NH NH - Maura Murray, 21, Haverhill, 9 Feb 2004 #15

[carbuff]

Is there any fill dirt being hauled in from elsewhere for the construction that's being undertaken? Might the bone fragments have been hauled in with the dirt?

 

[sony12]

So it has been almost two weeks since the discovery was made and basically not a peep since then. Give it another week and if we still have heard nothing probably chances start becoming good that we won't here anything at all and eventually there might be a tweet by Maura's sister saying there was no connection.

 

[minazoe]

I thought it could take a couple of months...?

 

[sony12]

I thought it could take a couple of months...?

To be honest I think if they really thought there was a good chance this was Maura they would be able to get the results much sooner then that. That sounds more along the lines of the timetable of identifying historical findings then identifying an actual missing person.

They knew about the findings an entire week before it was leaked to the public (and maybe even prior to that as that was only when it was mentioned to the Murray family) and they didn't make a big deal at all about it prior to it being leaked.

It doesn't really sound like this was news that was ever intended to be attached to Maura by the general public until Renner got hold of it and started tweeting about it.

 

[carbuff]

If the remains are many years old, just the DNA extraction could require extensive lab work, which takes a while.

 

[Oculus]

Dang it. Really got my hopes up there..

 

[BeginnerSleuther]

Dang it. Really got my hopes up there..

Did something happen? Are the results back?

 

[sony12]

Did something happen? Are the results back?

We don't know if the results are back yet or not. All we know is that nothing more has been said about it since the original news.

 

[minazoe]

it has only been 2 weeks..

 

[BeginnerSleuther]

it has only been 2 weeks..

Yeah, it's way too soon to be giving up hope.

 

[carbuff]

Could be anything from six weeks to six months or more. One case I followed locally was three years.

 

[tigerteeth]

Dang it. Really got my hopes up there..

Don’t get your hopes up. You never know. It’ll be awhile. There could always be another break, as well.

 

[minneolo]

I think you missed my point. It has nothing to do with her capability. There is logistically no way for someone to walk or run on those roads in February. The same ice that caused the crash would have rendered her unable to run. Some of these roads are closed to driving this time of year due to the icy conditions. She had to have had special shoes - either hiking/studded boots or snow shoes (or ice skates) in order to get 20 miles on foot. It is not possible otherwise. Alternatively, she would have had to cross country ski if not hike.

Yes, it is possible to run/walk that distance with appropriate clothing/gear and that includes footwear. There's no indication Maura had that the gear. If she didn't, she would not make it 20 miles. You can't just put on regular walking shoes and expect to walk across ice standing upright or in 5 feet of snow, especially in the forest at night. She would have died long before she got to Loon if she tried such an endeavor.

So, I actually have spent a good amount of time in/around the white mountains in February (former NH resident here). I don’t agree that icy conditions which make driving difficult necessarily prevents the same paths from being traveled on foot with basic snow / hiking boots. Not saying it would be fun hiking conditions, just potentially feasible ones.

IMHO, the 20 miles is at the very limits of a feasible range for Maura to have walked/run. As in, it wouldn’t be my bet, but I can’t rule it out either. So often we find remains of victims just outside the search area. With adrenaline and stress, sometimes people can do more than we’d expect.

Another poster made a very good point about the timing of the sightings and whether Maura would have had the capacity to change clothes. IMHO, its possible she could have done this distance if she were already wearing hiking boots while driving (again, not my bet but not too far fetched) and if her parka/gloves were in the front seat. I can buy a “grab a parka” move, but not much more than that.

Overall, I would speculate that these bones are not Maura, and that she will eventually be found closer to the original crash site. This set of remains is so interesting because its _just this side of possible_, IMHO.

 

[MrsWatson]

I think these bones will be historical.

No firm reason to think that at all, I just don't think this is Maura.

I feel like Maura will be one of the eternal mysteries.

Same as Brianna Maitland.

I know LE has always discounted a connection, but I do wonder.

 

[Ursamajr]

November 1st. Nothing new here except an update to the article that says "We reached out to New Hampshire State Police who told us that there was no update on where the testing stands."

Skeletal remains lead to potential break in cold case of missing UMass student

 

[sony12]

Maura's family will probably be the only ones that get informed anyway.

I wouldn't be surprised if they have already been informed that it has nothing to do with Maura.

 

[frozenlemonade]

Maura's family will probably be the only ones that get informed anyway.

I wouldn't be surprised if they have already been informed that it has nothing to do with Maura.

As of today, it sounds like the family is still waiting: Test Results of Human Remains on Loon Mountain May Take Several More Months

"On Monday I asked officials for an update and an estimated timeline. They told me it may take several months for examination and testing results. In speaking with one expert familiar with the initial assessment, there may be evidence to suggest the gender of the remains which gives us hope; however, we want to see definitive results which hopefully will come soon. As my family continues to wait, we are thankful for the outpouring of love and support from family, friends, and supporters."

 

[BeginnerSleuther]

Maura's family will probably be the only ones that get informed anyway.

I wouldn't be surprised if they have already been informed that it has nothing to do with Maura.

I would. Whether it's Maura or not, it's still a news story. Human remains at an active and working ski resort? That's not going away.

 

[sony12]

I would. Whether it's Maura or not, it's still a news story. Human remains at an active and working ski resort? That's not going away.

There are lots of things that happen that don't make headlines (and remains that are found that they don't believe is connected to any crime usually isn't something that they make too big of a deal about). Infact it doesn't really seem like this was ever intended to be connected to Maura anyways. The only real reason it got connected to her to begin with is because Renner heard about it and started tweeting.

Remember the initial break about this wasn't any news article. It was a Renner tweet.

 

[minazoe]

never the less we are looking for Maura's body in that area...she is somewhere..I give it a 35% chance ..there were rumors there was hair and a partial skull ..if so and it appears to be female with a similar same hair color..I would up that to 75%

but thats just my own calculation. obvi..it's taking quite some time so I doubt the rumors are based on fact..but the police did tell Maura's family to prepare them..so they must know something about these remains..maybe its just the age of the fragments fitting the timeline of Maura's disappearance..

mOO