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Christine McDonald's Interview with Butch Atwood -- Complete with Footnotes (self.MauraMurrayEvidence)

submitted by fulkstop

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Attwood Residence

I walked up to the house -- Mr. Attwood answered the door and I asked if I could speak with him regarding the Maura Murray case. Mr. Attwood responded, "She got in a car and disappeared end of story."11

I plead with him to please help us learn more about the evening, we don't have any clues and are looking for anything to lead us to Maura. Mr. Attwood again responded, "She got in a car and disappeared end of story -- that is it."12

Mrs. Attwood [Lady younger than the elder woman (mother) who is hard of hearing] said "Yes, please John help her." And invited Me into the front porch area of the home.

Attwood arrived at 7:35 p.m. Maura was in the car, sitting there with no lights on.

I asked was there anyone else in the car?

Attwood responded, no one else was in the car.

[There was a little confusion with the next set of questions, when he first commented he said that Maura was in the car and could not get out, because the car was facing the barn and door was blocked. But then said she got out of the car and stood outside the car.]

Attwood asked Maura "Are you okay?"

Maura: "Yes fine"

Attwood to me, "I looked over the scene and saw no blood."

At this point I asked for confirmation regarding the location of Maura. He described Maura as looking over the car.

Attwood described Maura, "She didn't look like the pictures, her hair was down, it must have come undone during the accident."

Attwood to Maura: "I am going to call the police."

Maura. "I have called AAA"

Attwood to me: I am thinking you can't call from here.

Attwood to Maura: "I am going to call the police."

Maura responded no.

Attwood to Maura: "No I am going to call the police."

Attwood then left Maura and returned home, entering the house to call.

Attwood noted during this time 3-4 cars went by.

I then asked him if he saw Maura walk towards his house since he was on the front porch.

He said no, that Maura was picked up13 and that during this time they could not see the crash site. He then noted that he did not think that the dog had a scent. He just walked, around looking up -- "that wasn't a dog that smelled anything but squirrels."

How much time elapsed while you were inside calling? Attwood: 7-9 min.

Attwood then described how he had to make 5 or so calls because the dispatcher could not connect him.

Attwood then said he went out looked up the road saw the police and then presuming all was taken care of, got back into his bus to do his mileage.

Mrs. Attwood then said that she heard the dispatcher call noting they were looking for a girl (they have a scanner on the front porch). Mr. Attwood then said, "It is just beam me up Scotty time."

Then Mrs. Attwood said it came across the scanner that the windshield had broke.

Mr. Attwood then said that while he was in the bus he heard a knock on the bus door and found out that Maura wasn't at the scene. Mr. Attwood then said he got in his car at 8:10 with his spotlight and searched the area without finding her.

I then started to say goodbye and thank them when he asked "What about that call?"

I responded, "What call?"

Attwood said, the call that was made after the incident -- the last call the boyfriend received.14

I told him the last call Bill received was before the accident.

Attwood then said, "I just should have insisted that she get in the bus -- I tried to get her into the bus."

Mrs. Attwood then said that she was "probably more scared of you."

Attwood then told me that he was very good friends with Officer Smith and to tell him that Butch sent me and that the police will let the family see all the records.

End of conversation.

Tim Westman -- white house across the street no one home.

___________________________________________________________________

11 Atwood does not say she may have or could have but rather he makes a definitive statement, She got into a car.

12 As above

13 As above

14 Is this a reference to the Feb 11th call that Bill Rausch received? How would Atwood know about it? Was it reported to the media?

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[–]Bill_Occam 1 point2 points  (3 children)

Very helpful, thanks.

Re your questions in footnote 14, I think finn answered them last week.

[–]fulkstop[S] 0 points1 point  (2 children)

Thanks, Bill, but the footnotes are the original footnotes that Christine McDonald included, not mine, so Finn answered her questions (although I did think of that when I was transcribing).

[–]Bill_Occam 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Of course — the hazards of reading the sub late at night!

[–]fulkstop[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

And with a glass of Bourbon, lol.

[–]badduxx9 1 point2 points  (2 children)

He seems pretty certain she got into a car according to this document. He is friends with Officer Smith who he talked to. Why did the speculation by police turn to exposure?

[–]finn141414 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Following the first search 2/11 which included both the bloodhound running the track twice and a larger search by ground and air, the stated theory was that it seemed she may have gotten into a vehicle (probably a little stronger than that). The notion of foul play seemed to come a few months later.

I can’t say that exposure has ever been a leading theory of LE although it may be on the list of theories on the table.

In terms of Butch, it’s my understanding that he believed she must have gotten into a vehicle because she disappeared so quickly. I do find his phrasing to be “interesting” but overall his phrasing throughout the interview is a bit unusual so I tend to think his style of speech was idiosyncratic. It does pique my interest I can’t lie.

