NH NH - Maura Murray, 21, Haverhill, 9 Feb 2004 - # 4

[docwho3]

. . .So here goes - doc, you posted a link to where Sharon was reading Maura's February cell phone bill. NO WHERE in that link does it say that the bill went to Sharon as Cyberlaw has consistently argued. Yes, it says she reviewed the Feb. bill, but it doesn't say where she got it. For all we know the bill went to Maura's mailing address and was then forwarded to her father upon her disappearance. . . .

Are you repsonding to me or to cyberlaw?

I said that the potential mother-in-law did get the records and looked at them and proved it with that link. It happened. How she got them is not important to me at this point. I also said that although I believed she got the bills before, I could not truly remember and pointed out that it was not all that important as long as Maura could and would know her cell records would be viewed once she left, and that is in fact just what happened. The records were viewed and were viewed by the potential mother-in-law in point of fact.

. . .There seems to be a lot of speculation that Maura wasn't in control of her life, that her every decision was being watched by her father/boyfriend/boyfriend's mother. . .

I said that the bill having been viewed did not mean she was "being watched." I also said that she could easily know that the cell records would be viewed once she left.

As to possible controling behavior by her relatives and/or potential relatives:
I think that is a fair point to consider if it helps us understand what happened and thus get closer to a case resolution but I don't personally care if it was motive or not. Motive is such a subjective and personal thing. Maura may well have felt watched even if she was not watched. She may well have felt held down and abused even if that was not the case. "Just cause" does not have to exist for someone to decide to run away. People don't have to have a reason that sounds logical to us to make them decide to run away. I am not out to blame the family. Whether or not it was their fault is unimportant because if Maura is a runaway then the case stops there as far as I am concerned. She evidently has the legal right to become an adult missing person. I make note that even if she is a runaway it is my hope that someday there can be a healing of the relationship of the whole family to one another, it is sad to see a broken family and the hurt that can go with it.

There is no need to be oversensitive about the family reputation as far as I am concerned. I once asked the hard questions about the dads alibi because news reports had placed him in the vicinity within 24 hours or so prior to Maura's disappearance and it is known that in cases where a missing person has met foul play the family and/or acquaintances are often involved. A stranger is seldom the culprit. The question of his alibi was answered and for now I see no evidence to the contrary. Before jumping to defend a perceived slight to the family honor you might do better to allow people to think and ask questions and just calmly and reasonably contribute answers when it is helpful because that does more for the family honor than any defense and it serves to highlight nasty posters in the minds of the readers just because you show restraint. When the family and supporters are open and transparent and only interested in finding the missing daughter in spite of answering hard questions it makes them look much better, in my opinion.

 

[CyberLaw]

If mail is in another person name, addressed to another person it is VERY illegal to open it up. Even if the letter is in your husband's name and you are the wife and you open up his mail, unless you have permission(that can be verified)you are committing an illegal act. Mail is the personal property of the person whom it is addressed to. There is a huge privacy and boundary issue here, not to mention the illegality of opening up and viewing another persons property.

Please don't tell me "well it is O.K. to break the law because she is missing and we wanted to know whom she spoke to, or whatever.

The ends never justify the means. The phone bill is irrelevant, and moot.

But then again, Maura is not around to lay charges against anyone who violated her privacy and read her personal mail and open up her personal property. No wonder there has been no activity on her cell phone, she may have gotten another one .

Again I would like to remind everyone, that there is ZERO evidence to support the conclusion that she was a victim of a crime, but there is ample evidence that she was "unhappy" and packed up her room to leave for a new life.

How can one support a "fantasy" conclusion without the premise and supporting evidence to support that conclusion.

I just don't think that Maura is a victim of any crime..........because I use logic skills like LE and reply on facts like LE and evidence like LE, because after all the world works with evidence and facts that can be proved.

That is why LE is still treating this as a "voluntary" missing person case, there is nothing and I mean nothing to support the "serial killer" is on the loose in NH and Maura is a victim of this unknown person at a unknown date at an unknown location, by unknown means and was taken to an unknown location.

I mean please......and you wonder why some people not only feel bullied but are bullied. You know who you are..........

