Maura was declared a missing person the next day, and that’s when authorities discovered she had packed up her dorm. It was February 9, 2004, and as far as any of Maura Murray’s relatives knew, everything was going well in the 21-year-old woman’s world. While most armchair detectives believe that Murray ran away to start a new life, her father, Fred Murray, believes she was taken after her car accident. Several witnesses place her at the scene following the incident, including a bus driver who asked if she needed help. Despite her run-ins with the law prior to her disappearance - including ordering food with someone else's misplaced credit card and damaging her father’s car - friends, family, and peers maintain she was an average college student. 10 Unsolved Murders That Inspired Books, Movies & Music. The only thing I can do for Maura is to grab the dirtbag who grabbed her. Her car, a black 1996 Saturn with Massachusetts license plates, failed to negotiate a sharp curve and ran off the road, striking a tree. This new iteration is fine-tuned. There are four predominant theories in the Maura Murray case. In February 2019, on the 15th anniversary of Maura’s disappearance, Fred Murray announced a potential lead in the case. With Maggie Freleng, Art Roderick, Fred Murray, Tim Pilleri. A box of Franzia wine was visible on the passenger’s seat and there was red liquid on the driver’s side door and the ceiling of the car. The home near the scene of Murray’s car crash had the concrete from the basement area removed, and the search turned up empty. Anyone with information about Murray is urged to call the New Hampshire Cold Case Unit on (603) 223-3856. Amateur sleuths and Internet detectives: Now's your chance to prove your skills. With the threat of a snowstorm looming over the area, classes at the university were canceled for February 9. Both dogs picked up a scent in the same area. But on that day, Maura, a nursing student, stunned everyone she knew when she packed up her dorm room, withdrew some money from the bank, e-mailed her professors to tell them she wouldn’t be in class for the next week due to a death in the family, and then hopped into her 1996 black Saturn and disappeared. Placed on top of one of the boxes was a typed letter to her boyfriend detailing problems in their relationship. Maura’s dad has said in the past that he believes his daughter was kidnapped by “some dirtbags.” Maura went missing along Rt. It was a blistering cold night when Maura Murray disappeared. At 7:27 PM on the night of February 9, 2004, a woman called the Grafton County Sheriffs Department to report a car accident. The family of Maura Murray, a 21-year-old nursing student who mysteriously vanished in New Hampshire 15 years ago, believes they may have found a groundbreaking new lead pertaining to her puzzling disappearance. Maura Murray’s family and some investigators believe the student just wanted to get away for a few days before she went missing. Some say Maura is alive and well, living in Quebec, Canada, and her family is aware of it. Around 9 o’clock that night, Maura and Fred went to pick up Maura’s friend Kate, and the trio went back to Amherst Brewing Company for drinks. So, Fred rented another car, picked up his daughter, and dropped her off on campus around 1:30 p.m. on February 8. Renner believes it’s possible that she ran away to protect herself and an unborn baby, but what would she have needed to protect her unborn child from? And at 7 p.m., Smith called the University of Massachusetts (UM) campus security and requested that they check Maura Murray’s dorm room. Carrigain, specifically the Desolation Trail area. Fred and Laurie Murray welcomed their daughter, Maura, into the world on May 4, 1982. Most people believe she was picked up by an opportunistic murderer, but that theory is based only on the fact that the search dogs lost her scent in the middle of the road. According to the e-mail, Maura wasn’t suicidal or pregnant; she wanted to get away from her abusive boyfriend. Unlike many others who have gone missing, there is a solid chance that she walked away deliberately and is out there somewhere, leading a new life she created. Ground-penetrating radar showed the ground had been disturbed, but no body had been buried there. The UMass student’s disappearance struck a chord with the online community, as it was one of the last true mysteries to occur before the ubiquitous age of social media. Her whereabouts remain unknown. There is something about the disappearance of 21-year-old Maura Murray of Hanson is attracting attention from all over the world. Even if Maura Murray is alive and well and the 112dirtbag videos were just hoaxes, the videos are still disturbing because some toothless imbecile thought it would be amusing to torment Maura’s family and friends. The journalist also claims to have received an e-mail with the subject “Stop Looking” from someone named Ray Rummau — an anagram of Maura Murray — containing only the coordinates to the north slope of Mt. He's not the only one who subscribes to this theory. The question is, are they being silent to protect the new life that Maura Murray built for herself, or are they being silent because they’ve done something wrong, and they are protecting themself? Up until that point, the homeowners wouldn’t even open the door to Fred. Murray was last seen on Feb. 9, 2004 following a collision into a snowbank along Route 112 in Woodsville, N.H. In the e-mail, the author claimed to have spoken to someone at a bar who heard a completely different version of what happened to Maura Murray. 