Episode 45 | Maura Murray Is Still Missing with Julie Murray on Engaging with Empathy With Families

This is about Massachusetts and New England crime, regional history, about the people and things that happen here. Maura Murray is still missing. She was last seen on February 9, 2004 on a snowy back road in Haverhill, New Hampshire. Her story is a crime classic, a greatest hit in the gold catalog. I say that because of the nature of Maura’s case and the myths and mystery surrounding her disappearance, she has become like a character in a work of fiction. Her story has been “deep dived” and rehashed over and over again by the true crime coterie of content creators, podcasters, crime networks, reporters, show hosts, youtubers, tik tokies, and those among this cabal who don’t bother to take any time to really provide much research to do her case justice. I believe we can use true crime for good. We can do better. Julie Murray has been on the frontlines of her sister's case, working to keep her story in the public eye. After 19 years, Maura is still missing. Never give up hope. The Murray family's official site: MauraMurrayMissing.org

Julie Murray on Tik Tok @mauramurraymissing Follow @crimeofthetruestkind Email the show

I took this photo in February 2023. We were driving from our house, up Route 495 in Haverhill, Mass on our way to York, Maine for a birthday celebration. Maura Murray is still missing. February 2024 will mark 20 years since her family saw her or talked to her.

FBI Tip Form for any and all information on Maura's disappearance

More about Maura: The tree at the site of Maura's last known location in Haverhill, NH had become a roadside memorial, the blue ribbon was a symbol to honor and remember her. Maura’s Blue Ribbon tree. In 2020, the people who own that land where Maura's tree stood told Maura's family they planned to cut down it down. The Murray family offered to purchase the tree, lease the land, or come to a resonable agreement to keep the tree standing. They petitioned to keep the tree, gaining an enormous amount of support, but on February 26, 2021 the New Hampshire's victims advocate office informed the Murray family that Maura's tree was cut down. With this, her family has no site to visit, seeing as that tree was the spot where she was last seen alive. There are no ashes to scatter, no grave or headstone. The family doesn't have an answer to her disappearance, let alone remains to bury.

The Murrays submitted a request to the NH Division of Historical Resources to erect a State Highway Historical Marker recognizing the Disappearance of Maura Murray at the location she was last seen on Route 112, Haverhill, NH. To further disrespect Maura's story, this request was denied despite the request meeting all criteria for a marker. The Director of the NH Division of Historical Resources, Ben Wilson, rejected the request citing arbitrary "requirements," which has called into question the legitimacy of the NH Highway Marker program. On behalf of the 780 NH petitioners, the Murray family submitted an appeal for reconsideration to Mr. Wilson and Governor Sununu urging them to approve the Marker request that unequivocally meets the official criteria for a NH Historic Highway Marker set forth by law.

It sounds an awful lot like the town of Haverhill and the State of New Hampshire want to pretend what happened there that winter night in February 2004 never happened.

Inaugural Maura Murray Scholarship Award Presented to Whitman-Hanson High School Senior In May 2023, The Murray Family announced the inaugural Maura Murray Scholarship Award given to a Whitman-Hanson High School senior who demonstrates outstanding academic and athletic achievement. The scholarship recognizes a scholar-athlete who embodies Maura’s enduring legacy of determination, leadership, and work ethic. Coniseration is based on the following criteria:

a Cross Country Athlete
has 3.0 GPA or higher
displays dedication and spirit of Maura in her 26 year old unbroken record at the Catholic Memorial Invitational

Maura Murray was a 2000 graduate of Whitman-Hanson High School and Captain of the Cross Country Team. During her tenure she was a perennial powerhouse in both cross country and track, setting multiple school records lasting more than a decade, a Boston Globe All-Scholastic in cross country, and US Nationals qualifier in the two mile. Maura also dominated in the classroom, graduating fourth in her class, a National Honor Society member with astronomical SAT scores.

The 2023 award was given to senior Anne Tilley during a ceremony on My 31.

Maura Murray is still missing.

source links

I am good for New England tourism ideas - which I get paid nothing for - and places I mention in the show: Cranberry Production By State

Boston magazine - Cranberry Bog Tours in Massachusetts Massachusetts Cranberries

Tripsavvy.com cranberry bogs to visit

Marylou's Coffee (South Shore staple!)

Visit New Hampshire Mount Washington in the White Mountains - Maura love to hike Mount Washington Hotel, Bretton Woods, NH (the super fancy pants hotel I love)