So the weekend before she went missing, she had drinks and dinner with her Dad and her school friend, she went to a party, was going to go shopping for a car with her Dad, had an accident, was going to her Dad's in the early hours of the AM, went to her Dad's on Sunday and you expect me to believe(with a straight face)that in the midst of all of this socializing, that she had not unpacked her room, which may take an hour or so.

Please.......this the difference between an argument in logic and fact and what other "believe".

 

[Masterj]

Give me a break about the cell phone bill Cyberlaw. Do you HONESTLY mean to tell me that if your husband or child disappeared that you wouldn't look at their phone bill to see who they called last??????

As for her room being packed up, we have debated this over and over again. Right now I have an unpacked suitcase in my room that has been sitting there since my last business trip, which was weeks ago. Stop expecting all of us to be open to your possibility (which we ARE) and rudely dismiss our opinions.

IF she did disappear to start a new life, that is her right. But her family also has a right to not lay awake each night wondering about her whereabouts. Find her, tell them she has a new life and doesn't want contact with her old life and be done with it. But the police can't do that because as of right now there is no 100% proof of that.

Stop trying to act like you are the only one using logic here. You don't agree with our opinions that is fine, but stop trying to bulldoze everyone here who doesn't agree with you. If you are so adament in your beliefs than why keep beating us all over the heads trying to convince us your theory is the only one.

 

[czechmate7]

I lean towards thinking she was scared of Atwood and ran off into the night to find help and may have fallen victim to the elements and/or encountered someone who did her harm.

Did Atwood try to talk Maura into getting out of the car? I was under the impression that he just asked her if she wanted him to call LE/AAA....Why would she have been afraid of him if he were just offering to call someone for help?

If the police truly believe she ran off to start a new life than let them prove it and tell Maura's family she doesn't want to be found. They haven't done that.

Why should LE have to prove she ran off voluntarily? I think Maura's family did the right thing and hired an investigator. I think if there had been any evidence of a crime LE would be responsible for investigating.

The fact that one of the detectives hired by Maura's family believes there is more to her story and that the police haven't given their all is very telling. This man is a VOLUNTEER who is not receiving payment for this

Does anyone know what kind of evidence has been found to make these detectives belief there is more to this story then LE is telling?

I have no problem with believing Maura is dead out there somewhere, sexually assaulted and murdered at the hands of some serial killer and stuff.... I just need some kind of evidence (ANYTHING!) to support it.

 

[nnglas]

I believe that on the maura murray website, Mrs Raush sd that she got Maura's cell phone bill in the mail. I remember her saying that she had to wait until she received the bill in the mail. Also, I know that she said not long after Maura went missing she was on the phone with LE and the phone company, and that she gave LE the information (password) to access the account. I believe that Mrs Raush has stated in a couple of the post on Maura's site that the bill came to her, I am not sure however if she routinely looked at the bill or just paid it.

 

[nnglas]

Did Atwood try to talk Maura into getting out of the car? I was under the impression that he just asked her if she wanted him to call LE/AAA....Why would she have been afraid of him if he were just offering to call someone for help?

I think that Mr. Atwood is a really big man. From other post I have read people seem to think that his appearance may have intimidated her.

 

[murraydwyer]

Tristan, thank you. I agree with you. It would seem that there are alot of questions surrounding the situation that could easily be answered. But for some odd reason they are not. I think an independent investigator would be able to uncover some other facts, and actually I thought that maybe the 20/20 program would do that. Maybe some new witnesses will now come forward with some information.

There are many unanswered questions. The private detectives working with the family are not paid for by the family. Many who have volunteered to help the family are former law enforcement officers and have been given, names, numbers email addresses, etc. of any people who were known to be in contact with Maura. I can assure you that they have a lot of ‘independence’. There are others who are also investigating or theorizing on their own, but these investigations are based primarily on what was in the media and they are very much more limited than the team working with the family. The family is certainly hoping that the 20/20 segment will reach someone who knows something or saw something.

I think this question has been asked once before, but is it possible to find out if someone's SS# is being used, income taxes filed, etc?

We were informed by police last year that this has been checked…

By the way, where is it noted that those forms were found in Maura's car?
I haven't seen or heard that before.

She said Murray, on the day of the accident, had picked up insurance forms related to an accident she'd had on Feb. 7. Murray was going to call her father the night of Feb. 9 to have him help her fill out the insurance forms.

