The last time I passionately participated in a true crime storytelling event was Making A Murderer during Christmas break. Last August when James Renner first mentioned True Crime Addict on Missing Maura Murray, I was excited that any book remotely about Maura Murray would be released.
May 24, 2016 was ingrained in my brain.
Fast forward to Summer, TCA finally arrives. Opening day of the release I zipped through the bite sized passages. Knowing beforehand it was more about James’ descent into the case versus cold hard facts from the official investigation prepared me to not get disappointed when the answers I wanted weren’t there.
This is the first book I’ve ever read by Renner. The spiral into obsession and frailty were revealing. Behind the scenes I didn’t know he experienced abuse, addiction, and rage; these very situations have shaped the man, husband, father, and writer that James is today. Without a doubt he is a mature and talented writer.
Readers vicariously traced his footsteps onto his first visit at Haverhill, New Hampshire near the crash site. The ruggedness of driving through these rural roads could be understood in how vulnerable somebody behind the wheel can get lost. Minus the part about hijacking the universe, I like the experience behind trying to navigate his way through strange terrain, along with hitching a ride from a very old resident.
Risky but titillating.
True Crime Addict serves an asset if you’re a true crime fan, especially if you aren’t too familiar with the details behind this cold case mystery. Many shout outs about disappearances and murders placed in the New England vicinity catch attention here. I’m already familiar with Brianna Maitland, Molly Bish and Holly Piirainen but I didn’t know a Christopher Flynn vanished near Haverhill in 2010. The Connecticut River Valley Killer is theorized as a possible perpetrator behind Maura and Brianna disappearing into thin air.
We need to talk about Billy.
I suspected the allegations all along. Bullying and harassment towards female work colleagues brings his character to an all new creep level. I have to wonder about the state of his marriage. I wonder what Maura’s loved ones think about these allegations. Previously I thought they were the perfect couple, but that was before any cheating rumors came my way. Long distance relationships seem like such a strain, especially for two proactive young people like themselves. This is leading me to the discussion about her intimate activities at UMass among the track team. If she wanted to have an orgy, that’s her prerogative. She had the right to explore her sexuality. I don’t find the topic uncomfortable at all but many feel these allegations are offensive. The topic was explored recently on the three part series about MM on True Crime Garage, with Renner as special guest.
In the time between my last post the trailer for the documentary under production right now by Lance and Tim was released. The content looks very promising. I’m curious about the footage they uncovered pre-podcast; overall, just the evolution of their armchair investigation. True Crime Addict even features a sneak peak into their Canada trip. I got a kick seeing Tim and Lance’s names in actual print. So famous.
Also, I was interviewed on the Night Time Podcast. I hooked Jordan onto the MM case. I was nervous but overall the reaction was well received by my podcast peeps.
While I suspect foul play, Maura Murray is undoubtedly the internet’s most talked about mystery (top 5 at least). People theorize she committed suicide in the woods. If that’s what you think, check out the Lyle Stevik case. Meanwhile others like to say she succumbed in the elements after a frantic moment of realizing she’d be arrested. Makes me think of 127 Hours starring James Franco. You guys swear she’s an Lori Erica Ruff. Lori held a false identity for decades before committing suicide. Her real identity has never been disclosed. If Maura really was in peril, contents would have been found through those boots-on-the-ground searches in 2004 and 2006. From what is gathered on episode 27 of MMM, my general opinion from the beginning is that law enforcement wouldn’t investigate her disappearance for this long if she really was indeed in those woods.
Through interviews related to the promotion of TCA, Renner stated he won’t touch a case for a long time. I was bummed learning that. I respect the decision to focus on family and writing fiction though. Happy wife, happy life.
This 12 year mystery is already scrutinized through the internet. I was thinking how if MM was featured on Serial, what a rabbit hole obsession this would turn internationally. I’m glad a selective bunch have dedicated their sleuthing to her.
Lastly one of my favorite things in reading the book was hearing from friends or family say how shy Maura actually was. I wouldn’t have believed that based on her athletic and gregarious appearance. I’m shy too. The part about Karen Mayotte cajoling her into a conversation simply because she wanted to hear her speak is cute. Often the quiet ones actually get noticed…even when you think that you’re invisible.
A bit ago I finally realized why Maura is so striking: she was a natural. She didn’t wear makeup or jewelry. The top bun style of choice makes her simultaneously regular but unique. My favorite color is blue; so was hers. I skipped classes in high school without a beat; apparently she did too exploring Boston. The thing with Maura’s case is people unwittingly romanticize and mold how she identifies with our lives; I certainly do that with her.
