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

[BillNH]

I disagree about the "heartless" thing. People move away from home all the time and cut ties without involving the police and cold case detectives. Why not write a letter saying that she is fine and for them to stop searching? Very simple. The family just wants answers. At this point, I'm sure they would be relieved to know something.

I don't know anything for sure, but supposedly, she was fine when she was at the pub with her friend and father. After wrecking her father's car, she lost it, IMO. Makes me think she was upset with herself--not with anyone else in particular, so she ran off to sort things out. She probably had issues in the back of her mind (eating disorder running her life, cc fraud guilt and ???) that bothered her greatly. She may have felt like a big loser under the surface. IMO, the catalyst or last straw was when she wrecked her dad's brand new car. I don't think she planned to disappear. It just ended up that way. I could be wrong, but I'm going with a gut feeling at this point.

There have been reports that her dad was hard on her. He wanted her to be successful. Most of the time, there is another side to that too. He was probably her biggest cheerleader and fan when she was successful. Most kids glow when their parents are proud. I have a feeling she didn't like disappointing her dad and crashing his car amongst other things, made her feel awful.

JMO

That's as good a theory as any. Much of how she acted could have been driven by fear or anger as well so I tend to think we really know little to nothing about how she was feeling. Hopefully we will someday know the facts and put the supposition to rest.

 

[Adorabella]

You are right McSpy that the boyfriend's family paid for her cell 'phone service BUT in the show 'Disappeared' they specifically say that the call left on his mobile that morning was from a pre-paid card as the number was untraceable when they tried to call it back...and that MM was known to also use pre-paid cards. Maybe as has been mentioned above she used up her cell battery using the light from the 'phone...or lost her 'phone, or it was taken from her? It seems to me that being able to trace where the call was made that morning would at least pin point how far away she was, if at all.

 

[BillNH]

You are right McSpy that the boyfriend's family paid for her cell 'phone service BUT in the show 'Disappeared' they specifically say that the call left on his mobile that morning was from a pre-paid card as the number was untraceable when they tried to call it back...and that MM was known to also use pre-paid cards. Maybe as has been mentioned above she used up her cell battery using the light from the 'phone...or lost her 'phone, or it was taken from her? It seems to me that being able to trace where the call was made that morning would at least pin point how far away she was, if at all.

I think the whole idea that she called Billy from who knows where with a prepaid card is a bit Rediculous. Wishful thinking perhaps from the bf. If you have ever used a prepaid card you would know how long they take and all the numbers you have to enter is crazy. I find it hard to believe, as the bf would expect people to believe, that MM was abducted, got free long enough to find a working phone, and then chose to dial the seemingly endless string of numbers for the card and then the bf number. 911 would have been the choice of every other person on the planet.

 

[BillNH]

You are right McSpy that the boyfriend's family paid for her cell 'phone service BUT in the show 'Disappeared' they specifically say that the call left on his mobile that morning was from a pre-paid card as the number was untraceable when they tried to call it back...and that MM was known to also use pre-paid cards. Maybe as has been mentioned above she used up her cell battery using the light from the 'phone...or lost her 'phone, or it was taken from her? It seems to me that being able to trace where the call was made that morning would at least pin point how far away she was, if at all.

A couple other things to note:

The call was supposedly traced to the Red Cross who also uses donated prepaid cards. The Red Cross arranges emergency leaves for military personnel. Billy would not have been granted leave, the way I understand it, for 'just' a girlfriend. A fiancé on the other hand is a different story, I personally believe this is where Billy and Maura's engagement talk started. JMO of course and very cynical but I believe very little of what was said by the Rauch family.

 

[justagirl247]

I think the whole idea that she called Billy from who knows where with a prepaid card is a bit Rediculous. Wishful thinking perhaps from the bf. If you have ever used a prepaid card you would know how long they take and all the numbers you have to enter is crazy. I find it hard to believe, as the bf would expect people to believe, that MM was abducted, got free long enough to find a working phone, and then chose to dial the seemingly endless string of numbers for the card and then the bf number. 911 would have been the choice of every other person on the planet.

i agree for the most part unless she tried to call him before she was abducted (if that's what happened) but yeah using a prepaid in an emergency situation makes no sens way to many numbers just trying to think of all possible angles

 

[BillNH]

i agree for the most part unless she tried to call him before she was abducted (if that's what happened) but yeah using a prepaid in an emergency situation makes no sens way to many numbers just trying to think of all possible angles

I don't recall anyone from the MM inner circle claiming that the call was from a non-distressed Maura. I could almost believe that MM, second guessing her decision to abscond, called Billy to say sorry or whatever and then not finding the words and ending the call. B and the family have always spun the call as being Maura calling for help and I don't believe that for the reason I stated previously. LE found the sounds on the call to be phone system noise or something but they never said why, if the call was from the Red Cross, did they not leave a message or try to call again. They may have called again, unreported in my opinion, because of the lie about there being an engagement. The less focus on that the better since I think Billy could have gotten in trouble with the military if they really were not engaged.

