Maura Murray: Murdered? Suicide? Runaway?

[wm3guilty]

I've been reading up on the disappearance of Maura Murray. 

Boston Magazine has the rundown on her disappearance: www.bostonmagazine.com/news/article/2014/01/28/maura-murray/

To sum it up, in February, 2004, a 21-year old college student named Maura Murray was leaving school one night under false pretenses and was headed to the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Around 7 p.m, Maura crashed her car while making a sharp turn on Route 112 in Haverhill, NH. Only a few of the locals saw her from their house right after the crash. A local who lived by was driving home and stopped to offer to call for help, but she refused. She said she already called for assistance. The neighbor and his wife called 911 anyway, but by the time an officer arrived, she was gone and has not been heard from again. 


There's been theories regarding her disappearance:

James Renner, Ohio author and journalist, believes she ran away to escape her father and boyfriend. Renner suspects she is somewhere in Montreal.

John Smith, private investigator and former cop, thinks she was abducted and murdered. He works closely with Fred Murray, Maura's father.

Another journalist named Clint Harding believes she most likely traveled to New Hampshire to commit suicide. 


A documentary is being made about the disappearance of Maura Murray and the filmmakers have a podcast, recapping every possibility from the probable to the bizarre. If interested, go here: www.mauramurraydoc.com/ or here: www.youtube.com/channel/UCPYyMAOgPl6krkHylgs0-Bw 


There's been so many twists, turns, and disinformation about the disappearance of Maura Murray that a Hollywood movie wouldn't  do it any justice. However, for the sake of discussion, what do you guys think happened? I'll be honest, I don't have a friggin' clue. 

[Mitchell]

May 11, 2016 3:30:51 GMT wm3guilty said:

I've been reading up on the disappearance of Maura Murray. 

Boston Magazine has the rundown on her disappearance: www.bostonmagazine.com/news/article/2014/01/28/maura-murray/

To sum it up, in February, 2004, a 21-year old college student named Maura Murray was leaving school one night under false pretenses and was headed to the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Around 7 p.m, Maura crashed her car while making a sharp turn on Route 112 in Haverhill, NH. Only a few of the locals saw her from their house right after the crash. A local who lived by was driving home and stopped to offer to call for help, but she refused. She said she already called for assistance. The neighbor and his wife called 911 anyway, but by the time an officer arrived, she was gone and has not been heard from again. 


There's been theories regarding her disappearance:

James Renner, Ohio author and journalist, believes she ran away to escape her father and boyfriend. Renner suspects she is somewhere in Montreal, Ontario.

John Smith, private investigator and former cop, thinks she was abducted and murdered. He works closely with Fred Murray, Maura's father.

Another journalist named Clint Harding believes she most likely traveled to New Hampshire to commit suicide. 


A documentary is being made about the disappearance of Maura Murray and the filmmakers have a podcast, recapping every possibility from the probable to the bizarre. If interested, go here: www.mauramurraydoc.com/ or here: www.youtube.com/channel/UCPYyMAOgPl6krkHylgs0-Bw 


There's been so many twists, turns, and disinformation about the disappearance of Maura Murray that a Hollywood movie wouldn't  do it any justice. However, for the sake of discussion, what do you guys think happened? I'll be honest, I don't have a friggin' clue. 

I don't either. Far too many unknowns. I've often wondered if Israel Keyes may have happened upon Ms. Murray. He committed murders in Vermont around that time and that she has just completely vanished is part of his M.O.

I like the idea that she is in Montreal for her dad's sake. I really feel for him. He has suffered greatly.

[Brad]

May 11, 2016 7:58:16 GMT Mitchell said:

May 11, 2016 3:30:51 GMT wm3guilty said:

I've been reading up on the disappearance of Maura Murray. 

Boston Magazine has the rundown on her disappearance: www.bostonmagazine.com/news/article/2014/01/28/maura-murray/

To sum it up, in February, 2004, a 21-year old college student named Maura Murray was leaving school one night under false pretenses and was headed to the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Around 7 p.m, Maura crashed her car while making a sharp turn on Route 112 in Haverhill, NH. Only a few of the locals saw her from their house right after the crash. A local who lived by was driving home and stopped to offer to call for help, but she refused. She said she already called for assistance. The neighbor and his wife called 911 anyway, but by the time an officer arrived, she was gone and has not been heard from again. 