Those forms, according to Rausch, were found in Murray's car along with school books, clothing and expensive jewelry. Caledonian Record 2/27/04

Maura's cell phone bill DID NOT go to the future mother-in-law.

The phone bill has Mrs. Rausch’s name on it because she had opened the account, however the bill went directly to Billy Rausch at his address.

Did the phone company give LE the copy of Maura's phone bill?

The Rausch’s gave the police a copy of Maura’s phone bill.

This is an adult, whos calls were "monitored" by a third party, no wonder Maura choose not to use it, talk about an invasive idea to invade a person privacy.

I wonder why her own family did not do this and why at 21 years of age her phone usage would be available to be monitored.

But then again, Maura is not around to lay charges against anyone who violated her privacy and read her personal mail and open up her personal property. No wonder there has been no activity on her cell phone, she may have gotten another one .

Maura obviously chose to accept this gift knowing that her phone records could be viewed. This is not uncommon, particularly for students in college who frequently are in different dorms or apartments yearly…this is not sinister monitoring or invasion of someone’s privacy. After his first year in college my son changed his billing address back to our home because there were so many problems with receiving mail. The paper bill comes here and he can view and pay it online. At my son’s request, I open all of his mail. He does not consider this an invasion of his privacy…it became a necessity because so much of his mail was not getting to him in a timely fashion. And I do not look at the calls on his bill unless he asks me to check something…the numbers for the most part are meaningless and as with Maura’s bill mostly cell phones which cannot be checked without calling the number. As to why Maura’s family didn’t buy her a cell phone, I certainly don’t know. Perhaps the Rauschs beat them to it or perhaps they didn’t feel they could afford it…it is irrelevant and certainly no reflection on her family.

To me, all theories should be welcomed... to open possiblities - open new avenues - that should be the objective here, not constantly "correcting" other posters or "berating" them for their theories/opinions. Unless something has been PROVEN AS FACT nothing else should be "assumed" as fact...

I agree and can assure you all possiblities are being looked at by the private detectives and the family. What you see on TV and in the newspapers are of necessity 'sound bites'. For instance 20/20 did hours and hours and hours of taping and interviewing...they went to NH twice that I know of and talked to people who never appeared on the program...all for however minutes of the segment was actually focused on Maura.

There is no need to be oversensitive about the family reputation as far as I am concerned. I once asked the hard questions about the dads alibi because news reports had placed him in the vicinity within 24 hours or so prior to Maura's disappearance and it is known that in cases where a missing person has met foul play the family and/or acquaintances are often involved.

This post is confusing. Maura’s father was in Amherst on Saturday and Sunday…he was not in the vicinity of Haverhill/Woodsville NH which is the last place that Maura was believed to have been seen. As was posted when this question was asked, Mr. Murray was in another state when Maura disappeared.

I think that Mr. Atwood is a really big man. From other post I have read people seem to think that his appearance may have intimidated her.

To my knowledge the only ones who commented in the media on the possibility that Maura may have been intimidated by him was Mr. Atwood himself and the person who lived with him.

Then she crashed. The only roadside help was a 350-pound man named Butch Atwood, an imposing figure whose presence wouldn't be that welcoming to a young woman in the dead of the night, according to his wife. Patriot Ledger 2/28/04

"I just wish I could have gotten her to come with me," he lamented. "But I am a big man, over 350 pounds. She may have gotten into a car with someone who was clean cut." Caledonian Record 2/20/04

 

[Tristan]

This case just gets stranger and stranger.

I also thought that if Maura itended to start a new life, she would have gotten a pre-paid cell phone, which is absolutely untraceable.
T-Mobile sells them for as little as $75 including like 60 minutes.

I find it hard to believe that a predator would have abducted her in the 10-15 minutes she was on that road....but anything can happen.

Where are maura's sister's and Mother?
Have they been able to offer any insight?

 

[nnglas]

To my knowledge the only ones who commented in the media on the possibility that Maura may have been intimidated by him was Mr. Atwood himself and the person who lived with him.

