CASE INFORMATION

Mod1 · Joined: 04 Feb 2005 Posts: 58

Presenting a timeline is proving far more difficult than I would have thought. Dates and times in blue are known, red are approximate. This thread will be locked so that all discussion takes place in the discussion thread, but I hope it will help as a reference. I will be adding more information at a later date as I have time and as information is requested. We don't really have much concrete information and what we do have is obviously subject to memories and biases of those relating the information...

2/8 Maura at friends with several others:
At about 1 a.m., Alfieri said she (Sarah) was passed out from drinking. Markopoulos was still up with Murray and they were talking about going home at about 2:30 a.m. But Murray wanted to go to her father's hotel, according to Markopoulos. I told her just to go back to her room and meet him in the morning, but she wouldn't listen,'' she said. About an hour later, Murray cracked up her father's Toyota Corolla on Route 9... Patriot Ledger 3/9/04
2/8 Approximately 3:30 per Patriot Ledger Report Maura had accident – single car, no charges were filed.
2/8 4:49 AM Maura called Billy from her Dad’s phone after accident – She had left her phone at Sarah Alfieri’s
2/8 8:30 PM Maura checks messages – presumably she retrieved her phone around this time
2/8 11:26 P M Maura talks to Fred
2/9 New Hampshire State Police Troop F Commander Lt. John Scarinza said a search of Maura Murray's computer in her dorm room at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst revealed the missing woman had searched for directions to Burlington, Vt.
Caledonian Record 2/21/04
2/9 12:55 P M Maura calls about condo in Bartlett
2/9 1:13 P M Maura calls another student leaves voice mail –no significant info
2/9 2:05 P M Calls Go Stowe (system problems and she only got machine)NOTES: When Maura's cell phone bill arrived we learned she had called 800GOSTOWE. They checked out the call for me and learned that some VT LE had contacted some of the motels in their organization, but all had not been contacted and she had not been contacted. She researched Maura’s call for me only to learn that the 800GOSTOWE system was out of order and all that Maura could have managed to do during the call was listen to various recordings through different options. Since the call was approximately 5 minutes, we are certain this is what Maura did.
Mon, 09 Feb 2004 13:00:06 –0500 Maura sent email to Billy
Subject: hey hey
To: "Bill Rausch"

I love you more stud I got your messages, but honestly, i didn't
feel like talking to much of anyone, i promise to call today though
love you
maura
2/9 2:18 P M Maura called Billy 1 minute call
At some point, Maura either downloaded or picked up an accident form at the RMV
2/9 Prior to 4:00 PM - It is believed by family that Maura went to ATM, withdrew about $280 and purchased alcohol in Amherst (we have various reports $35-$40)
2/9 4:37 P M Maura retrieved her voice mails
The exact time Maura left Amherst is unknown.
Rausch said she understood the vehicle was not running on all of its
cylinders. Caledonian Record 2/27/04
Depending on the route Maura took from Amherst and which mapping program
The drive would have taken: Google 146 mi (about 3 hours 22 mins)
Rand McNally 146 Miles (about 2 hours 55 minutes)
Google Directions (can’t copy Maps if somebody knows how, please
contact mod1)

Distance: 146 mi (about 3 hours 22 mins)
Reverse directions
1. Head east from Massachusetts Ave - go 0.0 mi
2. Turn left at N Pleasant St - go 1.8 mi
3. Turn left at Meadow St - go 0.3 mi
4. Bear right and head toward RT-116 - go 0.0 mi
5. Bear right at RT-116 - go 0.9 mi
6. Continue on Sunderland Rd - go 0.4 mi
7. Continue on Amherst Rd - go 3.4 mi
8. Continue on Bridge St - go 0.3 mi
9. Continue on Sunderland Rd - go 1.6 mi
10. Turn right at State Rd - go 0.1 mi
11. Continue on Greenfield Rd - go 0.8 mi
12. Turn left at Conway Rd - go 0.1 mi
13. Turn right into the I-91 N entry ramp - go 129 mi
...
14. Take the US-302 exit 17 to Wells River (US-5)/Woodsville N.H. - go 0.2 mi
15. Turn right at William Scott Memorial Hwy - go 2.6 mi
16. Turn right at William Scott Memorial Hwy/Main St N - go 0.2 mi
17. Turn left at Railroad St - go 0.3 mi
18. Continue on Central St - go 1.3 mi
19. Turn left at Dartmouth College Rd - go 0.7 mi
20. Continue on Dartmouth College Hwy - go 1.9 mi
21. Turn right at Wild Ammonoosuc Rd - go 0.5 mi

