- Disappearance of Maura Murray
-
Maura Murray
Maura Murray in 2003Born May 4, 1982
Hanson, Massachusetts, United StatesDisappeared February 9, 2004 (aged 21)
Haverhill, New Hampshire, United StatesStatus Missing for 7 years, 8 months and 29 days Nationality American Known for Missing person Height 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)[1] Weight 120 lb (54 kg)[1] Parents Frederick and Laurie Murray Maura Murray disappeared on 9 February 2004 after a one-car accident on New Hampshire Route 112 in Haverhill, New Hampshire. Murray, a nursing student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, left campus on the afternoon of her disappearance after telling her professors and her work supervisor by e-mail that she was taking a week off because of a family emergency. Official investigators suggested that she may have wanted to disappear and initially considered her disappearance to be a standard missing persons case,[2] but her family and friends believe that she was abducted and her father has been critical of state investigators.[3] As of May 2011, seven years after her disappearance, there is no suspect and her whereabouts remain unknown.[4][5][6][7]
Contents
Events before her disappearance
Maura went missing on Monday 9 February 2004. Four days prior to this, she made a phone call in the evening to her older sister, Kathleen, while on a break from her work for University of Massachusetts Student Security, and she appeared normal to her sister. The next day, on 6 February, Maura received a phone call at work at 1:00 am, causing her to become upset and she was escorted back to her dorm room by her supervisor.[8]
On the Saturday before she went missing, Maura went used-car shopping with her father, Fred Murray, and they later went for dinner with a friend of Maura's. Maura dropped her father off at his hotel room, and then borrowed his Toyota Corolla, returning to the UMass campus to a dorm party with her friend. She left the party at 2:30 am, and drove to her father's hotel room, hitting a guardrail on Route 9 in Hadley, causing $8,000 of damage, which would be covered by the insurance. Her father says she was shaken up and apologetic.[9] Maura called her boyfriend, who was stationed in Oklahoma, from her father's cell phone. Her father rented a car, dropped Maura off at UMass, and headed to Connecticut for work. In the evening, Maura agreed with her father that she would get the forms pertaining to the accident from the DMV on Monday, and they would discuss the forms over the phone that evening. According to a later police search of her computer, Maura searched MapQuest for directions to Burlington, Vermont.[8][10]
Day of her disappearance
Maura sent her boyfriend an e-mail at 1 pm, saying that she had not felt like talking to anyone, but that she would call him later in the day.[9] Maura made several calls between 12 pm and 3 pm, including asking about information on a condominium in Bartlett, New Hampshire that her family had annually vacationed at for years, leaving a voicemail with another student, and a number giving recorded information about Stowe, Vermont for approximately 5 minutes. Maura called her boyfriend for approximately 1 minute at 2:18 pm.
At about 4 pm, Maura e-mailed one of her work supervisors and some of her teachers to inform them that there had been a death in her family and that she would be out of town for several days, despite there being no such case of death. Maura packed all her belongings into boxes and removed the art from her room walls.[8] Soon after, at 3:30–4:30 pm, a dorm mate says they saw Maura leave the UMass Amherst campus. Maura withdrew $280 from an ATM, and was alone as seen by CCTV footage.[8] Her bank account was left nearly empty, with paychecks due from her job in the coming days. Maura then bought $35–$40 of alcohol, again while alone. Sometime after 4 pm, Maura left Amherst, probably heading up Interstate 91 north. She checked her cellphone messages at 4:37 pm.
Disappearance
"At a hairpin turn, she went off the road. Her car hit a tree. At that point, a person came along who was driving a bus. It was a neighbor. He asked her if she needed help. She refused. About 10 minutes later, police showed up to the scene and Maura Murray was gone."
