Where is MAURA MURRAY

Anne wrote:

Euro, I have thought often these passed years about the fact that the car was locked. It seems sensible to conclude that only Maura would know of the valuables in the car and lock it. Maybe she did that when she had an earlier accident prior to the weathered barn. There were heavy snow squalls in the area that day with several cars sliding off the roads and maybe someone offered to tow her to the nearest garage and she locked it and got into the helpful stranger. In our area, it is common for people to help pull someone out of a ditch , unofficial and neighborly.

I don't recall any reports of snow squalls in the area..I thought the roads were dry. Typically the squalls are in the higher elevations around Lost River.

Another thought is that the bus driver said that Maura stated that she had called AAA and he was aware there was no service in that area. Does anyone think that maybe she called from her previous position within a couple of miles. White Wash, maybe you know other spots nearby that cell phones work.

pansie wrote:

If Maura was alive, what would she be doing? One option might be caring for the elderly, either for an individual in their home or in a small group home. Less likely to be connected to the internet. If I was looking for her, the first place I'd go is to churches and other places of worship where older people might go on a regular basis. I'd leave a copy of her photo with church leaders and ask them to circulate it amongst themselves but not post it, as that might just make her move on were she to see it.

Hello Pansie & all,

I think you´re on the right track here...
I´m returning to the officially discounted but in my mind still very possible Maura sighting in the Barton, Vermont, church on Fathers´ Day 2005.

There are according to the telephone directory at least five nursing homes operating in the Barton area, so even in those very thinly populated areas of Vermont the number of nursing homes and similar would seem to be higher than expected.

I wonder if anybody ever looked into this possibility. Probably not....

I don't know if this helps, but here is a web site for weather history:

http://www.wunderground.com/weatherstation/WX...

Eurobserver wrote:

<quoted text>
Hello all,
While I´m certainly not at all despondent about the chances of eventually finding out what in fact happened to Maura, it is always sobering to consider the equally heartwrenching case of 18-year-old Bennington College, Vermont, student Paula Jean Welden, of Stamford, Connecticut, who disappeared without a trace on 1st December,1946, and whose case still remains unsolved after 62 years.
Maura, Paula Welden and the likewise haunting vanishing of 18-year-old Middlebury College, Vermont, student Lynne Katherine Schulze in 1971 are some of the most distressing cases of its kind that I know of.

Hey Euro,

This link has always haunted me as well.

http://framemaster.tripod.com/bigpicture.htm

goat wrote:

if you are going to dump car why there?! If maura is not in car(and once again don't know if I believe this) why there. It really draws attention to veh, people in veh and get away. much easier just leave it in empty lot. Much more likely to put time between search for maura and initial event. doesn't ring true. either suspect loses control there or it was maura. may have been 2nd accident in 4 miles

I agree. If I was going to dump a car it would not be in the middle of a group of houses where I might be seen. Just a few hundred feet up the road around the next curve there is miles of wilderness where no one would have seen it being dumped.

goat wrote:

NEW to forum! just learned about incident from cnn report. there is so much info some. when i ve read forum some contradict.
First I' ll say. everyone very critical of le. This may very well have appeared to le at scene like minor mva. driver had asked sbd not to call police. no indication of struggle, no yelling reported by neighors, no footprints in snow indicating driver went into woods. le stated in report he, assisted by fd and ems, did search of roadway. only a few minutes had passed. what would be most likely scenario? could your everyday work stand up to close to five years of cloe critisism. he didnot clear area to emergency call suicidal missing teenager came out. is what he did really unreasonable. that is the standard of le did he do what was reasonable

Yes, incident could be viewed as a "leaving the scene." Which, in that case, vehicle would be towed and LE would wait for owner (or owner's representative) to show up and claim vehicle.

I'd like answers to the following, if this IS the case:

1. Why was a search warrant obtained?

2. Why did Sgt Smith tell others at the scene to stay away from the vehicle?

3. Why did Sgt Smith deny knowing it was a female driving the car? Initially, this was repeatedly denied to Sharon, the mother of Maura's fiance, Billy.

4. Why would Chief Williams refuse to discuss the time of accident with Sharon?

5. Why was a BOLO issued, that night, only to the fire department? Not to LE. Fire.

goat wrote:

I'm curious. What did the amherst investigation show. Why was it notpossible to show where the call that upset her so much come from. we asked aout tracing calling card ut how about the above call. Was there mention of the video in liquor store/bank show car. anybody in car.
If I may take a guess at the rag in tailpipe. The rag belonged to mm car. Find it highly unlikely that someone went in her car t0 get a rag to stick in her tailpipe in hopes she stall down road.
npw if you subscribe to the fact the ccar was planted which i have not fully decided if i do or don't. it might make sense that unk, subj. used rag to wipe down car of prints and when he/she was done( not wanting to open car again and not wanting to keep apiece of evidence linking he/she to car) looked for convenient place to stow rag why not tailpipe

It is unknown what the Amherst investigation revealed. Info has not been shared.

Video has not been shared.