 

[True Crime Gal]

Followed Mr Renner's blog before joining here--just catching up with most of this thread. Note: I am pretty much :fence: -- I start to become convinced she was taken, then I swing back thinking exposure... or escape to Canada.

I just wanted to comment quickly on this idea. Wi-fi wasn't as ubiquitous back then. I'm not even sure if, from my recollection, free in-room wired connections were common. A laptop in a motel in the middle of the woods (seemingly where she was aiming to go) would have been of marginal utility. My impression is that Maura wasn't much of a gamer.

Hm, dunno. Gaming isn't the only thing one can do without an internet connection. It might be possible that she was doing school work of some kind that did not require an internet connection: writing a paper, or writing up notes from the books she had with her. I always bring my laptop when I travel, even if I don't expect to connect to the internet for some part of it. FWIW.

Please bear with me - I haven't read all the pages of this thread or followed this case all that closely - but are people speculating that Maura's dad somehow had something to do with her disappearance?

That's what I'm getting from some of the posts on that blog.

Hm, again dunno. There may be one or two commenters suggesting that very thing (I seem to recall rolling my eyes at them), but my impression for most of the posters there is that they don't think he was directly involved, but the insistence that "nothing that happened before she disappeared is relevant" is confounding and off-putting. How in the world would anyone know if any tiny detail might be the key even if it doesn't seem important? We could only possibly know that in hindsight. There also seem to be inconsistencies and/or confusion about details which would or could easily be cleared up with a direct conversation with Fred about them.

Someone previously said that he seems to be trying to protect her reputation to make her case more sympathetic, and I really can understand his wanting to do that, but by the same token if there's a benefit to setting aside pride in this instance, why not do it? I feel for him. I am sympathetic and want closure for Maura, warts and all, as it were.

:moo: of course :seeya:

tcg

 

[OldSteve]

Seems when cases go cold there's a tendency to go back and begin suspecting family members... then talk of:
sex-trafficing
taken/silenced by drug dealers
running off to start a new life
going into witness-protection

 

[BillNH]

Seems when cases go cold there's a tendency to go back and begin suspecting family members... then talk of:
sex-trafficing
taken/silenced by drug dealers
running off to start a new life
going into witness-protection

I for one, would be happy to scratch any of those off the list of possibilities, but unfortunately no evidence to do so...

:banghead:

 

[Emorton]

Hi to all

A long time lurker first time poster here, so first thing to say must be that I really appreciate the disinterested effort put forth by the participants in this forums and the awesome work of the people who administer them and made them possible. Of course my heart goes out for the families and friends of the victims of all the cases and wish I would be able to help them in any way. I'm a Mechanical Engineer from Spain, 44, with no experience whatsoever in researching/sleuthing, so maybe I wont be of any help but, who knows?

That said, I've been specially interested in the Maura Murray case since I saw the Investigation Discovery Disappeared episode first aired on spanish TV more than a year ago. The case attracted my attention because of the amount of misterious circumstances that surrounded it, ie the strange travel to the north without noticing to anyone, the father's speech to her that led me to think there was something to look for in the previous story that led to Maura disappearing, the amount of unexplained little details...

Back then I read many online material about the case, looking for answers to question that raised in my mind after watching the episode. Of course WS was one of the prime sources of information. At that time I didn't have much free time, I remember I tried to join WS but couldn't due to email policies that didn't allowed me to sign up with a free email account. Then a hard working time came and I almost forgot about the case. A month ago spanish TV re-aired the show and I could see it again, and all the unanswered question raised again to my mind. And here I am finally.

So, once introduced, let me go straight with some of the questions:

- For what I have read there are contradictory information regarding the amount of alcohol left behind in the car. In James Renner blog I read a post from 2011 that stated that all alcohol was accounted for by Haverhill PD, but later I read in other places that the alcohol was not in the car, is it a definitive and settled fact that the alcohol was in the car or is it not?

