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

[annpats]

There were dogs that were brought in to track her scent....and this stopped in the middle of the road. That would indicate she got into another vehicle. Although these dogs aren't 100% reliable, they're pretty good.

But there are too many "ifs and ands" and strange coincidences and other odd happenings that anything could have happened. For me, there is no one leading theory. All of them are plausible.

MOO

 

[JerseyWasHome2]

And mid July is NOT a good time to be searching wooded areas, or even fields! The growth is just crazy. You can't search under wild roses or barberry bushes. And it's been what, 18 years? Imagine the number of leaves and such that have fallen since. Remains of a body are not going to be lying there for the world to see. I imagine they'd be covered by those years of decomposing vegetation.

 

[K9Enzo]

There were dogs that were brought in to track her scent....and this stopped in the middle of the road. That would indicate she got into another vehicle. Although these dogs aren't 100% reliable, they're pretty good.

But there are too many "ifs and ands" and strange coincidences and other odd happenings that anything could have happened. For me, there is no one leading theory. All of them are plausible.

MOO

A dog stopping at the road while in odor does not always mean the subject left in a vehicle (it can like you indicated). Some dogs (really the training) are not proficient in ground changes- grass to gravel, gravel to pavement, etc. Scent can also become scattered by a passing vehicle just driving through. The scent picture can be effected by many factors. All my opinion.

 

[carbuff]

And mid July is NOT a good time to be searching wooded areas, or even fields! The growth is just crazy. You can't search under wild roses or barberry bushes. And it's been what, 18 years? Imagine the number of leaves and such that have fallen since. Remains of a body are not going to be lying there for the world to see. I imagine they'd be covered by those years of decomposing vegetation.

I almost got the impression they were looking for something specific. But even an item of clothing would be deteriorated beyond recognition by now, wouldn't it?

 

[PommyMommy]

JUL 14, 2022

Police conduct search in NH for missing UMass Amherst student Maura Murray

Investigators conducted a search for long-missing UMass student Maura Murray in two New Hampshire towns Wednesday.

www.wwlp.com

[...]

According to a news release from the New Hampshire District Attorney’s Office, state police with the assistance of the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department a ground search of an area located off Route 112 in the towns of Landaff and Easton, New Hampshire was conducted Wednesday.

The search was not the result of new information in the case however, it consisted of a more extensive search surrounding the areas that had been previously searched.

[...]

 

[TedMac]

I almost got the impression they were looking for something specific. But even an item of clothing would be deteriorated beyond recognition by now, wouldn't it?

I agree and I can't help but believe that they received some sort of new information, tip, etc. that triggered the new search. I am aware LE has denied this, but I can't wrap my head around the idea that they would search an area 18+ years after the fact in the middle of the summer with all the foliage without some type of new information. MOO

 

[Darkness]

If Maura enters a search area still on foot...I would hope her sneakers, the back pack, the bottles she took are still there....What complicates things is 18 plus years of leaves falling and then snow and then melting, never mind the the animals in the area.....

It sounds like a really tough search.....fingers crossed....

 

[JerseyWasHome2]

If Maura enters a search area still on foot...I would hope her sneakers, the back pack, the bottles she took are still there....What complicates things is 18 plus years of leaves falling and then snow and then melting, never mind the the animals in the area.....

It sounds like a really tough search.....fingers crossed....

That's for sure. Evidence like that could literally be under inches of decomposed leaves and vegetation. Did she have a laptop with her, or did she wear consistent jewlery? I can't recall. Wondering if they're using metal detectors, but of course that takes an enormous amount of time going over every inch.

 

[browning]

I agree and I can't help but believe that they received some sort of new information, tip, etc. that triggered the new search. I am aware LE has denied this, but I can't wrap my head around the idea that they would search an area 18+ years after the fact in the middle of the summer with all the foliage without some type of new information. MOO

It could be old information that wasn't properly vetted

 

[carbuff]

It could be old information that wasn't properly vetted

That seems more likely. Based on what was shown in the news videos, the search didn't look like it covered that whole area, just a relatively small patch quite near the highway.

I wonder if the dog hit on anything.

 

[NeoWise]

Somebody investigated (or knows) what the average frequency is of the number of cars passing the 'crash site' (Wild Ammonoosuc Rd) near Woodsville on say a winter workweek day evening between 7 and 8 pm?

 

[dotr]

rbbm.

Landaff, Easton search underway in Murray cold case disappearance

New Hampshire State Police and state Fish and Game Department personnel were conducting a ground search Wednesday in connection with missing Massachusetts woman Maura Murray.The search is in Landaff and Easton off Route 112, a sprawling area north of...

www.concordmonitor.com

An area off Route 112 in Landaff and Easton will be the focus of a search by State Police and NH Fish & Game related to the Maura Murray cold case.

Formella said the areas were previously searched in a limited fashion, but this is a more extensive search of those areas. Route 112 in that area is also Wild Ammonoosuc Road, and follows the Ammonoosuc River past the southwest corner of White Mountains National Forest.''