The upsetting phone call was traced to a phone on campus that many had access to; therefore, it's not possible to determine who originated the call. It was an internal campus call; i.e., the call did not come from outside as the phone on her desk only received campus calls.

And, Goat, your theory on the rag has been mine all along. I can see someone looking for something to wipe down the car of prints. Someone was seen at the trunk of the car. So, they wipe down the car and then go back to the trunk and think "hmmm.....if I replace the rag in the trunk and then close it, my prints will be on the trunk." So, they close the trunk and are left standing there with the rag in their hand. They hurriedly stuff it in the pipe. The rag was clean, no soot.

Wowzer wrote:

<quoted text>
I agree. If I was going to dump a car it would not be in the middle of a group of houses where I might be seen. Just a few hundred feet up the road around the next curve there is miles of wilderness where no one would have seen it being dumped.

The car, as it was found, was just over the jurisdictional line between Bath and Haverhill.

It has been surmised that the intent WAS to go to where Wowzer says but the car stalled out and was left there. Remember the acceleration noise which would indicate someone was trying to get the car to continue on. The car had mechanical difficulties.

And, remember the red truck stopping to look at the witness in the roadway and it then was waiting further down the road in a parking lot and after seeing the witness a second time, it took off. To me, this indicates that someone wasn't where they were supposed to be.

Lady Gray wrote:

<quoted text>
Yes, incident could be viewed as a "leaving the scene." Which, in that case, vehicle would be towed and LE would wait for owner (or owner's representative) to show up and claim vehicle.
I'd like answers to the following, if this IS the case:
1. Why was a search warrant obtained?
2. Why did Sgt Smith tell others at the scene to stay away from the vehicle?
3. Why did Sgt Smith deny knowing it was a female driving the car? Initially, this was repeatedly denied to Sharon, the mother of Maura's fiance, Billy.
4. Why would Chief Williams refuse to discuss the time of accident with Sharon?
5. Why was a BOLO issued, that night, only to the fire department? Not to LE. Fire.

I can't answer all your questions but I can give my opinion from the many years I have listened to the scanner.
I've mentioned before that it was not unusual for the responding units to be held back from the scene. There was no one found injured and if there was no leakage or mess in the road then the FD wasn't needed. It would have been silly imo to have everyone and their vehicles sitting on the curve and walking around the area of the car making it harder to find where the driver might have gone.
It is also not unusual to ask FD and responding units to BOLO for someone. They are coming to the scene from different directions depending on where they live or work and would have a much better chance of seeing someone walking on their way to the scene.
As far as the timing not being discussed with Sharon I have no idea. It doesn't even make any sense. Possibly he may not have wanted to say too much to someone that was not a close family member until he knew more about what happened.
I don't know.

Lady Gray wrote:

<quoted text>
The upsetting phone call was traced to a phone on campus that many had access to; therefore, it's not possible to determine who originated the call. It was an internal campus call; i.e., the call did not come from outside as the phone on her desk only received campus calls.

So if there were cameras on some of the buildings....and they know where the call orginated from, were there cameras on that building? If so, they know who was in the building at the time and can interview them. Just thinking out loud......

Anne wrote:

Another thought is that the bus driver said that Maura stated that she had called AAA and he was aware there was no service in that area. Does anyone think that maybe she called from her previous position within a couple of miles. White Wash, maybe you know other spots nearby that cell phones work.

/even today, the cell coverage in that area is sparse...it was even worse then. I typically lose it on 112 in Woodstock and then don't have it again until I am downtown Woodsville.....there's one spot between Cottage Hospital and Mtn. Lakes along Goose Lane at the top of a hill that has coverage.....but that's it.

Eurobserver wrote:

<quoted text>
Hello Pansie & all,
I think you´re on the right track here...
I´m returning to the officially discounted but in my mind still very possible Maura sighting in the Barton, Vermont, church on Fathers´ Day 2005.
There are according to the telephone directory at least five nursing homes operating in the Barton area, so even in those very thinly populated areas of Vermont the number of nursing homes and similar would seem to be higher than expected.
I wonder if anybody ever looked into this possibility. Probably not....

IF, and only if, Maura is using her real name, she doesn't have any type of professional license in Vermont....so working in a nursing home as a CNA, med tech or nurse isn't a possibility.

Wowzer wrote:

<quoted text>
I can't answer all your questions but I can give my opinion from the many years I have listened to the scanner.
I've mentioned before that it was not unusual for the responding units to be held back from the scene. There was no one found injured and if there was no leakage or mess in the road then the FD wasn't needed. It would have been silly imo to have everyone and their vehicles sitting on the curve and walking around the area of the car making it harder to find where the driver might have gone.
It is also not unusual to ask FD and responding units to BOLO for someone. They are coming to the scene from different directions depending on where they live or work and would have a much better chance of seeing someone walking on their way to the scene.
As far as the timing not being discussed with Sharon I have no idea. It doesn't even make any sense. Possibly he may not have wanted to say too much to someone that was not a close family member until he knew more about what happened.
I don't know.

Thank you, Wowzer, for your words. They're helpful.