112. Then, she went to the liquor store and spent $40 on Bailey’s, Kahlua, vodka, and a box of Franzia red wine. The webpage created by the alias Joseph Cpaw and showing fake photos of Maura Murray was created by Alex Clogston Prior to disappearing, her father owed close to $4000 in property taxes and was potentially going to lose his home that was actually owned by his brother (ironically Smith lived with his brother until recently) Maura Murray - Maura Murray Official Maura Murray disappeared on the evening of February 9, 2004, after her car crashed on Rt. Maura Murray’s life was not trouble-free, however. “The only way this could have happened was if Maura knew the driver and there was no time wasted for conversation… Enter the tandem driver, who would have been driving ahead of Maura. The photographs were taken by responding officer Cecil Smith in 2004, when he discovered Maura Murray’s car, abandoned, on the side of the road. In 2004 a 21-year-old UMass student, Maura Murray, sends a message to her professors saying there has been a death in her family and she will be out for the next week. The vehicle was locked and Maura was nowhere in sight. The charge was soon dismissed due to Maura’s good behavior. Additionally, Murray had gathered most of her dorm room's contents prior to leaving that day. However, skeptics point out that it’s unlikely Maura’s father would insist his daughter was abducted if he knew where she was. Maura and her friend then went out to party, but she crashed her father’s car. Jeanne Foley, a resident of the area near Murray's collision site, told the news station: "I always felt she was in the wrong place at the wrong time and someone came along.". On February 8, 2012, “112 dirtbag” uploaded a hair-raising video of an anonymous man laughing maniacally in a dark room. Afterward, he returned to the Quality Inn where he was staying and he went to the Amherst Brewing Company for dinner. It has been almost 16 years since Maura was last seen alive. Theorists cite circumstantial evidence that she was allegedly in financial trouble - the day before she disappeared, Murray emptied out her bank account, which reportedly only had about $280. The search covered a 20-mile area along Rt. If correct, his theory would explain how Maura was able to disappear so quickly after the bus driver came across her wrecked car. Before Maura and Kate dropped Fred off at the Quality Inn for the night, they stopped at a liquor store. Following this reported absence, Murray packed her belongings and left town. Her whereabouts remain unknown. On February 7, 2004, Fred met up with Maura to help her look for a new car. The tracking dogs lost Maura’s scent about 100 feet from the accident, in the middle of the road, which suggests that Maura either thumbed a ride, kept walking, or she was abducted. This statement allegedly came from a friend of Maura’s. She placed a call to her own voicemail at 4:37 p.m.Then, she packed up her car and left for her mysterious trip. Joseph Anderson wants seven pictures from Maura’s accident scene made public. Maura\'s father, Fred Murray, is upset police didn\'t travel Route 112 toward the Woodstock area, at least calling ahead to the Woodstock police to ask them to look for his daughter. He did anyway. Just in case you need a refresher, Murray was 21 years old when she was last seen after a minor car accident in Woodsville, New Hampshire. 12. College Student’s Mysterious 2004 Disappearance; Company works for free to aid in search for Maura Murray; No, the Maura Murray case has not been ‘reopened’ Miles To Nowhere – Disappeared on Investigation Discovery I can’t help Maura now. Details:After graduating from high school, Maura Murray went to military school, studying chemical … Maura had allegedly been engaged to U.S. Army Lieutenant Bill Rausch at the same time she was dating Hossein Baghdadi, the assistant coach of the UMass track team. This post examines the 2004 disappearance of Maura Murray, a 21-year old nursing student from Hanson, Massachusetts. I must find her and bring her home.”. Maura e-mailed all of her professors and her work supervisor to inform them there had been a death in the family and that she would be gone for a week. Did Murray simply walk away to start a new life? Maura Murray disappeared on the evening of February 9, 2004, after a car crash on Route 112 in Woodsville, New Hampshire, a village in Haverhill. Additionally, she stopped at the Amherst DMV to pick up the insurance paperwork for her father’s car, which was damaged in the crash the day before. It’s dedicated. Law enforcement immediately suspected that alcohol had been a contributing factor in the crash. North Dakota Cold Case: Who Killed Anita Knutson? A witness to the crash, a local bus driver, said the car had been driven by a young female who told him not to report the accident to the police. And it was the strangest thing… There was no death in the family. Maura’s story is well known. In the initial, official police statement, Fred Murray stated that his daughter, Maura, was depressed and he was fearful for her safety. According to Renner, detectives had a chat with Baghdadi after Maura’s disappearance and he told them that Murray had dropped hints that she planned to disappear during a private conversation. The only clue she left behind was a printout of MapQuest directions to a condo complex in Burlington, Vermont. When confronted with her crime, Maura admitted to getting the number from a bottom of a receipt and copying it down on a notecard. Back to James Renner for a moment. Some think Maura may have been stunned by the crash, so she ran into the woods to avoid law enforcement, but she became disoriented and got lost and died from the elements. Others believe she had been contemplating suicide and the car accident only solidified her resolve. As we continue to