[–]fulkstop[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

To be honest, I don't believe that it did. I think the position of law enforcement is that they're treating it as a probably criminal case, but are keeping the possibility open that she died by misadventure.

I think Butch concluded that Maura got in a car because he lived east of the crash site (so she would have had to have passed by his porch if she went east), and he helped search west, and didn't find her there.

[–]BonquosGhost 1 point2 points  (9 children)

10 to 1 it's FAR stranger this woman did this at all, compared to what is in her interview notes. I've never heard that friends of a missing person, in any case, have ever done this.....No one seems to mention this at all. BOTH McDonalds left their teaching jobs to drive 3-4 hrs to NH, for a car left behind in a DWI runaway, according to police. Jumping the gun I would say, esp if people believe Maura sent 2 emails for being out for an entire week....IMO....

[–]fulkstop[S] 0 points1 point  (8 children)

It would be good to get some background as to how they became involved. Perhaps Bill asked for their help? Or Fred? I say Bill, because he went to west point. I honestly don't know the background.

[–]BonquosGhost 1 point2 points  (4 children)

Let's put it this way. Let's say this was your long distance GF who abandoned a car and according to LE, left from being DWI. I assume you went to college. Years after you graduated, BOTH teachers you had in college take a leave of absence from their jobs, and drive hours to interview neighbors? Where your GF's car was left, AND after she gave 2 emails for a week off? And you and your GF live halfway across the country? I think the background in this is important here.....

[–]fulkstop[S] 0 points1 point  (3 children)

I don't think any of my college professors even knew who my girls were. Yeah, that NEVER would have happened. It is highly unusual.

[–]BonquosGhost 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Agreement! Yes, whether "noble" or not isn't the issue here, or even a type of West Point comradeship that caused such concern for them to hastily arrive in NH. In the context of what LE described during the first week as "an endangered DWI run away", it seems very unusual indeed for them to come to the area and interview neighbors. Esp since State Troopers gave local JS a stern warning about interfering, when the case wasn't even deemed a criminal investigation or any signs of a crime had been committed.....

[–]finn141414 1 point2 points  (1 child)

I concede that it’s unusual for 1) college professors 2) friends close to BR ... doing all of this is a little unusual.

But I can tell you of so many cases - especially when LE is writing off a disappearance (usually assuming the person ran away) - where family and friends get directly involved in trying to get answers.

I was recently following a case where police had clearly written off a disappearance based on a selective reading of the evidence (the missing person had watched the movie Into the Wild etc) ... and they ended up being wrong. I’ve seen this in many cases. In any case, my point is that family, friends and volunteers often do run around trying to get answers particularly when police are not.

[–]BonquosGhost 1 point2 points  (0 children)

One point on this was that UMass knew she had given 2 emails for her to be away from work and school. Missing an email to her other job for the UMass police security is another story......However, as a grown adult 21 years old, she could walk away or take a break without anyone knowing.

Without any obvious signs of a crime, and with a week off planned, some could assume she said to hell with that car, and went skiing somewhere alone or with a new friend. People who believe she actually sent the emails, should believe that she gave an excuse for a week off regardless of the car being abandoned, and waited to see if she returned to school the following Monday. As the car was Fred's, he had every reason to get up there ASAP to retrieve it.

Without those 2 emails, it would appear even more precarious for that car to be found a few hours away without fair warning in the dead of winter. The hands of police are tied in cases like these, without any evidence of a crime, and esp since adults are allowed to escape their friends/family without warning.

[–]SwanSong1982 1 point2 points  (2 children)

Fulk, Do we know for certain if Bob and Christine came together? When did they arrive? How long did they stay? I’m wondering why Christine waited days to interview Atwood, if she was indeed up there on the 11th?

I sound like I’m interrogating you lol! What are your thoughts?

I’ve never thought it odd that they came down. I think Billy must have been close to them. I think Maura had visited them, not quite sure. We need to pinpoint their arrival and departure. I’m bugged by the Atwood interviews not being done immediately. It doesn’t make sense, or possibly when LE was deemed to not be doing anything, Christine started her interview process later.

We do know Billy and Bob went to Maura’s dorm together, if that helps....

[–]fulkstop[S] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

I am still looking into this, but I know that Christine was still in New Hampshire as of February 18. https://mauramurrayevidence.neocities.org/192.html.

[–]BonquosGhost 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Her husband Bob said that Christine went back home to go to work on Monday the 16th. Tho this article has a date of the 18th, it is meant to be the date of publication, not when she was asked the question. Although she may have been asked by phone for this also....