—Joe McGee, The Patriot Ledger[4]At 7:29 pm, police dispatch received a call from a Woodsville, New Hampshire resident, who reported an accident near her house on Route 112. At 7:43 pm another Woodsville resident reported a black Saturn partially in the road. A bus driver says that he spoke to a girl he later identified as Maura, and asked if she wanted him to call the police. She told him not to bother, as she had called AAA. However, there was no cellphone reception in the area[5] and AAA says no call was made to them.[11]
At 7:46 pm, an officer from Haverhill Police arrived on the scene. The girl who was seen by the second caller and the bus driver was not present. The car was facing westbound in the eastbound lane, locked and with a cracked windshield and two deployed airbags.[11] A damaged box of Franzia wine was found on the rear passenger seat. Other items found in the car include Maura's AAA card, the insurance forms she retrieved for her earlier accident, her gloves, music CDs, her makeup, directions for Burlington and Stowe, a favorite stuffed monkey, and the Nicholas Howe book, Not Without Peril, a book about climbing in the White Mountains.[5][12] A rag from Maura's emergency roadside kit was discovered stuffed into the Saturn's muffler pipe.[11]
The EMS and a fire truck arrived just before 8 pm, and quickly cleared the scene. Maura's car was towed to a local auto repair garage by 8:49 pm, and the police officer left to attend another call at about 9:30 pm. A New Hampshire State Police trooper stopped by the scene of the accident, but it is unknown at what time he arrived, if he was dispatched or if he stopped on his own accord. The family reports that they were told there was no radio communication between the officer and his station for approximately two hours upon arrival to the scene.[11][13] There was no immediate search as it was assumed that Maura had left the scene by herself.[4] Her bank card, credit cards, and cellphone have not been used since.[8]
Search efforts
Early investigation
The following day, Tuesday 10 February, a BOLO (Be On the LookOut) for Maura Murray was issued at 12:36 pm to Grafton County, Littleton, Haverhill, and Lisbon. A voicemail was left on Maura's father's home answering machine at 3:20 pm stating that the car was found abandoned. He was working out of state and did not receive this call until later in the day. At 5:00 pm, Maura's older sister contacted her father to tell him that Maura's car had been found abandoned. He contacted the Haverhill Police Department and was told that if Maura was not reported safe by the following morning, New Hampshire Fish and Game Service would start a search. Maura's family members contacted the University of Massachusetts Police Department at 6:46 pm, and requested that her dormitory room be checked.
On Wednesday 11 February 2004, Maura's father arrived before dawn in Haverhill, New Hampshire. At 8:00 am, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Service, the Murrays, and others began to search for Maura. A police dog tracked the scent from one of Maura's gloves 100 yards east from where the vehicle was discovered, but lost the scent.[12] At 5 pm, Maura's boyfriend and his parents arrived in Haverhill Police Department. He was interrogated in private, and then was joined by his parents for questioning. At 7 pm, the police said that they believed Maura came to the area to either run away or commit suicide, although her family believed that this was unlikely. That evening, Maura's boyfriend allegedly received a voicemail message, since deleted, that he believes was the sound of Maura sobbing. His cellphone had been turned off during his flight. The call was traced to a card issued to the American Red Cross.[14]
Maura's father and her boyfriend held an evening press conference in Bethlehem, New Hampshire on 12 February, and the next day the first press coverage was published. The Haverhill police chief said that "Our concern is that she's upset or suicidal."[12][15][16][17] Maura's father and boyfriend were interviewed by CNN's American Morning a week after her disappearance.[18] Maura's family expanded their search into Vermont.
