Where is MAURA MURRAY

I have always wondered why the police responded so soon. That section of 112 is cornered between Bath, Landaff and Benton, A very remote part of Haverhill, Haverhill is a very large town by square acres. How often are the roads patroled out there by the HPD?

FoolsGold wrote:

Okay, so you've got a student on some strange road in the middle of nowhere on some trip with an unknown purpose ... but the question is still: what happened to her there.

Or rather what happened to her before the Saturn was stolen from the parking lot.

ross wrote:

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This scenario is making the most sense out of any other I have ever read. I think you are in the right direction.

How could Cecil Smith's involvement be possible at all - not counting Mr. Atwood - both the Mariottes and the Westmans saw someone getting things out of the car, also knowing where to find the towel in the trunk? That requires prior knowledge, at least to ask.

Maybe after fleeing the scene of the accident, Sgt. Smith ran into a telephone booth and riped off the clothing that hid his uniform.

If Maura had been drinking, and asked the SBD not to call 911, she may have also been looking to flee the scene of the accident asap. If we take SBD's word for a moment (altho I admit I have some doubts about his comments at times), and several cars went by before LE arrived, then she most likely either got in one of them, or wanted to get off the road to hide, regroup, perhaps then find a working phone.(no signal at crash site, witness may have seen her trying to use phone rather than smoking).

SO, maybe she grabbed her backpack, put a rag in the tailpipe as she figured the car would soon have to be towed by someone, and ducked down Old Peters Rd. From looking at maps of the area, it seems the least traveled and was close by. If so, then she would have gone about 3/4 mile down what looks to be a fairly deserted rd, that ends at basically a trailhead. If she then took the shortest trail to the SW, she would have soon seen Skiway Terrace. Skiway ter. looks pretty uninhabited on the maps (not sure tho), but if so, and assuming maybe by now she really wanted to find a phone, she probably would have gone west toward the intersection of Lodge Ln and Valley Rd. The first sign of any homes on the map seems to be here, with the exception of one bldg on Skiway Ter. On the sat photos I've seen, the first house at Valley Rd. and Lodge Ln. appears to be an/THE Aframe! Anyone know if that's the case? At the very least, I think it's possible Maura went to one of the houses here to make a call and rest. From there, obviously several things could have happened.

Also, If she got into a car at the scene of the accident, as the dogs may have indicated, then perhaps she was driven to one of these houses, picked up by someone on their way home. Looks like folks living in that area would have often been traveling up Bradley Hill Rd, then by the WB curve on their way to Swiftwater cir. and then to Valley rd.

Anything click for anybody? Everyone on Valley rd been interviewed? I'm not accusing anyone there - perhaps Maura used someone's phone and then went off on her own, maybe in another car. Thoughts or has this been ruled out?

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

I guess my Aframe reference did seem a bit accusatory. I apologize, but on that subject I'll admit I do still have a few unanswered questions.

If that was for me, BF, yes I read that. I just didn't see Old Peters rd. mentioned, and think it's a possibility.

"Sgt. Smith and Atwood both drove the area searching for Maura. Atwood drove in a loop from Mountain Lakes, a nearby recreational and residential area, to the Swiftwater Stage Stop General Store.{sidebar id=10}

"I took a ride around the back roads. I was gone about 15 minutes. Then I took a ride to French Pond," Atwood told the Caledonian Record."

If she was walking down Old Peters rd. she may not have come to Valley rd. area before LE did their 15 min search.

Detective Columbo,
You dropped three small thermonuclear devices on us yesterday and I'd like to provide you with an opportunity to confirm or deny them. Everyone makes a mistake now and then. I just want to be as certain as possible of the few facts that are available to us. Please don't regard this post as a hostile attack because I'm just trying to avoid further confusion.
I'm going to address the three assertions in separate posts to assist in keeping any ensuing discussion focused on each point.
i. THE PRIOR ACCIDENT
You referred to an accident on Goose Lane. Until you mentioned Goose Lane, most of the discussion regarding a possible previous accident involving the Saturn that I've read on this board, including Weeper's posts, is based on what seems to be a unanimous opinion here that (a) the front-end damage to the Saturn wasn't caused by the accident on Rte 112 halfway between the 90 degree curve at the Weathered Barn and the Bradley Hill intersection,(b) the front-end damage was sufficiently severe with the fan pushed back into the radiator and the headlights knocked askew that the Saturn could not have been driven very far, if at all, and therefore, the Saturn must have been in a previous accident not more than a few miles before the location where it was discovered.

Weeper has consistently stated that he believes the previous accident happened on Rte 112, probably within a mile of the Rte 302 intersection and he bases his opinion on a statement by Anne, who lives in the area, that she heard a discussion over her radio at approximately 7 pm, or just after, that a vehicle slid off the 112 into a ditch and needed assistance, but the call for assistance subsequently was canceled after someone reported that the female driver got into a privately owned vehicle and left the scene. Unfortunately, no one has been able to find a reference to this call.
Has the PI Team decided that this first accident happened on Goose Lane instead of Rte 112?
Did you mean what you said, or did you make a mistake?
Weeper, what's your position on this?
Finally, I'd like to know if anyone has considered the possibility that the discussion that Anne overheard actually involved the accident on Rte 112 halfway between the Weathered Barn and the Bradley Hill Road intersection rather than a previous accident? My question doesn't negate a previous accident. It does, however, negate a previous call reporting a first accident, assuming the discussion that Anne overheard on her radio referenced the second accident.
My question is important because if the discussion that Anne overheard refers to the staged, or final accident, then dispatch should have a record and perhaps be able to identify the person who reported that the woman driver left in a privately owned vehicle. That vehicle may have picked-up Maura at the scene of the final accident and perhaps the cops have long known the identity of the person who drove that vehicle, but have kept it confidential.
Does anyone know if the headlights even worked? The Saturn may not have been driveable after dark and, if so, someone must have towed and parked it at the final location. All of the damage appears to me to have been caused by the overhang impact. There is no damage to the rear end or either side of the Saturn so isn't it obvious that the Saturn was intentionally parked rather than driven and crashed at its final resting place?
The person with whom Mr. Atwood spoke, assuming it was Maura or a woman who resembled her, must have ridden in the tow truck to the scene and she must have entered the Saturn perhaps to assist in positioning it at the scene after the tow truck released it. Perhaps this explains why the transmission was in neutral. However, the Westmans didn't mention seeing a tow truck so it must have left the scene and either returned to pick up the woman or another vehicle did, perhaps this vehicle was the subject of the POV call that Anne heard about.
Could the POV call have been the reason why the cops were stopping red pickup trucks later on?
Perhaps Mr. Atwood's statement about a woman at the scene was 100% false? Maybe no one was there.
Any comments?

