Found Deceased MT - Rita Maze, 47, Wolf Creek, 6 Sept 2016 #1

[CARIIS]

Maze was found dead with a single gunshot wound hours later near the Spokane airport.

?????????????

http://www.khq.com/story/33077348/questions-remain-in-rita-maze-death-investigation



Interesting word choice no?

NBC News reports[FONT=&amp] that Rita Maze, 47, was supposedly kidnapped at a rest stop near Wolf Creek,
font not my choice:

[/FONT][FONT=&amp]Maze died from a single gunshot that struck her chest and abdomen.

Visualize angle of gun for this to happen???? What do you "see"? I just put my arm out?

Humm................................
Standing up outside a car with a trunk open? Do you get "he" was standing paralel to her head , from the side of the car - kind of gun pointed down at an angle?

I just get a downward visualization if that make sense - does it?

Chest then tummy[/FONT]

 

[katydid23]

I see your train of thought but that all seems incredibly far fetched to me. Why would he shoot her BEFORE he disconnected the call? Opening the trunk, the first natural reaction would be to grab the phone. Hell, why would he even put her in the trunk at all? He clearly wasn't trying to rob her.

Occam's razor for sure.

I can see why he would hit her in the head and stash her in the trunk, if what he really wanted was a car to take him out of the area. Maybe he was on the run from something and needed to carjack someone, but didn't want to leave a witness behind to report a stolen car.

If her cell was not in her purse, but in a pocket, he might not have seen it when he dumped her in the trunk. She may have been unconscious and he assumed she was dead?

Also, when he popped the trunk, she may have hidden the phone from view. She may have heard it opening and held it down so he did not see it when he first shot her. Then he saw it and turned it off before making anymore noise?

 

[CARIIS]

I suppose the ME and crime scene investigators will eventually be able to add all kinds of details to support or negate an abductor theory like for eg stomach contents, presence of urine in trunk, blood splatter patterns in an open vs closed trunk as well the already anticipated presence/absence of DNA/fingerprints of unknown source? gunpowder residue? etc
But I kind of just wish there could be a definitive or persuasive fact that LE can reveal soon... Sorry if this seems like impatience, but I do feel this must be much more agonizing for the family and friends of Rita...

That is brillant!!

There has got to be "stuff" going on. I think residue on hands does not take weeks . Victims don't always get GSR on them; even suicide victims can test negative for GSR.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunshot_residue#Results

The method of collection for residue is quite simple and easily carried out in the field.

http://library.med.utah.edu/WebPath/TUTORIAL/GUNS/GUNGSR.html

One way or the other IMO they have these results

 

[GigTu]

I see your train of thought but that all seems incredibly far fetched to me. Why would he shoot her BEFORE he disconnected the call? Opening the trunk, the first natural reaction would be to grab the phone. Hell, why would he even put her in the trunk at all? He clearly wasn't trying to rob her.

Occam's razor for sure.

He may have been transporting her, heard her frantic talking from the trunk or heard the phone ring when they called, then pulled over and killed her.

 

[Deleted member 172065]

If he stopped at a gas station (or two), wouldn't there be danger of her making noise. Or did he think he killed her?

 

[Deleted member 172065]

I see what writer above means about the woman not screaming when the trunk goes up, and then no slamming of the lid after the shooting...

 

[Deleted member 172065]

There is a thread going on on this very scenario so it can happen.

"The woman said in the call obtained by CBS affiliate WOIO that she had been tied up, but partly freed herself in a bedroom to make the call from her captor’s phone while he was asleep in the same room. She is heard whispering to a dispatcher, terrified that she will wake him up."

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/911-cal...ads-to-discovery-of-three-bodies-shawn-grate/

Disturbing. I live about a half hr away from where the Shawn Grate murders took place so I'm following that case, as well. Reminds me somewhat of Ariel Castro, Cleveland, except those women survived.

 

[Gardener1850]

Something I just thought of: I want to know where her phone was found. We know it was found in the trunk. Was it in her hand? or by her side? or by her head/cradled in her neck? Since it was a flip phone, was it left open or closed? When I used to have a flip phone I remember the phone hung up by closing it. You didn't have to push a button to disconnect.