Then she crashed. The only roadside help was a 350-pound man named Butch Atwood, an imposing figure whose presence wouldn't be that welcoming to a young woman in the dead of the night, according to his wife. Patriot Ledger 2/28/04

"I just wish I could have gotten her to come with me," he lamented. "But I am a big man, over 350 pounds. She may have gotten into a car with someone who was clean cut." Caledonian Record 2/20/04[/QUOTE]
I didn't say the family said that he was a big man. The poster asked why would anyone think Maura would be scared of him, and I merely answered the question. I was trying to explain the general consensus, just in case the poster wasn't aware that he (Mr. Atwood) is a large man.

Please do not put words in my mouth. Someone said that maybe she was intimidated by how large he is. That is all the information I was trying to convey.

 

[chuggypot]

Hello everyone. I have been following the Maura Murray case for a while now and have never before attempted posting my theory on this or any other case here on Websleuths. I came up with a theory that I wanted to throw out and have you guys chew on. I apologize if this has been mentioned before but because the thread is so long it is hard to remember everything that has been discussed.

First, we know from things that we have been told that several stressful incidents took place in the days leading up to Maura's accident. 1) the first car accident, 2) the disturbing phone call that required her supervisor escort her home from work... etc. It seems to me that it could be possible for her to have had some sort of nervous break down. I have read here that she made good grades and was on the dean's list at school. Maybe the combination of this and other unknown pressures in her life forced her to feel she had no other choice but to flee the area for a little while. Maybe she thought this would clear her head.

Second, we know she had alcohol in the car and that she had a history of drinking (sociably). It seems to me that there is a possibility Maura may have been drinking that evening, probably before she headed out on her journey. She may have thought this would calm her nerves and relieve a little stress. This possible impairment, combined with the icey, curvy roads would have made a dangerous mix.

Third, we know the bus driver stopped and offered his assistance when he came upon the accident. Maura may have lied to him about contacting AAA because she knew if she did not come up with a sensible excuse then the bus driver would call the police to report the accident. She may have also known that if the police were called she would be in big trouble because of drinking (possibly).

Fourth, now this is where it gets hairy, what if, once the bus driver left, she panicked because she knew the trouble she was going to be in. She could have possibly hitched a ride from the first car that came along just to escape the accident and continue on with where ever she was heading.

Fifth, I have a hard time believing that in the short amount of time between when the bus driver left to call the police and the time the police arrived at the scene that a psycho serial killer would have shown up. I know it is possible and stranger things have happened but I still cannot wrap my mind around it. I do, however, think someone scuzzy and shady enough may have picked her up and because of her impaired state (from possibly drinking and being shook up from the accident) this person felt it would be easy to take advantage of her, either sexually or otherwise. Things might not have gone as he planned though and he either killed her to hide what he had done or the killing was an accident during the course of the attack. Either way this person would have had to have disposed of the body. This disposal more than likely took place far away from the accident.

I know that people disappear voluntarily all the time but my rational mind has a hard time reconciling that fact with this situation. I think she had every intention of getting away for a while but not forever. I think things went wrong after that car accident.

 

[nnglas]

Hi Chuggypot

I think that your theory is very plausible. But now, it's like where to start? If she got into the car voluntarily, there was no struggle. The person could have taken her anywhere. It's like looking for a needle in a haystack. But what evidence to go on? Where should we start looking? It is so frustrating. I also think that if she met with foul play it was far away from the accident. I just wish I had some idea where to start if that indeed happenned.

 

[Tristan]

nngla....my thoughts, exactly. WHERE does the investigation go now?

Also, what are the chances that LE knows A LOT more than they're saying?

 

[chuggypot]

nnglas

I think the strongest evidence at this point is the fact that her scent was lost afer 100 yards. This signals to me that she was picked up because we know she couldn't have disappeared. There is no telling where the actual crime, if any, took place. That is a very frustrating thought because if her body was disposed of somewhere then it will probably only be discovered through sheer luck. That's such a depressing thought. Hopefully I am completely wrong.

 

[chuggypot]

Tristan ~

I think the LE HAVE to be privy to more than what the family or the media are being told. I would hate to think they just assume from a few details that she was suicidal or just wanted to disappear. It seems to me that for the sake of the family they would at least try and keep an open mind but it doesn't look that way to me.

 

[hydemi]

One aspect about this site's discussion of Maura's disappearance is its wide ranging consideration of various theories whether or not the posters have followed the case for two years or two weeks. That's ok in my view, and each fresh post even if it revisits previously discussed issues is also ok.

