NH NH - Maura Murray, 21, Haverhill, 9 Feb 2004 #16

[Austin023]

His fingerprint on a CD case does not put him in the car. CD cases are easily portable.
His fingerprint inside her car, like maybe on the dashboard, doesn’t mean much either, since he was a friend of hers.
Their is zero evidence anybody was in the car with her on her trip up.

While I remain very skeptical of this new "finding", largely based on the reasons you mention about a fingerprint on a CD, which is portable...and could be from him handling it say two years ago....there is one thing that did stand out a bit:

This fingerprint from a CD in Maura's car was found during forensic processing of that vehicle in February, 2004. For whatever reason, the authorities back then decided to enter that fingerprint into a national database that contains prints from crime scenes and certain detainees/convists. (No sources I read on this matter indicated what else, if any others, were also found in her car and submitted to the AIFIS database).
Apparently, at some point around 2020, a possible match was made of that unidentified print from the CD and Baldwin after his prints were submitted to the system). AFAIK Baldwin is NOT considered a POI or suspect in the Murray case.

Why was that print taken for evidence to begin with? While it might just be one of many found in the car, it would be good to know more about the specifics of this, like where was the CD found in the car? For instance, was the CD found in the car stereo CD player? Was the print suggestive of recent origin or not? While a CD is of course portable and he might have handled it at any point prior, I find it a little curious it was put into the database in the first place.
Just one more of many unknowns in this case.

 

[Tarik]

While I remain very skeptical of this new "finding", largely based on the reasons you mention about a fingerprint on a CD, which is portable...and could be from him handling it say two years ago....there is one thing that did stand out a bit:

This fingerprint from a CD in Maura's car was found during forensic processing of that vehicle in February, 2004. For whatever reason, the authorities back then decided to enter that fingerprint into a national database that contains prints from crime scenes and certain detainees/convists. (No sources I read on this matter indicated what else, if any others, were also found in her car and submitted to the AIFIS database).
Apparently, at some point around 2020, a possible match was made of that unidentified print from the CD and Baldwin after his prints were submitted to the system). AFAIK Baldwin is NOT considered a POI or suspect in the Murray case.

Why was that print taken for evidence to begin with? While it might just be one of many found in the car, it would be good to know more about the specifics of this, like where was the CD found in the car? For instance, was the CD found in the car stereo CD player? Was the print suggestive of recent origin or not? While a CD is of course portable and he might have handled it at any point prior, I find it a little curious it was put into the database in the first place.
Just one more of many unknowns in this case.

That was actually one of the rare smart things that the police did in this case and this is how you normally proceed when it comes to found fingerprints in a missing person case. Especially with cases that involve a car, detectives usually process the whole vehicle looking for DNA. There are many cold cases that were solved after decades because DNA from a crime scene/accident scene where someone went missing was taken at that time and later entered in a database which at some point was linked to a perpetrator either through subsequent crimes that they committed or through forensic genetic genealogy especially since 2018 or so.

A NHSP detective apparently told Renner that Baldwin has been on their radar for a while and is their main suspect. Make of that what you will but it's out there.

 

[EstrellaEspectral]

I was hesitant to believe Renner. Plus, anyone alive at that time would think a fingerprint on a CD is not enough evidence. I am starting to wonder, though.

Julie talks a lot about a West Point cadet chatting with Maura on AOL in the Media Pressure podcast and TikTok. Also, there’s the mysterious cadet in the accident with her father’s car right before she went missing.

I’ve been rewatching her TikTok’s and listening to the podcast again and I feel very strongly this could be the guy. Also, Julie usually comes out and dispels rumors these days, and she’s been quiet on this one.

I found this news clip where the detective in the animal abuse case reports that NH police contacted them after SB’s prints were matched.

They have much more evidence than we know so linking the fingerprint on the CD could be a small piece of the puzzle.

Could be wishful thinking. I really want her case solved.

