crypto6 said:
i've been lurking on and off on maura threads almost since she disappeared and one set of questions keeps coming up to me: Why didn't the local police or state troopers put out a search for her simply as a person on foot and in distress in fatally cold weather? Where did they think she went which would obviate such a search? Do they know something about where she went and now are covering up? If i called NH local police to report a stranded motorist at nightfall in 12 degree weather, they arrived and the motorist was gone, wouldn't they search?
what am i missing here??
Your questions are well put and are the same questions that those who love Maura can just not get out of their mind.
Unfortunately, only the police can answer those questions and from the beginning there has been deception on their part with the family.
Some factual information that I do have:
The boyfriend's mother called the Haverhill Police immediately after she learned that Maura was missing - this was Tuesday evening 2/10/04. She spoke to the officer that responded to the accident. When she asked him why they were just now notifying the family, he told her (notice how this fits with not telling the brother that they knew Maura was driving the car) that the only thing he knew was that they had received a call about a car sliding off the road. That when he arrived at the scene, the car was locked and no one was there. That there was only one set of footprints leading from the car.....and "this is a sking and snowmobiling tourist area. People's cars quit or they have minor accidents all of the time and leave their cars. When I saw the car was registered to 'Fred Murray's name, age and address', I assumed he was traveling with a group and simply got into another car. When he didn't get in touch with us today (24 hours after the accident), then we called him (they actually called Fred Murray Jr).
He also told her that he was on the scene within 10 minutes; that he met only 5-6 cars as he was traveling to the scene; that "witnesses" also reported 5-6 cars traveling the other direction, and that the person who called in the accident (this was the bus driver) drove one way while he drove the other direction looking for the driver. When they did not see anyone along the road that is when he determined that the driver was traveling with a group and got into another car.
Later, when the family, the boyfriend and his parents arrived in Haverhill, they learned that there were "witnesses" as to Maura's presence and that the police knew who she was: Her UMass ID sticker was on the car, and the bus driver had reported a young woman of about 20 years as being alone and driving the car. The family has a copy of the Haverhill Police press release which was released Tuesday evening 2/10/05 regarding Maura's missing. It states "witnesses" reported seeing her. Todate the family has only learned of the bus driver........is there another witness? The family doesn't know. They do know that none of the neigbors except for the bus driver was spoken to by any NH LE until 7 days after she went missing, so the other "witnesses" were not neighbors.
My opinion is the police erred big time in not searching for Maura. The family has been unsuccessful in obtaining any Policies and Procedures for Haverhill Police Dept or NH SP.........yet I have called my local authorities and they have been willing to provide to me a copy of their POP (at my expense to cover the copying) The policies and procedures would define what action or lack of action the police are required to take in this situation: a missing accident victim from the scene of an accident at night in the cold, snowy weather; and an accident victim that according to their reports was possibly intoxicated.
Since the police were not honest with the brother or the boyfriend's mother that they knew Maura was the driver of the car, it is my opinion that they know they erred in not searching for her resulting in spin from their offices...............when Maura first went missing, the police insisted that she was suicidal and a runaway. Later they said she succumbed to the elements. They have never acknowledged even the possibility that something may have happened to her.
They continue to say that there is no evidence of foul play. From the beginning the family has said her absence is evidence of foul play.
What do you think
