Where is Maura Murray?

Maura Murray, 21 at the time of her disappearance, was a student attending the University of Massachusetts Amherst for nursing. February 9th, 2004 she gets into a car accident while traveling out of town, and is never seen or heard from again. Over the years since her disappearance there have been many theories, news articles, and even possible sightings. In this article, we'll go into all of this and more. This story is definitely one that will stick with you.

Maura had a bright future, according to all that knew her. She was attending the Nursing Program at University of Massachusetts Amherst. She had previously been accepted into the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York. While attending Maura studied Chemical Engineering. Maura also met her boyfriend at West Point, and continued a long distance relationship after transferring schools. Although she was a model student, her personal life was another story. Maura was asked to leave the program after she was caught stealing makeup from the Fort Knox commissary. This is a direct violation of the Academy's Honor Code. Instead of being expelled Maura was given the option to leave, as this would allow her the opportunity to transfer to the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

February 5th, 2004 Maura has a conversation with her sister over the phone while at work. This call takes place from 10:10pm to 10:38pm. According to her sister, Kathleen, she says they had conversation about Kathleen's relationship problems. A few hours later, a fellow student, Petrit Vasi, gets hit by a car and suffers severe head trauma. Police are on scene at 12:20am. A phone call which has not been talked about, but is on Maura's phone records, happens from 12:07 to 12:14. This phone call is between Maura and her boyfriend, Billy, and it is unknown what the conversation consisted of. Around 1am, Maura's supervisor is sent to check on Maura as she is acting unsusual. When the supervisor comes up to Maura, she notes that Maura is blankly staring off in the distance, showing no emotion. When asked what was wrong, Maura breaks down into a sob and the only words she says are "my sister." This is almost 3 hours after the conversation with her sister, but less than an hour since Petrit Vasi is found on the side of the road after a hit and run. Maura is let go for the night, and is escorted by her supervisor to her dorm room. According to her supervisor, she did not want to leave Maura alone, but Maura insisted she had a roommate and would be okay. Maura actually lived in a one bedroom dorm alone.

There is a lot of speculation that the damage to Maura's car was inconsistent with the snow bank she wrecks into on route 112. Some people have questioned whether or not Maura had anything to do with the Petrit Vasi accident, and this was actually the reason she was so shaken up at work. I think this is an interesting theory, as it lines up with the fact that Maura's father comes up that weekend to get Maura a new car, stating her car is not running well (although no-one notes her car was not drivable.) It would also make sense why they don't discuss the car shopping with anyone else. Another interesting fact is that after Maura is missing, her father tells police on his way to see Maura he stops by multiple ATMs and takes out $4,000 in cash. Most reputable car dealerships would have taken card or check, so it is a little curious that he felt the need to use cash only. Is it possible the cash was for something else, possibly to "get rid of" Maura's car, since it may have been part of the hit and run? Fred's house is also in foreclosure at this time due to late/missed payments, so it's strange that he decides that getting Maura a new car is more important than paying his own house payments. Since learning about the $4,000, there has been no definite answer to what happened to the money since.

On Saturday, February 7th, a few days before Maura disappeared, she met up with her father to go car shopping. Maura's car was not reliable according to her father and they had been talking of replacing it for some time. Maura and her father shopped for a car, but did not make any purchases, and then decided to go for dinner at a local pub with Kate, a friend of Maura's. After dinner, it's said that they stopped by a liquor store to get some drinks for a party they were going to later. There has been speculation that Fred, Maura's father, had not actually taken Maura car shopping. The friend that went to dinner with the two says they never said anything about it, and no car dealerships have record of Fred and Maura being there. This also makes me wonder if the car shopping was supposed to be kept on the down low, maybe because her car was involved in the hit and run.

Maura asks her father if she can take his car to a party, to which he says yes, and then drives him back to his motel and goes out for the night. At the party, there has been no definite answer if she had left with anyone, or who she had been talking to. Maura leaves around 3:30am, and on her way home hits a guard rail, causing $8,000 worth of damage to hr father's new car. The police did not perform a field sobriety test, so there is no proof she had been drunk while driving. She gets a ride with the tow truck back to her dad's motel. At this point, Maura goes back into the motel and almost immediately gets on her father's cell phone and calls Billy, her boyfriend, at 4:49am. Fred has been quoted saying he did not know Maura was in his motel room until the next morning, so we are unsure if Maura took her father's phone while he was sleeping or if he was actually awake and allowed her to use it. The next morning, Fred discovers the damage to his car, and is understandably upset. He asks that she stop by and get a couple of accident report forms Monday morning to file for the insurance. He rents a car and drops her back off at her dorm the following day, unknowingly to him, this would be the last time he would see his daughter.

Just 3 months prior, Maura had been caught using someone else's card to order $80 worth of food. According to Maura, she had found a receipt with the card number on it in her dorm bathroom. When Maura went before a judge, it was decided that she would not be charged if she could stay out of trouble for 6 months. It's been theorized that Maura was worried the car accident would show up on her record, and the credit card fraud would come back to haunt

her.