- I've seen a picture of Maura's Saturn where is clearly visible that the driver's airbag was cut-off. If the car was found locked, who cutted the airbag? Was it vandalised years later when parked in Haverhill PD or F-Troop headquarters?

- Did Mrs. Westman or Mr. Marrotte, in any statement or interview, made mention of a "bang" sound when they say they hear the accident? I mean, the Saturn crashed on a snowbank, crossed the road and ended on the ditch. None of the sounds of impact should sound as loud as a bang, except the sound of the airbag deploying, that should have sounded loudly in the quiet night, well over the rest of the sounds of impact, even with the windows closed. There are many videos on the internet where you can see how much noise an airbag deployment makes. There are even vídeos of Saturn's airbag deployment. I find it odd that no witness mentioned a "bang" since the two front airbags were indeed deployed in the crash, as stated in the accident report.

- Were Saturn's headlights or emergency lights on when LE arrived to the crash scene? The accident report doesn't mention it and I also find odd to abandon a car, at night, close to a turn, without letting the emergency or headlights on.

- In the accident report it is mentioned by the agent that "When the vehicle was towed from the scene by Lavoie's I recovered a coke bottle that contained a red liquid with a strong alcoholic odor". Has it been stablished where exactly was this bottle found? I mean, if it was found under the car once it was being towed, or was it somewhere else near the car.

Well, I think it is enough for a start. I hope someone could shed some light into these questions. I have many more to come, but let start with these.

Thank you in advance and please excuse my poor english.

 

[Coffeelover]

Hi, welcome Emorton! Your English is great. You sound like a native.

I don't have the answers to your questions but I'm interested in the answers.

 

[scoops]

Hi to all

A long time lurker first time poster here, so first thing to say must be that I really appreciate the disinterested effort put forth by the participants in this forums and the awesome work of the people who administer them and made them possible. Of course my heart goes out for the families and friends of the victims of all the cases and wish I would be able to help them in any way. I'm a Mechanical Engineer from Spain, 44, with no experience whatsoever in researching/sleuthing, so maybe I wont be of any help but, who knows?

That said, I've been specially interested in the Maura Murray case since I saw the Investigation Discovery Disappeared episode first aired on spanish TV more than a year ago. The case attracted my attention because of the amount of misterious circumstances that surrounded it, ie the strange travel to the north without noticing to anyone, the father's speech to her that led me to think there was something to look for in the previous story that led to Maura disappearing, the amount of unexplained little details...

Back then I read many online material about the case, looking for answers to question that raised in my mind after watching the episode. Of course WS was one of the prime sources of information. At that time I didn't have much free time, I remember I tried to join WS but couldn't due to email policies that didn't allowed me to sign up with a free email account. Then a hard working time came and I almost forgot about the case. A month ago spanish TV re-aired the show and I could see it again, and all the unanswered question raised again to my mind. And here I am finally.

So, once introduced, let me go straight with some of the questions:

- For what I have read there are contradictory information regarding the amount of alcohol left behind in the car. In James Renner blog I read a post from 2011 that stated that all alcohol was accounted for by Haverhill PD, but later I read in other places that the alcohol was not in the car, is it a definitive and settled fact that the alcohol was in the car or is it not?

- I've seen a picture of Maura's Saturn where is clearly visible that the driver's airbag was cut-off. If the car was found locked, who cutted the airbag? Was it vandalised years later when parked in Haverhill PD or F-Troop headquarters?

- Did Mrs. Westman or Mr. Marrotte, in any statement or interview, made mention of a "bang" sound when they say they hear the accident? I mean, the Saturn crashed on a snowbank, crossed the road and ended on the ditch. None of the sounds of impact should sound as loud as a bang, except the sound of the airbag deploying, that should have sounded loudly in the quiet night, well over the rest of the sounds of impact, even with the windows closed. There are many videos on the internet where you can see how much noise an airbag deployment makes. There are even vídeos of Saturn's airbag deployment. I find it odd that no witness mentioned a "bang" since the two front airbags were indeed deployed in the crash, as stated in the accident report.

- Were Saturn's headlights or emergency lights on when LE arrived to the crash scene? The accident report doesn't mention it and I also find odd to abandon a car, at night, close to a turn, without letting the emergency or headlights on.

- In the accident report it is mentioned by the agent that "When the vehicle was towed from the scene by Lavoie's I recovered a coke bottle that contained a red liquid with a strong alcoholic odor". Has it been stablished where exactly was this bottle found? I mean, if it was found under the car once it was being towed, or was it somewhere else near the car.

