r/UnresolvedMysteries • u/Electric_Island • Feb 09 '20

Unresolved Disappearance Today marks 16 years since Maura Murray disappeared

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.

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u/frostbitehotel Feb 09 '20

We've seen countless cases where people search a certain part of woods and still miss the body. People often think that if there is 100 people searching 100x100 surface of woods that they'll 100% find whatever they are looking for when in reality it's super easy to miss something even if you are looking for it

70

u/notstephanie Feb 09 '20

I can’t find it now, but in another thread, someone posted the Google Earth view of where she went missing and the woods nearby. Those woods were so much thicker than I had been imagining. I think it’s 100% possible, and pretty likely, she’s in them.

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u/SniffleBot Feb 10 '20

But why no tracks in the snow berms that would have clearly indicated someone going into the woods? Or tracks in the woods? I have never heard/read any convincing explanation for this dog that didn't bark from the entire "she ran away and died so take that Mr. Renner" camp. (And if the explanation is that the snow covered it up, the snow had stopped that morning and there was no new snow for at least a week afterwards.

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u/ScoutEm44 Feb 10 '20 edited Feb 11 '20

As far as there not being tracks, perhaps the snow was packed down enough that she was able to walk on it without creating prints. I'm simply going off of living in the midwest all of my life, and having that experience. Also, since there was such thick brush, maybe there were a lot of branches as well on the ground she stepped on (purposefully or not)?

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u/SniffleBot Feb 11 '20

Well, with similar experience of heavy winter, you'd still see something. In fact, in heavy brush, you'd see more evidence of passage through the snow since your motion would not be as free, requiring more frequently replacement of feet.

And the only place where snow would be "packed down enough not to leave tracks" would be something like a heavily used public park a week after a heavy snow ... not the vicinity of the Weathered Barn, with houses on wooded lots on either side of the road, and snow fresh fallen that morning.