Maura Murray "mugshot" after the stolen credit card

Maura and her father Fred

On February 8th, Maura begins searching online for directions to Burlington, Vermont and The Berkshires. She calls a condo rental in Bartlett, New Hampshire, a condo that her family has rented in the past. This phone conversation lasted 3 minutes. It is assumed she spoke to someone during this phone call, but she did not rent anything. Something to note here, Maura and Fred went hiking in the White Mountains just 4 months prior, in October 2003. It's speculated that they would have been in the exact area that Maura would go missing.

She also sends an email to her boyfriend saying she had received his messages, and that she would talk to him later, as she didn't feel like talking to anyone at the moment. Maura then calls a friend at college almost immediately after and leaves a voicemail regarding returning a borrowed lab coat to the classmate. I do find this a little strange as she just told her boyfriend via email she "didn't feel like talking to anyone." To me, it almost seems as if she's tying up loose ends before leaving.

Around 4:00pm she emails her professors and manager at work stating there had been a death in the family, and she would be taking some time off to deal with it. It was later confirmed by her family that there had been no death, and they were unsure why she made this up. Allegedly, this same day, Maura packs up her entire dorm into boxes. This would have been done within the last few days before she went missing, but there is no confirmation on a specific date.

The following day, February 9th, she packed a bag and set out. She heads to an ATM around 3:40pm, takes out $280, and then goes to the liquor store. Maura purchases a bottle of Khalua, a 6 pack of Seagrams, and a box of red wine. According to the footage from both the ATM and the liquor store, she was alone during both of these encounters. At 4:37pm Maura checks her voicemail, this would be the last known time she would use her cell phone. She gets back into her car and begins driving North. There is confirmation that she stops at a gas station in New Hampshire, and fills up her tank. Some have speculated that this would offer an opportunistic killer/kidnapper to notice her and follow her after. Later in the story we will cover the rag in the tail pipe, but some think this could have been placed in while at the gas station. Maura was then driving on route 112 in Woodsville, New Hampshire around 7:00pm, when she failed to make a turn and wrecked her vehicle into a snow bank.

A nearby resident hears the crash, and makes a phone call to the sheriff's office. This call takes place at 7:27pm. It's worth a mention that this neighbor also tells the 911 dispatcher that she saw a passenger in the vehicle smoking a cigarette, however she recants this later and says it was a "red light, possibly from a cell phone." Another neighbor had noticed someone walking around the vehicle, and witnesses a third neighbor pulling up to Maura's vehicle. The third neighbor is Butch Atwood, a bus driver, who finds Maura and asks if she needs help. She tells Butch that she had called AAA already, however the bus driver knows there is no cell service in the area. He drives to his home, not far from where she had wrecked, and calls the police. Butch's call to the police takes place at 7:43pm. He notes that she had been alone in the car, and that she did not appear to be injured but was shaken up. Police arrive less than 10 minutes later to find an empty locked car, and no trace of Maura.

Maura's Saturn after the wreck on route 112

When police examine the vehicle, they see that the car struck a tree on the front right end. The windshield is also cracked on the driver side from the inside, and both air bags had been deployed. In the car, they find an empty coke bottle that smelled of wine, a duffle bag of clothes and school books, and Mapquest directions to New Hampshire and Vermont. They noticed that Maura's backpack was missing, as well as the bottle of Khalua. Her phone, credit and debit cards were also missing, none of which have been located or used since. They notice that there are red stains on the roof of the car on the drivers side, possibly from the wine. Police also find the book Not Without Peril, a book about climbing in the White Mountains.

According to a driver on route 112, they had seen a young person quickly walking along the road about 4 for 5 miles east of where Maura's car had been wrecked. This was reported roughly 3 months after the accident, as the driver did not realize the date matched.

The police release a "Be On The Lookout" for Maura less than 30 minutes after the accident. Police then had contacted Fred, Maura's Father, and left him a voicemail on his home phone. Since Fred was working out of town, he did not receive this message. Around 5:00pm Maura's older sister reached out to their father and told him about the accident. Fred contacted the police, however due to the circumstances, Maura would not be considered missing until the following morning, when they would start an official search.

On February 11th, Fred arrives in Haverhill and with the help of the Haverhill Police Dept. begins a search. During the search, a police dog picks up on Maura's scent and finds a glove just 100 yards east from where Maura's car was abandoned. The police dog loses the scent shortly after. Later in the day, Billy and his parents arrive in Haverhill. After turning his cell phone back on after the flight, Billy notices a voicemail that was left while he was mid flight. After listening to the voicemail, Billy is distraught and tells his mother he received a voicemail and believes it was Maura. In the voicemail, it is a woman softly sobbing, and then the call cuts off. Billy's mother notes that she had purchased Maura two AT&T calling cards for the past Christmas, and believes she may have used one of these to call Billy. The police trace the call, and they claim it lead back to The American Red Cross. A woman at the Red Cross stated she did call Billy to discuss his leave of absence and did not want to leave a voicemail with sensitive information. Billy's family is still unsure if this is true.