follow the disappearance of Maura Murray, who vanished in 2004 from New Hampshire, we see that a couple of interesting things have surfaced. Murray Family asks True Crime Community to Refocus on Maura Over the past 16+ years, we have been blessed with a community of people that have joined together, united in their dedication to finding Maura, who approach their efforts with the best and most genuine intentions. Her whereabouts remain unknown. “The case has to stay alive… That’s the only hope I have. Maura told her father she went around the corner, hit some sand, and skidded. saved them and posted them on their website. The Missing Maura Murray remembrance group encourages people to join to share personal stories and memories about Murray. And why would he stand by and allow someone’s basement to be torn to shreds if he knew his daughter wasn’t there? Last month, a New Hampshire judge said the pictures should not be released because they were investigatory files of the… Not a single footprint was found in the snow. According to New Hampshire’s cold case unit, when police arrived at the accident, Murray wasn’t there and there’s been no trace of her since. Smith was able to speak to Fred Murray at 8 p.m. on Feb. 10. Damage was visible to the driver’s side, front end, front passenger side, rear driver’s side and rear passenger side of the vehicle. As in every missing person case, someone knows something. We have all heard the stories of abduction victims being found years later — just look at the women freed from Ariel Castro’s house, and Jaycee Dugard. Prior to her enrollment there, she attended West Point, a … Real Name:Maura Murray Nicknames:No known nicknames Location:Haverhill, New Hampshire Date:February 9, 2004 Occupation:Student Date of Birth: May 4, 1982 Height:5'7" Weight: 120 pounds Marital Status:Single Characteristics:Caucasian female with Light brown hair and brown eyes. The car was eventually towed away, but not before the responding officer recovered a Coke bottle “that contained a red liquid with a strong alcoholic odor.”. Prior to her enrollment there, she attended West Point, a well-known military academy. One of the most popular theories regarding Murray's disappearance is that she simply ran away. If you’ve spent any time watching creepy videos on YouTube, then you might have seen one posted by someone with the moniker “112dirtbag.”. It was almost as if she literally disappeared into thin air. True Crime Addict: How I Lost Myself in the Mysterious Disappearance of Maura Murray. When bright, young nursing student Maura Murray vanished on February 9, 2004, witnesses heard what they thought was a car crash and then saw Maura outside her vehicle on the side of the road but, moments later, when police arrived on scene, she was gone. Law enforcement went as far as cutting up chunks of concrete in search of Maura, but their efforts didn’t produce any evidence of a crime. This theory comes from investigative journalist James Renner. When police inspected the car, they did not see any footprints, and there was no sign of foul play. The University of Massachusetts student was driving her black Saturn through the winding roads of the White Mountains of New Hampshire, when she lost control of her car and ploughed into a snowbank. First, the case was followed extensively and documented heavily by a writer named James Renner. Renner also maintains the blog “My Search for Maura Murray,” which features case details and documents. Rumors concerning the whereabouts of Maura Murray have swirled over the past 16 years, including that someone took the nursing student to a party and drugged her and then buried her in the basement. If they were ahead and saw the accident in their rearview, and were past Bradley Hill Road, the next place they could turn around was Route 116. Maura Murray was a 21-year-old nursing student completing her junior year at the University of Massachusetts Amherst when she disappeared after crashing her car along Route 112 near Woodsville, New Hampshire on the evening of February 9, 2004. But that’s a lie. To protect herself and, if the police are correct, her baby. According to the police, she then purchased several bottles of alcohol. The person who posted the video had clearly been keeping up-to-date on the case and modeled his username after those details. He told me that it was an open secret among people who knew her personally at U-Mass that she ran off on her own to get away from an abusive relationship. In case you missed it, Maura Murray’s boyfriend, Billy Rausch, imploded on social media last night, attacking Missing Maura Murray podcasters and Maggie Freleng, the journalist from Oxygen’s The Disappearance of Maura Murray, putting them on blast until 5 a.m. Likely, this is the sort of thing that will come out in court when he finally goes to trial for sex abuse in D.C. later this year. She went to the mountains to commit suicide. Obviously, Renner theorizes the coordinates lead to Maura’s body. The Disappearance of Maura Murray on Oxygen “True Crime Addict” by James Renner; Behind the New Investigation of a Mass. Whatever happened to Maura, it seemed that she wanted to get as far away from the crash site as possible, as quickly as possible. She had used the credit card, which was stolen, at various restaurants and stores in town. He wrote a book as well as a blog detailing his self proclaimed “addiction” to this case. Maura Murray was a nursing student and on-campus security guard at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. One theory indicates that Murray planned her disappearance. Think about this, I was trying to post the names of suspects in Maura Murray’s case, then I was chased away and now this is the narrative by James Renner: He claims that the party Maura attended had 3 guys… omg does this never end, remember the loon mountain three and where that ended. Prior to leaving, she emailed her professors to say that she would be absent for the following week of classes due to someone in the family passing. However, her family revealed no such loss took place. The windshield had also been cracked. Her disappearance has fueled a legion of online armchair detectives, causing … Investigative journalist James Renner has tracked the case closely, and in 2016, he released the nonfiction thriller True Crime Addict: How I Lost Myself in the Mysterious Disappearance of Maura Murray. 