Where is MAURA MURRAY

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Mason wrote:

While I'm at it, I'll point out that the JO article recounting what Sgt Smith did to investigate this case seems quite professional to me and his efforts to contact Fred Murray, who was the registered owner of the Saturn with a home address in Weymouth, MA, appear to be responsible and persistent. I believe he expended more effort to contact Fred Murray than most police officers would have in similar circumstances.
Fred Murray accused the Haverhill Police Department of not expending sufficient effort in timely fashion to search for Maura and contact him, but that does not appear to be the case, assuming the information in the article is correct. Sgt Smith attempted to contact the registered owner of the Saturn and the only information he had was that the owner was someone named Fred Murray with an address in Weymouth, MA. Unfortunately, Mr. Murray was living in Bridgeport, CT, and it took awhile to track him down.
I believe Mr. Murray's accusatory and confrontational response was grossly inappropriate under the circumstances because if anyone was to blame for the delay in contacting him, Mr. Murray only needed to look in a mirror to identify that person.
Based on the scent trail followed by the dog, we have reason to believe that Maura caught a ride from the scene before Sgt Smith arrived. Therefore, what could he possibly have done that would have made any difference finding Maura?
This is why I do not understand Mr. Murray's attitude. Yes, he was upset, as any parent would be under the circumstances, but why did he not only launch an attack against HPD, but continue blaming them for Maura's disappearance. At some point, one would think he would pause and reflect on his inappropriate conduct and seek to heal his relationship with LE, but that hasn't happened and I doubt that it ever will.
As a former criminal defense attorney who made a living exposing and attacking police negligence and misconduct, I doubt anyone would consider me to be biased in favor of law enforcement. Nevertheless, I think Sgt Smith and HPD did an exemplary job and to the extent that they might have searched more quickly and thoroughly, I don't believe it would have made any difference.
Unfortunately, the die is cast. HPD and the NHSP obviously detest Mr. Murray and will make no effort to communicate with him. I am not surprised because it looks like he asked for it. If the NHSP is professional, and I do not know if it is, it will not allow a strong prejudice against Mr. Murray to affect the investigation. We will never know if it did.
Fred

Beagle wrote:

Would it be possible to plan to make a small crash people would notice from their homes but not have to personally attend to? And then the "driver" pretends to have already called AAA, but in reality has previously arranged for a tow truck, maybe not even a licensed one, to show up very soon after to take the car to a scrap yard for crushing? Making it look like someone skidded off the road, called a tow truck, and police didn't even need to be called.
What if the timing didn't work out and the real police and fire, etc. showed up earlier than expected and if the Saturn's there, and was already seen up close by the bus driver, then what role would be played by Maura? If she were even there at that point?
It feels like there are some logic gaps in this scenario, but maybe it's something someone can iron out.

Beagle wrote:

Mason -
Same question.
Trying to think of someone other than Maura who could have driven the Saturn Thursday night, hit Vasi, and then threatened Maura into silence by telling Maura that she, Maura, would end up arrested by police if she, Maura, told them who the driver of the car was.
Who could this be? A friend or a family member? What do you think?

Advocator wrote:

Beagle, just a thought, but ... it wouldn't have to be someone who threatened Maura into silence that way. If it was a close friend or family member, Maura might have been willing to help just to protect that person anyhow.
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Mason wrote:

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I recall you suggesting that it might have been her supervisor at work, which is an intriguing thought given her position because she could have threatened Maura that she would tell the police Maura was absent during the time Vasi was struck.
I prefer another idea you had that I modified slightly. Assuming Maura was having an affair, might the 0040 phone call have come from the guy she was having the affair with? Did he tell her that he hit someone at Triangle and Matoon streets while driving the Saturn and he was pretty sure he killed the guy? Did he tell her they had to get rid of the Saturn and did she agree to help him? Were they planning on abandoning it somewhere in the White Mts where it wouldn't be found for a long time, if ever? Maybe push it off a cliff into a deep lake, if such a place exists?
Did she drive the Saturn with him following her in another car, maybe a family car or a friend's car? Maybe the friend was with him and after Maura wrecked the Saturn, he or they decided to change the plan and kill Maura to avoid the possibility of her spilling the beans since the cops were going to find the Saturn and eventually find Maura, unless she was dead.
They pick her up, take her to some remote location, kill her, and conceal her body.
The major problem with this scenario is I don't think the damage to the Saturn was caused by hitting a person, but if it was, the car could not have been driven after dark because of the cockeyed headlights. That's a hell of a long way to tow a car.

Beagle wrote:

If the story about the phone call and the emotional upset and so on was real, then I'd have to agree that someone other than Maura might have been using the Saturn Thursday night.
Which makes me think that the phantom roommate remark was to throw off the supervisor so Maura could go somewhere else. Which is consistent with her room looking more like a storage closet than a dorm room. But if Maura was going to go to some place other than her dorm room - which sounds like it would be the very last place she would have gone if upset like that - then her destination likely would have been within walking distance. How many houses or apartments are within walking distance at one AM in February? And how many of those houses or apartments have a place where a car being searched for by police could have remained unnoticed? Remember, Vasi's hit and condition were in the next morning's news. A lot of people in Amherst would have known about it.
So maybe LE should, if they didn't, go, at least in their minds, house to house to see which house or apartment buidling Maura might have been walking to at one AM in February very upset. Doesn't seem like it would be too far, so not too many places she would have been headed. And if it's the same place the call came from, then that indicates the presence of someone that UMass PD would not describe as someone who had "moved on." UMass PD would be very interested in that "moved on" person. I would think, anyway.

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Mason wrote:

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Supposedly, the call was traced to a campus phone. I've been assuming that it was from a dorm. Would an apartment or house have a campus phone? Probably not.
There are phones in the common areas of dorms that anyone can use. There's an art gallery somewhere in the SW dorm complex. Maybe the call came from there or a nearby common area phone.
Maybe Maura worked at that gallery.