Two-and-a-half years ago, a young woman named Maura Murray went missing after a minor car accident in northern New Hampshire. On October 21, investigators used cadaver dogs to search for her for the first time.
Murray’s accident occurred on February 9, 2004 in Woodsville, New Hampshire. She spoke to a witness, who proceeded to call the police, and then disappeared before police arrived approximately ten minutes later. No one has seen her since, and her family suspects foul play. Police and investigators have expressed thoughts that she may have taken her own life or ran away.
The recent search effort involved using cadaver dogs along Route 112. Investigator Don Nason Jr., of Merrimack County, afterwards said that, despite the lack of conclusive evidence found, “We are not going away; we are here and we are going to find her one way or another, I can promise you that.” He and dozens of people and organizations, both professional and private, spent hours searching in the area of her disappearance.
The case has gained a lot of attention in both New Hampshire and Murray’s home state of Massachusetts. Her family spoke to then-governor Craig Benson in early 2004 about the case, and they have accused police of making false claims regarding her disappearance, according to the Boston Globe’s online edition on October 23, 2006. The police have denied the allegations.
Nason led the investigation for The New Hampshire League of Investigators in conjunction with the Molly Bish Foundation, the Murray family and volunteer K9 search teams. They found none of the evidence they wanted, but there is no doubt that the search will continue. Thousands of hours have been spent already, but the Murray family is not giving up.