highly unlikely.,

 

[ferretnurse]

Well you just keep on giving a stupid 21 year old who had a history of making very bad decisions the benefit of the doubt. I'll just go with what the likely scenarios were.

Thank you. Maybe some people don't understand the anger of those of us that have lost loved ones due to other drunk drivers. Yes, anyone who gets behind the wheel of a car (while drunk or "tipsy") is stupid and selfish.

 

[Man3prieto]

Does anyone else agree with the a frame house theory cuz i def do especially after watching the series on oxygen rece

 

[Man3prieto]

Recently

 

[sony12]

Does anyone else agree with the a frame house theory cuz i def do especially after watching the series on oxygen rece

To be honest I wouldn't bother thinking about the a frame house theory too much. That was a deal created entirely by the Murray family and not the police. They hired their own investigators and everything. They even had announced publicly that they were doing their own investigation so of course they would have wanted to come up with some sort of results. They probably did find blood but I don't think they could ever give much detail of who the blood came from and human blood gets around a house just from every day living (heck I cut myself shaving recently and a little bit of blood dripped onto the carpet and I am sure those devices would forever be able to detect it as long as that carpet is in my house).

To be honest I think if the police felt the a-frame house had anything to do with this case the Maura Murray mystery would have ended a long time ago.

 

[Moosebegoose]

Personally, I don't think the Oxygen series brought up anything new (or anything not already on the internet).

The only odd thing was the coordinates given to Tim & Lance. However, I believe that was just a cruel prank.

Unfortunately, I was put off by the fact they got Allison DuBois in. I am not a fan of cold readers.

 

[folieadeuxnola]

What Happened to Maura Murray? Online Fund Launched to Find Answers

Over 14 years ago, Maura Murray went missing on Route 112 in Haverhill, New Hampshire. While the public has generally moved on from that case, one person who hasn’t is Maggie Freleng, investigative journalist and co-host of the Oxygen network series, “The Disappearance of Maura Murray."

For some, the mystery surrounding Murray’s disappearance lives on and fuels constant speculation. Did the University of Massachusetts coed run away, commit suicide or was she murdered? Murray and Freleng attended the University of Massachusetts.

To try to generate some new information and hopefully in the process, some closure for the family, Freleng has established a page. According to her, “the money is necessary for a ground penetrating radar search of some “very random looking concrete” on a piece of property integral to the investigation as well as using some of the money as a reward for someone to come forward."

 

[JnRyan]

What Happened to Maura Murray? Online Fund Launched to Find Answers

Over 14 years ago, Maura Murray went missing on Route 112 in Haverhill, New Hampshire. While the public has generally moved on from that case, one person who hasn’t is Maggie Freleng, investigative journalist and co-host of the Oxygen network series, “The Disappearance of Maura Murray."

For some, the mystery surrounding Murray’s disappearance lives on and fuels constant speculation. Did the University of Massachusetts coed run away, commit suicide or was she murdered? Murray and Freleng attended the University of Massachusetts.

To try to generate some new information and hopefully in the process, some closure for the family, Freleng has established a page. According to her, “the money is necessary for a ground penetrating radar search of some “very random looking concrete” on a piece of property integral to the investigation as well as using some of the money as a reward for someone to come forward."

Running away, committing suicide or murdered are all possible scenarios for me. I have another that I believe is likely. That is, she ran from the scene to keep from being arrested for drunk driving. That is, she panicked. After fleeing the scene she may have been dressed for being in the weather and fell victim to hypothermia. Alcohol makes a person more susceptible to hypothermia. At some point the victim becomes irrational and may wander around aimlessly until they die of exposure to the cold. If that is the case someone may come across her remains with the clothing she was wearing.

That said, though, a dog tracked her scent down the road where it stopped abruptly. I believe they ran dogs through the nearby woods and found nothing. Although dogs have failed before, it makes me wonder if she wasn't picked up by someone at the point where her trail stopped on the road. Then again, in the case of Taleka Patrick her car was found on the side of the interstate in Indiana and dogs lost her scent not far from the car. This led many to believe she had been picked up. The following spring her body was found in a pond on the other side of the interstate only a few hundred feet from her car. That same thing could have happened here.

 

[Skigirl]

Running away, committing suicide or murdered are all possible scenarios for me. I have another that I believe is likely. That is, she ran from the scene to keep from being arrested for drunk driving. That is, she panicked. After fleeing the scene she may have been dressed for being in the weather and fell victim to hypothermia. Alcohol makes a person more susceptible to hypothermia. At some point the victim becomes irrational and may wander around aimlessly until they die of exposure to the cold. If that is the case someone may come across her remains with the clothing she was wearing.

That said, though, a dog tracked her scent down the road where it stopped abruptly. I believe they ran dogs through the nearby woods and found nothing. Although dogs have failed before, it makes me wonder if she wasn't picked up by someone at the point where her trail stopped on the road. Then again, in the case of Taleka Patrick her car was found on the side of the interstate in Indiana and dogs lost her scent not far from the car. This led many to believe she had been picked up. The following spring her body was found in a pond on the other side of the interstate only a few hundred feet from her car. That same thing could have happened here.

I tend to believe that she panicked and left the car -- the only question in my mind is whether she succumbed to the elements or decided to get into a warm car when someone stopped after she realized how dangerous, or at least how unpleasant, it would be to spend the whole night outside.