To her family and friends Maura Murray is more than just a missing person. She is a memory full of love and joy, pain and sorrow. Maura is an athlete, a runner, a basketball player. Maura is a student with friends from Hanson, West Point, Umass Amherst. She is a daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece, cousin, and a girlfriend to many whose warm memories have appeared in newspapers and on TV.
Some comments (as posted on www.MauraMurray.com) from those who know who Maura really is:
"If you wanted to make a person, you would make her just like her."
We all miss Maura so much, that smile and giggle is indescribable.
Maura is such a sweet, funny, intelligent, nice girl. She was awesome to be friends/competitors with. I loved running against her.
I don't have too much to say except that I think about her often and especially now that our class is graduating. She was always sweet and helpful in nursing lab ... always smiling and laughing.
Maura you are missed so very much.... Your family and friends will never give up till we find you...I pray for someone to come forward with information...I pray for you to come home............
We have some great memories of Maura. We were lucky enough to have her stay with us several times when she returned to visit the West Point area. Talk about the perfect house guest: She not only helped with dishes and picked up after herself, she even helped with painting rooms and digging fence post holes! No matter what we were up to, she always pitched in. It's now been more than a year since she's stayed with us, but we're keeping the guest room ready. We miss her a lot.
And from those who have come to know about Maura:
I think of Maura and her family and friends often. I was once a victim of abduction 1985 in Vermont. I managed to get away. I know the feelings and perspectives from all sides.
I also found a blue ribbon to tie around my wrist as a sign of hope for Maura. I don't know what happened to Maura or where she is but I think of her often, especially when i go up north. I will always keep my eyes and ears open and do all that I can to help. My heart goes out to her and her family. and I pray, wish, and hope for her safe return.
I Just recently heard about Maura's case on the TV show Missing. It broke my heart.
Maura has had a thread on Websleuths since 2004. Unfortunately, the older posts were lost. Those of you who have followed Mauras case have read or been a part of some lively discussions. Please know that the family appreciates your interest and the concern and support expressed by so many of you. We would also like to express our thanks to those who have posted information about Maura on their websites too many to mention, but they know who they are, to the people who write to Mauras website with information and/or support, and to those who take the time to discuss their thoughts on Mauras forum.
MAURA MURRAY
Age: 21 (at the time of her disappearance
Height: 5´7"
Weight: 120 lbs. (approximately)
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Blue
Last seen wearing jeans and a dark colored coat.
On February 9, 2004, Maura Murray left her dorm room at Umass Amherst, stopped at an ATM and liquor store and headed north. Sometime between 7:00 p.m. and 7:28 pm. Mauras car ended up at the side of rural road in Haverhill/Woodsville, New Hampshire. According to what was reported to family members and in the media, we know that Maura spoke to at least one person and was seen be other neighbors. There was some damage to Mauras car and the air bags had deployed. The temperature was 12º and there are reports that it was snowing lightly. Near where Mauras car was found the road has a sharp curve. Although Mauras family believe she may have been headed East towards Bartlett, NH, it is unknown where Maura was headed. At 12:55 p.m. that day, Maura made a call to a family that has rental units in Bartlett and had earlier searched her computer for directions to Burlington, VT (these hand written directions were found in a book in her car) and other destinations.
There have been unconfirmed sightings of Maura, including one that night (this sighting was not reported until the end of April 2004) four to five miles East of where her car was found, in the area of Route 112 and Route 116 and one as recently as this past summer. The police have reported to the family that Mauras credit cards and ATM card have not been used. There were no calls on Mauras cell phone after 4:37 p.m. on February 9, 2004 when she checked her messages. This cell phone account has been kept active. Mauras license expired a few months later and to the familys knowledge has not been renewed.
The car Maura was driving was registered to her father, Fred Murray. He was not contacted until February 10, 2005 in the late afternoon that his car had been found. The family made several calls to the police in Haverhill, NH to inform them that it would have been Maura driving the car, not Fred. Family members as well as her boyfriend, Billy Rausch and members of his family traveled to NH to help in the search for Maura. It has been reported that the police, the person who reportedly last spoke to Maura and members of the Haverhill fire department did some searching (although no available reports indicate that there was any search to the east of the vehicle) the night her car was found, but no official search was begun until Wednesday, February 11, 2004. At that time a search dog was brought in and an air search was performed by the NH State Police. Over the next couple of weeks Mauras family and friends performed their own search for any evidence that Maura had gone into the woods there were no footprints in the almost 2 feet of snow along the sides of the road. The area was flooded with posters.
Mauras father, family and friends continue to travel to NH. Any lead or tip received at Mauras website is followed through on. The family has contacted several groups in an effort to find Maura. Ads have been run in hunting magazines, posts made in hiking forums, missing forums, etc., emails have been sent to the Audubon Society, surveyors and others asking that they be on the look out for Maura or her belongings.
In the time Maura has been missing there have been two Governors in NH. Mauras dad and family and friends have written to both asking for help. Mauras dad, Fred, has met with one Governor, the Attorney General, Assistant Attorneys General and investigators and yet the family has little concrete knowledge of what is happening or has happened in the investigation. The have learned of searches conducted, not from the police, but from people on the street in NH or from newspaper reporters. Yet, as recently as this week information has been sent to a Victims Advocate with tips the family has received. An article on Maura appeared in 17 Magazine in 2004. Greta Van Susteren, Montel Williams and various news stations have carried stories on Maura in the past. Almost 20 months later, we see little hope for any publicity regarding Mauras case without the help of people writing to various news agencies.
Mauras Websites: www.MauraMurray.com
http://www.spbowers.com/mauramissing.html
Printable Posters: http://www.theyaremissed.org/gallery/listview/profile_all.php?A200401157S
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a126/MauraMurray/MAURAMURRAYMISSINGPOSTER61405.gif
If you have seen Maura or if you have any information regarding her whereabouts, please contact:
Email: Info2@mauramurray.com
USPS: Mauramurray.com
P.O. Box 466
Humarock, MA 02047
Or contact New Hampshire State Police Major Crimes Unit - Lt. Russ Conte at:
1-603-271-2663 or e-mail at missingpersons@safety.state.nh.us
Or, please contact the Haverhill Police Department at: 603-787-2222.
The telephone number for the Center for Missing Adults is 1-800-690-3463.
The family and loved ones of Maura are offering a $40,000 Reward for any information leading to her safe return.
For information regarding pledges to help find Maura please click reward information.