The Maura site for months now has mostly been focused on the crash scene as if it were a kind of crime lab in cyberspace which would enable us to discover that one of the neighbors must have abducted and killed Maura.

In my view no evidence whatsoever has been presented for the view that a local predator harmed Maura--Dr Godwin notwithstanding.

I try every so often on the Maura site to get the discussion moved forward, but usually with little impact--so be it if that is how the case is viewed by the group usually posting on the Maura site.

Here are some of the post crash scene questions I have tried to consider online and offline.

1) How did Maura leave the scene in the ten to fifteen minutes between Atwood arriving in the bus and Cecil Smith arriving in the cruiser?

I believe and have argued for a year now that she left on foot (see my posts on the Maura site)possibly up Bradley Hill Rd and that she was fleeing the scene to avoid police after Atwood said he was calling police.

2) What about the other vehicles on the road reported by Atwood from his porch, Smith as he drove over from Haverhill, and by other passerby who reported seeing vehicles nearby including what looked like a police car (not Smith) and possibly an SUV?

These other vehicles could provide support either for the abduction theory or for DocWho's accomplice/helper theory.

3) What about the alleged sighting of the youngster hurrying fast four miles east of the scene on 112 reported belatedly by a construction worker who lived directly across from Atwood? The time of the sighting was supposedly around 8.15pm but he only said he left his work site in Franconia around 7pm which is puzzling as the driving time to Swiftwater down 116 to 112 for him to arrive home should have been around 40 minutes bringing him to the scene about the time that Maura disappeared.

Yet both Lt Scarinza and Fred Murray in May 2004 hailed this report of sighting Maura as a breakthrough lead at the time. Strangely Scarinza has dropped all mention of it in subsequent interviews and Mr Murray's second letter to the NH Governor (May 04 to Benson, Feb 05 to Lynch) only states that both witness reports should be re-investigated by a new police team.

At the very least there is a timeline question in the contractor story.

4) Contrary to Cyberlaw above, there is no way the police could have determined that the phone call to Lt Rausch's cellphone on Wed am 2/11/04 thought to be from Maura was from the American Red Cross in Ohio. See Sharon's posts on the Maura site--the ARC did not have his cell number; to trace the call in any case requires pin number and card info that no one had including the police.

So I believe the call was from Maura and that she was alive two days later, and have argued strongly for this point in the last two days on MM.com.

This could support runaway theory and possibly other theories of her fate but in any case argues for consideration of what happened in the next 36 hours from Monday evening to Wednesday morning.

Ironically this call occurred about the time family was arriving in NH and if Lt Rausch had received the call instead of his cellphone being on the conveyor belt going through airport security, and the caller was Maura, he might have been able to find out the cause of her flight and her distress, and get help for her wherever she was.

5) Lastly Doc and I and others have asked if Maura could have had more money than the $280 withdrawn from her ATM. Given that she worked two jobs, was on scholarship, and was quite frugal, I believe the answer could be yes but none of the family posters have addressed this point other than to say that she was spending money on plane fares to visit Lt Rausch in Oklahoma (I also think he was paying for some of her travel cost).

While it looks like the $280 was about enough to support her being away for three to four days staying in budget lodging, it would cast a different light on her plans if we knew she had more money than the ATM withdrawal.

 

[czechmate7]

What about the car Maura was driving?

She didn't trust to drive it across town, kept it parked for weeks while carpooling with others; but she would take it on a 3 1/2 hr journey along long, dark, icey isolated roads? And if the theory is that she was only going for a few days, that means she would have had to make the trip about to school in the same unreliable vehicle.

Why not take time off after getting the new vehicle she and her dad were looking at buying??

Murraydwyer...there is a *huge* difference between a mother receiving her son's phone bill and a boyfriend receiving his girlfriends phone bill. Why wouldn't Sharon Rausch have the bill sent to Maura instead of Billy?

 

[nnglas]

One aspect about this site's discussion of Maura's disappearance is its wide ranging consideration of various theories whether or not the posters have followed the case for two years or two weeks. That's ok in my view, and each fresh post even if it revisits previously discussed issues is also ok.

The Maura site for months now has mostly been focused on the crash scene as if it were a kind of crime lab in cyberspace which would enable us to discover that one of the neighbors must have abducted and killed Maura.