2/9 7:29 PM Dispatch center received call about
crash from Westman (neighbor) In talking about the night of the
accident, she said she called it in to police. Westman said she saw
Butch Atwood, a school bus driver who lives about 100 yards east
of the accident scene, stop and check on Maura. She said she saw
Maura get out of her vehicle and talk to Atwood. However, once
she saw Atwood talking to Maura, she did not continue watching
what was going on. Caledonian Record
2/9 time unknown BOL ALL FIRE UNITS 5'7" 120 LBS (we don’t know why to fire or who issued BOL)
2/9 7:43 PM Call from bus driver received at
dispatch through another dispatch center "Atwood was on his way
home, about a mile from Swiftwater on Route 112 in Haverhill,
when rounding the sharp left-hand curve by The Weathered Barn, he
saw a black Saturn partially in the roadway and partially mired in the
snow. It was about 7:30 p.m., he said. Atwood, a school bus driver
for First Student, was returning from dropping off students
after a day of skiing at Wildcat Mountain. He stopped the school bus by
the Saturn to see if he could help. "She was still in the car," Atwood
said, referring to Maura Murray. Atwood said the Saturn's lights
weren't on. "I shined the light in (her car)," he said.
"I said, ‘Are you OK?' She said she was." As a matter of safety,
he told her to turn her car's lights on so no one would strike her
vehicle coming around the curve. He drove to his house, about 75
yards from the scene of the accident, and backed it his driveway
before running into the house to call police. However, he couldn't
get through to the Haverhill Police Department and the Grafton County
Sheriff's Department. He called 911 and the operator couldn't either.
Atwood said another 911 operator was able to get through. While he
was talking on his phone on his front porch, Atwood could see the road,
but not Murray's disabled car. He saw several vehicles drive by, but
couldn't tell any makes or models because it was so dark. After about
seven to nine minutes, he looked out and saw the Haverhill
Police. Atwood believed the situation was under control and went to the
school bus to tend to his paperwork. Caledonain Record 4/20/04
7:46 PM First known officer arrives at scene (we have been contacted by some who passed the scene and saw a vehicle believed to be police vehicle with a number on it. These persons believe it was earlier than the arrival of Officer Smith and have stated that it was a different type of vehicle than the one known to have been driven by Officer Smith) – Fire Unit, EMS and State Trooper Monahan were also at scene.

Report by another neighbor:
Time: between 7-8 p.m.

The car backed up parallel to the road. Within 4 to 5 min. a bus came down route 112 from Woodsville Stopped for 4 to 5 min. Bus continued down the road and backed into driveway located directly across the street. He stayed in bus for quite awhile and thought that was odd. He presumed that he was making the 911 call from the bus. Could not see Maura at the car thereafter.
2/9/05 no time, but prior to 8:49 pm car towed to Lavoie's

We know that the front of Maura's car was pointing west and that it was in the east bound lane. According to the bus driver she had difficulty opening the door because it was in the snow bank. From notes taken by Maura's friend: Attwood arrived at 7:35 p.m.
Maura was in the car, sitting there with no lights on.
I asked was there anyone else in the car?
Attwood responded, no one else was in the car.
[There was a little confusion with the next set of questions, when he first commented he said that Maura was in the car and could not get out, because the car was facing the barn and door was blocked. But then said she got out of the car and stood outside the car.]
Attwood asked Maura "Are you okay?"
Maura: "Yes fine"
Attwood to me, "I looked over the scene and saw no blood" at this point I asked for confirmation regarding the location of Maura. He described Maura as looking over the car.
Attwood described Maura, "She didn't look like the pictures, her hair was down, it must have come undone during the accident."
Again from notes: Another neighbor went to the kitchen window peel an orange and saw a car with the flashers going.

After Murray's accident, Butch Atwood said he was returning from taking students skiing when he spotted Murray's car half in the road and half off the road without its flashers on at about 7:30 p.m. Others near the scene said the car's emergency flashers were on. Caledonian 2/27/04

2/10/04 12:36 PM - BOL Maura Murray issued to Grafton, Littleton, Haverhill and Lisbon (others?)
2/10/04 3:20 p.m -Fred receives a voice message on his home phone about his car being found abandoned near
Woodsville NH on the evening of February 9th. Fred’s answering machine notes the time of day as 3:20 PM EST. Fred is at work on a contracted job in another state and does not get the message until later.
2/10/04 - 6:46 PM Family members call Umass. Police request that Maura’s dorm room be checked
2/10/05 5:44 Fred calls Haverhill PD
2/11 time? Official Search including one search dog, Helicoptors and police

NOTES:

At approximately 5:00 or 5:30 PM Fred Murray receives a call from his daughter Kathleen. The Haverhill Police have reached her brother, Freddie Murray’s residence in Hanson MA (Freddie resides with his mother Laurie Murray, younger brother Curtis Murray and Maura when she is not at school.) The police reported to Freddie that they found an abandoned car owned by Frederick Murray. Freddie told them that was his sister’s car and they had to search for her. The policeman that talked to Freddie said that if she was missing, he would have to contact their local police department. When Freddie called the local police department he was told that he would have to call the University of Massachusetts at Amherst Police Department, Maura’s current residence. . Fred Murray, the father called Haverhill Police Department and begged them to start looking for Maura. It was almost 24 hours after her accident and no search other than a drive up and down either direction of the accident scene by Sgt. Smith and Butch Atwood had taken place. The officer who talked with Fred said they did not like to start a search that late in the day. He said that if Maura was not reported safe by Wednesday morning, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Service would do a search for her.