There's been theories regarding her disappearance:

James Renner, Ohio author and journalist, believes she ran away to escape her father and boyfriend. Renner suspects she is somewhere in Montreal, Ontario.

John Smith, private investigator and former cop, thinks she was abducted and murdered. He works closely with Fred Murray, Maura's father.

Another journalist named Clint Harding believes she most likely traveled to New Hampshire to commit suicide. 


A documentary is being made about the disappearance of Maura Murray and the filmmakers have a podcast, recapping every possibility from the probable to the bizarre. If interested, go here: www.mauramurraydoc.com/ or here: www.youtube.com/channel/UCPYyMAOgPl6krkHylgs0-Bw 


There's been so many twists, turns, and disinformation about the disappearance of Maura Murray that a Hollywood movie wouldn't  do it any justice. However, for the sake of discussion, what do you guys think happened? I'll be honest, I don't have a friggin' clue. 

I don't either. Far too many unknowns. I've often wondered if Israel Keyes may have happened upon Ms. Murray. He committed murders in Vermont around that time and that she has just completely vanished is part of his M.O.

I like the idea that she is in Montreal for her dad's sake. I really feel for him. He has suffered greatly.

I agree, Mitchell. The pain in her father's face in palpable.

[wm3guilty]

May 11, 2016 7:58:16 GMT Mitchell said:

May 11, 2016 3:30:51 GMT wm3guilty said:

I've been reading up on the disappearance of Maura Murray. 

Boston Magazine has the rundown on her disappearance: www.bostonmagazine.com/news/article/2014/01/28/maura-murray/

To sum it up, in February, 2004, a 21-year old college student named Maura Murray was leaving school one night under false pretenses and was headed to the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Around 7 p.m, Maura crashed her car while making a sharp turn on Route 112 in Haverhill, NH. Only a few of the locals saw her from their house right after the crash. A local who lived by was driving home and stopped to offer to call for help, but she refused. She said she already called for assistance. The neighbor and his wife called 911 anyway, but by the time an officer arrived, she was gone and has not been heard from again. 


There's been theories regarding her disappearance:

James Renner, Ohio author and journalist, believes she ran away to escape her father and boyfriend. Renner suspects she is somewhere in Montreal, Ontario.

John Smith, private investigator and former cop, thinks she was abducted and murdered. He works closely with Fred Murray, Maura's father.

Another journalist named Clint Harding believes she most likely traveled to New Hampshire to commit suicide. 


A documentary is being made about the disappearance of Maura Murray and the filmmakers have a podcast, recapping every possibility from the probable to the bizarre. If interested, go here: www.mauramurraydoc.com/ or here: www.youtube.com/channel/UCPYyMAOgPl6krkHylgs0-Bw 


There's been so many twists, turns, and disinformation about the disappearance of Maura Murray that a Hollywood movie wouldn't  do it any justice. However, for the sake of discussion, what do you guys think happened? I'll be honest, I don't have a friggin' clue. 

I don't either. Far too many unknowns. I've often wondered if Israel Keyes may have happened upon Ms. Murray. He committed murders in Vermont around that time and that she has just completely vanished is part of his M.O.

I like the idea that she is in Montreal for her dad's sake. I really feel for him. He has suffered greatly.

Did we just agree on something?

Renner has a warped view on Fred Murray. He thinks Maura wanted to escape from his demanding ways along with her boyfriend's. At one point, Maura had an affair with one of her track coaches named Hossein Baghdadi, and according to him, she did tell him she wanted to run away. He assumed Mexico. Renner thinks murder is highly unlikely. He doesn't think that an opportunistic killer would just happen upon her under such circumstances, but Marley Davis, who works for a public defender's office in Massachusetts strongly disagrees. She even thinks that if a person did abduct her, it may not have been the original intention. Either way, she believes that a chance for a criminal act to have happened was way higher than what Renner believes.

