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Maura Murray - Missing Haverhill NH 2/9/04
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murraydwyer
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 17, 2004 10:07 pm    Post subject: Maura Murray - Missing Haverhill NH 2/9/04 Reply with quote

Maura Murray - Missing since Monday Feb. 9th

Age: 21
Height: 5 feet, 7 inches
Weight: approx. 115 lbs
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Blue/Green
Last seen wearing: Jeans and a dark colored coat
Please contact the following agencies if you have any info.:
New Hampshire State Police: 603.271.3636
Haverhill Police Dept.: 603.787.2222

Family seeks pledges for reward fund

WWW.MAURAMURRAY.COM
http://www.spbowers.com/mauramissing.html
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rd



Joined: 13 Sep 2002
Posts: 9273
Location: Jacksonville, FL

PostPosted: Sat Dec 18, 2004 1:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

You're also registered, Murray, so if you login with Murray and your password you can post this to Latest News. I will post this for you. Hope you can login and provide some more details of this painful disappearance.

rd
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jane



Joined: 22 Sep 2002
Posts: 3225

PostPosted: Sat Dec 18, 2004 2:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Maura looks like such an adorable young woman in her photos - how horrible for her family and friends not to know anything about what happened. I can't get over the number of people that go missing - it is dreadful. Hopefully more evidence will come to light to solve this case.
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jane



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PostPosted: Sat Dec 18, 2004 2:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

fair use
from The Boston Globe

Footprints in the snow

By Brian McGrory, Globe Columnist, 2/27/2004

HAVERHILL, N.H. -- They say the hardest thing that any parent can ever be called upon to do is bury their child.

But standing amid the glorious scenery of the White Mountains this week, where an uneven layer of snow coated the meadows like vanilla frosting on a homemade cake, I had to think there might be something even worse. And Fred Murray is living it right now.

Murray is from the South Shore. His daughter, Maura, a 21-year-old nursing student at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, vanished into the thin air of the northern New Hampshire wilderness this month. She had a minor car accident along a pitch black stretch of rural road on Feb. 9, and in the 10 minutes it took police to respond, she was gone.

Her cellphone hasn't been used since. Her credit cards haven't registered any purchases. She left most of her clothing in a suitcase in the back of the disabled car. And her father, her sister, her brothers, her friends have no idea what they're supposed to do now.

Immediately, they descended upon this hamlet en masse. They scrambled through the dense woods nearby. They drove a hundred miles in every direction, tacking fliers to telephone polls and bulletin boards of local stores. They stopped at bus stations in hopes that someone might have seen something. "I followed footsteps through the snow," Fred Murray said this week. When he saw a set of prints, he took off after them.

This much is known: At UMass, Maura received a call on the evening of Feb. 5 that reduced her to tears. A couple of days later, she told professors she'd be gone for a week for a family emergency. On Feb. 9, she left her boyfriend of three years, an army lieutenant in Oklahoma, an e-mail and voice mail in which she indicated nothing wrong, packed her car, and headed north.

The next time she was seen was in this tiny valley town, by Butch Atwood, a 58-year-old local school bus driver who passed her car as it sat in the snowbank. He said he stopped and asked if she needed help. She declined. He drove the 100 yards to his house and called the police. When they arrived, she was gone.

Authorities sent a heat-seeking helicopter along the treetops as recently as yesterday. They used dogs to try to trace her steps away from the accident scene. They dispatched cadaver-sniffing canines into the forest, all to no avail.

Eventually, life continues, bills need to be paid, and last weekend Fred Murray had to get back home. "The worst part was driving home alone," he said. "Then I stopped in her room at UMass, and that was pretty awful."

The two were uncommonly tight since she was a young girl. Both avid runners, they trained together. They hiked regularly in New Hampshire. "I was looking for some hint that she might have left for me, something that I'd understand that would say goodbye," he said of her room search. "But there wasn't anything."

"We weren't strangers; we were very close. I can't see her not saying goodbye to me. That's why I suspect foul play."

Her father acknowledges that she was fleeing school for reasons that he said are still unclear. He also believes that once she crashed, only two scenarios remain: She was picked up on the road by someone who wanted to help her or by someone who hurt her. If it was the former, they would have already come forward to let authorities know where she went.