Fred Murray arrived in Haverhill before dawn on Wednesday to urge the police to look for Maura.

2/11 The police reported to the Murray and the Rausch families around 7:00 PM that it was their opinion that Maura had either ran away or had come to the area to commit suicide. Sharon Rausch MM.com
2/11 Bill, Billy and Sharon arrived at the Haverhill Police Department around 5:00 PM on Wednesday, February 11. Billy was extensively interrogated in private, and then Bill and I were questioned in the room with Billy.

NOTES: Finding Maura tracing cell phone - the customer service department told Billy that only law enforcement could make a request for such information. I told him to contact the police in Haverhill NH. (They had been in contact with him by this time.) Because of my occupational background and the fact that ‘S. B. Rausch’ is actually me, I called Sprint. Sharon was told that Maura had a Samsung A620 camera phone, but that the cell phone signal could not be traced because her phone did not have the chip which provided that technology. Told phone was active, but it was possible that the battery was dead. (wondered if there is the possibility of Sprint being mistaken and that the phone was active, but that there was no cell phone signal because there is no signal in most of the area surrounding Maura’s accident and that it appeared that the battery was dead.) I also learned that Maura had checked her voice mail from her cell phone at approximately 4:30 PM on Monday, February 9th and that the very last call made from her cell phone was approximately at 1:00 PM on the 9th (both of these times are from memory.) When the cell phone bill arrived in March, we learned that the last call from Maura’s cell phone was to Billy’s cell phone. Billy told me that Maura tried to reach him by phone and sent him one email on Monday, Feb 9th as quoted in the outline. I called Billy and gave him the information that I had learned from Sprint PCS and told him to call the police. Shortly after, Sergeant Cecil Smith from the Haverhill Police Department called me. He wanted information on how he could speak to Sprint to get the information that I had learned first hand. I gave him very detailed instructions, including which option # to select each time, the name of the account, Billy’s mailing address and my social security number. All of these items were required for Sprint to release any information. Sprint was also on notice that Maura was missing. Before I let him go, I asked what he knew about Maura’s disappearance. Based on my notes, the following while perhaps not an actual quote is nearly verbatim what Sergeant Smith told me: “I was on duty last night and received a call around 7:00 or 7:30 PM that there was an accident. I arrived on the scene approximately 10 minutes after I received the call. As I was driving to the scene of the accident, I met 5 or 6 cars. When I arrived on the scene there was no one present. I ran the plates and saw that the car belonged to 61 year old Frederick Murray of Weymouth MA. There was only one set of footprints leading from the car. This is a tourist area and it is not unusual for someone to have car trouble or in this case get stuck in the snow and abandon their vehicle. I assumed we would hear from Mr. Murray about his car. When we did not, we started trying to reach him today ( note: “today” would have been Tuesday Feb 10th). When we finally reached him this evening, we learned that his daughter Maura, was driving the car.” I asked him many questions and he clearly indicated that he had no knowledge that a young girl was driving this abandoned car. He was very nice and sympathetic. He soon called me a second time stating that he was having no success in reaching the department in Sprint PCS. We were speaking on my home phone, so I got on my cell phone and asked that he call Sprint and that I would walk him through the steps. He was still unable to follow the procedure, and by the time I reached the representative, she gave me a direct number where Haverhill PD could call them.