A lot of speculation,  but it's interesting to look at all angles. I hope for the Murray family's sake, they get closure. Most importantly, I hope Renner is right and that Maura is living a happy life elsewhere. I'd feel bad if she abandoned her family, but alive is better than dead. 

[Mitchell]

The way she left her things at her dorm and some of her peculiar behavior suggests someone who was giving up and giving in. She may have initially thought she could just get away for a few days and maybe find some clarity but the realities of her financial situation prevented that from happening.

She withdrew all her monies and spent a significant portion on booze before heading out without a clear destination or plan for her immediate future. She got drunk, wrecked the car, panicked, and was either taken by the cold or a killer.

[vincentthesmiler]

I think she is within a few miles of where her car was found. 

She crashed her car while intoxicated. She didn't want to get a DUI so she ran and hid in the woods. IMO she most likely got lost and died of exposure.

I know they searched the area, but there has been plenty of cases where searchers missed entire vehicles.

[wm3guilty]

May 11, 2016 20:40:53 GMT vincentthesmiler said:

I think she is within a few miles of where her car was found. 

She crashed her car while intoxicated. She didn't want to get a DUI so she ran and hid in the woods. IMO she most likely got lost and died of exposure.

I know they searched the area, but there has been plenty of cases where searchers missed entire vehicles.

That is certainly a possibility. There was a large search party that covered the area pretty well though. Law enforcement flew a helicopter overhead in the area. They used a thermal camera. On the ground, they used tracking and cadaver dogs. That doesn't mean exposure can be ruled out. It's a lot of wooded area and things can be missed. A needle in a haystack.

Police dogs were able to track Maura's scent 100 yards east of the crash site and then it stopped. Could mean a few things. It could mean someone picked her up at that spot the scent ended or that the scent was too weak to track since it was a few days after the disappearance. 

A person returning home that night said he saw a young person moving quickly on foot eastbound on Route 112 about 4 to 5 miles east of the crash site. He said that the young person was wearing jeans, a dark coat, and a light-colored hood. This wasn't reported right away and it's unknown how credible the information is, but if true, it means Maura went well past five miles of the crash site and that would mean a daunting task of looking for a needle five miles east in all that surrounding area which is vast. This is assuming she died of exposure or suicide. If it was abduction or if she ran off with a tandem driver as theorized by James Renner then all bets are off. 

That's the problem with missing persons cases, nothing can really be ruled out, even if certain things seem unlikely.

[Mitchell]

May 12, 2016 13:11:26 GMT wm3guilty said:

May 11, 2016 20:40:53 GMT vincentthesmiler said:

I think she is within a few miles of where her car was found. 

She crashed her car while intoxicated. She didn't want to get a DUI so she ran and hid in the woods. IMO she most likely got lost and died of exposure.

I know they searched the area, but there has been plenty of cases where searchers missed entire vehicles.

That is certainly a possibility. There was a large search party that covered the area pretty well though. Law enforcement flew a helicopter overhead in the area. They used a thermal camera. On the ground, they used tracking and cadaver dogs. That doesn't mean exposure can be ruled out. It's a lot of wooded area and things can be missed. A needle in a haystack.

Police dogs were able to track Maura's scent 100 yards east of the crash site and then it stopped. Could mean a few things. It could mean someone picked her up at that spot the scent ended or that the scent was too weak to track since it was a few days after the disappearance. 

A person returning home that night said he saw a young person moving quickly on foot eastbound on Route 112 about 4 to 5 miles east of the crash site. He said that the young person was wearing jeans, a dark coat, and a light-colored hood. This wasn't reported right away and it's unknown how credible the information is, but if true, it means Maura went well past five miles of the crash site and that would mean a daunting task of looking for a needle five miles east in all that surrounding area which is vast. This is assuming she died of exposure or suicide. If it was abduction or if she ran off with a tandem driver as theorized by James Renner then all bets are off. 

That's the problem with missing persons cases, nothing can really be ruled out, even if certain things seem unlikely.

