Where is MAURA MURRAY

Mason wrote:

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Problematic. According to Google Maps, it's 92.8 miles from North Amherst to Manchester, NH taking Rte 202 to Rte 101 and east on over to I-93 and Manchester. Estimated driving time is 2 hours and 8 minutes. However, it's 20 miles and 25 minutes from Manchester to Concord, for a total distance from Amherst to Concord of 112.8 miles in 2 hours and 33 minutes (not counting rush hour delays). There is a more direct route to get to Concord and I-93 from North Amherst that bypasses Manchester. The distance is 9 miles shorter and 15 minutes quicker and you don't have to deal with commuter traffic in Manchester which will save even more time.
But, here's the kicker. The shorter and faster route that bypases Manchester (Rte 202) never ventures near the 20 mile radius of the Londonderry Tower, assuming I have correctly determined its location (SSE of Manchester).
Concord to Woodsville, NH via I-93 and Rte 112 W/B is 104 miles in 1 hour and 53 minutes (not considering rush-hour traffic in Concord). Total miles and driving time from North Amherst to Manchester to Concord to Woodsville is 217 miles in 4 hours and 30 minutes (not considering rush-hour delays in Manchester and Concord).
Assuming a departure time from UMass @ 4 pm, Maura could not have arrived at the accident scene before 8:30 pm, which is too late. To get there in time, she would have to have departed UMass no later than 2:30 pm and that would result in the ping registering roughly between 4:15 and 4:45 pm. If it happened later, her arrival at the accident site would have been correspondingly later.
Meanwhile back in Amherst, a student who lives in her dorm reports seeing her leave campus sometime between 3:30 and 4:30 pm. Maura or someone who resembles her uses her ATM card to drain the bank account withdrawing $280. Next up is the liquor store where she spends $35 to $40. Video cameras record both transactions. The wiki timeline lists these transactions as "4 pm, or earlier," whatever that means.
I would like someone who knows her very well to carefully examine those videotapes because, given the poor quality of those tapes it's a wonder that anyone ever is positively identified. The ATM tape probably will be the better of the two because the camera usually is positioned above the keypad and only 12-24 inches away from the customer's well lit face. The ID by the student, who I believe mentions a hockey bag full of beer, probably is accurate and reliable, although the timing seems odd because I don't understand why she is returning to school after buying the booze. Why not stop at the ATM and then the liquor store on the way out of town? Whatever, it looks like she could have left town no earlier than 3:30.
If its Maura in the video and not someone pretending to be her, she did not have her cell phone with her. That raises the question, who had her cell pone and why was that person checking Maura's messages at 4:37 pm. To do so this person would have needed to know her PIN to access messages.
On the other hand, if Maura possessed the cell phone, someone impersonated her in Amherst and that person had to know her ATM PIN.
How's them apples?

Maybe call came from white area east of tower. Wild guess.

Dawn,

You've expressed an interest regarding what Maura's friends have said. The most complete source of that information that I've found is the series of 4 articles that Maribeth Conway wrote for the Hanson-Whitman Express entitled Maura is Missing. Last February, the New England Press Association awarded her the first prize for investigative reporting for that series. Check it out. Here's the link:

http://www.whitmanhansonexpress.com/index.php...

Dawn,

If that link doesn't work, just go to
http://www.whitmanhansonexpress.com
and enter Maura Murray in the search box and all of their articles, including Maribeth Conways', will appear.

Good luck.

M

Ross wrote:

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Well we know she occasionally had "noithing calls" with her sister. IMO with her being at UMASS away from family and Billy im pretty sure her cell phone was her life line. She probably used it often since her friends says she was not very open. When I was in the military away from "home" I was always using my cell..way back in 2002

email and i.m.- totally, even then.

Benji wrote:

<quoted text>Parse carefully answer by LE.

What????????

Before I get into this - I do think there are several unified theories - and almost all of those that I can think of have some kind of flaw.

Anyway - if we are going to get to the bottom of this - I think some reflection upon theories proposed should be discussed. I don't want anyone to take the discussion as any kind of discouragement. I'm going to only quote parts that I do have a comment on.

"Mason" wrote:
"Maura Murray receives a telephone call at 1 am on Friday, February 6, 2004, while she is at work in Melville Hall monitoring the sign-in desk."

This is the only forum I have seen any mention of a second call. Its been said that campus police traced the call, treated as fact here. It may be fact - but I don't recall seeing any newspaper reports about a second call - I do know that some attention was brought to her sister - but I also felt that since Maura wasn't crying until over an hour later the focus on her sister was misguided.

This could be a material fact. It could be that there was not a second call - and that misinformation (if it is) could mislead the direction a theory goes in. I think it just as easy that someone could have simply walked up to her and talked to her.

"The caller is a fellow student, a young man with whom she is acquainted and regards as a close friend. During the first two weeks of the new semester, she let him use her Saturn that she had decided not to use to commute to her clinicals because it was unreliable."

I know if I thought it unsafe to drive my car - I wouldn't loan it out - but I would let someone fix it for me. It all depends upon the source of the account that she didn't drive her car, but hitched rides. Can that source be believed - well her fiance said the car was on three cylenders and fellow students independently said she hitched rides. But did fiance say she hitched rides?

"Her friend tells her that he hit someone at the intersection of Triangle and Matoon streets, panicked, and left the scene....

She discusses the situation with her friend and they decide they have to get rid of the Saturn before her dad sees the damage or the cops show up knocking on her door to question her about it. They figure they have to get rid of it before the following weekend when her dad plans to return to campus, close the deal on the new car, and turn in the Saturn."

This is the biggest problem I have with this.

