Boston Herald / The New Hampshire Union Leader / Unidentified / Nashua Telegraph

April 21/22, 2004

Notes: Unidentified newspaper has an alternative headline in italics.

New search for student finds nothing

Mystery <> UMass student has been missing since Feb. 9 car crash.

Witnesses say Maura Murray was involved in a traffic accident prior to her disappearance

HAVERHILL (AP) - Another search for a missing University of Massachusetts student has failed to turn up any sign of her whereabouts.

State police in a helicopter searched the Haverhill area on Monday. That’s where Maura Murray, 21, of Hanson, Mass., was last seen the night of Feb. 9.

Lt. John Scarinza said the area had been searched before, but had been covered with snow. He said he did not know exactly when ground searchers would go back into the woods.

Murray’s family has spent considerable time searching the area and asking people in New Hampshire and bordering Vermont if they had seen her.

Murray, who didn’t tell her family or anyone at school where she was going, was driving east along Route 112 when she failed to make a sharp left hand curve near The Weathered Barn and crashed. She was unhurt, but disappeared before police arrived and hasn’t been seen or heard from since.

Her cell phone, bank account and credit cards have not been used since the accident.

Meanwhile, people living in the area disputed a police report that they had filed complaints about family and friends trespassing on their property while searching.

“The one neighbor wrote the letter saying it was all the neighbors,” said Steve Loud, who lives near The Weathered Barn. “I said they can park on my land,” Loud said. “I will do anything I can to help.” Another neighbor, John Boutilier, also said he will do anything he can to help find the woman. “I don’t care if they come on our land,” Boutilier said. “I don’t have any problem with that. I think it’s a most stressful situation for (Fred Murray).”

Faith Westman, who owns The Weathered Barn and lives across the road from it, filed a complaint with Haverhill police about people parking their cars in the parking lot next to the barn. She said she also complained about people walking on her property. “After two months, what are they looking for?” she said. “Have we not covered enough? We really debated about saying something. We really can sympathize with the family.”

Every time the police have parked near her barn or searched her property, they asked permission first, she said.

“The family has never consulted us,” Westman said.