In an interview with police, Fred says if they find a rag in Maura's tailpipe, that she put it there based on advice he had given her. Fred tells them that due to her car having a blown head gasket, he recommended to Maura to place a rag in the tailpipe to help. There have been multiple mechanics who have said that this would not help, and would have actually caused the car to break down eventually. Other mechanics, but not nearly as many, have said that this is something that would have helped. It's unclear which is actually true, however after Maura's vehicle was searched they did in fact find a rag in her tailpipe.

One of the main subjects of theories surrounding the case is Fred Murray. There are so many strange facts that come up when looking into him, so lets discuss a few. The day that Maura goes missing, Fred reaches out to police and states he is concerned that his daughter has gone up to the White Mountains to harm herself. Other than that day, Fred has maintained his belief that Maura was picked up by some "dirtbag." He also writes two letters to the New Hampshire Governor, which seem a little off. See those here. In these letters, Fred states that he believes the police did not do enough in their efforts to find Maura, and calls out specific officers and departments. Some of the wording in these letters seems somewhat unusual. When author and blogger James Renner came into the picture, Fred's family member reached out to James and stated he did not want James to continue writing a book about the case. What grieving father, who wants nothing more than to find his daughter, would not want someone to continue looking into Maura's case?

Something else that is strange is the party that Maura went to the night of February 7th. This party supposedly held at a classmate Sarah's dorm. Maura's best friend Kate Markopolis also attended this party. According to Kate, she said the party was very busy and she did not recognize any of the people there. She states she also can't even remember the guy who walked her out of the party. In an email to James Renner, Kate tells him she "didn't see many of them ever again" and that she will not be able to help him with any information. I think something strange happened at this party, and Maura's friend does not want whatever happened to be brought up.

In the years following Maura's disappearance, it would come out that Billy, her boyfriend at the time, had a dark side. Beginning in 2011, a woman claimed that Billy had sexually assaulted her at their time together at Ray Group International. In this claim, she states he locked her in a room with him,forced himself on her, until another coworker heard he commotion and opened the door. This came after other women at his job spoke out regarding his personality. The same woman he assaulted claimed he pushed her down the stairs and then tried to pretend it wasn't him, while another said he spoke about Maura, stating he was glad things ended the way they did. According to her, Billy said they were in the midst of a break up anyways. These allegations would begin a whirlwind of problems for Billy Rausch over the next few years. There would be a number of women that would come forward stating they were assaulted by Billy, that he liked to be very "rough" in the bedroom, and that he scared them. If Billy was this way with Maura, it's possible she was in fact running away from him.

In 2006 while searching the surrounding area and homes where Maura had crashed her car, police dogs hit on a closet in an A frame house very close to the accident site. They sent a piece of carpet out to be examined but nothing came from it. Since the owner at the time would not allow them to search any further, it wasn't until early 2019 they would be able to do a search of another house close to the scene. After the home came under new ownership, police did a thorough search and found no evidence of any human remains.

Mr112dirtbag

In 2012, on the 8th anniversary of Maura's disappearance, a youtube user with the account name "Mr112dirtbag" began uploading a series of weird videos. One of the videos was of an older man laughing (super creepy) and then the video cuts off and "happy anniversary" comes across the screen. The name Mr112dirtbag is significant because Maura went missing on route 112, and in an interview Fred was quoted saying some "local dirtbag" may have kidnapped Maura. The man was investigated and eventually was ruled out as suspect, but some still think he may have been involved. Whether or not he was involved, the video is very strange to watch, and will leave your skin crawling. You can watch it here.

As I said earlier, this case has become a fan favorite on the internet, and there are so many different theories as to what actually happened to Maura Murray. There is just a few more things I'd like to leave you with.

In 2016, it was brought up that the UMass Outing Club owned a cabin in the White Mountains, often used for students to go hiking and skiing. The leader of the Outing Club told James Renner that it was used during the weekends mostly, and that during the week the cabin would have been vacant. This could definitely have been where Maura was traveling to, as she had previously been seeing a member out the Outing Club. It's also been questioned whether or not there was a tandem driver who travelled with Maura, and met up with her after she crashed. If this were the case, it's very plausible that Maura had been planning this and with the help of a possible second boyfriend, hid out at this cabin and eventually started a new life.

The last possible sighting of Maura happened in 2015, at a preview screening of Star Wars, The Force Awakens. There was a video posted in which a woman and young girl, assumed to be her daughter, are seen enjoying their time together. In the images below you can see their is a shocking resemblance, and it still has yet to be debunked. If this is Maura, assuming the child's age, is it possible she was pregnant when she "ran away" in 2004?

Now that we have most of the information, what do you think happened to Maura Murray on February 9th, 2004? Do you believe she is still alive? Who do you think knows more than they're letting on? I would love to hear your thoughts on this story.

If you have any information regarding this case, please reach out to your local law enforcement.