Butch Atwood, the last witness to see her, has been questioned several times by police. Worried that he should have helped more, he told me outside his cabin this week, "I have some sleepless nights now."

If Maura Murray is alive and well, she ought to know that hearts are broken. She should know that no mistake is insurmountable. People forgive. Time and attention heal feelings and wounds.

These days, when Fred Murray's phone rings, he jumps. Minutes drag like hours. Shady psychics and gumshoes keep offering help. "I just want to get my little girl back," he said.

Hopefully, there's a happy ending. It's just tough to see it now.

Brian McGrory is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at mcgrory@globe.com.
© Copyright 2004 Globe Newspaper Company.
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rd



Joined: 13 Sep 2002
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Location: Jacksonville, FL

PostPosted: Sat Dec 18, 2004 2:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

This is a very tough one. She has secrets, and those secrets likely lie behind her disappearance. I understand it's not supposed to matter, that hopefully someone will just spot her and she will be returned, but it does.

How much? I don't know. The difference between fleeing and being kidnapped, I guess. She was going to be gone at least a week, if not forever, from classes for a fake reason.

She was headed north to where? She turned down help from a bus driver. What was she waiting on? Did she call anybody? It's possible she was kidnapped in those ten minutes, but unless there's an indication she was waiting on something, how long would she just sit in her car, and why?

Hopefully some publicity will allow Maura to be found safe and sound, or identify someone who is behind her disappearance.

rd
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Murray



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PostPosted: Mon Dec 27, 2004 10:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

She was going to be gone at least a week, if not forever, from classes for a fake reason.

Actually, I believe she was only going away for a couple of days. She only took $280.00 from her bank account and she had her text books with her. Early reports indicated that she was looking for directions to Burlington VT and a couple of other places. Recently, it was learned she had actually called some place (perhaps for reservations). I looked at the info online and it would appear she could have stayed for two nights. It was explained on another site that Maura was on full scholarship and needed a really good reason to miss classes.

She turned down help from a bus driver. What was she waiting on? Did she call anybody? It's possible she was kidnapped in those ten minutes, but unless there's an indication she was waiting on something, how long would she just sit in her car, and why?

As the bus driver himself said, he probably wouldn't have taken a ride from him either...I saw him on the news and he is an imposing figure. The police reported in one article that she had asked someone to call a "wrecker" for her. I've always wondered whether she went down the street to see whether she could get a cell phone signal or just to move and keep warm or perhaps heading for a house.

It is possible she was kidnapped in those ten minutes....quite frankly it happens all the time, as I've learned on some of these websites.

As a P.S., I'd like to thank who ever is running this site for the opportunity to post about Maura Murray. Somebody out there knows something about what happened to Maura...and different theories give the family other things to think about or look into...

Murray

WWW.MauraMurray.com
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rd



Joined: 13 Sep 2002
Posts: 9273
Location: Jacksonville, FL

PostPosted: Tue Dec 28, 2004 12:26 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

This much is known: At UMass, Maura received a call on the evening of Feb. 5 that reduced her to tears. A couple of days later, she told professors she'd be gone for a week for a family emergency. On Feb. 9, she left her boyfriend of three years, an army lieutenant in Oklahoma, an e-mail and voice mail in which she indicated nothing wrong, packed her car, and headed north.

The next time she was seen was in this tiny valley town, by Butch Atwood, a 58-year-old local school bus driver who passed her car as it sat in the snowbank. He said he stopped and asked if she needed help. She declined. He drove the 100 yards to his house and called the police. When they arrived, she was gone.

...Her father acknowledges that she was fleeing school for reasons that he said are still unclear.



Hi Murray. You're more than welcome. I hope someone sees something that rings a bell for something they saw about Maura that they can call and tell the police..

As I have seen with the Chandra Levy case and have talked about in my book Murder on a Horse Trail, asking the questions is not easy for anybody, especially the family. Thanks for posting some more info here on Maura's disappearance.

Did the reporter get the information wrong in the above article? The professors said she would be gone a week for a family emergency. There was no family emergency. It would have been good if the article had said two days and $280 withdrawn, taking her textbooks with her, as you just did. It makes a lot of difference. But that seems to be what she told her teachers.

I certainly can see not wanting to talk to a bus driver to ask them to get help if not accepting a ride if they looked imposing. And maybe she did step out trying to get a better signal to use her cell phone when she was taken. She did ask somebody to call a wrecker? Well, who is this somebody? How did they talk to her? Is that in another article that has details missing from this one?