I read some info suggesting that the scent dogs were a bust because only a seldom used or recently purchased and unused glove was given to offered to them. This glove was chosen even though Maura's running gear was also located in her car. I do not know how accurate this statement may be.

[wm3guilty]

May 13, 2016 7:09:58 GMT Mitchell said:

May 12, 2016 13:11:26 GMT wm3guilty said:

That is certainly a possibility. There was a large search party that covered the area pretty well though. Law enforcement flew a helicopter overhead in the area. They used a thermal camera. On the ground, they used tracking and cadaver dogs. That doesn't mean exposure can be ruled out. It's a lot of wooded area and things can be missed. A needle in a haystack.

Police dogs were able to track Maura's scent 100 yards east of the crash site and then it stopped. Could mean a few things. It could mean someone picked her up at that spot the scent ended or that the scent was too weak to track since it was a few days after the disappearance. 

A person returning home that night said he saw a young person moving quickly on foot eastbound on Route 112 about 4 to 5 miles east of the crash site. He said that the young person was wearing jeans, a dark coat, and a light-colored hood. This wasn't reported right away and it's unknown how credible the information is, but if true, it means Maura went well past five miles of the crash site and that would mean a daunting task of looking for a needle five miles east in all that surrounding area which is vast. This is assuming she died of exposure or suicide. If it was abduction or if she ran off with a tandem driver as theorized by James Renner then all bets are off. 

That's the problem with missing persons cases, nothing can really be ruled out, even if certain things seem unlikely.

I read some info suggesting that the scent dogs were a bust because only a seldom used or recently purchased and unused glove was given to offered to them. This glove was chosen even though Maura's running gear was also located in her car. I do not know how accurate this statement may be.

I knew they used a glove, but I didn't know the glove was recently purchased. The running gear would have been a better choice. Especially if she had running shoes. 

[Mitchell]

WM3Guilty said,

I knew they used a glove, but I didn't know the glove was recently purchased. The running gear would have been a better choice. Especially if she had running shoes.

Either recently purchased or seldom worn. I don't recall which.

[vincentthesmiler]

Is it possible she was walking on the road and was struck by a drunk driver? Who then buried/hid her body to avoid getting in legal trouble.

[Mitchell]

May 14, 2016 19:48:31 GMT vincentthesmiler said:

Is it possible she was walking on the road and was struck by a drunk driver? Who then buried/hid her body to avoid getting in legal trouble.

At this point, just about anything is possible.

The scent dogs would seem to disagree with this scenario. There is some skepticism that the scent dogs ever picked up her trail at all. That is discussed above. Good theory though. It would account for many of the answered questions here.

[wm3guilty]

May 14, 2016 19:48:31 GMT vincentthesmiler said:

Is it possible she was walking on the road and was struck by a drunk driver? Who then buried/hid her body to avoid getting in legal trouble.

Yes, mostly anything is possible in short of an alien abduction. Well, I suppose even that has a chance even if on the low end of possibilities.

[Mitchell]

I previously alluded to the possibility that Israel Keyes may have killed Ms. Murray as he was in the area around the time she went missing. I was off by about 5 years. The earliest Keyes is known to have been in the region was in 2009. He buried a murder kit at that time.

[wm3guilty]

I usually take anything James Renner says with a grain of salt due to past inaccuracies. He tells a good story, but he has recanted and deleted a lot of supposed leads on Maura. I thought journalists were supposed to fact check their leads before making them public, but I think he's more interested in promoting and selling his new book than in facts. I could be wrong and I want to be wrong, but I can't shake my suspicions. Heck, maybe he's doing both.

He has released new info that doesn't prove anything, but it's interesting nevertheless.

There's a possibility that Maura was headed to a cabin that was frequented by fellow UMass students. It's worth scanning the areas that lead to the cabin. For due diligence if nothing else. I urged Renner to take the info to law enforcement if he truly believes the lead is credible. We'll see if he does or if this is just to muster interest for his upcoming book.


mauramurray.blogspot.com/2016/05/umass-athletes-had-access-to-cabin-in.html

mauramurray.blogspot.com/2016/05/breaking-cabin-in-woods.html