On February 9, 2004, Maura Murray vanished without a trace after her car crashed in Woodsville, New Hampshire. The case remains unsolved as her family continues to search for answers 21 years later.
This month, Maura’s sister Julie launched a podcast that reveals new insights into Maura’s case. “The goal for this season is to cut out the noise and show who Maura really was,” Julie shared on Instagram.
The podcast, The Untold Story of Maura Murray, features interviews with Maura’s friends and family, exploring her life, mental state, and the family’s theories on what happened. Julie believes Maura met with foul play.
“Until we find Maura, it’s hard to say what happened. However, I will say the overwhelming consensus within my family is she was met with foul play at the hands of someone,” she said in the podcast’s eighth episode.
Julie hopes the podcast may bring new leads, as the case remains an “active, suspicious missing person’s case” according to law enforcement. “One listener could hold the key to unlocking this mystery,” she added.
At the time of her disappearance, Maura was a 21-year-old nursing student at the University of Massachusetts, working on campus and dating Bill Rausch, who assisted in the search after she went missing.
Originally from Hanson, Massachusetts, Maura was the youngest of four siblings. She was active in sports, excelling in basketball and cross-country during her time at Whitman-Hanson Regional High School.
While Maura became widely known after her disappearance, Julie and the family have worked to educate the public about Maura’s life before the tragedy. Julie’s podcast discusses the emotional challenges Maura faced in the days leading up to her vanishing.
Maura’s supervisor reported that Maura had an upsetting phone call shortly before she disappeared and had to leave work early, as her sister Kathleen had relapsed into alcohol abuse. Maura later crashed her father’s car, causing significant damage.
Julie explained on the podcast that Maura had been using her father’s car because her own vehicle was unreliable, which was further complicated by her nursing program’s requirement for “reliable transportation.” Maura was devastated after the crash, but her father’s reaction was one of understanding. “She hated to disappoint my dad, and she was her own worst critic,” Julie said on the podcast.
Julie also noted that Maura’s eating disorder might have played a role in her emotional state. Maura had made late-night calls for food, which Julie linked to a potential binge episode. Maura’s arrest in November 2003 for using a stolen credit card to order food may have been related to her struggle with control and her eating disorder. Though the charges were dismissed in December, Maura later purchased alcohol the day of her disappearance, and police found red stains in her car, which they attributed to a box of red wine.
Julie highlighted that Maura’s decision-making was uncharacteristic in the days before her disappearance, acknowledging the poor choices she made, including driving her father’s car to New Hampshire.
Julie also noted that early police reports indicated Maura’s dorm room was packed, but she later speculated that Maura hadn’t fully unpacked after moving into a new room just 12 days before her disappearance. Maura’s brother Kurtis confirmed that she was still in the process of unpacking when they visited her room.
After the crash on February 9, Maura was seen standing by her car by a local resident. A bus driver who passed by offered assistance but later said Maura declined. When police arrived, Maura was no longer at the scene.
While initial theories suggested Maura may have died by suicide, Julie believes her actions that day point to her intent to return home. Maura submitted a homework assignment at 3:32 a.m., called about renting a condo in Bartlett, New Hampshire, and contacted an information line about booking a hotel in Vermont. She also emailed her supervisor, claiming a family death—though no such event had occurred.
Julie and police discovered that Maura had picked up forms for her father’s car accident and to reinstate her suspended driver’s license, which were found in her car. Despite reports saying Maura’s car had hit a tree, Julie’s investigation with a vehicle reconstruction expert revealed discrepancies. The damage to the car didn’t match the impact of a tree, and the car was still drivable.
Julie also pointed out that a Chrysler part was found in Maura’s car. This was significant because a white Jeep Grand Cherokee, seen fleeing the scene seven miles from Maura’s crash, could have been involved. “Chrysler manufactures Jeep, and there was also a white scuff mark on the Saturn’s rear bumper,” Julie explained.
In episode seven, Julie suggested that a man who rented a house about a mile from where Maura’s car was discovered could be involved in her disappearance.
She revealed that the man’s brother gave her father a knife, claiming it had been found in his brother’s glove compartment and that it might be connected to Maura’s case. She later revealed to The Sun that the knife had been tested for Maura’s DNA, but she did not disclose whether the results were definitive.
Julie also mentioned in the podcast that the man refused to take a polygraph. In episode eight, she speculated on what could have happened to Maura, with insights from family members.
Maura’s brother, Kurtis, believes she was taken by a stranger. “I think Maura was taken. She probably got in the car with the wrong person, and it ended badly. She is most likely dead now,” he said.
Their father, Fred, agrees that foul play is a strong possibility. “There’s no doubt in my mind,” he stated. “I believe she was picked up by someone. Maura was very trusting, even naive in certain situations… She was likely trying to get help and ended up with the wrong person.”
Speaking to The Sun in June 2024, Julie stated: “The fact that her body has never been found makes me believe she took a ride with someone after the crash and met with foul play.”