Well, I think it is enough for a start. I hope someone could shed some light into these questions. I have many more to come, but let start with these.

Thank you in advance and please excuse my poor english.

Welcome aboard. I don't post much anymore (losing interest in the case and the goofballs that are interested in it such as John Green) but I always like to help out the best I can to someone whom wants to learn about the case.

I guess to your first question about the alcohol, it would technically not be a settled fact on whether alcohol was recovered and stored or not.

I believe based on the info out there that there was some missing bottles of alcohol that Maura took with her, along with her black backpack, allthewhile, she left her personal belongings and clothes behind.

James Renner talked to an officer (not assigned to the Maura murray case) whom did some checking and told James that all alcohol was accounted for.

In a later interview with the lead investigator of Maura Murray's disappearance (also done by James Renner) the now retired LT noted that there were missing alcohol from Maura's car.


About the airbag. The car was towed to Lavoies and was unlocked (either by police or by Fred Murray and Billy Rausch). There was a spare key kept hidden somewhere on the car or under the car in a compartment and fred would've either given police permission to get to that spare key or fred would've got the spare key when he himself went to Lavoies to check out the car.


On the Westman's I do believe they make mention of hearing a large thump in some reports that came right after they heard an acceleration.

On Maura's lights, some reports have noted that the school bus driver had noticed that Maura didn't have her flashers on and he thought she was in danger (from on-coming cars of being struck being by a dark car in the pitch black with part of the car sticking out in the road) so he advised her to turn on her flashers which apparently she did.

From what I have heard, the coke bottle was found after the car had been towed and found directly under where the car was

I am almost exclusively going off of memory and I am not going to sit here and link up sources for all of this info.

Its up to you to believe me. I have studied this case inside and out for many years, but admit that I am not perfect. But this info should be a good start for you and should also be highly accurate.

 

[Emorton]

I guess to your first question about the alcohol, it would technically not be a settled fact on whether alcohol was recovered and stored or not.

Thank you for the answers. I find it important to stablish if all the alcohol that Maura bought was accounted for (except for part of the Franzia wine that was in the coke bottle) just to exclude the possibility that she was driving in tandem with someone. IMO if she were driving in tandem and the other car picked her after the crash, Maura most probably would have taken the alcohol to the other car, say because it was bought as part of the plan, say because she wanted to conceal it from LE. So if we could be able to stablish that all alcohol was accounted for it is my opinion that we can discard the tandem scenario.

About the airbag. The car was towed to Lavoies and was unlocked (either by police or by Fred Murray and Billy Rausch). There was a spare key kept hidden somewhere on the car or under the car in a compartment and fred would've either given police permission to get to that spare key or fred would've got the spare key when he himself went to Lavoies to check out the car.

Can you recall if at the time that the Saturn was unlocked Maura was declared missing yet? Was it made an inventory of the content by LE?

On the Westman's I do believe they make mention of hearing a large thump in some reports that came right after they heard an acceleration.

Makes sense, but cannot find the cite anywhere. The windshield had a crack from the inside, how could that happen if airbags were deployed? Did Maura's head hit the windshield before the airbags were deployed? Was the crack there before the crash at Wild Ammonoosuc Rd, or was the windshield craked by a hit after the crash? Was it made an expert report on the accident?

Sorry to ask so many questions, please be patient with me.

 

[OldSteve]

:welcome3: Great to see new people here! :welcome4:



Also great to see Scoops posting! For those new, Scoops has done some remarkable investigative work by visiting areas involved and taking photos.
I hope he will post a link to those.

 

[scoops]

Thank you for the answers. I find it important to stablish if all the alcohol that Maura bought was accounted for (except for part of the Franzia wine that was in the coke bottle) just to exclude the possibility that she was driving in tandem with someone. IMO if she were driving in tandem and the other car picked her after the crash, Maura most probably would have taken the alcohol to the other car, say because it was bought as part of the plan, say because she wanted to conceal it from LE. So if we could be able to stablish that all alcohol was accounted for it is my opinion that we can discard the tandem scenario.



Can you recall if at the time that the Saturn was unlocked Maura was declared missing yet? Was it made an inventory of the content by LE?



Makes sense, but cannot find the cite anywhere. The windshield had a crack from the inside, how could that happen if airbags were deployed? Did Maura's head hit the windshield before the airbags were deployed? Was the crack there before the crash at Wild Ammonoosuc Rd, or was the windshield craked by a hit after the crash? Was it made an expert report on the accident?