In my view no evidence whatsoever has been presented for the view that a local predator harmed Maura--Dr Godwin notwithstanding.

I try every so often on the Maura site to get the discussion moved forward, but usually with little impact--so be it if that is how the case is viewed by the group usually posting on the Maura site.

Here are some of the post crash scene questions I have tried to consider online and offline.

1) How did Maura leave the scene in the ten to fifteen minutes between Atwood arriving in the bus and Cecil Smith arriving in the cruiser?

I believe and have argued for a year now that she left on foot (see my posts on the Maura site)possibly up Bradley Hill Rd and that she was fleeing the scene to avoid police after Atwood said he was calling police.

2) What about the other vehicles on the road reported by Atwood from his porch, Smith as he drove over from Haverhill, and by other passerby who reported seeing vehicles nearby including what looked like a police car (not Smith) and possibly an SUV?

These other vehicles could provide support either for the abduction theory or for DocWho's accomplice/helper theory.

3) What about the alleged sighting of the youngster hurrying fast four miles east of the scene on 112 reported belatedly by a construction worker who lived directly across from Atwood? The time of the sighting was supposedly around 8.15pm but he only said he left his work site in Franconia around 7pm which is puzzling as the driving time to Swiftwater down 116 to 112 for him to arrive home should have been around 40 minutes bringing him to the scene about the time that Maura disappeared.

Yet both Lt Scarinza and Fred Murray in May 2004 hailed this report of sighting Maura as a breakthrough lead at the time. Strangely Scarinza has dropped all mention of it in subsequent interviews and Mr Murray's second letter to the NH Governor (May 04 to Benson, Feb 05 to Lynch) only states that both witness reports should be re-investigated by a new police team.

At the very least there is a timeline question in the contractor story.

4) Contrary to Cyberlaw above, there is no way the police could have determined that the phone call to Lt Rausch's cellphone on Wed am 2/11/04 thought to be from Maura was from the American Red Cross in Ohio. See Sharon's posts on the Maura site--the ARC did not have his cell number; to trace the call in any case requires pin number and card info that no one had including the police.

So I believe the call was from Maura and that she was alive two days later, and have argued strongly for this point in the last two days on MM.com.

This could support runaway theory and possibly other theories of her fate but in any case argues for consideration of what happened in the next 36 hours from Monday evening to Wednesday morning.

Ironically this call occurred about the time family was arriving in NH and if Lt Rausch had received the call instead of his cellphone being on the conveyor belt going through airport security, and the caller was Maura, he might have been able to find out the cause of her flight and her distress, and get help for her wherever she was.

5) Lastly Doc and I and others have asked if Maura could have had more money than the $280 withdrawn from her ATM. Given that she worked two jobs, was on scholarship, and was quite frugal, I believe the answer could be yes but none of the family posters have addressed this point other than to say that she was spending money on plane fares to visit Lt Rausch in Oklahoma (I also think he was paying for some of her travel cost).

While it looks like the $280 was about enough to support her being away for three to four days staying in budget lodging, it would cast a different light on her plans if we knew she had more money than the ATM withdrawal.

Hi Hydemi,
I agree with you, if that phone call was from Maura then she got away from the accident scene ok. But then that lends itself to the runaway theory. If she could put in a calling card pin and Lt Rausch's phone numbers she wasn't in that much distress at the time of that call. She would have just dialed 911. Or even left a message, as it was the next day, they were already worried.
This case is so frustrating.................. I cannot imagine the nightmare her family has gone thru. As far as her meeting with foul play after that phone call....If she did (please nobody think that I am being insensitive) luck was not with her. I mean what are the odds? Im sure stranger things have happened. I hope and pray that her family gets the answer they are seeking.

 

[docwho3]

Hello everyone. I have been following the Maura Murray case for a while now and have never before attempted posting my theory on this or any other case here on Websleuths. I came up with a theory that I wanted to throw out and have you guys chew on. I apologize if this has been mentioned before but because the thread is so long it is hard to remember everything that has been discussed.

First, we know from things that we have been told that several stressful incidents took place in the days leading up to Maura's accident. 1) the first car accident, 2) the disturbing phone call that required her supervisor escort her home from work... etc. It seems to me that it could be possible for her to have had some sort of nervous break down. I have read here that she made good grades and was on the dean's list at school. Maybe the combination of this and other unknown pressures in her life forced her to feel she had no other choice but to flee the area for a little while. Maybe she thought this would clear her head.