Call February 11th - Red Cross:
Billy and I both were insistent that the missed call/message to him that morning was from Maura. I had listened to the message. The ‘message’ was very short. It consisted of a very short time of labored breathing (the sound we all make if we have exerted ourselves in very cold weather), two, possibly three very wet sniffs as if someone were crying or had a very bad cold and ended in the middle of a very soft muffled sob. The police played the message through their land line and said that it only sounded like someone humming. Detective Landry with the NH SP finally told us that he traced the call to the Red Cross. Please note that this information was given to us Wednesday evening *after* we had provided information about all of the people and agencies that Bill, Billy and I had talked to since learning of Maura’s disappearance. Per Red Cross: ... routinely she would not call any soldier as it is not necessary to speak to anyone but the parent or spouse making the request and the commanding officer. Also, I have my notes for the information that she requested and feel confident that I never gave her Billy’s cell phone number. The only number that I gave her was my cell phone number and the phone number of Billy’s Commanding Officer at Fort Sill. Of course, she already had my home phone number from the message to the answering service. It is also my opinion that the sounds in the message make absolutely no sense *if* the call was from the Red Cross. Why would the Red Cross not leave a message, or if the other explanation that is to follow is the case, why would a Red Cross Employee/Volunteer make labored breathing, crying sounds while making a professional call? Another reason the NH SP said that it was not reasonable to believe the message came from Maura was that she would have a left a message instead of just sounds. To my way of thinking the main reason that Maura may not have left a message is that Billy frequently has a problem with his phone whereby the caller does not realize that their call has made connection with Billy’s phone. I have called him 2 or 3 times in a row, thinking that my call did not go through. Until we realized this problem just in the last few months since Maura went missing, Billy would always ask why I hung up and called again. If this were the case, then Maura may not have had any other minutes remaining on the calling card or she was in the undesirable position of not being able to place the call again. As to the Red Cross possibility as suggested by NH SP, Billy never received a call or a voice message from them.
2/27/04 - However, Scarinza said that angle has been eliminated because investigators traced the calling card to the American Red Cross officials who had been attempting to contact Bill Rausch.
Caledonian Record 2/27/04

NOTES:

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11th
The FBI agent was very kind and explained that by calling me he was doing a personal favor for a friend, and that the FBI had to meet certain criteria before they could enter an investigation without invitation. He said we were more than welcome to use his name and tell the police that on behalf of the FBI, he was extending the services of the FBI.

A search for Maura by the New Hampshire Fish and Game Service took place during the daylight hours. Maura's family and the Rausch family arrived at Haverhill Police Department at various times during the day. The Murray family members arrived early enough that they spent most of the day out searching for Maura up and down Route 112. The police reported to the Murray and the Rausch families around 7:00 PM that it was their opinion that Maura had either ran away or had come to the area to commit suicide. That the dogs (in fact there was only one dog used that day) had traced Maura’s scent in an easterly direction from the crash site for approximately 100 yards. That there was no evidence of a crime and therefore since Maura was 21, she had the right to leave home and not want to be found. They also issued a Press Release which was not dated. When reading the Press Release, one thinks that all of the events listed happened during a 24 hour period. In fact, the Press Release covers a 48 hour time period. It was over 36 hours from the time the Haverhill Police Department were notified of Maura’s accident at 7:30 PM on Monday February 9th until they did a search for her after 8:00 AM on Wednesday, February 11th. The Press Release was also inaccurate as is the most recent Press Release dated Tuesday, June 8th by the New Hampshire Police Department. The search was mainly an air search by helicopter in a very wooded area with heavy accumulation of snow.

2/14/05 - NOTES - A family friend, interviewed the neighbors on Saturday and Sunday, February 14th and 15th. A witness who lives in eyesight of the accident told Christine that he did not see or hear anything the night of the accident. A NH resident called Fred some time in April and told him that she had heard that someone had seen Maura. Fred researched the rumor and learned that this neighbor had said *after reading our Reward Poster* that he believed he saw Maura. When Fred questioned him, he said he did not think he knew anything about the accident because he thought the accident was on Tuesday because he was home on Wednesday when the authorities were first searching for Maura. He had assumed (as anyone would) that Maura had disappeared the night before on Tuesday. Although he is one of the few people who live near the accident site, the police did not question him until Thursday 19th, the day of the second search. He told the police on the 19th that he did not see or hear anything regarding the accident. After his reflection on the Reward Poster, he determined that he worked late on Monday, February 9th and did not arrive home until 8:15 or 8:30 PM. This fit perfectly with his report that he sighted a young person around 8 or 8:15 PM moving at a fast pace traveling east on Route 112. He reported that when the young person saw him, he/she dropped their head and darted down a dirt side road. This witness said the young person was wearing jeans, a dark coat and lighter colored hood. This sighting took place about 4-5 miles east of Maura’s accident site. Between Maura’s accident and the town of Woodstock (I believe about 12 miles), there is nothing but the White Mountain National Forest. If Woodstock PD had been called they could have traveled west while Haverhill PD traveled east looking for Maura. Because there was also a car accident, the New Hampshire State Police should have also been looking for Maura that night. Instead, Maura’s car was simply towed before he even returned home from work.

The first news articles we have available start on February 13, 2004. If anyone has earlier ones please contact Mod1.