One important point, though. You say she only took $280, but the clearer indication is if that was most of the money in her bank account or just a portion.

It seems clear to me that she was trying to get to the source of the phone call that reduced her to tears and used a family emergency as an excuse. Was there an examination of phone records to see if she was calling someone unknown to the family or her boyfriend in the weeks prior to her disappearance?

I hope some publicity helps locate Maura and that she is ok. Goodness knows I can only imagine the pain you're going through.

rd
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peripeteia



Joined: 22 Sep 2002
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 08, 2005 2:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Family Members, Fiance Seek Help In Finding Woman
BY GARY E. LINDSLEY, Staff Writer
Friday February 13, 2004

BETHLEHEM NEW HAMPSHIRE
Fred Murray has issued a plea to his 21-year-old daughter to contact him so they can work together on straightening out what is troubling her.

Murray met with reporters in Bethlehem Thursday night after he and family members scoured parts of New Hampshire from Haverhill to Conway and Bethlehem for his daughter, Maura.

"Maura, this is me ... like always, we will solve this," he said in a plea to his daughter through the media.

Maura, who is 5 feet, 7 inches tall and weighs about 120 pounds, was involved in a one-car accident on Wild Ammonoosuc Road about 7 p.m. Monday night.

When officers arrived at the scene, they found an abandoned black 1996 Saturn bearing Massachusetts plates.

Police determined the car belonged to Maura Murray and searched the area, but were unable to turn up anything.

Witnesses who saw the accident told police they had seen a lone woman. They also said it didn't appear the woman had been injured in the accident. When they asked if she needed help or the police, she reportedly said, "No." She left the scene before police and EMS arrived.

Police said Maura may be suicidal and headed toward the Kancamagus Highway area.

Fred Murray said he doesn't understand what prompted his daughter to leave the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, where she is a nursing student, to drive to New Hampshire.

He said it's very unusual for her just to take off. He said he had seen her Sunday afternoon and didn't suspect anything was wrong.

"I don't know exactly what you think is the matter," Murray said, again pleading to his daughter. "It isn't anything that can't be easily solved."

Murray did say Maura was upset about something that had happened over the weekend. He also said whatever it was wasn't a big deal.

Shivering in a light coat as he spoke about his daughter, Murray said he didn't know she was missing until another one of his children, Kathleen, called him Tuesday from Maura's apartment.

Haverhill police officers, he said, had called Maura's home. He made the trip to Haverhill, N.H., in the middle of the night.

Joining Murray in speaking with reporters in Bethlehem Thursday night was Bill Rausch, who is a second lieutenant with C Battery, 119th Field Artillery at Fort Sill, Lawton, Okla.

Rausch said he flew out first thing Wednesday morning. When asked how he is connected to Maura, he said, "Well, her father didn't know this, but we are engaged to be engaged."

Rausch said they have been dating for several years. He also said he had spoken to Maura Sunday and as recently as Monday morning. She did not seem to be upset about anything when he spoke to her. "Everything seemed fine," he said.

While he was at the airport waiting to catch a flight out of Oklahoma, Rausch said he received a call on his cell phone in which all he heard was someone breathing. The call, he said, was traced to a calling card.

"We have talked to the chief," he said, referring to Haverhill Police Chief Jeffery Williams, "and he said they have no leads. They have stopped the search."

That bothers both Murray and Rausch. They have been told police are waiting for another lead. "Our concern," Murray said, "is getting the word out from one police department to another police department. In the meantime, we are trying to spread the word."

And that doesn't mean just law enforcement agencies in New Hampshire. They both believe Vermont and New Hampshire police agencies should be working together on this.

"That community lies right on the border," he said, referring to Haverhill. "Vermont could be helping out."

When Murray was asked why Maura had driven up to New Hampshire and may be headed toward the Kancamagus Highway area, he said the family had been visiting the area for several years to camp. "It's very familiar," he said.

Rausch and Murray spent Wednesday and Thursday handing out dozens of flyers with a picture of Maura and information describing her.

They are asking anyone who has seen Maura to contact the New Hampshire State Police at 603-846-3333 or 603-271-1170. People can also call the Haverhill Police Department at 603-787-2222.

