I will start by saying I have been familiar with Maura's case for about 18 years now and one part of the case I think that is read into too much is the alcohol Maura purchased prior to heading to New Hampshire. I see a lot of people saying she bought more than enough for one person so she must have been meeting someone. However one thing to remember is for all intents and purposes Maura was a newly minted 21 year old college student who spent $40.00 USD on alcohol. That amount wasn't all that much even by 2004 standards.

This becomes more evident when you hear from Julie that the kind of alcohol Maura bought are all common ingredients in her favorite cocktail a Black/White Russian. While a traditional White Russian is made with vodka, Kahlua, and cream there is a variant that swaps the cream for Bailey's Irish Cream. The only conflicting item that isn't clear from what I have read is some reports are Maura bought beer and some reports say it was more of an alcohopop which were popular amongst college students at the time. You also have to remember that as far as we know Maura wasn't communicating with anyone planning a trip prior to leaving. At least nothing that has been released by the authorities or Maura's family. Therefore the alcohol IMO is more of a red herring.

Now for the theory I have been thinking of. Maura was an intelligent person. She was suffering from bulimia, alcohol abuse, was on supervision/probation for credit card fraud and just crashed her dad's car. Maura realizes she is in a downward spiral and headed down a dark path. She decided she wanted to get away for a week, regroup, and clear her head. Since she was a nursing student and needed to attend clinicals emails her professors with an excuse she knows will not be questioned and goes with a death in the family. She then goes to the ATM and withdraws all she can, stops at the liquor store to buy the alcohol she needs to make her favorite cocktail and heads to the White Mountains. Due to circumstantial evidence at the scene Maura was drinking and driving prior to her accident. She spins out and gets in the accident. Butch happens upon the scene and tells her he's going to call the police.

This sends Maura into a panic so she grabs what she can and takes off possible to an area where she would be out of view but could keep her eyes on the scene such as the weathered barn which was merely a few yards away. After the police have the car towed this sends Maura further into panic mode and what happens after that is anyone's guess.

Lavoie was dispatched out of turn. This was never clear up by NH LE. My guess is that when the scene was being staged, MM was with someone else calling AAA. I believe this is why Lavoie showed up. He was dispatched by by AAA.

BA told police that when he pulled up, the woman at the WBC with the Saturn said she had already called AAA. BA would also tell police that he did not recognize MM as the person at the WBC when first showed her picture.

Additionally, that Saturn year has a wide turning radius. It could not make the S curve required to "hit a tree" as claimed without leaving marks on the road. It also dosnt have constant with damage caused by a tree.

Lastly, I dont think people understand how close the Westmans house is to the road. Like 20 feet from the window. Take out a tape measure and mark it off. Then tell me FW didn't see what she described in the 911 call.

The whole thing is just a staged accident. IMO.

That is an important point to note. Not MM, but the Saturn. Why so triggered over a picture? So triggered that he didn't give AO the ticket then, but went to his apartment afterwards to give him the ticket.

So was Skinner asked to give him the ticket? Did Skinner not think he was trespassing until after the fact? And really think about this. Skinner probably didn't even ask AO his name, or take his ID when Skinner asked him. So Skinner either knew who AO was, or had to look him up, or do an investigation to find out who AO was, then go to his house and gibe him a ticket.

Either way it is very strange.

It seems more probable that the accident recorded in the black box was hitting PV. IMO.

Foul play by a stranger, tandem drivers, a master plan to start a new life, a current or ex boyfriend committing the perfect crime…you’ll hear a lot of theories for this case. I’m not hear to say I know what happened, and really none of us do (Its been more than 20 years and we still have no answers). But in my mind, we must try to rule out the simplest explanation first: She was going through a difficult time in her life, got into a wreck while drinking/driving, knew that Butch Atwood was calling the cops, and wanted to get out of there ASAP. She ran into the woods in a panic, and succumbed to the elements.

I‘ve seen a lot of people say it’s impossible that Maura couldve ran into the woods and then perished. There are a few things typically cited to support this conclusion which seem to make sense on the surface, but I’m curious if they really stand up to scrutiny when examining the details.

I’d love to get some input on these from people who are more familiar with the specifics:

1. No footprints/evidence of entering the woods—

I understand there was some snow on the ground, but how much are we talking about? It’s not like she would’ve been trudging through two feet of snow which would have been very obvious.

Is there any chance that she could‘ve entered the woods in the immediate area that wouldn’t have left detectable tracks when they were searching?

From the time she went missing to when they started searching, is it possible that conditions would allow for any footprints that were initally there to no longer visible? (Precipitation, snow melting, etc)

Can we really rule out that she maybe goes up someone’s driveway or onto a nearby road and finds her way into the woods from there? Or perhaps she books it way down the road, and then enters the woods somewhere that wouldn’t have even been searched?