2/16/04 NOTES - Fred went to Lt. Scarinza to insist that he invite the FBI in on Maura’s case. By this time we had learned from UMass Police that Maura had done a MapQuest Search on her computer on Monday the 9th to Burlington VT. Of course, NH LE has no jurisdiction in VT. We all felt then as we do now that with Maura being a MA citizen missing from NH and evidence of her plans to reach Burlington VT that the FBI should be asked to assist. Lt. Scarinza said he would ask for the FBI’s help. However, before Fred returned to the Wells River Motel from Troop F Headquarters (about a 30 minute drive), an Agent, head of the Bedford Office of the FBI called and asked for Fred. He explained that the FBI must be invited by Troop F to assist and that Lt. Scarinza said there was no need for any assistance at this time. He said that he had spoken with Lt. Scarinza and that in the future Fred was to be the only person questioning LE and that Fred was to be the only one to contact Lt. Scarinza . Fred was quite surprised with this disclosure when he arrived and we later learned that Scarinza’s invitation to the FBI was limited to interviewing family and friends from the Hanson MA area (and to the best of our knowledge Umass).

2/16/04 - Anyone who might have been driving on Route 112 Monday, Feb. 9, between 7:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. is asked to contact state police about anything they might have seen. The number is (603) 846-3333.
http://www.thechamplainchannel.com/news/2850812/detail.html

NOTES: By February 16th, Fred Murray and Bill Rausch had appeared on or been scheduled to appear on The Greta VanSustern Show on Fox Cable News and on CNN Morning Show and all three of the local television stations as well as the New England Cable News and several stations out of Boston

Last week, they were told by investigators it was believed Murray had headed toward the Rausch's home in Marengo, Ohio, because she was having family trouble.

Sharon Rausch said although she didn't believe that, she had one of her children, who had stayed behind, put notes on the door for Murray and left the home unlocked.

However, Murray has not turned up in Ohio. Nor have signs of her surfaced in Vermont. And the only hint of a sign of her in New Hampshire was Feb. 11 when a canine tracked her scent from her car to about 100 yards east of the accident site, in the area of the Butch Atwood residence.Caledonian Record Saturday February 21, 2004

2/19/04 - A couple of drivers along Route 112 yesterday afternoon got a surprise when they took a curve then had to hit the brakes quickly as they encountered one tall police chief and two state troopers walking toward them in the roadway.
Williams and Lt. John Scarinza, the Twin Mountain troop commander, plus his second-in-command, Sgt. Tom Yorke, examined the crash scene and the surrounding area once again.
Valley News Published 2/19/04

NOTES - Finally on Thursday February 19th, a second search was done with cadaver dogs in the vicinity of the crash site and at around 3:00 PM a Press Conference was held by Lieutenant John Scarinza and an official from the New Hampshire Fish and Game Service. The family was not notified of the search or of the Press Conference. TV Stations began calling Sharon Rausch at The Wells River Motel in VT, the headquarters for family and loved ones searching for Maura, asking who would be representing the family at the Press Conference. Because there is no cell phone coverage in the area, Sharon could not contact any of the Murray Family or her husband or son. Sharon barely made it to the Press Conference at the Haverhill Police Station. LT. Scarinza announced to the media that there was nothing found that day or since the time that Maura had disappeared to lead them to believe that Maura was still in the area. He stated that there was no evidence of a crime. Therefore until such time as evidence was provided, the search for Maura had ended. When questioned by the reporters about why he would stop a search, he simply stated there was no reason to believe that she was in the area. That the dogs had lost her scent on the road 100 yards from the scene indicating that she had taken a ride out of the area. Therefore, until someone had evidence otherwise, there was no reason to search for Maura, and the investigation was closed. We kept asking, “How do you know that some bad guy did not give her a ride and is still holding her or has already done her harm?” Their answer was always that there was no evidence.

HAVERHILL, NH - Nancy Lyon and her canine partner, a 3-year-old malinois, Quicklie, spent most of Thursday morning scouring a section of Route 112 for a missing 21-year-old Hanson, Mass., woman.

Lyon and Quiklie are members of the New England K-9 Search and Rescue group. They were one of three canine teams taking part in the search for Maura Murray, a nursing student at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

They were unable to turn up any sign of the missing college student.

A ground and air search coordinated by New Hampshire Fish and Game failed to turn up any clues in Murray's disappearance Thursday.Caledonian Record 2/20/04

2/20/04 - Search For Missing Woman Extended To Vermont - Nothing Turned Up

HAVERHILL, NH - The search for a missing 21-year-old Massachusetts woman has shifted in a different direction, at least for the moment.

New Hampshire State Police Troop F Commander Lt. John Scarinza said a search of Maura Murray's computer in her dorm room at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst revealed the missing woman had searched for directions to Burlington, Vt.

Law enforcement authorities, as well as family members and friends, scoured the Burlington, Shelburne, East Burlington and Colchester areas Friday, a day after New Hampshire State Police and New Hampshire Fish and Game suspended a one-day air and ground search in the Haverhill, N.H. area.