I'll agree that a BOLO to Fire could provide results due to the units out on the road.

Why do you think they didn't issue it to LE in addition to Fire? Being from the area, I know you are familiar with how things transpire; do you have an opinion?

looking4amoose wrote:

<quoted text> So if there were cameras on some of the buildings....and they know where the call orginated from, were there cameras on that building? If so, they know who was in the building at the time and can interview them. Just thinking out loud......

This would be great! I know that this is done very frequently these days and many things are caught on tape. Do you think it was utilized as frequently in 2004? If so, I sure would hope that Amherst officials thought of this as this is a great idea!

Lady Gray wrote:

<quoted text>
Yes, incident could be viewed as a "leaving the scene." Which, in that case, vehicle would be towed and LE would wait for owner (or owner's representative) to show up and claim vehicle.
I'd like answers to the following, if this IS the case:
1. Why was a search warrant obtained?
2. Why did Sgt Smith tell others at the scene to stay away from the vehicle?
3. Why did Sgt Smith deny knowing it was a female driving the car? Initially, this was repeatedly denied to Sharon, the mother of Maura's fiance, Billy.
4. Why would Chief Williams refuse to discuss the time of accident with Sharon?
5. Why was a BOLO issued, that night, only to the fire department? Not to LE. Fire.

Thanks Lady Grey for sumarizing the above issues.

Similar questions come to mind and immediately there is the apparent dicotomy of the scene of the accident, and what was done later, it is as if a switch got turned off. It seems as though there was a whole troupe of people investigating the scene the night of the accident, and it should have been obvious to the 1st officer that
the occupant of the car a 20 year old female alone, accident, drinking, air-bags deployed, alcohol at scene, walking, dressed poorly, freezing, sparcely populated, destination unknown, out of state...the obvious is a BOLO
as she might be intoxicated and injured.

Given the seriousness of the accident and after speaking with Fred Murray it was obvious Maura was missing, therefore should not his writing of the report been more diligent and the seriousness of the situation warranted that he expite the compiling of the report. Also, he signed his own report in the box where it states reviewed by, lower right hand corner of accident report...
should this not have been reviewed by Captain Williams or whomever was in charge of reviewing reports.

Perhaps more could have been done by law enforcement to contact Fred in a more timely fashion, they should have solicited the Weymouth police to find and notify Fred as the possibility that she was injured could not be ruled out and likely endangered walking or running about intoxicated on the 112 east or on back roads.


Had the University of Mass been contacted sooner they could have perhaps found an alternative contact for Maura though the registrars office.

In a hospital setting we go to great lengths to notify next of kin, or loved ones in an accident or if they have taken suddenly ill, we notify the RCMP to go to the person's house whom we are trying to locate and to use whatever resources necessary to find a point of contact for the party in question. Giving up until the next day or next shift is not an option, either for the Nurse or the Police.

looking4amoose wrote:

<quoted text>IF, and only if, Maura is using her real name, she doesn't have any type of professional license in Vermont....so working in a nursing home as a CNA, med tech or nurse isn't a possibility.

Hello looking4amoose & all,

Thank you for your information.
Still, would it perhaps be possible for Maura (probably using another name) to find some kind of work in a more junior position which would not require the above licences?

Knowing firsthand the damage to the car...I have based this assumption. The Westman's said they heard a thump and then an accelertion noise.

Maura came around the corner by the Weathered Barn following another vehicle, after turning the corner the vehicle in front slowed down or came to a stop and Maura rearended that vehicle. This would explain the thump " Maura's car hitting the other vehicle " and the acceleration " The other vehicle speeding from the scene ". In my opinion this vehicle only drove a short distance from the scene though so as able to see what Maura did next. They might have been parked just a short distance away on Bradley Hill Rd. or even on Old Peters rd. which is off the main rd. and secluded from vision by a passerby. Once the school bus driver talked to Maura and left the scene, the people watching her chose to go back by, grabbed her and.........drove away.

This is just an assumption on my part, but because of the info I have and know to be fact I have come up with this theory.

Anyone else want to chime in????

looking4amoose wrote:

<quoted text> I don't recall any reports of snow squalls in the area..I thought the roads were dry. Typically the squalls are in the higher elevations around Lost River.

Well, I'm assuming here that Anne's speaking from her experience in the area that night. So I think we just got a report of a snow squall in the area.:)

Also, it's entirely possible that many times there are isolated squalls so small (or so isolated) and so common that they're not even considered "news." When I lived in Montana some years ago, they would report "partly cloudy" when to my Mid-Atlantic eye I'm seeing "blizzard!!"

Lady Gray wrote:

<quoted text>
Thank you, Wowzer, for your words. They're helpful.
I'll agree that a BOLO to Fire could provide results due to the units out on the road.
Why do you think they didn't issue it to LE in addition to Fire? Being from the area, I know you are familiar with how things transpire; do you have an opinion?

Full time LE staff is, what, 7? And there were only 4 positions filled at the time? I wonder if they simply issued the BOLO to fire because they had the manpower.