Rausch and family members plan to extend their search into Vermont Friday
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A vision sent me on the path of seeking justice for Chandra, nothing I've seen in print to date has diminished the vividness but only served to reaffirm the validity of this vision.
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peripeteia



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PostPosted: Sat Oct 08, 2005 2:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Missing Woman
Police Chasing Regionwide Leads
BY GARY E. LINDSLEY, Staff Writer
Wednesday February 18, 2004

The investigation into the disappearance of a Massachusetts woman last seen more than a week ago in northern New Hampshire has become stagnant, her father said.

"There's no new leads, no new evidence," Frederick Murray said Tuesday of the search for Maura Murray, a 21-year-old nursing student who disappeared after a car accident in Woodsville, N.H. "It's stagnant at the moment."

He blamed the lack of leads on a shortage of resources, saying that though local police were working hard, he wished the small department had more help so it could broaden its search.

"Results are slow in coming. Like the bus stations. Did she leave from a local bus station? That hasn't been investigated, so I did it myself," Mr. Murray said, adding that his efforts turned up nothing.

"The police are good guys," he said. "But there aren't many of them."

Authorities said Maura Murray, a University of Massachusetts student from Hanson, Mass., withdrew $280 from an ATM on Feb. 9 and e-mailed professors saying she wouldn't be in class all week because of a family problem.

Around 7 that evening she crashed her car into a snowbank on Route 112 in New Hampshire several miles from the Vermont border. Police say a witness offered help, but that Murray refused and told the witness not to call police.

The witness, who later told police Murray appeared intoxicated but uninjured at the time, called authorities anyway. But by the time emergency workers arrived, Murray was gone. Most of her belongings were left behind in the car.

On Feb. 11 a police dog was brought to the scene, but was able to track her for only 100 yards, prompting her family to conclude that she got a ride. A police helicopter and ground search also turned up no evidence.

Mr. Murray said Tuesday that his daughter may have been distraught at the time, in part because just two days earlier she had been involved in another accident. Police described Maura Murray as "endangered and possibly suicidal."

Since then, Maura Murray's family, her boyfriend and his family have come to the area to help in the search and hand posters throughout New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont.

But Mr. Murray no longer believes his daughter is in the area, adding to his frustration that the police lack the resources to do more. He wants the FBI to get involved, but was told there needs to be evidence of foul play first.

"But you can't get evidence because you don't have the force enough to go out and get it," he said. "Do you wait until you have a body to have evidence and you can call the FBI in? ... Isn't it possible to expand and pound a little harder?"

A spokeswoman for the Haverhill Police Department, which is handling the case, would not comment except to say the investigation was ongoing.

Mr. Murray is convinced foul play is involved, though authorities have yet to find evidence of it. Still, he holds out hope that perhaps she just needed to get away.

"Just tell us you're OK," he urged her. "Don't come back if you don't want to. Just tell us you're OK. ... She would if she could, but I don't think she is able to, for whatever reason that is."
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peripeteia



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PostPosted: Sat Oct 08, 2005 2:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Missing Woman
Police Chasing Regionwide Leads
BY GARY E. LINDSLEY, Staff Writer
Wednesday February 18, 2004

HAVERHILL NEW HAMPSHIRE
Haverhill police officers and detectives from New Hampshire State Police Troop F are receiving leads from all points in New England regarding a missing 21-year-old Massachusetts woman.

"This search has gone nationwide," Haverhill Police Chief Jeffery Williams said in a phone conversation late Tuesday afternoon.

Williams' four-person police department, which includes himself, has been investigating the disappearance of Maura Murray of Hanson, Mass. They, along with detectives from Troop F, have been receiving leads from all over New England.

Murray is 5 feet 7 inches tall, weighs about 120 pounds and has long dark brown hair and blue eyes, She was involved in a one-car accident about 7 p.m. Feb. 9.

Her car failed to negotiate a sharp curve and went off the road. Her father, Fred Murray, said it was a minor accident.

A resident who lives near the accident scene told police Murray was asked if she wanted police or emergency medical services called. She reportedly said no. That was the last time anyone has seen the young woman, who reportedly crashed her father's vehicle two days before she crashed her own car, a black 1996 Saturn bearing Massachusetts plates.

According to police, Murray was not injured in the accident. However, she was reportedly impaired due to alcohol consumption when she was seen by her car after her accident.