MOO


Fraudulent ‘Dog Whisperer’ connected to decades-old missing persons case

 

[Austin023]

While, like I said before, that I'm still skeptical of this "new" info released by Renner, what if the sole fingerprint was not the only one found in the car (relating to Baldwin)? It seems a bit unclear where exactly this information came from regarding the print (only found on a CD or CD case)..please refer to the second link down below, from the Daily Mail.
While the authorities have confirmed that a match to Baldwin was made, it seems like the specifics of it might not be, with Baldwin providing that detail of where/how many of his prints were found in the car or relevant place.

One thing that also troubles me is the sudden resignation of Det. West from the NH State Police, which occured soon after he received the fingerprint match info and relayed it to Ohio authorities (who've also confirmed this)....West then quits suddenly, only stating that reasons involved "drama" around the case within the investigators, the Murray family and such. Something about this must have triggered a bad reaction...

Fingerprints Found in Maura Murray's Car Match Troubled West Point Cadet - The Disappearance of Maura Murray

The most reliable source for information in the unsolved disappearance of Maura Murray.

mauramurraymystery.com

Redirect Notice

 

[Tarik]

While, like I said before, that I'm still skeptical of this "new" info released by Renner, what if the sole fingerprint was not the only one found in the car (relating to Baldwin)? It seems a bit unclear where exactly this information came from regarding the print (only found on a CD or CD case)..please refer to the second link down below, from the Daily Mail.
While the authorities have confirmed that a match to Baldwin was made, it seems like the specifics of it might not be, with Baldwin providing that detail of where/how many of his prints were found in the car or relevant place.

One thing that also troubles me is the sudden resignation of Det. West from the NH State Police, which occured soon after he received the fingerprint match info and relayed it to Ohio authorities (who've also confirmed this)....West then quits suddenly, only stating that reasons involved "drama" around the case within the investigators, the Murray family and such. Something about this must have triggered a bad reaction...

Fingerprints Found in Maura Murray's Car Match Troubled West Point Cadet - The Disappearance of Maura Murray

The most reliable source for information in the unsolved disappearance of Maura Murray.

mauramurraymystery.com

Redirect Notice

From what we know, it was Baldwin himself who told law enforcement that his fingerprint would be found in the car.

 

[minazoe]

ways this rings a bell

first it fits with the thinking that she had to be going there for a reason. to see someone or find someone. she had supplies and no known reservations for accommodations at that late hour.

no friends ever came forward to say they had plans with Maura in Vermont.

that she was said to have hooked up with this cadet not long before she disappeared.

she may have had a secret relationship with him.

that there was someone close by who might have been following or lived close enough to quickly pick her up and take her away.

someone she knew.

mOO

 

[CooperDyl]

While, like I said before, that I'm still skeptical of this "new" info released by Renner,

Definitely skeptical on this new ‘info’ myself, what caught my eye in the article was that Baldwin’s mother supposedly disappeared in 2007 and hasn’t been seen since, and two former partners of Baldwin allegedly died in alcohol and drug-related instances.

Certainly a fishy history for the convicted fraudster, if it can be proven. Obviously he wasn’t charged with anything in relation to the disappearance of his mother (in which Renner claimed he was unsure there was even a missing persons report?) nor the deaths. But if there is a pattern there then I’m sure investigators will be looking into it.
As it pertains to Maura, a former ‘fling’, well, husbands boyfriends and former partners are usually a good starting point of investigations into murdered or missing women. You’d have to imagine LE were at least somewhat aware of Baldwin’s existence… hopefully.

The father’s comments about the mother’s disappearance were odd, too. “As far as we know, she could be dead in the desert somewhere”??? Who says that?

 

[minazoe]

I think we are getting somewhere. mOO

 

[Tarik]

Baldwin for sure has a pattern and history of strange disappearances and deaths occuring around him, this is easily verifiable. Obviously it doesn't make him responsible of anything else besides what he was convicted and sentenced for, there is no evidence to the contrary.

