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

[sony12]

can we even be 100 percent sure she was alone? I'm just saying. but I do think there is an unknown male that was involved with this sojourn. either he came along moments later or picked her up later along the road. I will never believe she ran into the woods and froze to death...unless she had some kind of head injury and became disoriented...or if she was very intoxicated she went to throw up and lost consciousness in which case I think she would have been found rather quickly.

she would know better than to run into the freezing dark snow covered woods.

mOO

Don't underestimate how naive many college age students can be. She had reasons not to get caught if she indeed had been drinking that night. Also need to remember that many people that age feel invincible as well. Potentially freezing to death likely wouldn't have even entered her mind at that stage of her life. She would have been much more concerned about not getting in trouble with authority figures.

 

[Laura456]

Don't underestimate how naive many college age students can be. She had reasons not to get caught if she indeed had been drinking that night. Also need to remember that many people that age feel invincible as well. Potentially freezing to death likely wouldn't have even entered her mind at that stage of her life. She would have been much more concerned about not getting in trouble with authority figures.

I remember being very aware of my safety/mortality at that age (35 now) but maybe just because I have anxiety?

As a nurse, I assume Maura would have known the dangers of drinking alcohol (makes you feel warmer) and going out into freezing weather?

I wish she had confided in a safe person instead of taking a drunk car trip across the country.

 

[jackornaught]

I remember being very aware of my safety/mortality at that age (35 now) but maybe just because I have anxiety?

As a nurse, I assume Maura would have known the dangers of drinking alcohol (makes you feel warmer) and going out into freezing weather?

I wish she had confided in a safe person instead of taking a drunk car trip across the country.

At that age I did some stupid and destructive things, but its hard to say what was going on in her head. I also used to just take off sometimes. I drove to Seattle once by myself just to go to the first Starbuck's. (About a 15 hour drive) I don't even like Starbucks very much, but it was something to do.
I think the it is plausible she fled the scene and succumbed to the elements, but I just can't get passed that she's never been recovered, if that was the case. This case is very strange.

 

[Shamrock1]

I remember being very aware of my safety/mortality at that age (35 now) but maybe just because I have anxiety?

As a nurse, I assume Maura would have known the dangers of drinking alcohol (makes you feel warmer) and going out into freezing weather?

I wish she had confided in a safe person instead of taking a drunk car trip across the country.

I think this is exactly Sony12’s point: yes, she’d know about the dangers of alcohol and cold temps in the academic sense. But that knowledge didn’t make safety her priority. Safety to a college kid - especially a college kid with her history - means avoiding police.

 

[minazoe]

I think this is exactly Sony12’s point: yes, she’d know about the dangers of alcohol and cold temps in the academic sense. But that knowledge didn’t make safety her priority. Safety to a college kid - especially a college kid with her history - means avoiding police.

there has to be a destination at the end of that route Maura was taking, what would be the destination point if you were taking that particular road ? does it drop you right into town or is there a place you take this route to? like a particular hotel or rentals? didn't someone say they know the off ramp she took heading the way she went?

to me it makes sense she is going to a particular place with her supplies in the car. she spins out, the person who she is meeting comes along behind her and she jumps in never to be seen again.
never to come back for her car.

it makes sense that this is someone she knows. mOO

 

[summergirl1]

I think this is exactly Sony12’s point: yes, she’d know about the dangers of alcohol and cold temps in the academic sense. But that knowledge didn’t make safety her priority. Safety to a college kid - especially a college kid with her history - means avoiding police.

I guess this would be the something of the same mentality that makes (usually male, often? younger) suspects flee police at high speeds even when they know it's not safe and they are probably going to be caught anyway?

 

[BeginnerSleuther]

I remember being very aware of my safety/mortality at that age (35 now) but maybe just because I have anxiety?

As a nurse, I assume Maura would have known the dangers of drinking alcohol (makes you feel warmer) and going out into freezing weather?

I wish she had confided in a safe person instead of taking a drunk car trip across the country.

She wasn't a nurse. She was a student. That's a very important distinction. She likely hadn't even taken a physiology class yet, so I don't think we can assume she knew anymore than any other 21 year old. MOO.

 

[sony12]

She wasn't a nurse. She was a student. That's a very important distinction. She likely hadn't even taken a physiology class yet, so I don't think we can assume she knew anymore than any other 21 year old. MOO.

Exactly. And even if she were a nurse that wouldn't mean she would be any better at making personal life decisions. A lot of people with good jobs make a lot of bone headed personal life decisions.

 

[Sam10098]

It would have to be a fairly large conspiracy among the cops and perhaps the towing person as well. I don't think Butch Atwood had enough time to do anything to Maura, even if he had the strength and inclination.

Not really - Bruce was reasonably well respected so why would anyone question him? I don’t think he took her back to keep in a dungeon but I think he knows more than has been reported.

 

[maamager]

Julie Murray posted a video on her TT yesterday about her meeting with the new chief of the cold case unit. Apparently they have 6 new leads they’re investigating…
I’ll link the video here. Let’s hope at least one of these has answers for the Murray family

 

[sony12]

Hopefully. I imagine though when families of missing individuals have meetings with them they try to be encouraging.