If we go with the suicide theory, it could be easy for her to hang up a flip phone rather quickly after shooting herself. However, it seems like it would be difficult to hold onto both the phone and the gun at the same time while curled up in the trunk. She would have to open the phone when it rang, set it down (or cradle it in her neck), fire the gun and then pick the phone back up to close it while bleeding out, ALL without making a sound. At least not any sounds loud enough to be heard on the phone call...Either she made sounds of distress we have not been told about OR she managed to hang up without making any sounds.

For the abduction theory: Say a kidnapper opened the trunk because Rita's phone is ringing. What if Rita has lost consciousness again at this point because of her head wound. The kidnapper finds the phone, realizes in the process of getting it she is still alive (but unconscious). Kidnapper opens the phone, fires the gun so the shots are heard (Rita makes no sound because she's unconscious), kidnapper closes the phone and puts it in the trunk along with the gun, closes the trunk and runs off. That is how we could get a phone call that sounded as described: gunshots and then silence.

In my abduction theory above it may not make sense to let the shots be heard on the phone if this was a random crime, however it WOULD make sense if this was personal--a revenge killing or hired hit. In that case, firing the gun with the open phone was to send a very clear message to someone.

So which scenario was it? I'm on the fence still. I think the examination of the evidence will take quite while to work out what happened.

 

[eucalyptuz]

Theoretical question: Would two bullets fired in quick succession into the exact same spot be be classified a single gunshot wound? There would only be 'one' wound per say...

 

[CARIIS]

Well, if the blood was slowly seeping out from the trunk, then perhaps it wasn't there at 12:36 yet.

Good point - when I read it I got the sense that the blood was a bit away from the vehicle ?

Timeline



• 11 a.m.: Rita Maze, after visiting family in Helena, fills up with gas at a Holiday Station in Helena for her trip home to Great Falls on Interstate 15.
• 11:25 a.m.: Maze speaks to her husband, Bob, by cellphone, telling him that she might go visit her mother before leaving Helena. (how far would this visit take drvie time? Is it on the way home or away from heading back?
• 3:40 p.m.: Bob Maze begins to worry about his wife and called her multiple times.
• 4:15 p.m.: A credit card of Maze’s is used in a convenience store in Kingston, Idaho.
• 5:30 p.m.: Bob Maze calls his daughter, Rochelle Maze, and the two begin calling family.
• 8:20 p.m.: The Maze family reports her missing to authorities.
• 9 p.m.: Authorities begin trying to search for the phone. A license-plate reader also picked up Maze’s car in Post Falls, Idaho. A license plate reader takes a photo of the license plate.
• 9:55 p.m.: Maze’s credit card is used in Ritzville, Wash.
• 10:25 p.m.: Maze calls her husband and daughter. She tells them she’s in a trunk of a vehicle, but she’s not sure if it’s hers. She said she was struck on the head and forced into the trunk of her car at a rest stop near Wolf Creek north of Helena. Also, sometime in the late evening, a Helena police officer, searching for Maze, calls her cellphone number and she answers. They speak for 10 minutes. She tells him she doesn’t know where she’s at. I would know my trucnk even in darkness
• 11 p.m.: The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office is notified by the Helena Police Department that Maze is missing and is possibly in the area of Spokane County.
• 1:30 a.m.: Following Maze’s cellphone, Spokane County Sheriff’s Office deputies find Maze’s black Grand Prix on the 7600 block of West Geiger Blvd., which is near the Spokane International Airport just west of Spokane. Maze is in the car, deceased. Nobody else was found at the scene.
Sources: Interviews with family, Lewis and Clark County Sheriff’s Office, Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, Spokane County Medical Examiner. Times are in Mountain Standard Time.

http://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/2016/09/12/rita-maze-timeline/90257174/

 

[EyesofTheSouth]

Couple things. First, it's been mentioned a couple of times that maybe the alleged kidnapper shot Rita when he heard the phone ring and the officer was calling. That doesn't make sense to me. It sounds like the shots happened so fast after the phone picked up, that I can't see the alleged kidnapper having time to pull over, pop the trunk, walk to the back of the car and then fire 2 shots. This sounds like it happened immediately when the call was picked up. The only way that is possible is if the kidnapper had already pulled over and gotten out and was headed toward the trunk, which he would have already had to pop open. Then, fire 2 shots.