Although missing person cases are normally handled by local and state police, the FBI joined the investigation ten days after she disappeared.[19] The FBI interviewed some of Maura's friends and family from Massachusetts,[20][21] and the Haverhill police chief disclosed that the search for Maura was now nationwide.[22] Ten days after her disappearance, New Hampshire Fish and Game conducted a second ground and air search, using a heat-seeking helicopter, sniffer dogs and cadaver dogs.[23] Maura's older sister discovered a ripped white pair of women's underwear lying in the snow on a secluded trail near French Pond Road on 26 February,[24][25] but DNA tests found that the underwear did not belong to Maura.[26]
At the end of February, the police returned the items found in Maura's car to her family, and on March 2 Maura's siblings checked out of their motel, exhausted from the search, her father also checking out after three weeks of searching, returning nearly every weekend. In April, Haverhill Police informed him of complaints of trespassing on private property.[27][28] In May, based on a tip, New Hampshire Fish and Game conducted a ground search near where a young person was seen running the night of Maura's disappearance, but no scent or leads were reported from the search. Her father petitioned New Hampshire Governor Craig Benson for help in the search.[21][29][30] and appeared on The Montel Williams Show in November 2004 to publicise the case.[5]
Ongoing investigation
Towards the end of 2004, a man allegedly gave Maura's father a rusty, stained knife that belonged to the man's brother, who had a criminal past and lived less than a mile from where Maura's car was discovered. His brother and his brother's girlfriend were said to have acted strangely after Maura's disappearance.[20]
On the anniversary of her disappearance, a service was held where Maura's car was found, and her father met briefly with New Hampshire Governor John Lynch. In June 2005, police dismissed any connection between Maura's case and that of Brianna Maitland,[31][32] and retrieved the items found in Maura's vehicle from her family. In July, another search was conducted around the area in which Maura's car was discovered. In late 2005, Maura's father filed suit against several law enforcement agencies, with the aim of seeing files on the case.[33] The New Hampshire League of Investigators, ten retired police officers and detectives, and the Molly Bish Foundation started working on Maura's case in 2006.[20][34][35] Tom Shamshak, a former police chief and a member of the Licensed Private Detectives Association of Massachusetts said "It appears ... that this is something beyond a mere missing persons case. Something ominous could have happened here."[4][36]
"Based on what I know, I believe Maura was killed... Somebody knows something. Whether Maura's alive and got a ride or whether Maura is dead, somebody knows something."
—Helena Murray, Maura's cousin-in-law who runs Mauraismissing.com, in December 2009[37]In October 2006, volunteers led a two-day search within a few miles of where Maura's vehicle was found. In the closet of an A-Frame house, cadaver dogs allegedly went "bonkers," identifying the possible presence of human remains. A sample of the carpet was sent to the New Hampshire State Police.[20] The Arkansas group Let's Bring Them Home offered a $75,000 reward in 2007 for information that could solve her disappearance.[38] In July 2008, volunteers lead another two day search through wooded areas in Haverhill. The group consisted of dog teams and licensed private investigators.[39] Senior Assistant Attorney General Jeffery Strelzin said in February 2009 that the investigation is still active. "We don't know if Maura is a victim, but the state is treating it as a potential homicide. It may be a missing-persons case, but it's being handled as a criminal investigation."[3][5]
Possible sightings
There have been several reported sightings of Maura since her disappearance, but none have been confirmed. The family dismissed a claim in April 2004 by psychic Carla Baron that Maura had been murdered.[40]
- Monday, February 9, 2004. 8:00 - 8:30 PM - A Swiftwater, New Hampshire local reportedly saw a young person moving quickly on foot eastbound on Route 112, about 4 to 5 miles (6 to 8 km) east of where Maura's vehicle was discovered. The young person was reported to have been wearing jeans, a dark coat, and a light-colored hood. The witness reported that the person, upon being seen, quickly ran down a side dirt road. There have been inconsistencies in multiple interviews.[20][41][42]
- June 2005. A girl with blonde hair resembling Maura was seen at a church in Barton, Vermont. A witness said that the girl said her name was "Raykel" and took off quickly when the minister started a Father's Day sermon.[20]
- June 2006. A girl resembling Maura was seen at a Cumberland Farms store in Hillsborough, New Hampshire with an older male companion. The girl was reportedly mouthing "help me." There are no security tapes of the incident available. The sighting was not reported until a few months later when the witness saw photos of Maura on a television news program.[20]
Significance
Maura's case was compared in an episode of 20/20 to that of Brooke Wilberger who went missing within a few months of Maura's disappearance, and was later found murdered. The two families have become close.[4][43] There are more than 21,500 active missing person cases involving people between the ages of 18 and 29.[44] Maura's case was one of those cited by proponents of a cold case unit for New Hampshire.[45] Her case was added to the newly established cold case unit in late 2009.[37]
See also
References
- ^ a b "Maura Murray". New Hampshire Department of Safety. http://www.nh.gov/safety/divisions/nhsp/missingpersons/mpmurray.html. Retrieved 2011-05-25.