112 in Haverhill, NH. The case has attracted widespread media attention and generated multiple theories: that Maura met with foul play, ran away to Canada to start a new life, took her own life, or perished in the wintery woods after her car crashed on a desolate road in rural New Hampshire. You can find one of 112dirtbag’s videos below. Six days after Maura disappeared, a massive search was launched involving tracking dogs, helicopters, trained searchers, local and state police, and state fish and game officials. The creep (pardon me, LOSER) in the video has never been identified, but Fred hasn’t given up. According to the police report, Murray asked the bus driver not to call the police, insisting she had Triple-A. And talk about a motive to remain quiet for 11 years — can you get anything better than protecting a kid? She was a nursing student completing her junior year at the University of Massachusetts Amherst at the … On the evening of February 9, 2004, on Route 112 in Haverhill, NH, Murray likely lost control of her vehicle and rammed into a snowbank. It’s the deepest dives into as many missing person cases as possible. Samuel Little: The Most Prolific Serial Killer in American History, The Serial Killer Who Caused the Biggest Media Sensation in Hungary. A Beloved Hometown Gal Fred and Laurie Murray welcomed their daughter, Maura, into the world on May 4, 1982. According to the Haverhill, New Hampshire police, at 7:27 p.m. that night, Maura’s car slammed into a tree on Wild Ammonoosuc Road in Woodsville, N.H. Police were on the scene by 7:45 p.m. Somebody locally grabbed her who knows the area, knows where to go, knows how to get into some place and out of some place without being seen. One of the most mysterious cases of the last few decades is that of Maura Murray, a vivacious college student who suddenly emailed her professors about a non-existent “family emergency”, googled directions to a rental condominium in Vermont, and then disappeared forever after having a minor car accident in New Hampshire. For five years, we have covered Maura Murray’s case and the tireless community that surrounds it in great detail. In high school, she was a track star, but she was also smart and academically talented, and she went on to study chemical engineering at the U.S. Military Academy at Westpoint. It takes approximately seven minutes to drive to Route 116 and back to the scene of the [collision].”. That’s all I can do. Two others were deleted from YouTube, but the awesome dudes at True Crime Garage (my favorite true crime podcast!) She said she hadn’t had anything to drink in a while, and she was never given a breathalyzer or a ticket. Inside the vehicle, investigators found Murray’s packed-up possessions and a box of wine. The sheriff thanked her for calling and dispatched officers. She later transferred to the University of Massachusetts (UMass), where she switched her major to nursing. In 2004, 21-year-old Maura Murray disappeared on Route 112 in New Hampshire. “He then started talking to me about the missing girl who had gone to West Point and then to UMass. Theories about her whereabouts range from the plausible to the extreme, but all of them center around the idea of a young woman seeking escape. After all, it was her second car accident in two days. At 7:27 p.m., Maura wrecked her car. He does not believe she met with foul play. Solve these real unsolved cases, then alert the police so they can put these babies to bed. I hadn’t heard about it at the time and he explained to me what I now know is the [Maura Murray] case. If she was abducted, there is still hope. This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged boston globe, caledonian record, disappeared, erinn larkin, gary lindsley, ground search, james renner, maribeth conway, Maura Murray, Maura Murray Blog, maura murray book, maura murray disappearance, maura murray facebook, Maura Murray ground search, maura murray podcast, maura murray reddit, miles to nowhere, Not Without … If his tale is to be believed, Maura was going to a cabin owned by the UMass Outing Club in the White Mountains, and Baghdadi frequently joined the club on similar trips. Investigators searched the home in April 2019, but to the disappointment of Maura’s family and friends, there was no sign of Maura or of a crime. Maura Murray was a nursing student and on-campus security guard at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. The responding officer wrote that “evidence at the scene indicated the vehicle had been eastbound and had gone off the roadway, struck some trees, spun around and come to rest facing the wrong way in the eastbound lane.”. A decade after her disappearance, he told WMUR: My initial thought is still what I think. What wouldn’t you do? Volunteers went to search the area but had to turn back due to heavy snow. Her sudden disappearance left behind few clues but inspired myriad conspiracy theories. A small black Saturn appeared to be wedged against a snowbank on the road outside her home in Woodsville, New Hampshire.