Sorry to ask so many questions, please be patient with me.

On the alcohol.

There was a box of franzia wine left in the car behind the drivers side seat in the floor of the passenger seat. This box was not taken by Maura (it is assumed) because the alcohol was damaged in the wreck and had splashed all over the car.

I contend that when the officer told James Renner that all alcohol was accounted for, he did not mean that they scooped up all of the alcohol in Maura's car and stuck it in a filing cabinet somewhere as evidence. What I believe the officer was telling James was that they found the receipts for alcohol purchased in Maura's car and from those receipts they know exactly how much alcohol Maura should've had. And that there were a couple of bottles missing (meaning she likely took them with her).


On her damaged car
An inventory was done (not sure if it was the next day or a few days after the wreck) but police did do an actual line by line inventory of the contents in Maura's car and Maura's father and boyfriend also went up and examined the car as well. I would definitely say at the time they did the inventory they knew they had a missing girl on their hands.

On the cracked windshield
I don't believe Maura hit her head at all. Airbags in fact can often crack windshields from the inside when deployed. My mother was in a head-on wreck with an oil rig (long story) and her airbag that popped out of her steering wheel actually cracked the windshield when it deployed. Police found no evidence of Maura's head hitting the windshield. not one drop of blood was found and nothing of Maura's hair found in the windshield

 

[scoops]

In case you haven't seen this:

I interviewed (vie email) Maura's supervisor Karen Mayotte concerning the mysterious night that Maura broke down at work and was escorted back to her dorm.

Here is the full interview with KM.

It was suppose to span an entire week (questions/answers) that covered a lot of dorm policies and more insight on Maura the person, but we never finished our interview.

But here is what I got concerning that Thursday night.



Interview took place April 2013:

Do you remember some specifics on what was said to you, to make you go and check in on Maura sometime shortly before 1 a.m. on that early Friday morning of her dorm monitor shift? Do you remember thinking I must get over there quick it sounds bad?

KM: I forget the exact quotation, however I remember my coworker (fellow supervisor) telling me that, "Something's up with Maura. She has been crying."...but I can't remember how I responded back to him.I also can't remember what further questions I posed to him to get more information, but I remember walking to her dorm knowing she was upset. When I was told that I should go check on her, I was about to go on my break and grab some food, however I didn't take the break and immediately headed to the dorm she was working at. I didn't run there, but walked at a quick pace. I was thinking that I had a friend upset and needed to get there quickly to see what I could do for her, however I did not head to her dorm thinking it was an emergency or of utter urgency.

Prior knowledge for you- we were not friends outside of work, as my student teaching/ coursework/ security job/ raising a kindergarten boy left me for hardly any sleep, thus no social life at all. But while working, we were friendly and would chat together while on duty together.


You described (interview with james) that when you first encountered Maura she was staring blankly ahead and not responsive. How long was she like this? Was she also sobbing at the time or did she start crying minutes later?

KM: Yes, that is correct that when I first encountered her, she was staring blankly ahead and not responsive to me even walking into the dorm. I remember walking in, and she was just staring almost past me, not even focusing on me when I approached the desk. I walked right up to her desk, and noticed right away that her cell phone was on the desk. The reason I noticed this was, we had a big policy against cell phones, as they were distracting to receptionists, and that was one of our big things to check for when on rounds to make sure they weren't out. But anyways, that was the least of my worries, as I was more worried about her emotional state at that point.”

As a friend to whoever, I consider myself really good at making my friends feel comfortable and willing to talk to me about what was bothering them, but with Maura that night I was unable to do so. I asked what was wrong (not sure if it was the 2nd or 3rd time I asked her, as she didn't respond to me right away), and then she just said, "My sister" when gesturing towards the cell phone. I then remember she started crying (not sure exactly when she started crying since I entered the dorm...between 2-4 minutes?). When she started crying I remember hugging her right away.

I asked her what was wrong and what could I do for her, and at that point she didn't respond. I was hoping she would tell me more specifically what happened regarding her sister, but she didn't. Then I remember two girls entering the dorm, one lived in the dorm, as she had swiped in her card, but the girl she was with I was unsure. Generally I don't say a thing to them, as the receptionist (i.e. Maura) should be the one to call out asking to show the ID's, and if the friend didn't live there then she would ask them to come on over to the desk and sign her in. When Maura didn't ask for their ID, I knew at that point that she was not in a good emotional state to stay on duty.