- ^ Associated Press (4 April 2004). "Parents push search for student". Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2004/04/04/parents_push_search_for_student/. Retrieved 2009-09-26.
- ^ a b Associated Press (8 February 2009). "Five years later, case frustrates family". Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/news/local/new_hampshire/articles/2009/02/08/five_years_later_case_frustrates_family/. Retrieved 2009-09-26.
- ^ a b c d e Hunter, Donna (21 September 2009). "Vanished: Two Coeds, Two Horrifying Mysteries, One Finally Solved". pp. ABC News. http://www.abcnews.go.com/2020/vanished-brooke-wilbergers-remains-found-coed-case/story?id=8634304. Retrieved 2009-09-26.
- ^ a b c d e West, Nancy (28 October 2007). "Missing Maura Murray - Four years and countless questions". Union Leader. http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?articleId=7927d625-1ea2-47b5-9f6e-bc05073f85c2&headline=Missing+Maura+Murray+-+Four+years+and+countless+questions. Retrieved 2009-09-26.
- ^ Lindsley, Gary E. (2 February 2009). "Five Years Later, Maura Murray Still Missing After Driving To Haverhill, N.H.". Caledonian-Record. http://caledonianrecord.com/Main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=145&ArticleID=43893. Retrieved 2009-09-26.
- ^ Palpini, Kristin (6 February 2010). "Cable channel highlights mysterious case of missing UMass student Maura Murray". Daily Hampshire Gazette. http://www.gazettenet.com/2010/02/06/cable-channel-highlights-mysterious-case-missing-umass-student?SESS768d972589b8b70c3065fdb155edc751=gnews. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
- ^ a b c d e McGrory, Brian (2 March 2004). "Where could Maura be?". Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2004/03/02/where_could_maura_be/. Retrieved 2009-09-26.
- ^ a b Conway, Maribeth (June 21, 2007). "MAURA IS MISSING PART I: The Departure". Hanson Express 6 (25). http://www.whitmanhansonexpress.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=48:maura-is-missing-part-i-the-departure&catid=912.
- ^ DeMarco, Peter (21 February 2004). "Map clue spurs search for student in Vermont". Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/news/local/new_hampshire/articles/2004/02/21/map_clue_spurs_search_for_student_in_vermont/. Retrieved 2009-09-26.
- ^ a b c d Conway, Maribeth (June 27, 2007). "MAURA IS MISSING PART II: The Accident". Hanson Express 6 (26). http://whitmanhansonexpress.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=76:maura-is-missing-part-ii-the-accident&catid=912&Itemid=83.
- ^ a b c DeMarco, Peter (15 February 2004). "A student vanishes, and questions mount". Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/news/local/new_hampshire/articles/2004/02/15/a_student_vanishes_and_questions_mount/. Retrieved 2009-09-26.
- ^ West, Nancy (October 28, 2007). "Missing Maura Murray: Four years and countless questions". New Hampshire Union Leader. http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Missing+Maura+Murray+-+Four+years+and+countless+questions&articleId=7927d625-1ea2-47b5-9f6e-bc05073f85c2.
- ^ "Did Maura make the mysterious phone call?", "Whitman & Hanson Express", July 3, 2007.
- ^ Associated Press."Hanson Woman, 21, Missing After Crash", "The Boston Globe", February 14, 2004.