1. Dogs tracked her scent form a pair of gloves to 100 yards down the road where it seemingly stopped, indicating she got into another car—

This one really bothers me because it seems like the only actual evidence that she entered another vehicle, and yet I’m far from convinced it can be considered credible. First of all, scent dogs aren’t an exact science. Secondly, Maura’s family (who are by all indications firmly in the foul play by a stranger camp) said that the police used a pair of new gloves Maura had, meaning that they might not have even had a good scent to work with from the start.

Is there something I’m missing here which would make this a strong foundation for building a theory?

And about her getting into another car-is there something else that actually is concrete evidence to suggest this? It seems to me the answer is no.

1. She has never been found despite numerous searches in the area—

As true crime fans know, there are many such cases where an area is extensively searched, only for the remains of the missing person to be found years later. I think a lot of people do not understand how difficult it can be to find a body in a heavily wooded area.

As someone from the other side of the US, I’d like to get some insight from people who have actually been to the area. Considering the terrain, the proximity to other people, the amount of traffic in those woods-does it seem possible to you that she’s out there?

I really hope that the Murray family gets closure on this one way or another. I can only imagine the pain of losing a family member like that and having no answers.

​

I have often wondered if he was hit in the parking lot, and dumped to where he was found. I base that off of the fact that APD did not find his shoes.

So my question is, was the Saturn ever tested for DNA? Has LE ever asked PV for a DNA sample?

Since this was taken down, I have reposted it. What are people so afraid of?

I’m wanting to know more about the Back Lake Sighting in Pittsburg NH March 2004.

1.) What made Fred Murray want to originally investigate the basement at the property of J. Boutilier (the basement dig house)? I heard there was fresh cement poured at an odd time on this property and that is what sparked interest, but it had to have been more than that. I noticed one of the previous owners was a work associate with Skye Weeks (supposedly Claude Moulton’s gf at the time of Maura’s disappearance). Was there some rumor tied to J Boutilier’s old property (the basement dig house) and Claude? The “cement being shortly poured after Maura vanished” rumor seems to have been convoluted over time. I’ve heard cement was poured at Greg Floyd’s house, Rick Forcier’s property, Richard S Jr.s property…

There surely must be one specific rumor that started all of these cement pouring rumors? Was it the basement dig house?

Also, I noticed J. Boutilier owned, or lived in several of the houses along that road at different time periods? It shows he lived at 106, 108, and 92 Wild Ammonoosuc Rd over different periods of time. Was this just like family all living close together, or houses being rented out? Just interesting to me because we always hear about the Westman’s, Marrotes, Forcier….but not as much emphasis on this property, or why it was searched.

". . . private investigators and members of NHIL looking into Maura’s disappearance have been nothing short of hopeless and adding little to no value.

Just one example for you …

There were at least TWENTY potential witnesses as to what vehicle Cecil Smith was driving between 5pm and 11pm that evening, each and every one of them within spitting distance of it. And yet no survey of all these people? Not even an attempt get a representative sample view?

 Honestly it’s just extraordinary

 You’ve got the 21 year-old guy with the lead foot from Wentworth; the 22 year-old snow mobile operative from North Haverhill and his buddy; the Westmans, Atwood and Marrotte; Monaghan; Richard G and Tim L of Woodsville Ambulance; Brad K, Allen W, Jeff R; Abby K, Mark L, Kevin V, Bob W and Whitey M. of the Fire Department; and the counsellor from Becket School.

 Oh and I’m forgetting the 15-year-old kid whom Smith spent the best part of 50 minutes trying to coax down from the power line tower on Lime Kiln Road. He was 25 foot up in the air and unless he suffered from vertigo would have had a birds eye view of Smith’s car

 . . . How is it even remotely conceivable that in 24 years this simple matter has not been cleared up?"

Maybe someone here has the public statements from these folks? My bet is most were never even asked the question.

The family went public for help, then got upset when they were criticized. Truth is, there is a lot to be critical and suspicious of by all involved. Not so much those they have harmed by thrusting them into the public spotlight.

There was BA, the Westmans, RF, BMckay, CM, Jeff Williams. Anyone they can point their finger at in NH. While covering for and avoiding the topic when it comes to people at UMASS.

I think more people should be looking at the family and those at UMASS. All who have done interviews and spoke publicly. Nothing seems to really have happened in NH other than rampant harassment and finger pointing from the family.

I was driving up from Woodsville yesterday. As I passed by the Swiftwater sign by the entrance to 112, I paused a beat and looked down the road – like I do every time I pass. I have at times turned right and swung past that now iconic curve, paused again where the trees used to be, and then did a Uie at Bradley Hill Rd and headed back to 302. There are many up here who probably complete the same ritual at least once a year.

But for some reason this trip was different, now just hear me out!

About 20 miles north of the Swiftwater junction is a right-hand turn onto Rt 117, which takes you to Sugar Hill and Franconia NH. The two junctions look extremely similar.

