NH NH - Maura Murray, 21, Haverhill, 9 Feb 2004 - # 6

[search]

I'm not into the wild conspiracies that have for the most part been put to rest. My only interest is to have the facts, all the facts. If the Police report is erroneous I'd like to know why. If not, I can live with that.

"If her car did ride up the snowbank and into the trees, how would this change the direction of this case?"

It wouldn't. The Police report would be correct. However if the car didn't hit the trees that's an entirely different story.

I cannot ascertain from the Police report (online report) whether it indicates how far the vehicle traveled from the time of initially leaving the road, hitting some trees and ending in its resting place. Has anyone seen any information regarding this?

I have read the tree where Mr Murray has put the ribbon is not the spot where Maura made impact, have heard it is farther down after the curve has been negotiated. Does anyone know if there is any truth to this?

Does anyone know where the vehicle is located currently?

Thank you for the pictures. Very much appreciated.

 

[The Farm]

Living in New England I have seem many a car vs a tree both major and minor. There are many roads where the trees are right there so hitting trees is a normal occurance! It just does not look right.

That car to me does not look like it bounced off a tree. And that is still no help as to what happened to Maura.

 

[search]

"And that is still no help as to what happened to Maura."

I'm not going to get into what will and what will not help us to find Maura with anyone. This is your opinion and I'll respect that. I have my own reasons for wanting the information I'm asking of which I choose not to reveal at this time.

Can anyone answer these questions:

I cannot ascertain from the Police report (online report) whether it indicates how far the vehicle traveled from the time of initially leaving the road, hitting some trees and ending in its resting place. Has anyone seen any information regarding this?

Does anyone know where the vehicle is located currently?

Any and all help much appreciated.

 

[McSpy]

"And that is still no help as to what happened to Maura."

I'm not going to get into what will and what will not help us to find Maura with anyone. This is your opinion and I'll respect that. I have my own reasons for wanting the information I'm asking of which I choose not to reveal at this time.

hmmm. . . .you're making me uneasy. Why not disclose your line of thinking on this case?

 

[McSpy]

A Saturn of that vintage is an extremely sturdy car. My daughter's Saturn was rammed by a dumptruck at one point and the only thing that happened was that the front logo fell off. The undercarriage is low but pretty well protected; even if she had skidded across the ice bank and trees, the car might not show much damage.

I drove a (bought new) 1992 Saturn up to 1998. One thing I remember about the car is that the side panels, fenders, bumpers and doors are a very hard plastic, which means the damage shows differently than metal. The Saturn was known not to get dinged doors from crowded parking lots. The hood is metal like most cars. This is something to consider when looking at the accident photos.

 

[carbuff]

Living in New England I have seem many a car vs a tree both major and minor. There are many roads where the trees are right there so hitting trees is a normal occurance! It just does not look right.

That car to me does not look like it bounced off a tree. And that is still no help as to what happened to Maura.

I agree, it looks more like it hit a post or another car or something. Maybe the end of a guardrail?

 

[Peabody]

Remembering Maura and all of her loved ones with thoughts and prayers.

Today, October 9, 2010, Maura has been missing 6 years and 8 months without any additional information than when her family first learned of this heartbreak........Too Long!

 

[Stella]

Just coming back to this after a long time and wanted to put in my 2 cents on one part. Someone posted, asking why MM would clean out her dorm room if she was going to commit suicide. I say, why not? If she had planned to kill herself, she knew she wouldn't be coming back so she cleaned her room out. Maybe she was a neat and thoughtful person and this is just something she would have done. She was preparing the room for the next person and sparing her parents the additional torment of having to go to the school and gather up her things. I'm not sure she committed suicide though; it seems like every possibility as to what happened to her has merit.

 

[carbuff]

Just coming back to this after a long time and wanted to put in my 2 cents on one part. Someone posted, asking why MM would clean out her dorm room if she was going to commit suicide. I say, why not? If she had planned to kill herself, she knew she wouldn't be coming back so she cleaned her room out. Maybe she was a neat and thoughtful person and this is just something she would have done. She was preparing the room for the next person and sparing her parents the additional torment of having to go to the school and gather up her things. I'm not sure she committed suicide though; it seems like every possibility as to what happened to her has merit.

Good point. There is no one pattern followed by people who are thinking of ending their lives.

 

[The Farm]

that is still no help as to what happened to Maura."

I'm not going to get into what will and what will not help us to find Maura with anyone. This is your opinion and I'll respect that. I have my own reasons for wanting the information I'm asking of which I choose not to reveal at this time.

I find this a very odd thing to say.

And I have no answers to your two pertinant questions either as to how far the car traveled when it left the roadway or where the vehicle is now or if the family even still has it in their pocession.

 

[McSpy]

Just coming back to this after a long time and wanted to put in my 2 cents on one part. Someone posted, asking why MM would clean out her dorm room if she was going to commit suicide. I say, why not? If she had planned to kill herself, she knew she wouldn't be coming back so she cleaned her room out. Maybe she was a neat and thoughtful person and this is just something she would have done. She was preparing the room for the next person and sparing her parents the additional torment of having to go to the school and gather up her things. I'm not sure she committed suicide though; it seems like every possibility as to what happened to her has merit.

I'm going by Maura's mother's explanation on the packed boxes in the dorm room. She said that Maura had not unpacked from her long winter vacation break. Supposedly, Maura had moved most of her belongings back home for the 6 week break from college. When Maura moved back to college, she didn't get a chance to unpack most of her stuff. She had been only back to school for a couple of weeks. Keep in mind that she had a job as well as classes and nursing clinicals (probably at an area hospital). Also, she was involved in track. In other words, Maura was busy.

