Two days before Maura disappeared on a drive in the White Mountains, her father came to visit her at UMass with $4,000 in cash. He has said the money was for a car but they never bought a car and nobody else remembers her talking about looking for a car that morning. Fred withdrew the money in a very odd, rushed way – visiting several ATMs (perhaps as many as eight) instead of getting the cash from a teller or simply writing a check.
Recently, Helena Dwyer-Murray gave a little more info about the missing $4,000 on Facebook. Here’s what she had to say:
Wow. That is fishy, but that fact that she claims that the police have been keeping an eye on the money, and none of the money was every withdrawn, doesn't make it likely that she started a new life under a new identity.
First time its been mentioned the money was put back into an account. Why when it was being questioned about the 4,000.00 didn't Fred just say he put it back into his account. How would Maura have access to it? Was Maura on Fred's account? When I was younger around Maura's age my father had me on his account. If Maura was on Fred's account then she could of been the one to withdraw the money. It would be interesting to see the exact times the money was withdrawn.
Could that be why Fred came to Amherst, to confront Maura on taking the money out.
Interesting she says the money was put back in for Maura. When was the money put back in the account?
Also Didn't Fred say in one of his comments early on that perhaps Maura broke into a cabin. Wasn't there several vacant homes/cabins in the area due to it being winter. People used them as seasonal homes.
Like to know when the money was deposited back in the account? If it ever really was.
Who's to say it was the same 4,000.00 Fred withdrew from his account.
Wonder if he had his Toyota car fixed that Maura wrecked or if he received a check.
On some blogs from the early years of Maura's disappearance, there is mention of the insurance adjuster that came to look at Fred's car saw Mauras car and said that it looked like there was damage done to the car.
Is it known if this is true? Where was Fred's car located when the insurance adjuster came out to see it?
I believe the cash was put into that account after they knew She was missing bc Fred knew She had no cash except the $280.00 she had withdrawn. Think He was worried more than anything. jmho
Also seeing the cash has not been touched pretty much proves Maura is not alive or more than likely she would have tried to gain access to it. jmho
Most interesting is that HDM is arguing semantics ("not a KNOWN fact") on the Vasi incident rather than arguing or even suggesting Maura wasn't involved. It's almost like she's (unintentionally) acknowledging that it's a likely fact or even an unknown (to the public)/"secret " fact, but not a "KNOWN" fact, according to her. Sounds very much to me like she knows/believes Maura was involved.
Or perhaps she is not around to withdraw it?
Would like to know when it was put in the account.was it in Fred's account or mauras? Maybe he too thought she had run away.strange when he stated some 'dirtbag' had probably taken her
I think more and more people are coming to the sad conclusion Maura may not have started a new life.
I am one of those people.
OK dumb question maybe because I don't follow that site, but are we SURE the poster is actually Dwyer-Murray? I mean could it be someone who created that user name and uploaded that avatar? Probably not, if Dwyer-Murray runs that site but just want to make sure if I believe it that it is really her posting.
Yes, same here.
I have been following this for 2-3 months. At first I was leaning towards running away. Now I'm leaning towards murdered.
I think you are right. Even people like myself who have come up with ideas about her starting a new life are having serious doubts. I used to think the wine box was such a big deal because, in my opinion, the alcohol is key to understanding what happened after Maura Murray crashed the car. Since the doors were locked, that seems to be her reason for leaving the vehicle.
The interesting aspect of this case is discussing whether she could have started a new life. Think of it like this for a second. This is how I would explain it to Maura Murray. Let's say she did plan this out and she crashed that car intentionally. Think about how smart she was to write that death in the family email. Who is going to believe it was intentional based on that email? The purpose for the email is to give herself time, whether starting a new life or just going on a trip. 3-4 hours after the email police are looking for her and since the car is registered to her father, he is going to be notified rather quickly. And if she was going to start a new life, she would not want people to be looking for her. If she were starting a new life, she could just have left. By the time anyone realized she was not in her single dorm room, I doubt they would run immediately to the police. I think it certainly would have taken longer than it did after she crashed. She could have left her dorm room as is instead of packing giving people the idea everything was fine.
So the obvious conclusion from these facts is that Maura Murray was indeed coming back from wherever she was headed. Or else why write that death in the family email in the first place? Why pack boxes she is not going to take?