Scarinza said police detectives with the UMass campus police department searched Murray's computer and learned she had used the Mapquest Web site to search for directions to Burlington, the day before she had her accident in Haverhill.

"We have contacted Vermont State Police and Burlington police," he said. "They have canvassed all of the hotels. She also had looked at hotel (Web) sites."

Although three dog search teams did not come up with any hits Thursday, a canine team did hit on Murray's scent when a search was conducted Feb. 11.

Scarinza said a canine tracked Murray for about 100 yards east of where Murray's car went off the road.

He said the trail ended in the general area of Atwood's residence.

Because the trail came to an end, Scarinza believes it is an indication she left the area in a car.

However, Murray was headed in an entirely different direction, toward Lincoln, N.H., when she had her crash. She was familiar with the New Hampshire White Mountains as well.Caledonian 2/21/04

2/26/04 - Underwear Found - French Pond Road where the white underwear that her sister Kathleen found was very close to the scene of the accident, described as one mile south of Swiftwater heading east on 112.

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. Caledonian Record 2/28/04

3/23/04 - Maura Murray's friends and relatives were breathing a bit easier Tuesday after learning underwear found off a road in the town of Haverhill did not belong to her..."The DNA (tests) came back yesterday ... negative," Sharon Rausch said. "We are very glad. We are very hopeful."

Murray's sister, Kathleen, found a white pair of underpants lying on top of the snow on a secluded trail off of French Pond Road Feb. 26. (NOTES:
Kathleen and Freddie found ladies underwear ripped into two pieces. On March 12th, NH SP reported that DNA testing showed the underwear to not belong to Maura).

Kathleen turned them over to the Haverhill Police Department who in turn handed it over to the New Hampshire State Police.

Maura's hair brush and a toothbrush were provided to the state police crime lab in Concord along with the underwear for testing.
Caledonian Record 3/24/04

2/27/04 - Scarinza says there is absolutely no evidence foul play has been involved, and that people living in the area of the accident scene have been interviewed several times.

A search of nearby homes by a canine team as well as forensics experts would require a search warrant. And a search warrant would require probable cause. Caledonian Record 2/27/04

Rausch said family members were told by at least one person living near the accident site a man was seen in Maura's car after the accident. Caledonian Record 2/27/04

Helena Murray · Joined: 20 Nov 2004 Posts: 508 Location: Weymouth, MA

View looking east: [img]
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a126/MauraMurray/Headingeast1.jpg[/img]
View looking west:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a126/MauraMurray/dc234da0.jpg Rt. 112 .5 Miles West of Old Peters Road
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a126/MauraMurray/3f6f1b92.jpg Rt. 112 .4 Miles East of Old Peters Road
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a126/MauraMurray/af84f6b4.jpg Rt. 112 .1 Miles West of Old Peters Road
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a126/MauraMurray/112miWOldPetersRoad.jpg Rt. 112 .2 miles West of Old Peters Road (I believe that sign says Swiftwater Cr.- Somebody correct me if I'm wrong.)
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a126/MauraMurray/image019.jpg Bradley Hill Road

Helena Murray · Joined: 20 Nov 2004 Posts: 508 Location: Weymouth, MA

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a126/MauraMurray/Accidentsite.gif

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a126/MauraMurray/Map2D_1.jpg

Just found this map...its a good one because it has points of interest:

This was posted on another site, but shows area in aerial view:

Mod1 · Joined: 04 Feb 2005 Posts: 58

Sherlock sent this aerial photo to help get a sense of the area:

I've been told that the mark indicating where Maura's car is appears too far down the road...I will have more info later.

Mod1 · Joined: 04 Feb 2005 Posts: 58

There have been many newspaper articles and news reports about Maura's disappearance online. One of the things I tried to do in reviewing them was to focus on certain things being said. For instance, I tried to find out who said Maura was intoxicated. While I do not have every article and certainly could have missed it, the only people who said in print that Maura was intoxicated or suicidal was the police. If somebody has any other information, please contact me in a PM or at Info2@mauramurray.com...members of the family have access to this email account and will notify me and I will print the info.

DRINKING-

2/27/04 Caledonian - Atwood said Murray didn't appear to be intoxicated, despite police having said a witness indicated she had appeared to be impaired due to alcohol.

2/15/04 Boston Globe - A witness told local police Murray appeared to have been intoxicated at the time of the crash, and Rausch said that there was an open bottle of alcohol in the car.

2/18/04 Caledonian Record: 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.

2/21/04 Boston Globe - A witness who offered Murray help after she crashed her car told police she appeared to be intoxicated officials said.

7/14/04 Valley News - From evidence they found in the car, investigators say the nursing student had been drinking after she hastily left the UMass campus in Amherst, withdrew $280 from her bank account, and stocked up on wine and liquor before she headed north.