Sorry, but I forgot to mention that no vehicle was found in the area where the first accident was believed to have occurred, which seems odd. It wouldn't be odd, however, if the discussion that Anne overheard was about the scene near the Weathered Barn.

Who towed the Saturn and from where did they tow it may be two of the most important questions to answer. Theoretically, it could have been towed from as far away as Amherst without taking I-91.

There also might not have been a previous accident; rather, the Saturn was deliberately damaged by the tow truck backing into it. Then the driver hooked it up and drove it to its final resting place where it was detached from the tow and positioned with the transmission in neutral to maneuver it into the right spot without ever turning the engine on.

Witnesses heard a crash, looked out the window, and only saw Maura and her car. Unless they took 20 secs to get to the window, or they're lying, it makes the staged-crash/towed-car scenario seem less likely. I do think if the car was being towed it could have slid off the road at the WB curve (planned or unplanned). Then perhaps the driver of the truck towing the car removed the chains or unhitched the car and drove off, perhaps with Maura. But how was that missed by the folks in the house right there who heard a crash and surely looked out their window immediately. who wouldn't?

Is there any possibility that the dispatch times are off by 20 or so minutes. That might explain why Anne overheard the discussion a little after 7, which fits with Faith Westman saying she heard the accident a little after 7 and the hospital worker saying Sgt Smith passed him on Goose Lane about 10 after 7 pm. How could all 3 people be off by the same amount of time?

Pointer wrote:

Witnesses heard a crash, looked out the window, and only saw Maura and her car. Unless they took 20 secs to get to the window, or they're lying, it makes the staged-crash/towed-car scenario seem less likely. I do think if the car was being towed it could have slid off the road at the WB curve (planned or unplanned). Then perhaps the driver of the truck towing the car removed the chains or unhitched the car and drove off, perhaps with Maura. But how was that missed by the folks in the house right there who heard a crash and surely looked out their window immediately. who wouldn't?

The final resting place for the Saturn is too far up the road for the curve to have been a factor. Maybe Faith Westman heard the toe truck rev its engine and nudge the Saturn deeper into the snow bank and she didn't get to the window until after the tow truck departed.

The most likely scenario is that Maura stuck around for awhile, at least long enough to talk to SBD. If she had been drinking and really did ask SBD not to call LE, then the Old Peters Rd. scenario seems very possible. She could have been half-drunk, scared, confused by a possible head injury, and her first instinct was to get off the main road, think, then maybe make a call to AAA, the person who may have been towing her car, whomever. no police.

However, if her car was being towed, whoever was towing it drove off pretty fast, most likely leaving Maura behind. Certainly possible but seems a little unlikely unless one of the witnesses is mistaken. Witnesses also heard an acceleration, then a thud. If someone then quickly drove off before being seen, I'm sure another acceleration, etc., would have been heard.

I believe I am correct in stating that the Acc. Anne has mentioned happened on Goose Lane. It has also been stated that the witness who was passed by Sgt. Smith in #001 was driving towards 112 on Goose Lane. When she reached the end of goose lane at 112 she saw #001 go by her headed east on 112 towards the Weathered Barn. This means he either took Cemetary Rd. by mistake or turned left headed west on 112 towards the Covered Bridge, realized he had gone the wrong way and had to turn around to head back east to the acc. scene at Weathered Barn.

In the theory of Maura and Sgt. Smith being at the 1st acc. on Goose lane and Maura leaving the scene in HER private vehicle makes me believe he could have already been looking for Maura for taking off and when he got to 112 he chose to go West first. He then recieved the call for the Acc. at the Weathered Barn and headed to the scene.

If Maura had a previous accident moments earlier, and then did happen to lose control and have another accident near the WB, then she definitely would have been scared and looking to get off the road, afraid of a possible DUI and possibly fleeing the scene of a previous accident. Maybe there was more, like her fear of being caught with a car earlier involved in a hit and run, etc., but she would have been looking to get away since the car was immobilized. If car was towed why not get into the tow truck and leave with driver?

And again, witnesses seem to dispute the tow theory. I admit, they don"t rule it out, but they do seem to make it less likely.

Detective Columbo, can you possibly tell me if the Aframe house mentioned frequently here is located at the intersection of Lodge Ln and Valley Rd.?

The A-frame is on Valley Rd. directly across the street from Lodge Lane. The house faces the street and looks straight down Lodge lane. The Mountain lakes assoc. Lodge is the only building on that street. The Lodge is used for parties, meetings and such. This is also the place we used for our Command Post for the 2006 searches.

It is also the place where Pauline Clarks body was found in the stream at the base of the old ski area. Her death was classified as an accident, but I believe foul play was involved. IMO

A map for post 11424

http://www.mapquest.com/maps...