I called my head supervisor on duty, and told him that I thought she should stop working for the night, as she was not in a good emotional state to work. At that point I knew that she was done working for the night, but wanted to try to help her any way I could. I shared with her that I was depressed for years, and that I was worried about her in this state. I asked her if I could bring her to the University Mental Health Services, as I told her it was 24 hours a day open, and I could bring her if she was too upset to go on her own.

She shook her head no, and I remember not wanting to be annoying and keep bugging her about it. I then told her if she wanted, when I got off shift in a little while, we could go get some Dunkins together (referring to Dunkin Donuts), as it was still open and we could chat if she wanted someone to talk to. (can't remember if she said no, or shook her head no)...and said she had an early class in the morning.

I noticed a huge nursing book in front of her, and just thinking, jeez, that must be a tricky course and that could be another stressor for her right now. I ripped out a blank piece of lined paper from a notebook and wrote down my cell phone on it, and told her to call me whenever, at any point, if there was anything I could do for her, as I wanted to help her feel better.

As she was not talking to me anymore, I then realized I should get her ready to leave her shift, so I then took out my sheet where she had to sing her key back in, as she was now off duty. She still was sitting there, as normally after that you would get up and grab all your stuff to leave the dorm, I remember picking up her nursing book, physically cleaning up her desk and putting her materials in her backpack (don't remember exactly what else, there was another textbook I believe and a notebook, but am not exactly sure). I then carried her backpack for her, and she followed me out of the dorm and I remember putting my arm around her shoulder while we walked to Kennedy, her dorm, which was basically just like 300 feet away.

I swiped her into her dorm, used my key to get her into the elevator lobby, told her I was worried to leave her alone like this, she told me she had a roommate so it was OK (Found out later she lived in a single), I gave her a hug and a kiss on her cheek, and she went up the stairs directly next to the elevator, so I assumed she didn't live too high up in the tower, as generally you take the elevator if you are high up. I think she was 2nd floor, but not completely sure. I then walked back out to the lobby, called my head supervisor again, told him that I was worried about leaving Maura in that state, and he told me thanks for walking her back.

That morning we had snow and classes were cancelled in the AM...I remember thinking, a bit relieved, knowing Maura didn't have classes and could sleep in late and rest. I kept thinking I should call her to check in, then I felt like I was only a work friend, as I never saw her in a different social context, and thought she probably didn't want to share anything private that was upsetting her, as she didn't want to go get coffee the other night. I was very upset when I heard her car crashed in NH and she was missing, as I had felt not good leaving her alone that last night I saw her, and felt extremely sad.

It has been very hard since, even years later, as I wish I had been more persistent at getting her help, but truthfully don't think she was have been receptive to my requests.

And what was your reaction to seeing Maura staring blankly ahead? Was this just a college student day-dreaming or being spaced out, or did you believe right away something was really wrong with Maura?

KM: I totally think that something was really wrong with Maura, as she just looked right past me as I walked into that dorm that night, and was definitely not a day-dream kind of stare.

 

[OldSteve]

Can't help but mention, after reading about the things in her car being inventoried - will we ever know if she carried a flashlight in her car, and if she took with her?
I know I could run for miles if I had one at night! But no light, no run...

 

[scoops]

Can't help but mention, after reading about the things in her car being inventoried - will we ever know if she carried a flashlight in her car, and if she took with her?
I know I could run for miles if I had one at night! But no light, no run...

While the car was inventoried, the items found in the car have never been released publically. Family could answer that question about a flashlight.

My belief, is that I am not so sure Maura really had an "emergency kit" in her car. I think that could be something Fred Murray fudged to investigators. But that is solely my opinion and not based on known facts.

 

[OldSteve]

The flashlight question is one I really wished James R would have figured out for his book! Perhaps I'm making too much about it, but since wife and I would run at night with flashlights - seems like her having one could really change things in this case!
It would also lend some creditability to the sighting that the contractor made of her being miles away from the crash on that fateful night...

We have the video of what it was like driving on the road to where she crashed on a winter's day after snow...
Would love to see a video made of someone running at night on that road with/without use of flashlight. It would be ankle twister/breaker without a light...

 

[Queen_City]

This is really out on a limb but with the recent info about Israel Keyes it makes me think that some of the more mysterious disappearances, such as this one, may have something to do with a very meticulous serial killer. (Not necessarily Keyes, but a serial killer of that nature... although he did have some known victims in Vermont)