Police search New Hampshire towns for evidence in 2004 disappearance of Maura Murray
LANDAFF, N.H. – Crews searched two New Hampshire towns on Wednesday looking for information in the disappearance of Maura Murray, a University of Massachusetts student who has not been seen since 2004.
New Hampshire State Police and members of the Fish and Game Department conducted a ground search in the area of Route 112. The search will be done in the towns of Landaff and Easton.
Investigators said the search is not happening as a result of new information in the case. Police said it was a more extensive search of areas that were previously inspected "in a more limited fashion."
Murray left the UMass Amherst campus the night of February 9, 2004. Around 7:30 p.m., her car was involved in a single-car crash on Route 112 in Haverhill, N.H.
A resident in the area told police they spoke with a woman believed to have been Murray at the scene of the crash. By the time police arrived, however, the woman was not there.
Julie Murray, Maura's sister, said she was overwhelmed with emotion. "It's not every day I get a call like this that there is an active ground search," Julie told WBZ. "It's really encouraging, I'm hopeful. I'm pleased to know the search is still active 18 years later."
Julie said the area searched Wednesday was a focal point of a very early search in 2004. "This area is only about five miles from where Maura's car was found," Julie said. "It's at the intersection of two main, major roads so I'm hopeful that we find something."
She said the family is in constant contact with police and are hopeful the case will be solved.
Human bone fragments found in the area of Loon Mountain in Lincoln, New Hampshire in September in 2021 were tested. The bones, however, did not belong to Murray.
Earlier this year, Murray's family said the FBI put out a new bulletin about her disappearance, a move aimed at helping pool resources across agencies and jurisdictions.