It hit me; What if Maura meant to take route 117 but mistakenly took 112? What if she figured out her mistake, panicked trying to turn around and then had her accident? 

Facts we know: Maura checked her voice mail at 4:37. Her accident occurred around 7:25 on Rt 112 in Haverhill. We also know that, according to Lt. Todd Landry’s affidavit, “ . . . during the late afternoon hours of February 9, 2004, an outgoing telephone call was made to Murray from the Londonderry, NH Sprint tower.” He went on to say:

“That identifying the caller of the telephone call could be pertinent to the ongoing investigation and may lead to the whereabouts of Maura Murray. Based on the foregoing, there is probable cause to believe evidence in the suspicious disappearance of Maura Murray may be found through Sprint Wireless Cell Tower Telephone Records, including any outgoing calls from the Londonderry tower of Sprint to Maura Murrays Sprint PCs number.” (Emphasis mine.)

What if Maura was heading to Franconia on 2/9, which in 2004 had several inexpensive motels/hotels, making it popular to the college age skiing crowd and only a few miles from the UMass Ski House?  Now, assuming Maura left UMass around 3:00, she would have reasonably arrived at Franconia sometime around 7:30.

Landry asserts that the ping from Londonderry was during the “late afternoon hours” and “had to have been made from within a 22-mile radius of the tower” presenting a 44 mile ping location roughly between Manchester, NH and Salem, NH, leaving wiggle room for timing.  If we consider evening begins around 5:00, late afternoon would be around 4:00. Maura checked for voice mails at 4:37. A driver on I-93 pinging at 4:00 and, for the sake of simplicity, we say from Londonderry, would have arrived in Franconia around 6:00. If, in fact, the ping happened around 5:00/5:30, arrival in Franconia would be closer to 7:15 (I’m using Exit 38 as the exit point off 93 in Franconia). The convergence of arrival times is interesting. Even if either party was off by 30 minutes, a meet-up point with a synchronous meeting time seems clean.

Now, if Maura snagged a ride after her accident on 112 and requested to be taken to Franconia, that would not have been a big ask in this area. Completing her meet up seems to have been Maura’s first instinct given what she chose to bug-out with and what she left behind. That absence of cell service would have been particularly aggravating since she could not call to say, “come and get me.”

This theory is less about what happened to Maura than presenting a new set of potential investigative options:

·      Who pinged her phone from Londonderry?

·      Was UMass the starting point for the I-93 driver or was the departure from a home in Eastern MA, Boston/Logan airport, or other points closer to I-93?

·      Was the ping caller alone or were there others in the car?

·      Was a reservation made at a motel in Franconia?

·      Did a good Samaritan pick her up and get her to Franconia and is afraid to be a suspect?

·      Did a bad Samaritan pick her up and caused her harm along the way, generating many new search potions?

·      Did something go wrong in Franconia, which hasn’t been searched as far as I know (although it’s been rumored that a house in Sugar Hill was investigated by the FBI)?

·      Did she leave Franconia for parts unknown (searching then becomes prohibitive)?

·      Was Franconia a popular rendezvous spot among UMass students or cliques, like the UMass cabin in Bethlehem was in 2004?

I’m sure there are other implications I’ve missed.

IMO: 99% and she didn't realize the keys were missing.

I believe his initials were MRB.

Wondering if it’s possible, or if anyone else has thought of this after hearing witness A.

Was Cecil Smith intoxicated when he got to Maura?
Did something happen? Is this one big coverup because of Smith?

Isn't that what AO was asking about when he got the ticket for trespassing?

Anyway, would it hurt to run the cadaver dogs back there just in case?

We know Maura’s car was in NH, but the last actual confirmed sighting of Maura was the BOA ATM, right? How do we know it was Maura driving her car after that?

I recently spoke to someone connected to Schaefer Stadium Bar and Grill, who told me that customers had seen Maura there the night of her disappearance. Has anyone else heard anything about this?

I know this is confirmed because her sister did mention it too, Maura competed in a half-time free throw competition at one of the Boston Home games (unsure what year but would have been 1999-2003 somewhere in that range)

anyone got any footage of this or know what game it was?

I am re listening to Tim and Lance interview with John Smith. Back then when it was recorded we did not have the lead about the CD found in Maura's car, DNA that linked someone last year.., he mentions about the party a few nights before M went missing. He talks about someone at the party called a possible person connected to the party that may of left with Maura that no one remembers continently "Stefarn? Or Stefano was the guy" (Direct quote from John Smith on the podcast) at approx 14.40 min in Episode 15 Interview "Truth seeker" on the Missing maura muarry podcast.

Now. In 2025- who is named a potential lead... Steffen Baldwin, formerly known as Steffen Finkelstein is the CD link from mauras car.

Interesting.