 

[Austin023]

Hopefully. I imagine though when families of missing individuals have meetings with them they try to be encouraging.

I'd hope so as well, though looking back over the years, NH authorities in particular have usually been rather tight lipped on this case, even with the Murray family (their own claim, but I think it's a reasonably accurate assessment).

This behavior on the authorities part I think underscores the idea that they're treating this case as a crime and not just a missing person. I've long suspected the police have some kind of info/evidence that is compelling enough to suggest foul play.

 

[Tarik]

I'd hope so as well, though looking back over the years, NH authorities in particular have usually been rather tight lipped on this case, even with the Murray family (their own claim, but I think it's a reasonably accurate assessment).

This behavior on the authorities part I think underscores the idea that they're treating this case as a crime and not just a missing person. I've long suspected the police have some kind of info/evidence that is compelling enough to suggest foul play.

As always in these type of cases, police likely know a lot more than they are willing to say publicly.

 

[Austin023]

As always in these type of cases, police likely know a lot more than they are willing to say publicly.

Certainly. It's routine for authorities to do that. However, I think at least one thing being withheld by them in this case is something specific that suggests foul play was involved, being considerably more likely than just her being missing by her own accord.
We know Maura has to refill her cars gas tank somewhere along her journey from Amherst to where it was found in Haverhill, NH, and the amount of gas in the tank indicated it was full enough so the car had only been driven, at most, about 12 miles from a full tank. Which means she got gas locally to Haverhill. Even though this happened in 2004, surveillance cameras had become common enough in gas stations/truck stops.....I wonder if footage from one of the few area filling stations/stops revealed something such as her interacting with another person at the gas station or a vehicle, person etc of interest .....I've long found it strange authorities have not mentioned this thing about her refilling the tank, and where, if known. But it's a virtual certainty that she had to somewhere nearby.
Also, one passing motorist-witness that later reported seeing Maura's car on the roadside, also noted an SUV parked " nose to nose" with her car. I think something else the police have at least lends more credibility to that. (Perhaps surveillance camera footage shows an SUV at the same gas station?)...
There's probably a lot more outside of what was found in NH that has also been kept under wrap. All of that behavior points towards some kind of foul play IMO

 

[Tarik]

Certainly. It's routine for authorities to do that. However, I think at least one thing being withheld by them in this case is something specific that suggests foul play was involved, being considerably more likely than just her being missing by her own accord.
We know Maura has to refill her cars gas tank somewhere along her journey from Amherst to where it was found in Haverhill, NH, and the amount of gas in the tank indicated it was full enough so the car had only been driven, at most, about 12 miles from a full tank. Which means she got gas locally to Haverhill. Even though this happened in 2004, surveillance cameras had become common enough in gas stations/truck stops.....I wonder if footage from one of the few area filling stations/stops revealed something such as her interacting with another person at the gas station or a vehicle, person etc of interest .....I've long found it strange authorities have not mentioned this thing about her refilling the tank, and where, if known. But it's a virtual certainty that she had to somewhere nearby.
Also, one passing motorist-witness that later reported seeing Maura's car on the roadside, also noted an SUV parked " nose to nose" with her car. I think something else the police have at least lends more credibility to that. (Perhaps surveillance camera footage shows an SUV at the same gas station?)...
There's probably a lot more outside of what was found in NH that has also been kept under wrap. All of that behavior points towards some kind of foul play IMO

We don't even know where she got off from the highway (I-91) assuming she went up that way. The full tank aside, there's a missing hour that's still not accounted for. There's too many unknowns overall.

As far as I know, police weren't able to find any surveillance cameras (CCTV footage) of her after the money withdrawal in Amherst, MA and if they have they never revealed anything about it publicly. The investigation was sketchy in the beginning so it's possible they didn't even bother looking for surveillance cameras.

 

[minazoe]

We don't even know where she got off from the highway (I-91) assuming she went up that way. The full tank aside, there's a missing hour that's still not accounted for. There's too many unknowns overall.

As far as I know, police weren't able to find any surveillance cameras (CCTV footage) of her after the money withdrawal in Amherst, MA and if they have they never revealed anything about it publicly. The investigation was sketchy in the beginning so it's possible they didn't even bother looking for surveillance cameras.

seems there would be no need to withdraw money if you plan on killing yourself on a mountain side

 

[Tarik]

seems there would be no need to withdraw money if you plan on killing yourself on a mountain side

That's beside the point. I know there would be no need to withdraw money in that case and that's why I don't believe she killed herself, in fact I never believed that since I first heard about the case some 15 years ago.

 

[minazoe]

just an observation. and something that points away from the walk of death/native Indian suicide theory..mOO

 

[Tarik]

just an observation. and something that points away from the walk of death/native Indian suicide theory..mOO

Ok yes but I personally never believed in the suicide theory in the first place. There are far more elements that point away from it than elements that points towards it. In fact I don't think a single credible element points to it.

 

[Sarahlou]

I don't think it was suicide, but withdrawing money doesn't prove it wasn't. People do generally just carry on as normal before taking their own life. Andrew Searle who killed his wife and himself in France bought a lottery ticket hours before.