Second, we know she had alcohol in the car and that she had a history of drinking (sociably). It seems to me that there is a possibility Maura may have been drinking that evening, probably before she headed out on her journey. She may have thought this would calm her nerves and relieve a little stress. This possible impairment, combined with the icey, curvy roads would have made a dangerous mix.

Third, we know the bus driver stopped and offered his assistance when he came upon the accident. Maura may have lied to him about contacting AAA because she knew if she did not come up with a sensible excuse then the bus driver would call the police to report the accident. She may have also known that if the police were called she would be in big trouble because of drinking (possibly).

Fourth, now this is where it gets hairy, what if, once the bus driver left, she panicked because she knew the trouble she was going to be in. She could have possibly hitched a ride from the first car that came along just to escape the accident and continue on with where ever she was heading.

Fifth, I have a hard time believing that in the short amount of time between when the bus driver left to call the police and the time the police arrived at the scene that a psycho serial killer would have shown up. I know it is possible and stranger things have happened but I still cannot wrap my mind around it. I do, however, think someone scuzzy and shady enough may have picked her up and because of her impaired state (from possibly drinking and being shook up from the accident) this person felt it would be easy to take advantage of her, either sexually or otherwise. Things might not have gone as he planned though and he either killed her to hide what he had done or the killing was an accident during the course of the attack. Either way this person would have had to have disposed of the body. This disposal more than likely took place far away from the accident.

I know that people disappear voluntarily all the time but my rational mind has a hard time reconciling that fact with this situation. I think she had every intention of getting away for a while but not forever. I think things went wrong after that car accident.

Warm welcome to you.

This theory is a variation of the murder by stranger theory. A totally unknown stranger helps pick her up and then for whatever reason ends up killing Maura. It is not impossible but just unlikely(in that murder by stranger is relatively rare according to statistics.) And worse, it has no evidence pointing to it so far. Murder by stranger is certainly a "sexier" crime (it is less boring to the audience) but, statistically, missing persons are more likely to not be the victem of foul play.

The only way to resolve the case to know which actually happened is to either find Maura alive and well someday (which I think could happen in light of the list of people that have already been found alive after having gone missing for many years) or to find evidence of a death (her body or lots of her blood or her bones etc.)

 

[natasha-cupcake]

Hi all. I've been following this case for a while now but have so far refrained from comment. Not sure I have much to add that hasn't been said already. I believe that this case is so enigmatic because Maura was enigmatic. With all due respect to those who knew her well, I believe that Maura may have kept a solid wall around her inner thoughts and feelings, even from those close to her. I fear that her family and friends may not have had as much insight into her psyche as they might have thought. That is not at all to say that she wasn't an honorable and caring person, or that she wasn't extremely close to her family, her boyfriend or his family. Maura is described as a very private person. I just think it's possible that she didn't truly open herself completely to anyone.

There is little doubt that she was upset and acting uncharacteristically before her trip to NH. The source of her anquish is a real mystery. I don't think it was "stress". Maura was a very successful individual. She obviously thrived on challenge and adversity. It's clear that she intended to leave school--temporarily for sure, maybe permanently. What on earth was her motivation? Nothing I've read, including the opinions of both LE and the family, reveals a compelling reason for her leaving in the manner that she did. Something is missing. Maybe something big, I don't know.

I thought at first that she may have feigned her anguish, to set up an escape plan. Now, I'm not so sure because it calls so much attention to her and that seems counter-intuitive to "private" Maura. Either something motivated her to want to escape or something forced her to do so. A desire to start a new life? Perhaps, but Maura already has a history of starting over (West Point to UMASS, pre-med/heavy duty science major to nursing, etc.) She could have changed schools, changed majors, dumped her boyfriend, moved farther away or anything else, if that's what she wanted to do. And she could have done any of that without disappearing. Sure, her family, her boyfriend or her boyfriend's family could have been overbearing or manipulative but there doesn't seem to be any evidence of that. Maura demonstrated her ability to make major life changes before and no evidence of family interference in those decisions has ever surfaced.