Also, if the reason for shooting her at that point was because the phone rang then why didn't he shoot her at any of the times the phone rang previously or she was making calls. From what I can tell, there were several phones to and from the phone; between Rita and her family, as well as the police. Surely the kidnapper would've heard those previous phone rings and calls?

Also, I have an issue with the timeline. I haven't seen this mentioned, but maybe I missed it. Anyways, the first use of the debit card was in Kingston, ID, at 4:15pm, right? Then, the next thing we have is the car being picked up on a highway video camera at 9pm in Post Falls, ID.

Well, Google maps tells me that Kingston and Post Falls are only 43.1 miles apart and the drive from Point A to Point B would take 42 minutes. Except, the car is at Point A at 4:15pm and not at Point B until 9pm. That's 4 hours and 45 minutes, for what would be about a 45 minute ride. So, what's going on in the 'missing' 4 hours? Where did the car go between 4:15pm and when it showed up on the camera at 9pm? If it was a kidnapper, somehow I doubt they would be hanging around the gas station for any longer than they had to.

I don't know, for me, that 4 hours is a something that I'm hung up on. It makes no sense, especially if it was a kidnapper. Now, if it was a person who was conflicted about harming themselves and just driving around trying to think, then that makes more sense. I don't know. I just thought I would mention the 4 hours because I haven't seen it discussed anywhere.

Of course it bothers me, too that the car traveled to Ritzville, past Spokane, got gas, and then turned around and went back to Spokane. Why would it matter to a kidnapper where he ditched the car? And why would he go past Spokane then turn around and go back? Even if he didn't know that Rita was making phone calls, he surely would have figured that someone might have noticed she was missing and called police, and that police could be out looking for the car. Why not just dump the car in Ritzville somewhere? If seems like the person who drove the car had some idea of where they were going, at least with regards to familiarity of the areas.

ETA: When you consider the car stopped for gas again in Ritzville, it seems even more illogical to me that the car would then go back to Spokane. Why would a kidnapper shell out another $25 to buy enough gas to go back to Spokane, instead of just ditching the car somewhere in Ritzville? Even though the money was taken from Rita's card and he didn't pay for it, why take the chance of going to a second gas station when it wasn't necessary? Any why put in $25 instead of say $10? Ritzville to Spokane seems to be only 60 miles. Putting $25 in makes me think someone was putting in at least half a tank and was planning to drive around some more. For a kidnapper who is trying to avoid being caught, that doesn't make sense. For a conflicted person trying to decide what to do, it makes a lot more sense.

The parking lot where she was found was somewhat close to Spokane Airport, wasn't it? If it was suicide that would make sense to me, because she might think the police would believe the kidnapper hopped a plane out of the city and no one could ever be prosecuted or even found.

 

[EyesofTheSouth]

Hate to make a separate post, but apparently you can't edit after an hour. Had one more thought though.

The keys were found in the ignition and the car was locked. The police had to break the window to get into the car. Why would a kidnapper leave the keys behind and in the ignition? Locking the car makes sense since someone would have to break in to find the purse/ID and check the trunk. However, leaving the keys behind leaves the alleged kidnappers fingerprints behind.

It's doubtful a kidnapper would just happen to be hanging around with gloves. Possible, I guess, but, seems unlikely. If this was a kidnapper, then the motive would seem to be just that he needed wheels. Who carries gloves on them and waits around a rest stop, with gloves, hoping someone to carjack would stop by? It seems like it would be a spur of the moment decision by someone who was walking or hitchhiking or something. That person wouldn't likely be carrying gloves at this time of the year. It seems to me that a kidnapper would take the keys with him and then toss them in a dumpster or a pond or something rather than risk leaving his fingerprints at the scene.

If it was a fake kidnapping staged by Rita, it would make more sense for the keys to be found in the ignition. She probably wouldn't think of disposing of the keys, or wouldn't want to be seen or caught on security tape (I think Penske Trucks is right there, they might have surveillance since they have a lot of trucks sitting outside) trying to get rid of them and then going back to the car.

I believe a key fob was found in the trunk with her. If it was a remote to unlock and lock the car, why was it separated from the key ring and in her trunk with her? Or why would she have 2 key fobs with her, one attached to the keys in the ignition and one in the trunk with her? If the second key fob was put in the trunk by a kidnapper he's not just left behind at least a second object with his fingerprints on it.

