Where is MAURA MURRAY

one more sorry it took so long

Part 1 of 2

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.

continued on next post

Part 2 of 2

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. People can also call the Haverhill Police Department.
Rausch and family members plan to extend their search into Vermont Friday

Eurobserver
Thank you for the link.
Of course we cannot dismiss it!- I am just wondering how a young woman in a state like that could start a new life. She would be confused enough to be reported by someone or admitted to the hospital. Not knowing what happened, she even might have gone to the police on her own.

But, I have to admit, it does make sense if we assume she was in a vulnerable state and someone took advantage of it.

Shack wrote:

Carmela, I started to write a short Post and found yours..Welcome..Sounds like you have been reading for awhile. Will go back and re-read. I agree as far as your suicide theory. I had stated before (and I didn't and still don't
want to portray anything, other than the words) A suicide person can't hide their own body.
Someone asked about Sheriff D.....as to his residence..it is on Rte.10.....and just a thought...I don't see how Maura
could have seen Deputy Sheriff's brown car in the dark of night..(unless the gold glows).but, surely he, if he lived there
at that time ...had to be aware of the "goings on" that night....Northern Light, I get up there quite a bit in the Summer....but, as the years
go by....the 3 hour trip seems to get longer and longer. As Anne says....welcome. Need new minds..I know I do.

Welcome Carmela, New voices like yours always have new tone...
shack I never said Maura could see the sheriff home, I was just thinking he had clear sight toward the scene! I just have to keep as much straight as possible here, you know how easy it is to be misquoted. lol

Hello Carmela,

Thanks for your comments & hope to see you here on board often in the future!

Hello Whiston,

Thanks for the posted texts/links.
I hadn´t actually read Gary Lindsley´s article before.

Euro

Carmela wrote:

part 2
a)quija: do you know anything about aerial pictures of the area? I am not sure it would
be possible to tell because of the woods, but usually you can detect disturbances of the ground which may indicate something being buried.

Not sure hoe helpful aerial photography would be as there has been a huge amoutn of building of new houses in many of the, until recently, undisturbed areas in the area. Right on Swiftwater there are at least 3 new homes being built right now and several other sites have been cleared (without permission from the town) and are now pretty "barren" of trees and on 112 there's a whole new development going up----so, a lot of areas have been disturbed, making it tough to really "see" anything outstanding. I remember seeing some aerial stuff on some website--might be the town of Haverhill one now that I think of it.

Anne...Gawd..did I say that you said that..?
You should know by now that half the time I don't remember who said what....sorry...

All I meant was, she couldn't see his place/car...? but, he could possibly see the incident site...?

Damn..no tent, no corner, no Bob....

Thank you so much Whiston, for the articles.

sorry for the typos-------its been a long long day

Whiston..is this one of the places you wanted us to check out.....?

http://www.webshots.com/search...

hi Shack thanks for the silkyboxerz photo help.i think it will really help anyonE wHo is not fom the Woodsville area. TAKE CARE PHILIP

Looking...yeh, I think so too.

http://www.town.haverhill.nh.us/mainpage.html

Welcome, Carmela!

Searches by air are a good idea, just wondering whether that works through tree cover as there seems to be so much forest in that general area?

Construction digging can turn up burial sites, but even if not, aerial heat search could still pinpoint possible areas to check even in construction sites.

But, point to remember: the ground in that entire region in February of 2004 was apparently frozen, pretty hard to dig with anything other than a backhoe or similar large equipment.
.

Carmela wrote:

There is no
explanation for that (none that I can imagine, anyway) for that being anything
innocent.’ And ‘I also keep thinking about the "menstrual blood" found in the closet
of the A-frame. Does everyone agree that there's no logical or benign explanation for
that? What on earth does that suggest?

The most reasonable explanation that I can think of is that it wasn't always a closet. Of course I don't know but the first thing I thought of was, how much blood are we talking about? Specks or large pools? Second thing I thought of was it always a closet or was it part of a bathroom or something else and the place was remodeled?

Just wondering.

Jefferson

One possiblity I keep thinking of was if Maura listened what her dad said and went out to the place where her and her dad hiked at that mountain (like that one picture with her and her dad) and drank herself to the end and jumped off or something like that. A place where she felt at peace and ended it. Did anyone ever look where at the place where they hiked? assuming she made it that far. what do you guy think??

I didn't, or haven't ever discarded suicide "just because" ...Or, "my child/daughter blah blah wouldn't/couldn't do that" I am
a realist/optimist..not in denial. I didn't know Maura. But, suicide is (I have only personally known of two incidents) 1. Seemingly a weak (in spirit) person who felt that s/he was useless. Those around were insensitive and so strong
in their convictions and opinions that s/he could not possibly comply. S/he was selfish and only wants for him/her self.
2) A person whose death was eminent and wanting to ease the pain of the loved ones.(I know....over simplification)

I have never been able to psychologically fit Maura into any category. The HPD, I can understand, would have liked to
have had "suicide" (case closed) and/or "runaway" (case closed) But, I know, really know, that a 120 lb. person can go
poof,..(with or without a rag over mouth) like the Quinn case in VT.
Referring to any Missing Cases, in NE, I do not understand the anger, as Sophie has mentioned. I never have understood, probably never will, the animosity of some, to the concern that some do have. To me, it kinda sounds
like walking by and saying to oneself...."This isn't my family, loved one....why should I care"...don't think about it."
Maura could have been a Mensa Member, Pole dancing, Drug Dealing, Bible School Teacher...(add your own ...)
BUT, her Mother wants her home....

Welcome Northern Light, Carmela, and Oden!

Your thoughts, insight, and questions are helping put the focus back on Maura. Thank you for this and for your understanding & compassion as well.


Shack,

Maura was the type of girl who never gave her family a moment's worry, until she racked up her dad's car - which Fred stated was no big deal, and always kept her promises e.g. phone calls to her dad, Billy, etc.

Had she committed suicide she would have left a note and surely wanted to be found. I've never believed the suicide theory myself but these are always my thoughts to follow when the topic arises.

White Wash,

Thanks for your input about the mileage logs etc for sheriff's vehicles.

I don't mean to incite but how did Norman 'Bruce' McKay get away with the things he did? I do know that he used to use his own, private' vehicle while he was off duty to chase down radio calls out of his jurisdiction.

Again, thanks for your advice to all women who may find themselves in a pinch while travelling alone to stay in their locked vehicles until an officer arrives.

Shack, Thanks for the links. I had never looked at the pictures that Silky took.

I find it interesting how Maura's personality is described in different articles. In some articles she described as being quite private and reserved, yet it others she described as being the person sought out by others. She was described as being very close to her high school friends, but when described by other students as Umass, she kept to herself. I'm not implying anything by it, its just interesting to me.

Wondering what the tructh is also about the "statement" in one article that Billy Rausch made about how he felt something was wrong in one of their last conversations but in other articles he says that he didn't notice anything different.

Without rereading everything, was there recently something posted about someone being in Maura's dorm room prior to Billy arriving? I swear I read it here, but now can't locate it (that might be because I have to get to work and am not looking as carefully as I could be too) I thought it was in one of the recent links that Whiston posted, but alas, it's Tuesday and my brain is apparently already mush.

Hey Philip! You posted a link!:) Awesome.

Seriously, though, thanks for the refresher. It's always helpful to reread stuff--because I never intended to say we should discount the media. We have to assume that hopefully most of the time they at least TRY to get stuff right. ;-)