- ^ Conway, Maribeth (July 5, 2007). "MAURA IS MISSING PART III: The Search". Hanson Express 6 (27). http://whitmanhansonexpress.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=79:maura-is-missing-part-iii-the-search&catid=912&Itemid=83.
- ^ "Mass. woman missing after N.H. car crash". Boston Herald. 13 February 2004. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/bostonherald/access/544952131.html?dids=544952131:544952131&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Feb+13%2C+2004&author=&pub=Boston+Herald&edition=&startpage=012&desc=REGION+In+Brief%3B+Mass.+woman+missing+after+N.H.+car+crash. Retrieved 2009-09-26.
- ^ O'Brien, Soledad (17 February 2004). "Mystery Disappearance". American Morning (CNN). http://www-cgi.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0402/17/ltm.03.html. Retrieved 2009-09-26.
- ^ DeMarco, Peter (20 February 2004). "With no new leads, FBI joins search for missing student". Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/news/local/new_hampshire/articles/2004/02/20/with_no_new_leads_fbi_joins_search_for_missing_student/. Retrieved 2009-09-26.
- ^ a b c d e f g Conway, Maribeth (July 12, 2007). "MAURA IS MISSING PART IV: The Aftermath". Hanson Express 6 (28). http://whitmanhansonexpress.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=81:maura-is-missing-part-iv-the-aftermath&catid=912&Itemid=83.
- ^ a b Lindsley, Gary E. "Fred Murray Appeals to Governor Benson", "Caledonian-Record", May 26, 2004.
- ^ Lindsley, Gary E. "Police Chasing Regionwide Leads", "Caledonian-Record", February 18, 2004.
- ^ McGrory, Brian (27 February 2004). "Footprints in the snow". Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2004/02/27/footprints_in_the_snow/. Retrieved 2009-09-26.
- ^ Lindsley, Gary E. "Relatives May Have Found A Clue", "Caledonian-Record", February 28, 2004.
- ^ Szaniszlo, Marie (2 March 2004). "Missing woman's sister finds underwear near crash site". Boston Herald.
- ^ Lindsley, Gary E. "Potential Evidence Discounted", "Caledonian-Record", March 24, 2004.
- ^ Lindsley, Gary E. "Family, Friends Warned About Trespassing", "Caledonian-Record", April 14, 2004.
- ^ Lindsley, Gary E. "Residents Dispute Claims They Want Trespassers Arrested", "Caledonian-Record", April 20, 2004.
- ^ Murray, F. J. "Fred's Letters to Governors". http://www.mauramurraymissing.com/Fredsletterstogovernor.html. Retrieved 2009-05-26.
- ^ Szaniszlo, Marie (10 February 2005). "Mass. dad asks N.H. gov for help finding daughter". Boston Herald. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/bostonherald/access/791602151.html?dids=791602151:791602151&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Feb+10%2C+2005&author=MARIE+SZANISZLO&pub=Boston+Herald&edition=&startpage=020&desc=Mass.+dad+asks+N.H.+gov+for+help+finding+daughter. Retrieved 2009-09-26.
- ^ Chase, Stacey (3 February 2008). "Return to me". Boston Globe Sunday Magazine. http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/magazine/articles/2008/02/03/return_to_me/. Retrieved 2009-09-26.
- ^ Heslam, Jessica (6 May 2004). "Families of missing women want cops to search for link". Boston Herald. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/bostonherald/access/629906341.html?dids=629906341:629906341&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=May+6%2C+2004&author=Jessica+Heslam&pub=Boston+Herald&edition=&startpage=027&desc=Families+of+missing+women+want+cops+to+search+for+link. Retrieved 2009-09-26.
- ^ Nichols, Russell (29 January 2006). "Father seeks data on a lost daughter". Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/01/29/father_seeks_data_on_a_lost_daughter/. Retrieved 2009-09-26.
- ^ "The Lineup". Fox News. 13 January 2006. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,181593,00.html. Retrieved 2009-09-26.