 

[minazoe]

Baldwin for sure has a pattern and history of strange disappearances and deaths occuring around him, this is easily verifiable. Obviously it doesn't make him responsible of anything else besides what he was convicted and sentenced for, there is no evidence to the contrary.

Baldwin is like a black box from a plane crash in an avalanche..pinging in the snow. and I want to find him out. mOO

 

[SovietKitsch]

Thinking about her today, it was her birthday a few weeks ago. I recently read the records released by UMass and it seemed that before she disappeared she was going through something really sad. I really, really hope they can find her soon so she can have a proper burial and her family can have peace. Sending some prayers up for Maura today. RIP.

 

[Austin023]

Thinking about her today, it was her birthday a few weeks ago. I recently read the records released by UMass and it seemed that before she disappeared she was going through something really sad. I really, really hope they can find her soon so she can have a proper burial and her family can have peace. Sending some prayers up for Maura today. RIP.

It's a sad case despite its enduring mystery. I was attending UMass Amherst at the same time she was, though I did not know her personally. In addition to that, I had gone up to the UMass Cabin in Bethlehem, NH with a group as part of the university's outdoor club. This is only about 25 minutes from where Maura's car was found in Haverhill. We had left for the cabin the same afternoon she went missing, though none of us heard much about the disappearance until roughly a week later (we spent 4 days up there).

I've long wondered if Maura was in fact heading towards the UMass Cabin, as that lonely Route 112, going east, would lead you to Bethlehem center by way of 116, and the Cabin a little north of that. There was a pretty significant amount of students/alumni there that week as it was a long weekend coming.
I'll admit when I first heard about her being missing, and the general circumstances, I basically figured she'd succumbed to the elements, though I definitely feel differently now...I never went back up there either.

 

[summergirl1]

Fingerprint in missing person case points to new 'suspect'

Maura Murray was a student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst when she vanished on Feb. 9, 2004, minutes after crashing her car in Haverhill, New Hampshire.

www.dailymail.co.uk

April 6, 2025

New evidence has come to light in the disappearance of Maura Murray, providing a potential break in the infamous, decades-old cold case that points toward a former Army cadet with a violent, checkered past.

*****
But investigative journalist James Renner, who has been following Maura's case for more than a decade, told DailyMail.com he believes he's unearthed a new clue that could help solve part of the Murray puzzle.

'I think this is the best lead we've had in the case for 20 years,' said Renner.

*****
Last month, Steffen Baldwin, the former executive director of the Union County Humane Society in Ohio, was sentenced to more than 15 years in prison after being found guilty of 32 counts of animal cruelty, bribery, theft, and various other charges.

*****
Baldwin, 44, was first arrested in August 2020 and his fingerprints were entered into the national Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) database.

Shortly after, New Hampshire State Police Cold Case Unit detective Charles West contacted authorities in Ohio to inform them that Baldwin's prints matched a fingerprint recovered from inside Maura Murray's car.

*****

Lengthy article -- See link.

I wonder if Baldwin is the same guy that Julie calls "Tom" in this article? If not, this guy could maybe be suspicious..or maybe not.

 

[summergirl1]

On a sidenote, if you want to learn something potentially important given recent developments, please re-listen to Episode 4 of Media Pressure especially around the 5:30 minute mark when Julie Murray mentions two guys (she calls them Dan and Tom) that Maura knew from West Point.

Julie claims Tom communicated with Maura on AIM days before she disappeared. She claims Maura had his home address and that Tom invited Maura 'multiple times'. When she asked him whether he ever visited Maura at UMass, he denied it but Julie had in her possession a picture of them together. When she showed it to him, he stopped responding. Could Tom be the guy Renner mentioned in his video? It's something to think about.

Then at the 21:10 minute mark she says about the dorm party at Sara Alfieri's: 'We know her cousin and a few other guys who didn't go to UMass were there'. Again, does she mean Tom? Something to think about...

What was Baldwin's home address in 2004, or at least, after he left West Point?