It seems more likely that Rita separated the fob from the key ring and used it to lock up the car after she climbed into the trunk.

 

[MelmothTheLost]

He may have been transporting her, heard her frantic talking from the trunk or heard the phone ring when they called, then pulled over and killed her.

But if he thought he'd killer her and therefore had a body to dispose of, why would he spend the next 12 hours driving around with a body in the back of the car? Surely he'd want to dispose of it pretty quickly somewhere it would not be easily found. To me, that would mean taking one of the rural backroads through remote country rather than the interstate.

 

[GigTu]

Theoretical question: Would two bullets fired in quick succession into the exact same spot be be classified a single gunshot wound? There would only be 'one' wound per say...

We don't know how much time passed between shots.

 

[GigTu]

But if he thought he'd killer her and therefore had a body to dispose of, why would he spend the next 12 hours driving around with a body in the back of the car? Surely he'd want to dispose of it pretty quickly somewhere it would not be easily found. To me, that would mean taking one of the rural backroads through remote country rather than the interstate.

Are we certain a guy who whacks people on the head, stuffs them into a trunk, then drives hours away thinks rationally? It's hard to know what a person was thinking, when they were thinking it, and why.

 

[Gardener1850]

Are we certain a guy who whacks people on the head, stuffs them into a trunk, then drives hours away thinks rationally? It's hard to know what a person was thinking, when they were thinking it, and why.

I keep thinking, why that location? Whether it's suicide or murder the final location doesn't make much sense. Perhaps it was just random or chosen on impulse when whoever was driving thought the police were getting close to finding them.

However, I did a little research on Rita's family. She had family who lived in Spokane at one time (the brother who died in 2012 was living in Spokane and a sister lived there in 2012). I really wonder if any of her family members worked in one of those nearby businesses in the past. To be clear, I'm NOT suggesting them as suspects. I'm asking if this was an area that she was familiar with (through visiting family) or an area where someone who knew her family would be familiar with.

 

[eucalyptuz]

Theoretical question: Would two bullets fired in quick succession into the exact same spot be be classified a single gunshot wound? There would only be 'one' wound per say...

We don't know how much time passed between shots.

That's why my question was 'theoretical' In this case LE or the ME have likely found both bullets...but honestly, I am curious...

 

[Blondie in Spokane]

I keep thinking, why that location? Whether it's suicide or murder the final location doesn't make much sense. Perhaps it was just random or chosen on impulse when whoever was driving thought the police were getting close to finding them.

However, I did a little research on Rita's family. She had family who lived in Spokane at one time (the brother who died in 2012 was living in Spokane and a sister lived there in 2012). I really wonder if any of her family members worked in one of those nearby businesses in the past. To be clear, I'm NOT suggesting them as suspects. I'm asking if this was an area that she was familiar with (through visiting family) or an area where someone who knew her family would be familiar with.

ITA - "Why that location?" That's what I keep wondering, especially after checking it out in person - it's so remote. I worked at the Spokane Airport for many years which is just a few miles down the road. I never would have known this area existed otherwise. It's hard for me to believe that the driver wasn't familiar with this location beforehand.

 

[Inthedetails]

ITA - "Why that location?" That's what I keep wondering, especially after checking it out in person - it's so remote. I worked at the Spokane Airport for many years which is just a few miles down the road. I never would have known this area existed otherwise. It's hard for me to believe that the driver wasn't familiar with this location beforehand.

Hmmm, good thinking....that is something to consider......

 

[SpanishInquisition]

I keep thinking, why that location? Whether it's suicide or murder the final location doesn't make much sense. Perhaps it was just random or chosen on impulse when whoever was driving thought the police were getting close to finding them.

However, I did a little research on Rita's family. She had family who lived in Spokane at one time (the brother who died in 2012 was living in Spokane and a sister lived there in 2012). I really wonder if any of her family members worked in one of those nearby businesses in the past. To be clear, I'm NOT suggesting them as suspects. I'm asking if this was an area that she was familiar with (through visiting family) or an area where someone who knew her family would be familiar with.

Something that I'd like to know was if the phone was on the entire time since if the phone was an the entire time, RM was at great risk of being caught if it was RM's intent to commit suicide and even if the phone was turned off, there was still great risk as you could have a car reported stolen and be pulled over for that, which under both those circumstances it would be obvious what was going on.