''When she was added to the VICAP registry in January, NH Senior Assistant Attorney General Jeffery Strelzin told Manchester InkLink that the move was an investigative tool. “The hope is that it may lead to useful information in the case.”

The purpose of ViCAP is to help find people who may be victims of a crime as well as find patterns that will lead to nailing down serial criminals, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Crime analysts, specially trained to study the database with the goal of identifying serial offenders, “have developed timelines on potential highway serial killer suspects,” the department’s website says.

Law enforcement agencies nationwide are asked to forward information about cases meeting “highway serial killings criteria,” including kidnapped or missing persons whose last known location was along a highway.''

 

[TedMac]

UPDATE: Ground Search Concluded in Relation to Maura Murray’s Disappearance - Landaff, N.H.

UPDATE: The ground search in connection with Maura’s disappearance concluded yesterday near Landaff, New Hampshire. This ground search was the largest of its kind in recent years and included...

www.mauramurraymissing.org

"I’m in close contact with law enforcement and spoke to them this morning; however, due to the ongoing nature of the investigation I cannot provide further details at this time. I encourage people to allow the investigators the time and space to continue the important work they are doing. On behalf of my family, we extend our sincere thanks for the love and support shown to Maura and our family especially now. I will provide updates as appropriate"

The above was written by Maura's sister.

 

[carbuff]

Okay, it sounds like they've got something.

 

[sony12]

Based on what previous leads have turned out to be people probably shouldn't get their hopes up. At the same time though if some of her remains end up being found just five miles away from the crash site near where someone said they thought they saw someone running the night Maura disappeared. It would make you wonder why this case wasn't solved sooner.

 

[NeoWise]

Did they ever did a 'reconstruction' at the crash site? (who could see what and when)
How well could Maura from her position near the car see people watching from their houses?
She clearly didn't want contact with police, and she likely didn't want to see people what direction she went.
The 'perfect timing' of her dissapearing could be as simple as she started running down the road when she saw nobody watching.

Another question:
Did they had cellphone service in Lincoln NH in 2004?

 

[annpats]

Did they ever did a 'reconstruction' at the crash site? (who could see what and when)
How well could Maura from her position near the car see people watching from their houses?
She clearly didn't want contact with police, and she likely didn't want to see people what direction she went.
The 'perfect timing' of her dissapearing could be as simple as she started running down the road when she saw nobody watching.

Another question:
Did they had cellphone service in Lincoln NH in 2004?

Yes, I did recall reading that this reconstruction was done, with timings of the crash, phone calls, neighbours and who could see what from where, different angles etc.

As for her phone record, they were also looked into big time, including outgoing and incoming calls, and from/to which numbers and location.

There are pages about this on Reddit, and also Google James Renner who is an investigative journalist who has done work on it.

 

[Laughing]

Did they ever did a 'reconstruction' at the crash site? (who could see what and when)
How well could Maura from her position near the car see people watching from their houses?
She clearly didn't want contact with police, and she likely didn't want to see people what direction she went.
The 'perfect timing' of her dissapearing could be as simple as she started running down the road when she saw nobody watching.

Another question:
Did they had cellphone service in Lincoln NH in 2004?

My hubby's best friend teaches advanced accident investigation at our state's highway patrol academy.

I'm sure there is a complete reconstruction.

I'm also sure that a few troopers pull that file out on occassion & visualize the accident 'just one more time' and will do so as long as Maura Murray is missing.

jmho ymmv lrr

 

[NeoWise]

My hubby's best friend teaches advanced accident investigation at our state's highway patrol academy.

I'm sure there is a complete reconstruction.

I'm also sure that a few troopers pull that file out on occassion & visualize the accident 'just one more time' and will do so as long as Maura Murray is missing.

jmho ymmv lrr

That would be very interesting. If you can find a link to it please let me know. Thnx! I found lots kind of 'reconstruction talks' with timelines minute by minute but not really a reconstruction on the actual scene itself under simular conditions. Regarding the 'reconstruction talks' they are all from witness perspective like who could see what and when. But what I'm missing is Maura's perspective, what could she do if she wanted to disappear without being noticed and what direction she went.

 

[NeoWise]

Yes, I did recall reading that this reconstruction was done, with timings of the crash, phone calls, neighbours and who could see what from where, different angles etc.

As for her phone record, they were also looked into big time, including outgoing and incoming calls, and from/to which numbers and location.

There are pages about this on Reddit, and also Google James Renner who is an investigative journalist who has done work on it.

I'm sure one of the first things they did is checking her last phone pings. At the crash scene there was no cellphone service, so no pings there. It's very likely she first tried to phone from the crash site to get help from some people she knew.
I found that if she went along the 112 to East the first spot where she could use her phone was 'Beaver Pond', so I would assume there was cellphone service in Lincoln in 2004.

It would be interesting to know if she had her phone always on/off? Could she charge her phone in her car while driving? Also how long would the batteries last if her phone was fully charged?