- ^ Fargan, Jessica (4 January 2006). "PIs working for free to find UMass Student". Boston Herald. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/bostonherald/access/957076761.html?dids=957076761:957076761&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Jan+4%2C+2006&author=Jessica+Fargen&pub=Boston+Herald&edition=&startpage=004&desc=PIs+working+for+free+to+find+UMass+Student. Retrieved 2009-09-26.
- ^ "Private Investigators Renew Search For Missing Woman". The Boston Channel. 4 January 2006. http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/5845343/detail.html. Retrieved 2009-09-26.
- ^ a b Sanders, Ron (11 December 2009). "Missing UMass Student Listed On NH Cold Case Site". WBZ TV (Boston). http://wbztv.com/local/cold.case.maura.2.1365538.html. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
- ^ Associated Press (7 August 2007). "Group helps search for missing student". Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/08/07/insurance_expert_joins_connector_board/. Retrieved 2009-09-26.
- ^ "News". http://www.mauramurraymissing.com/News.html. Retrieved 2009-05-26.
- ^ DeMarco, Peter (11 April 2004). "Missing student's kin skeptical of psychic". Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2004/04/11/missing_students_kin_skeptical_of_psychic/. Retrieved 2009-09-26.
- ^ Abel, David (7 May 2004). "New lead is reported in search for student". Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2004/05/07/new_lead_is_reported_in_search_for_student/. Retrieved 2009-09-26.
- ^ Rosinski, Jennifer (7 May 2004). "New lead gives hope to missing girl's kin". Boston Herald. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/bostonherald/access/630070341.html?dids=630070341:630070341&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=May+7%2C+2004&author=JENNIFER+ROSINSKI&pub=Boston+Herald&edition=&startpage=018&desc=New+lead+gives+hope+to+missing+girl%27s+kin. Retrieved 2009-09-26.
- ^ "Vanished: Missing Co-eds". 20/20. MSN. 15 July 2009. http://tv.msn.com/tv/episode/20-20/vanished-missing-co-eds/. Retrieved 2009-09-26.
- ^ Hunter, Donna (18 August 2008). "4 Years Later, Coeds' Cases Still Cold". ABC News. http://abcnews.go.com/m/screen?id=5578937&pid=359. Retrieved 2009-09-26.
- ^ Kimble, James A. (1 May 2009). "NH may get cold case unit". The Eagle Tribune. http://www.eagletribune.com/punewsnh/local_story_121020508.html?keyword=topstory. Retrieved 2009-09-26.
Further reading
- Godwin, Maurice; Fred Rosen (2004). "Missing person case - Maura Murray". Tracker: Hunting Down Serial Killers. Da Capo Press Inc. pp. 224. ISBN 1560256346. http://www.investigativepsych.com/publications.htm.
External links
- Maura's Profile at National Missing and Unidentified Persons System
- Maura Murray, Cold Case Unit, New Hampshire Department of Justice
- Maura Murray Missing
- James Renner's investigation into Maura's disappearance.
- Maura Murray Missing on MySpace
- Video from CNN's Nancy Grace show
- "Where's Maura Murray?" Video from ABC's 20/20 In Touch Webcast
- 'Maura is Missing' Series, Maribeth Conway, Whitman & Hanson Express, which won the 2008 New England Press Association investigative reporting award.[1]
- The All-American Girl, Part 1 - Project Jason-Voice for the Missing at Blogspot.com
- "WATD Interview on Maura Murray". WATD radio (FM 95.9). 15 February 2008. http://www.whitmanhansonexpress.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=750:watd-interview-on-maura-murray&catid=912&Itemid=83. Retrieved 2009-09-27.
- Video preview of Maura's case on the Investigation Discovery Channel. Disappeared series episode which aired on February 8, 2010 at 10 PM e/p.
Categories:- 1982 births
- People from Hanson, Massachusetts
- University of Massachusetts Amherst alumni
- United States Military Academy alumni
- Possibly living people
- Crime in New Hampshire
- 2000s missing person cases
- 2004 in New Hampshire
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