Why would this person tell Maura what happened? Ok - perhaps if he is desparate and convinced he's been seen. OK - but if he's convinced he's been seen then - no point in disposing of the car. He's caught anyway. If he doesn't think he's been seen - why dispose of the car?

And if its maybe - why would this person risk turning one major crime he might be caught for into now two - murdering Maura?

Secondly - even if he told Maura - why would she not simply go to the Police. In the U.S. as far as I know, if someone uses your car and causes a crime - you might be questioned - but you won't be prosecuted for the crime because you didn't do it (unless there was a good chance of a misunderstanding.)

My belief is that in that situation, Maura would have gone to the police and no one would ever do a dumping of the car favor for anyone except for maybe family in rare instances.

The FBI investigates federal crimes and it declines to actively investigate state crimes such as kidnapping, rape, and murder, unless there is evidence that the crime occurred in more than one state. For example, if a victim was kidnapped in one state and transported across the state line into another state and murdered, the FBI would have jurisdiction to "officially" enter the case.

Nevertheless, it's not unusual for the FBI to assist local law enforcement investigating a state crime if the local agency requests assistance. In that situation, the FBI participates "unofficially," which means it participates in the role of consultant meeting regularly with the detectives working the case to review what they've done and participate in brainstorming sessions. It usually makes the FBI Lab available to test evidence, if requested. It's Behavioral Unit that specializes in investigating cases involving suspected serial killers also assists local authorities in cases of that nature "unofficially" until evidence is discovered that a state line was crossed.

Because police agencies routinely decline to share any details of their investigation with the public, including the families of victims, one should never assume anything regarding what they know or don't know, except for the information they typically release through their official spokesperson.

I suspect the cops know a lot more about Maura's disappearance than we do and I wouldn't be surprised to discover that they've identified some suspects but lack some critical piece of evidence that they believe they need to make a case that will stand-up in court. I also wouldn't be surprised to learn that the FBI continues to be involved unofficially on an as-needed basis.

Mason wrote:

I suspect the cops know a lot more about Maura's disappearance than we do and I wouldn't be surprised to discover that they've identified some suspects but lack some critical piece of evidence that they believe they need to make a case that will stand-up in court. I also wouldn't be surprised to learn that the FBI continues to be involved unofficially on an as-needed basis.

If there was a crime, I agree with this statement whole heartedly. ABSO-FREAKING-LUTLY!

Bill

The cops obviously have known for quite awhile about the pinging clue, which is what prompted me to realize that someone else had her phone and that someone was within 20 miles of the Londonderry Tower. That fact establishes that the person who retrieved her messages at 4:37 pm on Monday was not Maura because Maura was 100 miles away starting her journey north in the Saturn. Since that looks to me like a conspiracy existed to get rid of the Saturn, I'm sure the cops drew the same conclusion and jumped on it.

M

I agree the feds have been involved. It is the only way this has been keep quiet. Someone would have said something by now - it would have leaked to the press about details. The feds got involved in the maitland case. Smells like feds all over this. That is why it was not on AMW too. That is why its considered criminal I bet.

Dawn wrote:

I agree the feds have been involved. It is the only way this has been keep quiet. Someone would have said something by now - it would have leaked to the press about details. The feds got involved in the maitland case. Smells like feds all over this. That is why it was not on AMW too. That is why its considered criminal I bet.

I don't think you can conclude the feds are involved due to the lack of leaks. If and when they decide to take the lead role in the investigation, they will announce that they are officially involved. Until then their involvement, if they are involved, will remain unofficial in a consulting role on an as-needed basis.

Dawn,

Did you see my message referring you to Maribeth Conway's articles in the Hanson-Whitman Express?

If not, see above message #9505.

M

Mason - Yes and thank you. Those are a good read. I am just finishing reading them. Why are they not posted on MM site? This all so bizarre and its almost 5 years later. Someone - knows the answer and needs to come forward.

I find it odd that the MM site has old articles. Why would they not post the new ones?

hi Dawn . my personal opinion is there are dozens of articles with contradicting information about Maura .They almost all deal with everything in Mauras life after she vanished.They also repeat what they were told by the same old sources.Maribeth Conways' article was great.When Maura is found i am sure there will be more articles about her prior life and maybe then the people that knew what was really going on In her past will come forward and speak.Dawn i am glad you are here.Take care philip

I want her found and safe more than anything. I am not convinced we will ever find her. Either foul play - or she doesn't want to be found. Too many things do not add up. I want more info of what went on at Umass - however - that is expecting a miracle. They do happen. I will am hopefull for her dad's sake.

The link to the Hanson Express article is listed under the News section of Maura's website.

It is a picture of Maura with the Weathered Barn in the backdrop. You click on the picture and it leads you to the article.

I went through the listing of news articles while I was over there and found the listing to be up to date and adequate.

Being a native of New Hampshire and residing there for a good part of my life I am more apt to believe the FBI is not involved in Maura's investigation.

I've been following both Maura's and Brianna's cases closely for the past several years. It is public knowlege that the FBI is involved in Bri's case. Her photo is featured on the FBI website while Maura's is not.

It took several months for the NHSP to feature Maura on the NHSP website. I know because I watched and waited.

I really want to know what info the police have - personally I think they have something very concrete and can't expose the info because it would give to many clues. IMO. Have a great weekend everyone. How do I change my city also ? I don't know why it says Omaha - I am actually in Seattle, WA

when I click on the barn it says not active?? weird

Mason

From the Murray's description of Maura and given her education level, she does not seem the type that would: leave for a trip without her cell phone, in a bad car that she would not drive locally, mixed with being an inexperienced driver, possible 2 wrecks under her belt and possible icy roads? This seems too naive. It seems the only way she would leave without her phone(lifeline) is if she had help from someone perhaps following her up, otherwise I don't think she would have left without it.