 

[StarryStarryNight]

I really do hope this leads somewhere and we finally get answers.
But this is a real problem for me:
The facts we know are MM’s car spun out into a snow drift. She was seen by multiple people as apparently OK. She spoke to at least one person.
Ten minutes later, she’s vanished.
How does Baldwin fit in there? How does he pull that off under those circumstances?
I can’t seem to come up with any ideas on that.

 

[SovietKitsch]

I really do hope this leads somewhere and we finally get answers.
But this is a real problem for me:
The facts we know are MM’s car spun out into a snow drift. She was seen by multiple people as apparently OK. She spoke to at least one person.
Ten minutes later, she’s vanished.
How does Baldwin fit in there? How does he pull that off under those circumstances?
I can’t seem to come up with any ideas on that.

A lot of people believe she was picked up on foot by someone further up the road, where the dogs lost her scent, and if she was already en route to meet someone secretly like some people believe it by some stretch of the imagination could have been Baldwin, however I don't really see that being plausible.

IIRC, Baldwin's fingerprints were found on a CD in Maura's car, meaning it could have absolutely nothing to do with her disappearance. Could've borrowed the CD, etc.

 

[minazoe]

A lot of people believe she was picked up on foot by someone further up the road, where the dogs lost her scent, and if she was already en route to meet someone secretly like some people believe it by some stretch of the imagination could have been Baldwin, however I don't really see that being plausible.

IIRC, Baldwin's fingerprints were found on a CD in Maura's car, meaning it could have absolutely nothing to do with her disappearance. Could've borrowed the CD, etc.

except now he is super suspicious because he is a known psychopath and has a super shady history. how funny that she happens to hook up with him and then she happens to go missing.

my scenario- is they were going to meet somewhere and were taking the same route, when he came upon Maura and she got into his car..thinking she would deal with her spun out car in the morning when sober.

mOO

 

[SovietKitsch]

except now he is super suspicious because he is a known psychopath and has a super shady history. how funny that she happens to hook up with him and then she happens to go missing.

my scenario- is they were going to meet somewhere and were taking the same route, when he came upon Maura and she got into his car..thinking she would deal with her spun out car in the morning when sober.

mOO

I agree. My speculation is that Maura might have opened up to him (Baldwin) after the hookup, and he had suggested the secret getaway for a few days so she could relax a little. This explains why she didn't tell any of her friends where she was going, she was probably ashamed/embarrassed since she had cheated on her boyfriend with this guy. She had been through a lot prior to her disappearance with the stolen credit card (IMO linked to her eating disorder), wrecking her dad's car a few days prior, college pressure etc. When she wrecked her car again on her way to possibly meet up with Baldwin, I can only imagine the thoughts that were on a loop through her head standing out in the cold drunk while she waited for the cops. She would have been thinking about her possible DUI, having to explain it to her parents or boyfriend and she was clearly already going through something before she even went on the trip.

With this in mind, I think she made a quick decision to run away from the scene, this would explain why her remains have not been found in the area. She could have been picked up by the guy she was maybe going to meet, but how would she have contacted him? (some sources say her cellphone has never been located or used since her disappearance). Maybe she never got picked up by whoever she was going to meet and they never came forward because they didn't want to be considered a suspect. Since she might have felt in a desperate situation, maybe she accepted a ride from a stranger that led to foul play, she was a vulnerable young woman, drunk, out in the cold. I think foul play was involved in this case.

What do people think of the woman who claims she saw an empty police vehicle parked next to Maura's car nine minutes before LE say they arrived? She said she pulled over and no one was at the scene.

 

[minazoe]

I don't think she contacted him. I think he came upon her on his way to their meeting destination.

it just makes sense to me..they are going to the same destination..she is now embarrassed and freaked out by another accident..she doesn't know what she's doing yet..and then along he comes and she jumps in and they leave the scene. mOO

 

[minazoe]

and why is there no phone or computer trail? I bet she had a burner phone...so her BF wouldn't find out about another guy she was contacting. There are no phone calls that can help indicate who what or where she was headed and who she was possibly meeting. Don't you find it odd?

I wonder about her relationships. mOO