Williams said his department has received a number of calls in connection with Murray's disappearance, but he will not comment on them because of the ongoing investigation.

The person who saw Murray after the accident also was at the scene when officers arrived.

Williams wouldn't comment concerning what the witness had said about Murray's disappearance between the time of the accident and the time officers arrived.

"We don't know if someone picked her up," Williams said. "We are certainly concerned about that (possibility). We are getting leads from all over New England. It's a national investigation at this point."

Maura's father and her fiance, Bill Rausch, who is a second lieutenant with C Battery, 119th Field Artillery at Fort Sill, Lawton, Okla., have been joined by relatives and friends in their search for the 21-year-old woman. She is a student in the University of Massachusetts nursing program at Amherst.

They have been scouring areas on both sides of the Connecticut River, hoping to find someone who may have seen Maura or have information as to what happened to her after the accident.

Williams said although a search for her was called off last week, the investigation is continuing. He said New Hampshire Fish and Game is in charge of searches.

"I don't see a need for a search until we have a (solid) lead," Williams said.

In addition to officers from his department, and detectives, including Sgt. Bob Bruno from Troop F, Vermont State Police also are playing a part in the investigation.

Williams said information about Murray as been entered into the National Crime Information Center computer systems.

Anyone who has seen Murray is asked to contact the New Hampshire State Police at 603-846-3333 or 603-271-1170. People also can call the Haverhill Police Department at 603-787-2222.
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A vision sent me on the path of seeking justice for Chandra, nothing I've seen in print to date has diminished the vividness but only served to reaffirm the validity of this vision.
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peripeteia



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PostPosted: Sat Oct 08, 2005 8:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Relatives May Have Found A Clue
BY GARY E. LINDSLEY, Staff Writer
Saturday February 28, 2004

HAVERHILL NEW HAMPSHIRE
Relatives of Maura Murray have found what may be a clue in her disappearance.

Kathleen Murray found a pair of white, women's underwear lying on the snow near French Pond Road in Haverhill, Thursday.

Murray said she does not know if they are connected to the disappearance of her sister, who has not been seen since the night of her car accident on Route 112, about a mile east of Swiftwater.

Maura was driving a black 1996 Saturn Feb. 9 when her car failed to negotiate a sharp, left curve past The Weathered Barn and went off the road.

Maura is a nursing student at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Kathleen and her brother, Freddy, have been scouring the area around the accident site every day.

"I have been making my way down (toward the French Pond Road area)," Kathleen said. "We have been tracking through quite a bit of snow."

She turned the underwear over to Haverhill Police and said it will be about two weeks before DNA results come back.

"Hopefully, they will turn out not to be hers," Kathleen said. "Maybe it was just teenagers having fun. The area is pretty secluded."

Kathleen does not believe Maura has just taken off and doesn't want to be found.

"I know my sister," she said. "We were really close. If she were in trouble, she would have called me. I am extremely worried."

Kathleen is hoping to hold some type of fund-raiser to help boost the pledge reward fund established to help find Maura. It currently stands at about $30,000.

Family and friends have sought the assistance of a private investigator.

R.C. Stevens of PSII Inc., a Northampton, Mass., private investigation agency, is looking into the disappearance.

Anyone who has seen Maura or may have information, is asked to contact the New Hampshire State Police at 603-846-3333 or 603-271-1170; or the Haverhill Police Department at 603-787-2222.

She is 5 feet, 7 inches tall, weighs about 120 pounds, has brown hair and blue eyes, and was last seen wearing a dark coat and jeans.
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peripeteia



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PostPosted: Sat Oct 08, 2005 8:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Police Have New Lead In Maura Murray Case
BY GARY E. LINDSLEY, Staff Writer
Thursday May 6, 2004
Parents Of Missing Women To Meet

The parents of 17-year-old Brianna Maitland and 21-year-old Maura Murray are joining forces to increase pressure on law enforcement to call in the FBI to join the search for their loved ones.

Bruce and Kellie Maitland and Fred Murray have scheduled a press conference for 9 a.m. Saturday at the American Legion in Woodsville.

The Maitlands and Murray are frustrated with the respective police investigations into their daughters' disappearances.

Brianna has been missing since she clocked out at her job as a dishwasher at the Black Lantern Inn in Montgomery, Vt., at 11:20 p.m. March 19. She left the inn to return to Sheldon where she was living with a friend.