I am coming to the conclusion that she did not start a new life. It is just that it is fun pretending to be a detective and come up with a theory of how the accident might tie in to it. But I do agree that in many of these cases the conclusion is often the sad revelation later that the person is dead. That is not a detective movie. That is reality.
Putting the money back into an account Maura had access to is not all that unusual and is often times recommended by police so they can monitor activity. Remember the easiest way to track someone is by credit/debit card as when it is used it will tell you the location the card was used at.
Well, if people would have reviewed this case from a logical perspective instead of an emotional one, then they would have reached this conclusion from the start.
I've said countless times now that I hope I am wrong. But based on everything we know, the likelihood is that she's dead. I'd be so glad to be wrong about this. Unfortunately there just isn't any evidence to suggest that I am.
It's really not strange. He probably believed some "dirtbag" got her, but put the money in the account on the chance that he could be wrong and that she was still alive and needed the money. I would've probably done the same thing if I were him.
Your last sentence: yes! People seem to think that since the money hasn't been touched, she was most certainly murdered. Obviously that's a possibility but I don't see any reason to think that not withdrawing money from the account means that is the outcome. Any withdraw will provide a location, surveillance video, etc. If you don't want to be found, you wouldn't take that unnecessary risk, yes?
I've followed this story from the very beginning. I was a senior in HS when it happened. If anything, the years have brought more confusion than answers. Very intrigued by the supposed new information received that's being vetted and the tag for Renner's book that all questions will be answered making it seem as though he knows what ultimately happened.
good point
I find it more interesting the way hdm talks about the hit and run. It's almost like she concedes it is likely Maura was responsible.
Agree strongly with both of you. If she was planning to start a new life, a car crash in Northern NH is a downright bizarre way to start. Would you rather try to disappear with the police looking for you as a missing person who is also the culprit in a possibly alcohol-related accident, or with them looking for you as just a missing person?
I know I've disagreed with your thoughts before, but I think the point in the second paragraph of your post is compelling. It would take a tremendous amount of self restraint for a young person (especially one without a job) to not touch that $4,000.00. That's true even if accessing the $4,000.00 would run the risk of disclosing their whereabouts by using an ATM or visiting a bank branch.
There is no evidence that MM was involved with the Vasi incident. It is pointless to argue that angle.
It could mean many things:
She is dead.
She doesn't want any connection to her first life.
She simply doesn't want it.
It would be very interesting if Maura and a friend have been living in some very remote cabin they found deep in the woods somewhere and want nothing to do with the outside world.
In light of thinking how weird Faith and that other witness are (in what they didn't say), I really think Maura is dead.
2 witnesses and neither said " she got in a car" or "she walked off in such and such direction"
ODD. AS. HELL.
If she was in hiding, she could have someone shady looking withdraw it to make look like someone's robbed her or worse, or she could take a road trip to withdraw it…..I think we can conclude her situation is good enough that she doesn't need to take any risk, or that she's gone…..
My sentiments exactly…….something is rotten in Haverhill, NH
A) how do you know there's no evidence – are you MA police? B) Even if there were no currently known evidence, why would it be pointless to argue/explore – that tends to be how evidence/facts are ultimately uncovered after all.
Until we know definitively what happened to Maura there are VERY few angles it's "pointless" to explore – and the Vasi hit is most certainly not one of them given that it would explain so much
If Maura wanted to run away, there are a few very different motives for doing so. Some believe she ran away to avoid prosecution for a hit and run, her father was part of the escape plan, and the 4000 dollars is the biggest clue; it was intended to be the launch money for her new life.
Other people believe the overbearing presence of Fred Murray was the inspiration for Maura to skip town. If Renner's new insights are accurate, then this second theory is still totally plausible. It breaks down like this: Maura set up a little web of lies and confusion, then bolted. Just before leaving town, she took all the money out of her account, and knew she would never use that account ever again. After she disappeared, a distraught Fred Murray tries depositing the four grand in her account, hoping Maura would see it, make a withdrawal, and then we'd all know where she is. But Maura probably never even checked her account, because mentally, she'd already discarded its utility.
There was no investigation into that hit and run that I read snywhere,,,,,was there any forensics done on the car once the law enforcement took possession of her car???