Maura was obviously determined to get away. It's clear that she wanted to avoid dealing with the authorities after the second accident and that she left the accident scene of her own free will. How far she got, who, if anyone interacted with her after Atwood left to call for help, and what her ultimate fate was, none of us knows.

I've read the opinions of everyone here and although there are many good points on all sides, I still don't lean heavily one way or the other. The idea that she was picked up by someone intent on harming her is certainly plausible, and was, for a while, my best guess. Now, I'm not so sure. I tend to believe she left on foot, because it’s the simplest explanation, it fits the narrow time window and requires no other factors (such as a helper following her or a conveniently placed serial killer). The tracking dog information contradicts her leaving on foot, but has reliability issues of its own.

A few comments for docwho: I thought a lot about your helper theory. I think it's plausible but I'm not sure I think it actually happened. I wonder why she'd need someone to follow her in the unreliable car. If she was truly on the run for good, it stands to reason that she'd have either gotten the car fixed before she left, waited a few days to get the new car or just hopped on a Greyhound. If she was only taking a few days off to clear her head, why would she need the unreliable car at all? Why not rent a car, take a bus, or just ride with the helper friend? My gut tells me that Maura, the private person, would not have involved a second person in her plans. Although, I never believed strongly in the suicide theory, I do have to admit that taking the unreliable car on a 3 plus hour trip, has an absolute air of desperation about it. What other reason would compel you to drive that far in a dangerous car, unless you didn't care at all how far you got.

As others have said before me--this case is just so baffling. I don't think we will ever know what happened to Maura unless and until she shows up herself someday, dead or alive. Please do not read any disrespect for Maura or her family in my comments. None is intended. I will continue to pray for her and the people she left behind.

 

[docwho3]

. . .A few comments for docwho: I thought a lot about your helper theory. I think it's plausible but I'm not sure I think it actually happened. I wonder why she'd need someone to follow her in the unreliable car. If she was truly on the run for good, it stands to reason that she'd have either gotten the car fixed before she left, waited a few days to get the new car or just hopped on a Greyhound. . .

Warm welcome to you

If you plan to dump the car at the end of a one way trip (as I explained in the original posts of my theory back in part two of themaura murray thread) you would not want to put alot of money in it. The car was traceable, more traceable than Maura and so she could not hold on to it even if she wanted. The same would hold true for any vehicle bought, or known, by her father. She needed to start her new life without a vehicle that was known to belong to her old identity.

. . .If she was only taking a few days off to clear her head, why would she need the unreliable car at all? Why not rent a car, take a bus, or just ride with the helper friend? My gut tells me that Maura, the private person, would not have involved a second person in her plans. . .

That is why I sort of suspect that the helper knew very little of Maura's plans and perhaps only provided the follow up & transport. Even loners need a tool, a helper, in some instances. I do not think she was leaving for only a few days but rather forever.

. . .Although, I never believed strongly in the suicide theory, I do have to admit that taking the unreliable car on a 3 plus hour trip, has an absolute air of desperation about it. What other reason would compel you to drive that far in a dangerous car, unless you didn't care at all how far you got. . .

Well to support my own theory I would say that to have went alone that night with the intent to suicide and then have a wreck and still disappear as she did, drags you into the realm of miracles because she had to either leave on foot into the wilderness and not leave any traceable tracks even though her own father who searched for her knew her tracks, or you have to believe that she chanced upon a stranger in that small time window, before police arrived on scene, to take her on a ride and a stranger who by chance would choose not to report picking her up and then she has to kill herself elsewhere without her body ever being found so far.

Side note:However just to be fair (whether it hurts my theory or not) I will point out again that we do not really know what shape that car was in. It might have been more trustworthy to her than we knew. It was her dad that allegedly told her to not drive it until they could replace it after it had stranded her at least once. She may have obeyed him in not using it for awhile and then used the car when she decided to leave because she knew the car was really more to be trusted than her dad believed. Just a thought.

. . .As others have said before me--this case is just so baffling. I don't think we will ever know what happened to Maura unless and until she shows up herself someday, dead or alive. Please do not read any disrespect for Maura or her family in my comments. None is intended. I will continue to pray for her and the people she left behind.

Kind thoughts indeed. I like the way you take time so far to consider things (whether you agree with me on the case or not.)