Her car was discovered partially ensconced in an abandoned building during the early morning hours of March 20 about a mile from the Black Lantern. She hasn't been seen since.

Maura was involved in a one-car accident on Route 112 in the town of Haverhill, N.H., the night of Feb. 9. She hasn't been seen since the night of the accident.

Both women disappeared after being involved in accidents on rural roads.

The Maitlands and Murray believe there may be a connection between what has happened to their daughters. And they want that connection explored.

However, state police from Vermont and New Hampshire have discounted any connection between the disappearances of Brianna and Maura.

"We want to meet Fred and talk about what we are going through," Bruce Maitland said. "Also, we want to get out to people we need to have this looked at as a combined effort. There may be a connection."

He believes the FBI, which has more resources than the state police, should become involved in the search for Brianna and Maura.

Murray has been asking New Hampshire State Police right from the beginning to ask the FBI to become active participants in the search for his daughter.

And with Brianna missing, he believes it is imperative any possible connections be explored. "I believe there may be a connection," Murray said. "The people in Vermont and New Hampshire should be screaming to have the FBI become involved."

He said until Brianna and Maura are found, young women in Vermont and New Hampshire are not safe until whomever is involved is found



HAVERHILL NEW HAMPSHIRE
There may be a break in the case involving 21-year-old nursing student Maura Murray who disappeared the night of Feb. 9 after she was involved in a one-car accident on rural Route 112 in Haverhill.

New Hampshire State Police Troop F Lt. John Scarinza said a witness has come forward with information he may have seen Murray about four to five miles east of the accident scene.

Scarinza said a man, whom he declined to identify, was returning from a construction job in the Franconia area when he spotted a young woman matching Murray's description hurrying east on Route 112, about an hour after her accident.

He not only believes the witness' information is credible, he also believes the man actually saw the Hanson, Mass., resident.

Murray, a student at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, left campus the afternoon of Feb. 9 after e-mailing professors and her boss, telling them she was going to take a week off because of a family problem.

Before heading north, she packed her black 1996 Saturn with some clothing, books for her college classes, expensive diamond jewelry from her boyfriend, Billy Rausch of Fort Sill, Okla., and computer-generated directions for locations in Vermont.

Although directions found in her car indicated she may have been headed toward Stowe or Burlington in Vermont, Murray apparently exited Interstate 91 at Exit 17 and headed east on Route 302.

She then turned right onto Route 112 and apparently headed to Lincoln, which she was familiar with because of family excursions to the area.

About a mile east of Swiftwater, around 7 p.m., she lost control of her car while rounding a sharp left-hand curve near The Weathered Barn. Her car went off the right side of the highway and into some trees, causing minor damage.

Butch Atwood, a school bus driver who lives about 100 yards east of the accident site, discovered Murray's disabled car while returning from taking students on a skiing trip.

Atwood spoke with her and offered to help, including calling police and EMS. However, Murray insisted that Atwood not call police and EMS because she had already contacted AAA.

Murray did not appear to be intoxicated, according to Atwood. Police said a container of alcohol was found in the car.

Atwood went to his house to call for help. About seven to nine minutes later, Haverhill Police Sgt. Cecil Smith arrived at the accident scene. Murray was nowhere to be found.

"Based on the description of what he saw, we believe it may have been Maura," Scarinza said, referring to the witness seeing a young woman fitting Maura's description about an hour after the accident. "Based on the place and based on the time, there is a good possibility the person he saw on 112 was Maura."

The witness contacted state police April 29 about possibly seeing Murray the night of the accident.

Scarinza said although the witness thought shortly after her disappearance he may have seen Murray, he discounted that thought after talking with a friend. His friend had said Murray's accident had happened Feb. 11 instead of Feb. 9. And he had seen the young woman the night of Feb. 9.

It was after seeing subsequent news reports, and realizing the accident had occurred Feb. 9, he decided to contact state police.

The man, who Scarinza said is a contractor, checked his work records and verified he was returning home from a job in the Franconia area the night of Feb. 9 when he spotted who he and state police believe was Murray.

Maura's father, Fred Murray, is upset police didn't travel Route 112 toward the Woodstock area, at least calling ahead to the Woodstock police to ask them to look for his daughter.

