Maura Murray

The youngest child of Fred Murray, a medical technician, and Laurie Murray, a nurse, Maura Murray was born in Brockton, Massachusetts, on May 4, 1982. In Hanson, Massachusetts, Maura grew up in a working-class family with her older brother Fred Jr., sisters Kathleen and Julie, and younger brother Kurtis. Her parents separated when she was six years old.

Maura was a high achiever who achieved success in both academics and athletics. She was also involved in her neighborhood, where she was well-liked for her kind temperament, distinctive dimples, and charming smile.

She spent a little less than two years at the United States Military Academy at West Point as well.

She was a junior nursing student at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst at the time of her disappearance.

Maura Murray’s details

Missing Since: 02/09/2004, Missing From: Haverhill, New Hampshire, Classification: Endangered Missing

Sex: Female, Race: White, Date of Birth: 05/04/1982 (40), Age: 21 years, Height and Weight5’7, 120 pounds, Clothing/Jewelry: A dark-colored coat and jeans.

Associated Vehicle: Black 1996 Saturn with Massachusetts license plates (accounted for)

Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian female. Light brown hair, brown eyes.

Case

On February 9, 2004, between 7:00 and 7:30 p.m., Murray was engaged in a one-car accident on Route 112 in the Woodsville neighborhood of Haverhill, northern New Hampshire. Her 1996 black Saturn with Massachusetts license plates ran off the road and struck a tree after failing to handle a tight curve.

Five miles distance Haverhill from the Vermont town of Wells River, while one mile distances Swift Water Village from the Connecticut River. In the preceding three days, Murray had damaged her father’s automobile in a different accident before wrecking this one.

Although Murray had requested him not to, a resident residing near to the scene of the incident on February 9 still called the police. By the time the police arrived at the scene around ten minutes later, she had already disappeared.

Her car was abandoned behind, its front end badly wrecked and undriveable. Murray’s cell phone, credit cards, and other personal items were among the items that were missing, but the majority of her goods were still inside the locked doors.

Murray disappeared without a trace. Tracker dogs lost her scent within 100 yards, and there were no footprints in the snow near the car and no signs of a struggle. The accident location is where she is thought to have caught a ride, according to police. She didn’t appear to be hurt, according to the accident witness, although she might have been drunk.

Murray was a student at the Campus of Massachusetts at Amherst and lived in Hanson, Massachusetts; the university police are helping with her investigation. She majored in nursing, made the dean’s list, worked on campus, and also had a job at a nearby art gallery. She had intended to start working as a nurse in Oklahoma following graduation.

She quit her job early four days before she vanished at the recommendation of her boss; she appeared to be very distraught about something and was unable to function. What bothered her has not been identified, although Murray’s sister called her that evening and reported their chat was regular.

The day before she vanished, Murray sent an email to her instructors explaining that she had to travel due to a tragedy in her family but would get in contact when she returned in approximately a week. No one had really passed away.

Murray’s dorm room was discovered packed up after she vanished, suggesting that she was getting ready to leave the dorm altogether. The day she vanished, she took $280 out of her bank account, but since then, neither of her credit cards nor bank accounts have seen any activity.

She left behind a handwritten note for her fiancé, an Army lieutenant named William Rausch who was stationed in Fort Still, Oklahoma, along with all of her belongings that she had packed into boxes in her dorm room.

On the afternoon of Rausch’s disappearance, Murray also sent her an email. She requested a conversation with him in the email. Murray called Rausch the day after she disappeared, but all he could hear was her breathing. No trace of the call could be found.

When Murray’s computer was examined by investigators after she vanished, they found that she had been looking up motels around Burlington, Vermont, online. They searched Burlington hotels for Murray based on this information but were unable to find any indications of her presence.

In the fall of 2003, Murray went trekking in the Burlington region with her father, but she has no further ties to the community. She was familiar with New Hampshire because she used to camp there frequently, but it is unknown why she would travel to Haverhill. There is no trace of her anywhere in the Haverhill area despite extensive searches of the surrounding forests.

According to speculations, Brianna Maitland, a young woman who vanished from Montgomery, Vermont on March 19, 2004, and Murray’s case may be connected. She has not been found.

Haverhill and Montgomery are only 90 miles apart. Both of them are appealing brunette young women who vanished following vehicle accidents in which their autos still had their personal belongings inside. To discuss potential connections between the cases, the FBI met with regional law enforcement.

They came to the conclusion that the two females’ cases were probably unrelated despite the apparent parallels between them. Although the theory is not totally discounted, researchers think it is implausible.

Before transferring to the University of Massachusetts, Murray studied for two years at the United States Military Academy at West Point, where she first met Rausch. She had attended West Point and majored in chemical engineering. She is noted as being incredibly athletic, quiet, and introverted. She might have been carrying a backpack when she vanished. Her case is still open.

Murray’s family claims that she has not been in touch with them frequently and they worry that she may be being detained against her will. She had no history of mental illness and had no issues with her family, boyfriend, or boyfriend’s family at the time of her disappearance.

Murray’s disappearance is not thought to have involved foul play, according to police. Authorities in Massachusetts and New Hampshire are both looking into it.

5 Theories about the disappearance of Maura Murray

• Maura Murray may have been abducted
• Maura Murray planned her own disappearance
• Maura Murray perished from exposure after becoming lost in the woods
• Maura Murray took her own life
• Maura Murray Picked up by driver

Investigating Agencies

• University of Massachusetts Police 413-545-2121
• New Hampshire State Police 603-846-3333
• Haverhill Police Department 603-787-2222