WCAX - Murray's car was searched at the time of the crash. Police say they found alcohol inside and outside the vehicle.

"There were indications inside the vehicle, specifically we found what we believe to be red wine, spilt on the driver's door, on the headliner and front seat of the vehicle and we found a container that we believe was holding red wine immediately outside the vehicle on the ground," said Haverhill Police Chief Jeff Williams.

Caledonian 7/10/04 - 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.

Caledonain 2/18/04 - 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.

SUICIDAL

Caledonian 2/13/04 - Police said Maura may be suicidal and headed toward the Kancamagus Highway area.

Caledonian 2/18/04 - Police described Maura Murray as "endangered and possibly suicidal."

Brockton Enterprise - In a press release released after the disappearance, police said Murray is listed as "endangered and possibly suicidal at this time." It was unclear why police considered Murray possibly suicidal.

2/13/04 The Champlain Channel – Jeffrey Williams Haverhill Police Chief - "Our concern is that she's upset or suicidal….."

2/17/04 Portsmouth Herald - Police described Maura Murray as "endangered and possibly suicidal."

However, the first mention of Maura being suicidal was in a press release issued by Haverhill Police Chief Jeff Williams two days after Maura's car accident and disappearance.

Murray says he never told police his daughter was suicidal. (this is from a newspaper...not sure which one.)

PICKED UP

2/18/04 Caledonian Record – Jeffrey Williams Chief Haverhill Police - "We don't know if someone picked her up," Williams said. "We are certainly concerned about that (possibility).

2/20/04 Brockton Enterprise - Investigators say Murray probably left in another vehicle… Police say they have considered that someone whom Maura Murray knew was traveling with her in another vehicle, but that remains unknown. She is a junior at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst.

2/20/04 Caledonian Record - While he was talking on his phone on his front porch, Atwood could see the road, but not Murray's disabled car. He saw several vehicles drive by, but couldn't tell any makes or models because it was so dark. Atwood believes one of the vehicles which had passed his house could have stopped and picked her up.

2/20/04 Seacoast Online - After the accident, witnesses said she asked them to call a wrecker….Scarinza said. "We are reasonably confident that she did not enter the woods near the accident scene. That area was searched several times."
The accident scene was in sight of several homes, although the area becomes remote after that. Scarinza said she did not seek help from any of the homeowners, so it may be that she accepted a ride somewhere, but, he said, "there is no indication that anyone picked her up."
There is no evidence of foul play either, he said.

2/21/04 Caledonian Record - Lt. John Scarinza,NHSP: "There is no indication someone picked her up," Scarinza said. "At this point, I have no reason to believe that (she was taken against her will)."

2/21/04 Boston Globe – Lt. Scarinza NHSP - "I totally appreciate the family's frustration in not knowing where she is or what has happened," Scarinza said. "But it's also true that she was apparently leaving Massachusetts without telling her family or friends or her boyfriend. That indicates to me that perhaps she wanted to get away on her own."

3/21/04 Daily NH Gazette - New Hampshire officials, respectful of her family's concerns, caution that Murray may have simply gone away for a few days without informing anyone. Daily NH Gazette 3/21/04

2/21/04 – Daily NH Gazette –Scarinza said police believe Murray got a ride from the accident scene. But Scarinza said searchers found no sign of a struggle at the scene or any other evidence that she has been harmed.

TRACKS

2/20/04 Caledonian Record - Atwood said they checked the woods in the immediate area to see if Murray had gone into the forest. There weren't any tracks.

2/20/04 Caledonian Record - Todd Bogardus, NH Fish & Game: "Tracks are prevalent out there, but none connected with Maura," he said. "So, now our ground search is suspended."

2/20/04 Caledonian Record - Lt. John Scarinza, NHSP: "We are reasonably confident she did not enter the woods near the crash scene," Scarinza said.

SEARCHES

2/14/04 Boston Herald - Meanwhile, Haverhill, N.H., police said they have ended the search of the area where Murray crashed the car but continue to investigate her disappearance. A witness said she emerged from her car uninjured and disappeared when the witness left to call police.

2/15/04 Boston Globe - Using tracking dogs, helicopters, and trained searchers, local and state police, as well as state fish and game officials, covered nearly 20 miles along Route 112, but found no trace of Murray's footprints in the snow. The tracking dogs lost her scent within 100 feet of the accident, leading investigators and her loved ones to believe she either hitched a ride and continued on her way, or was abducted.

2/18/04 Caledonian Record: "This search has gone nationwide," Haverhill Police Chief Jeffery Williams said in a phone conversation late Tuesday afternoon.

2/18/04 Caledonian Record - "I don't see a need for a search until we have a (solid) lead," Williams said.

