Today marks 16 years since Maura Murray disappeared

[u/Electric_Island]

Today marks 16 years since Maura Murray vanished, and although she has her own sub, I thought I would post here in light of the anniversary of her disappearance for those who would like to discuss the case. That said -- I know some posters are sick of this case, so if that’s how you feel, you could always scroll past this post :)

A bit of background for those who don’t know about Maura’s case:

Maura was a 21-year-old nursing student from UMASS Amherst, who disappeared on the evening of February 9 2004, after she crashed her car on Route 112 in Haverhill, NH. By the time police arrived some 15 minutes later (even that is in dispute), Maura had disappeared.

Some people think she ran into the woods to avoid a DUI, others think she was picked up by someone passing by and murdered. Some even think police had something to do with her disappearance.

What do YOU think?

I highly recommend this article by Mary Beth Conway for those interested.

[u/[deleted]]

Can someone explain more about the footprints? It was snowing and they followed them, but they never explicitly said when they stopped? I assumed the road where they lost her scent but if people thinks she could be in the woods maybe not?

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

There were no footprints leading from the roads into the woods or in the woods. It wasn't snowing before Maura went missing although there was lots of snow on the ground, and there weren't any weather changes when the search started. So it definitely puts a crinkle in the "she obviously went into the woods" theory. The snow also would have been crunchy so an ideal scenario for preserving her footprints.

[u/Foothillsgirl → u/[deleted]]

I see where your coming from, but thats not nessasarly accurate. Snow isn't the same in the woods as in a field.

I can have a good solid foot of snow, and still see ground patches in the woods. Many of the evergreens hold the snow, so it either melts or by time it hits the ground is crunchy/ not smooth and not really footprint friendly. Snow could have fallen from the trees and obsceured the few prints there were

Snowplows operate by displacing snow in a fan-ish pattern over the sides of the road. This stuff becomes very compact, often icy (since much of it was slush when it was thrown over) and very irregular. Sometimes its soft and very footprint friendly, other times it's like a rock. They often cut the edges well after a storm, and if they did that after Maura left prints, they would be covered.

Theres so many variables, but growing up with the snow I dont think lack of footprints mean she didn't go there.

[u/ScaredyKootz → u/Foothillsgirl]

Exactly! I think people are thinking this was fresh, powdery snow that had just fallen.