hydemi said:
Sorry about "just a nurse" having been almost/just a good many things in my lifetime as well.
Clearly this talented driven young woman had already accomplished a great deal and could have done (is doing?) much with her life.
I am glad to hear she was back practising with the track team at U. Mass.
Having had to do what amounted to an extra year to make the change of schools and programs shows how motivated she was.
And I understand something about how the military works in one's life--having just returned from a family funeral in SE Virginia, where nearly all of my relations are or were involved in military careers in some way or another.
My impression remains that Maura was experiencing an inner conflict over her school & career choices, and have said above that I think she intended to return to U. Mass that week to withdraw officially, meeting the deadline for withdrawing in good standing as she re-evaluated everything.
If she ran away and kept running, it was a hasty decision made after the second accident, or so it appears to me--surely by now some evidence of prior planning would have emerged?
And the unexplained phone call received by Lt Rausch still appears to me to most likely have come from Maura, and if she had connected with him on 2/11 it could have been in part because she was still deeply ambivalent about whatever choice she was making (assuming she was not being "held").
BTW if this phone call could ever be shown not to have come from Maura, I would return to my original wondering about hypothermia being the most likely explanation for her disappearance.
thanks for much more detail than I expected.
You are welcome for the information. The additional detail was provided in hopes that it helps everyone to know Maura better.
I am in agreement with you that it seems highly likely that Maura was experiencing some sort of conflict in her life.........but being privy to ALL of the information that her family has learned (there is not any particular information that has not been released - I am referring to facts, comments and opinions of those who know Maura best, those who went to school with her and those with whom she socialized) and with no information that supports any particular issue, I am leaning towards the theory that Maura needed time away because of *burn out*.
I also agree that IF her room was packed that she was considering withdrawing from UMass and had it ready to load up in HER car so that upon her return to UMass, she would not have to endure for a lengthy time while she packed, the pleas of her friends to stay. But, I still don't think we can eliminate the possibility that the room had not been unpacked.
Beginning with her stay at WP in June of 2000, Maura had experienced almost 4 years of college with two very demanding, difficult and uninterrupted years at WP. During her time at UMass, she worked TWO part time jobs and for one and half years also ran track and cross country in addition to her maintaining Dean's List Honors and a relationship with a boyfriend who was stationed half a nation away after his graduation in 2002. Let's face it, Maura was living a stress filled life. But, this in itself does not provide evidence that Maura would want to run away to start a new life.
Her family and friends have said they seriously doubt that she had any money set aside because she flew to see the boyfriend as often as both of their schedules allowed. I know that the boyfriend assisted her in the cost of these flights, but even IF he paid for all of them in full, (based on his beginning grade lieutenant's pay, it is unlikely that he could afford to do so), she would have missed work during these visits, reducing her income. My guess is that after paying for her personal expenses, there was little money remaining for her to stash away. As I stated in an earlier post, Maura was already financially independent of her parents.
Maura knew that her boyfriend and her sister Julie could receive orders to Iraq or Afganistan at any time. Surely, this was of great concern to her and added to her stress.
I personally think it very possible that Maura was just needing time to make decisions (but the possibility remains that she may have just needed rest): the possible decision that comes to my mind is "should I withdraw UMass and move to OKlahoma?" During a visit with her boyfriend in late 2003, Maura had been hired by a local hospital in Oklahoma to work the summer of 2004. From what I have learned of Maura, she absolutely doted on her boyfriend. However, she was not scheduled to graduate until 2005, and a summer combined with a few weekends here and there may not have been enough to satisify her need to be with him. Having worked so hard for nearly four years, I am sure (if either of us are correct) that regarding decision making that would entail leaving UMass, Maura would not want to make the decision lightly or in haste......therefore, it seems logical that she would make plans to get away from school and life in general in order to have a clear mind; this would even explain her *need* not to tell her parents, her boyfriend, or friends (if I am correct, just as she decided to be a nurse, she would decide on what choice to make for **now** and she would make it alone) as to risk driving the car.......you recall how when you are young, taking risks is so natural; Those who know Maura will tell you that when it came to being courageous and independent, even as a child, Maura was more so than your average person.
Maura had 2 sets of running clothes with her. It is a fact that Maura ran 5-6 miles daily regardless of her schedule, the weather, etc. Those who know her best say that she IF she was angry, troubled, worried, etc., that she would run to work out the kinks in life. Maura loved running. She loved the White Mountains. Don't we all want to be/do the things we "love" in order to achieve some rest.
We can only guess, but it seems likely that she was planning on time alone, perhaps "running" as an aide to make a decision of some sort; or perhaps it was all just *burn out* and she just needed a rest. I know she spent the holidays prior to her missing divided between her family and friends in Hanson MA and CT, friends in western NY and with her boyfriend's family in OH. Even without traveling, the holidays are notorious for creating stress, and Maura could not possibly have had any physical or mental rest while keeping up a social pace that involved three physcial locations and traveling at least 1600 miles in two weeks. For all we know, she felt she must have a week's rest before entering another pressure cooker semester of nursing, work and being away from her boyfriend.
One cannot deny that Maura planned on a short-term get-a-way for what ever her reasons. However, there is ABSOLUTELY NO EVIDENCE to indicate prior planning to run away, or the desire to run away.
I too think that IF we knew for certain who the caller was on the morning of Wed, 2/11/04, we would know more about the case. Like so many other things in Maura's case, a *short* amount of time when the boyfriend was unavailale made so much difference. Had the boyfriend been available to take the call and it was Maura, I have no doubt that he and her family would not be enduring the heartache of not knowing where she is.
As always, my prayers for Maura to be found soon and for the comfort of all those who love her.
Bring Maura Home!
www.mauramurray.com
www.spbowers.com\mauramurray.html
sorry for these long posts ~ I know they can be difficult to read.