2/20/04 Boston Herald - HAVERHILL, N.H. - A second search of a rural area where a young woman disappeared 10 days ago after a minor car accident failed to turn up any clues to her whereabouts.

2/20/04 Caledonian Record - When asked why a second ground and air search was conducted Thursday, nearly a week and a half after the accident, Scarinza said, "We wanted to make sure we had done everything twice. We have a very good feeling we have done everything we can do at the crash site."

2/20/04 Seacoast Online - "We are reasonably confident that she did not enter the woods near the accident scene. That area was searched several times."

Comments
He stopped the school bus by the Saturn to see if he could help. "She was still in the car," Atwood said, referring to Maura Murray. Caledonian 2/20/04

Atwood said the Saturn's lights weren't on. "I shined the light in (her car)," he said. "I said, ÔAre you OK?' She said she was."

“She spun on the curve. She had no lights on, and it was a dark car. I could just about see it. I put my flashlight in the window. She was behind the airbag. All I could see was from her mouth up,” Atwood said yesterday as he stood in his driveway and pointed to the accident spot.
“I yelled in, and she said she was OK. She was shaking, as anyone would be if they'd just been in an accident,” the 57-year-old Atwood said. He described Murray's struggle to squeeze her way out through the driver’s door of the car that he said had sustained considerable front-end damage.
Valley News 2/19/04

2/17/04 Boston Globe - At the time she left Amherst, relatives said, Murray had been upset that she had crashed her father's car two days earlier. Before heading north toward the White Mountains, Murray withdrew a few hundred dollars from an ATM machine, packed her cellphone wall charger and her favorite stuffed monkey into her Saturn, and e-mailed her professors to tell them she would not be in class all week because of a "family problem." (The reason this one seems important to me is that if one were planning on disappearing, you would probably dump your cell phone...no need for a wall charger)

Caledonian 2/21/04 - Rausch said a dorm mate saw her leave the campus about 4 or 4:30 p.m. Feb 9. She said Murray's father and her son went through Maura's stuff again and found an index card with the Mapquest directions for Burlington, Vt. (I have seen these directions, they were in a book that was in Maura's car)

POSTED 11/13/05

2/13/04 Caledonian Record: Police said Maura may be suicidal and headed toward the Kancamagus Highway area.

2/13/04 The Champlain Channel – Jeffrey Williams Haverhill Police Chief - "Our concern is that she's upset or suicidal, something the family was concerned about."

2/17/04 Portsmouth Herald - Police described Maura Murray as "endangered and possibly suicidal."
Scarinza has said Murray told police his daughter was suicidal.

However, the first mention of Maura being suicidal was in a press release issued by Haverhill Police Chief Jeff Williams two days after Maura's car accident and disappearance.

2/18/04 Caledonian Record – Jeffrey Williams Chief Haverhill Police - "We don't know if someone picked her up," Williams said. "We are certainly concerned about that (possibility).

2/20/04 Brockton Enterprise - Investigators say Murray probably left in another vehicle… Police say they have considered that someone whom Maura Murray knew was traveling with her in another vehicle, but that remains unknown. She is a junior at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst.

2/20/04 Caledonian Record - While he was talking on his phone on his front porch, Atwood could see the road, but not Murray's disabled car. He saw several vehicles drive by, but couldn't tell any makes or models because it was so dark. Atwood believes one of the vehicles which had passed his house could have stopped and picked her up.

2/20/04 Seacoast Online - After the accident, witnesses said she asked them to call a wrecker….Scarinza said. "We are reasonably confident that she did not enter the woods near the accident scene. That area was searched several times."
The accident scene was in sight of several homes, although the area becomes remote after that. Scarinza said she did not seek help from any of the homeowners, so it may be that she accepted a ride somewhere, but, he said, "there is no indication that anyone picked her up."
There is no evidence of foul play either, he said.

2/21/04 Boston Globe – Lt. Scarinza NHSP - "I totally appreciate the family's frustration in not knowing where she is or what has happened," Scarinza said. "But it's also true that she was apparently leaving Massachusetts without telling her family or friends or her boyfriend. That indicates to me that perhaps she wanted to get away on her own."

2/21/04 Caledonian Record - Lt. John Scarinza,NHSP: "There is no indication someone picked her up," Scarinza said. "At this point, I have no reason to believe that (she was taken against her will)."

2/21/04 – Daily NH Gazette –Scarinza said police believe Murray got a ride from the accident scene. But Scarinza said searchers found no sign of a struggle at the scene or any other evidence that she has been harmed.

3/21/04 Daily NH Gazette - New Hampshire officials, respectful of her family's concerns, caution that Murray may have simply gone away for a few days without informing anyone. Daily NH Gazette 3/21/04