"This was a young woman involved in an accident," he said. "She had a head injury by the indication of the spider hole in the windshield."

"They know she is somewhere close by and they don't go down the road to bring her to safety?" Murray asked. "If they had searched for my daughter, she would most likely be safely here now."

Sharon Rausch, Billy's mother, said she believes the news of an eyewitness is wonderful.

"It gives me renewed hope she is still alive," Rausch said. "If she sees this in print, we want her to know she's more loved than ever."

Scarinza said because of the new information from the eyewitness, a search will be conducted Saturday in the area of routes 112 and 116 where Maura was last seen by the eyewitness.
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Location: Nova Scotia

PostPosted: Sat Oct 08, 2005 8:20 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Lieutenant Says Major Crimes Involved Since Beginning
Police Secure Murray Items For Evidence
BY GARY E. LINDSLEY, Staff Writer
Thursday July 1, 2004

State police say they have secured items from a missing 22-year-old University of Massachusetts at Amherst nursing student as possible evidence.

Lt. John Scarinza, commander of New Hampshire State Police Troop F, says the items are being held, possibly for further investigation.

However, Scarinza also says it's not true the state police Major Crimes Unit is only now getting involved in the Maura Murray case.

Murray has been missing since she was involved in a minor one-car crash on Route 112 in Haverhill, N.H., about a mile east of Swiftwater Feb. 9.

She has not been seen since the night of the accident.

He said the Major Crimes Unit, and specifically, Sgt. Charles West, has been involved in the Murray disappearance since three days after she disappeared.

Scarinza also said detectives from Troop F and the Major Crimes Unit have been used during the missing person's investigation.

He was emphatic that the items from Murray's car are not only now being looked at.

"The items have already been gone through once," Scarinza said.

When asked whether any of the items, including clothing and books, had been analyzed for forensic evidence in the beginning of the investigation, he said, "You don't just send a bag of stuff down there."

However, he did say the items in Murray's black 1996 Saturn were inventoried by Haverhill police officers during the first week of the investigation back in February.

In addition to diamond jewelry, books, clothing and some alcohol found in the vehicle after the accident, some items were missing.

"She had a (black) backpack when she left Massachusetts," Scarinza said. "We have not been able to locate the backpack in the car or her (dorm) room. That was the pack she used at school."

Scarinza also said when Murray left the Amherst campus, she had with her a box of wine, and bottles of vodka, Kahluha and Bailey's Irish Cream.

The box of wine, of which most had been spilled, was found in the car. But some of the other bottles were not found.

Also found in the car, specifically on the back seat, was a book written by Nicholas Howe, titled, "Not Without Peril."

Scarinza said the book is about tragedies regarding search and rescues in the White Mountains.

"Mrs. (Sharon) Rausch tells me that is Maura's favorite book," he said. "What does that mean? I don't know."

Haverhill police, in a press release issued two days after Murray's disappearance, said she possibly was suicidal.

Because it has been nearly five months since the night Murray disappeared, and because state police believe there is not a lot to look for, Scarinza said it's appropriate to have the items in the car at the time of the accident returned to investigators so they can be held as possible evidence.

"I don't know what we will do with them," he said. "We want to have all the items if we need them. At this point, we are holding them for evidence."

That includes Nicholas Howe's book.

"For instance," Scarinza said, "is there something significant about that book? I don't know."

If there is something highlighted in the book which may help with the investigation, they will have the book readily available.
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A vision sent me on the path of seeking justice for Chandra, nothing I've seen in print to date has diminished the vividness but only served to reaffirm the validity of this vision.
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peripeteia



Joined: 22 Sep 2002
Posts: 1173
Location: Nova Scotia

PostPosted: Sat Oct 08, 2005 8:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've gathered the information here for us to examine, will add my comments latter....need sleep after working nights.....

Kate
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A vision sent me on the path of seeking justice for Chandra, nothing I've seen in print to date has diminished the vividness but only served to reaffirm the validity of this vision.
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peripeteia



Joined: 22 Sep 2002
Posts: 1173
Location: Nova Scotia

PostPosted: Sat Oct 08, 2005 3:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote



I believe in this picture the bottom trail is the road, the aerial view shows the same twist in the road as on the map. The view of the mountain is in Monteau, a ski resort that is now closed, located this on an image search of Swiftwater...
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