 

[McSpy]

Written in the Police report is the following:

“The vehicle had been East bound and had gone off the roadway, Struck some trees, spun around,”

Some trees implies multiple.

Were any tests conducted on the vehicle to determine consistencies between the trees and tree sap left on the vehicle to establish a concrete link of evidence? Does anyone know?

It has been reported there was as much as two feet of snow on the ground on 2-9-04.
The roadways were clear that night.
There must have been snow banks on the sides of the roads. Due to thawing and Re-freezing those snow banks would be comparable to rock.

It is noted on the Police report there were tire marks in the snow.

The 1996 Saturn Vehicle has a ground clearance of 5.70 inches.

If the vehicle left the road, hit some trees, and returned to the roadway, a vehicle with a road clearance of 5.70 inches would sustain undercarriage damage without question.

I have heard NO mention of any undercarriage damage anywhere. Has anyone?

I don't think the police even noticed. To them, Maura's accident was considered minor. Since you brought up the question, one wonders if their was an insurance claim on the car and if the car was considered "totaled" by the insurance company. Usually, there is an inspection of damage by the insurance company. I'm figuring they would have the most thorough inspection of damage. Although, the family could be keeping the car and the car may not have had a collision policy, so no claim was made.

 

[search]

"I'm not going to get into what will and what will not help us to find Maura with anyone. This is your opinion and I'll respect that. I have my own reasons for wanting the information I'm asking of which I choose not to reveal at this time."

We must always remember, Both the guilty and innocent have access to these boards.

 

[McSpy]

"I'm not going to get into what will and what will not help us to find Maura with anyone. This is your opinion and I'll respect that. I have my own reasons for wanting the information I'm asking of which I choose not to reveal at this time."

We must always remember, Both the guilty and innocent have access to these boards.

This is a good reason not to divulge something that may compromise a possible criminal case. It makes sense---thanks.

I became uneasy when you wouldn't explain your line of thinking on the undercarriage damage, because it made me think YOU may be the "guilty." There is a possibility Maura was taken or had been hit by a car. Someone may be guilty of something that explains what happened to Maura. I agree, they could be reading these boards. My gut feeling is that what happened to Maura was a lot simpler than some of the wild conspiracies out there. I think she either succumb to the elements, had been taken by a creep through ruse, or had been hit by a car. I guess, I'll believe these possible scenarios until a new lead comes along. I hope that your info finds her. I'd love to see a resolution! Who knows---I could be way off base and she is living in Canada!

 

[mcsmom]

Does anyone know if Maura's Saturn was ever started again after it was towed away?

I have read the car was only running on 3 cylinders. I have a theory as to the rag in the tailpipe if the Saturn was in fact only operating on 3 cylinders.

According to eyewitness testimony:

"neighbor, a school bus driver, stopped to see if she needed help. He said she was not bleeding, but she looked shook up and was shivering in the cold. He said when he drove up, she was trying to get out of the driver's side of the car, but the door was hitting a high snowbank."

I would have to reiterate my position on undercarriage damage. The Police report is what it is, the eyewitness confirms snow banks. I'd still love to see pictures of the scene within the 1st 36 hours.

Fred Murray claimed the car started right up at Lavoies.

 

[scaredtopost]

Fred Murray claimed the car started right up at Lavoies.

Really!?! I'm shocked by this. I thought I had read anything and everything about MM's case, but I have never heard that the car started after being towed. Do you remember where you heard this information? That changes everything....

 

[btf100]

Mcsmom is correct. I remember reading that Fred said that. That does not mean that the car was drivable. And if it was drivable it doesn't mean that Maura could have gotten it off of the shoulder it was up against.

Bill

 

[Lady Gray]

Really!?! I'm shocked by this. I thought I had read anything and everything about MM's case, but I have never heard that the car started after being towed. Do you remember where you heard this information? That changes everything....

Well, imagine the coincidence of my reading this question at the same time that I'm cleaning documents off my "old" computer....one of these many documents consists of all of Sharon's posts from the first and second Maura Murray forum...

These are two of Sharon's postings, made at separate times, about this subject:

".....The car was locked and they unlocked it and started it with a spare key that was hidden somewhere on the car. (The spare key had been placed there sometime in mid Jan after Maura had to call AAA when she locked the keys in her car - this was before the mechanical problems)

Fred and Billy said the car was "driveable."

AND

"...I was told the keys were "gone" - so we have assumed that Maura had taken them.

Because it had only been a few weeks since Maura had locked herself out of the car and had called AAA, she (perhaps with advice from Fred since he knew where the spare was located) had placed a spare key in one of those magnetic key holders in some hidden location on the outside of the car.

Fred and Billy used this key and were able to determine that the car started right up, and therefore was driveable."

 

[btf100]

Again, I should point out that he only claimed to start the car, not drive the car. And even IF the car was drivable Maura likely might not have been able to get the car out of where she had it, if it was stuck. There is also the question if she knew enough to put the car into park or neutral in order to start the car after the crash. After the crash the car would have been in drive. If she had not placed the transmission back into park or some cars can also use neutral she would not have been able to start the car.

Bill

 

[scaredtopost]

Thank you all for the clarification. I was not aware of Maura's case until watching the episode of Disappeared. I was able to learn a lot about the case through this site, as well as the Topix site. I am surprised I had not heard this before. Do you think Maura would have been able to drive away? If so, how can anyone assume she left of her own accord. Why would she not have just driven away?