If she was running away for good, she would have taken her toothbrush, shampoo, etc… Otherwise $280 and Kahlua doesn't get you very far…
If she was terrified about the bus driver calling the cops, She would not have touched a bank account. Though if she didn't go somewhere to die (by choice), then she would have had to deal with repercussions of some things when she returned.
Well now I am more confused than ever.
I will wait until someone is given a shakedown from NH.
I'm still curious why those eyewitnesses watched her exit her vehicle and have no idea where she went. THAT doesn't make sense. AT ALL.
It was such quick timing that Faith would've seen her leave, either by vehicle or on foot. On foot, unless it was to the woods, wouldn't have gotten her far.
The red truck that was seemingly staking out the little store does make it sound like a victim of opportunity. NH is pretty shady like a lot of places are.
Could be anything. I do believe the truth is discoverable but that it is a difficult task.
I think she was picked up and the abductors, heavy in the NH crime circuit, drank whatever booze was there. She may have hopped in on her own and it ended badly.
I think the idea here is, according to Helena, the money was withdrawn, not used and then deposited back in the bank where it was never accessed by Maura.
I'm sure police are aware of this but more importantly, I doubt there's been any activity in this account or Maura's personal account due to her being likely deceased in my opinion.
Sure, we can assume she ran away and Dad is funneling money via a secret account so she can stay in hiding…but ultimately I have to ask…why? She had a few missteps but nothing terrible. Even if she did hit Vassi, there's no proof and no reason to hide.
Seems like a lot of trouble, a lot of elaborate scheming…for well, no real reason.
@Joe M
You make it sound as though the only option if she was trying to disappear, is that the accident was purposeful, so therefore it wouldn't make sense because you don't want to purposely have the cops looking for you. But, that line of thinking only makes sense if the accident was staged on purpose. She could certainly have been trying to disappear and the accident was truly an accident that threw a wrench in her plans.If you already have a reason that you are trying to disappear, I don't think you are suddenly going to decide you'd better stay simply because of an accident. It's definitely going to make things more complicated, but I don't think it's going to change your original plan.
Read the list of items found in her car that was sent to James. She did take her toothbrush, shampoo, etc….. She had enough essentials in the car to last for awhile without having to spend the $280!
she had no "seed" money to start a new life, it's still possible, I travelled across Canada, with $5 left in pocket, managed to live 5+ years back east.
She couldve got money from other family members, plus if she left in tandem, boyfriend could support her.
There is no proof, which means it can't be discounted. You need proof either way. I'm swaying back again shes alive.
Yes I meant after the accident, she would have taken those things with her if she went with a tandem driver to start a new life… Leaving everything in the car says foul play to me
Agree.
Anonymous- My post was targeted at the staged accident theory, but I respectfully disagree with your last sentence. Unless there was a tandem driver, I think the accident would've completely derailed any long term escape plans. There are no relatively anonymous mass transit systems in northern nh, and I just don't see how she would have eluded detection on her trip to wherever she was heading without a private car. As far as the tandem driver goes, we have zip,zero,zilch "hard" evidence that there was a tandem driver. No sightings of maura with someone in the days after the accident. No credit card charges. No surveillance video from a gas station, hotel,etc. The one thing that makes perfect sense is that, after the crash, Maura got in a car with someone who murdered her. That doesn't necessarily equal random serial killer, either. Maybe she rejected a romantic advance. Maybe the person who picked her up drank the booze and got violent as a result. Maybe Maura saw something she wasn't supposed to see. There are lots of possibilities other than the unlikely–but nonetheless possible– random senseless killer who frequently serves as a straw man in these parts.
Jeez, the people involved in this are all super shady. Can anyone related to this family at all ever tell the truth?
There's something VERY odd about the supposed 4000 USD ATM withdrawals, something which, curiously, I've not seen anyone mention. (Or perhaps I missed the explanation.) ATM withdrawal limits are per account, not per ATM machine. Most banks set a limit of 500 or 600 USD per day. I suppose some bank might have a 4000 or higher limit, but that would be a lot higher than anything I've ever heard of. And, if that were the case, why go to different machines?
The plain language meaning of Fred Murray's words seems to be that he went to several ATM machines to withdraw 4000 USD from one account, in several portions. That isn't inconceivable, but it is highly implausible.
If I recall correctly, you could get large sums of money by going to multiple ATMs within a short amount of time back around 2004.
Security was a bit more lax back then.