Family of Maura Murray hopeful that answers will come, 15 years after disappearance
Woman missing since car crash in NH
Woman missing since car crash in NH
Woman missing since car crash in NH
Maura Murray disappeared in New Hampshire 15 years ago, but her family has never given up hope that their questions will be answered.
Murray was a star athlete from Massachusetts who was studying nursing at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. She crashed her car into a snowbank in Woodsville, New Hampshire, on Feb. 9, 2004, and was never seen again.
"Over the course of the past 15 years, it's always been kind of an emotional roller coaster," said her sister, Julie Murray.
The crash happened at a sharp bend on Route 112 on the border of Woodsville and Haverhill. A school bus driver called police at 7:27 p.m. and told them he saw a woman standing outside the black Saturn.
"She said she was shaken up," bus driver Butch Atwood said. "I couldn't see any blood on her face. I said, 'OK. I'm going to go call the police.'"
An officer arrived 19 minutes later and found the car locked, with no one around.
"In 2004, when Maura went missing, that was before Facebook," her sister said.
Social media has led to new interest in the case, including a podcast and a television series.
"There's also a downside to that where people just throw out wild speculation and, especially with my sister's case, there are so many rabbit holes which you can go down," Julie Murray said.
Interest in the Murray case spans the globe. Film crews and amateur sleuths have strained the good will and patience of Woodsville residents here over the past 15 years.
No trespassing signs have recently been posted near the site of the crash, and the owners of the land, who bought it five years ago, told News 9 they are fed up with strangers traipsing through their property, leaving trash and not asking permission. A film crew even crashed a drone on their porch.
But the Murrays said they recently got a new lead in the area.
"There were cadaver dogs that got positive hits in a basement in the area around the crash scene, and also, there was a ground-penetrating radar report to corroborate that," said Kurtis Murray, Maura Murray's brother.
The previous owners of a house that's very close to the crash scene denied access to the Murray family, but when the house changed ownership last year, her father saw an opportunity and asked to go inside.
"He's stubborn and more motivated than ever," Kurtis Murray said. "This is his baby that went missing. He will never give up that fight. He's retired now, and this is the focus of his life."
The Murrays said they're optimistic about the new information that has been turned over to investigators.
"Somebody has to act on that," Kurtis Murray said. "It's important."
The family plans to return to the crash scene on Saturday for a vigil. They will use Facebook Live to allow supporters from around the world to participate.
"We at least want to be up there to honor Maura's memory and be present," her brother said.
Officials with the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office told News 9 that tips continue to come in, and they follow up on every lead.