I enjoyed every bit of True Crime Addict.
It kept me sane and entertained.
Aurelia Is Blogging 
I have not been keeping up with this podcast, or any podcast this year, I guess they have all become stale to me but if I were Maura’s father I would have printed up a flyer asking each homeowner within two miles to look on their property for footprints in the snow, and in spring to check for clothing or shoes on thier land and a $5,000 reward.
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She’s not in the woods.
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If foul play is what happened here, her remains are almost certainly on private property and not public property. I think if Maura met her demise at the hand of another individual, she likely was offered a ride in a warm car to a warm house. I doubt the initial thought was to murder her but unwanted advances can quickly spiral out of control behind closed doors. I think that’s why Forcier has garnered so much attention. He fits the profile perfectly – single guy who lives alone on a large plot of property, self employed and travels around the area frequently. Not to say he’s the guy, but he certainly fits with what I’d expect in a situation like this.
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That’s exactly how it must have happened.
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I have to say I disagree with much of what you’ve said here. First of all, it is very possible she took her own life. Just because her body was never found doesn’t make it an impossibility. Do you realize we are talking about the great north woods? Where bodies are found many years after going missing?
And as far as Renner goes, he’s a hack who has done more to hurt Maura’s case than help it. I still think Forcier is a viable suspect.
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Renner is not a hack.
Based on the circumstances of this case, I believe in foul play.
What business does an out of towner have being in Haverhill, especially a young woman like Maura?
Her body simply isn’t in the woods. Listen to the Rick Graves episode. Listen to Marley Davis too, 2 shows before Rick’s. John Smith believes something is wrong here. Witness A episode is good too.
A car crash happened and she vanished in matter of minutes. That’s suspicious and indicates something went wrong.
I appreciate that you’re open minded in believing there’s some sinister play among a local.
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You know what i believe she was murdered too. It was the first thing i thought when hearing of her disappearance so long ago. I think like you i first saw the story on the show disappearance by ID Discovery. I tried to give all other theories a shot after all jumping to immediate conclusions can be costly if your in LE, so after reading endlessly watching whatever i could find my ultimate conclusion was still foul play, and yes i believe its someone local. I was young long ago…lol and i do remember what it was like to want to break free from my responsibilities once in awhile though i really couldn’t because i became a mom at 19, Maura could though being a mom of a baby and being a nursing student while both really important one can be left temporarily and the other cant. so i think for Maura this trip she took was a hiatus she was having a lot of different problems and i think she needed to get away from it all. whether she was meeting someone to escape with for a temporary fling we can only speculate as to why she was so secretive. it would make sense if say that person she was going to meet up with were married or if they were a staff member at the college both things are frowned upon so maybe this is why she told nobody her plans.
There are many people that say what are the chances she ran into an opportunity killer ? As if that isn’t likely and i say its extremely likely because being a woman myself, i had 3 situations in which i almost became a victim of an opportunity crime, I won’t tell all 3 but 1 in which i was in my early thirties and had left a friends house late at night we had been out at a club it was summertime so i was wearing a skirt and heels and my ride home was about 45 minutes long most of it highway, i broke down on route 1 and with no cell phone my only choice was to walk, so i kicked off my high heels and began walking, first thing i accidently walked on a dead piece of roadkill it squished under my feet , gross right ? Anyway i was walking south bound and while several vehicles passed going north none had passed me directly, i know this area well and knew the nearest exit was at least 1/2 mile and going down the embankment would have put me in a familiar area though id be tramping through trees and crossing a small creek that led to a back road with houses but houses that were far apart , i knew because i had a cleaning business and i had in the past several customers on that back rd. Anyway as i walked a truck passed then a car came up and in it a couple, they asked” hey you ok you need help”? , yes i said and after talking a sec i got in, next thing the 3 of us knew a truck with 2 guys pulled up in front of this couple’s car, the guy got out and came over to the car and first tugged on the back door where i was then flipped out banged on the window and yelled we saw her f-u-c- k-e-n first shes ours ! ok so the driver guy froze i am like dude go just friggin go !c’mon go! his girl” yeah go! “so he did almost running over the angry yelling dude ! the 3 of us i think all three of us in disbelief. We couldn’t process what had just transpired it was so messed up. They drove me the entire way home i tried giving them money but they declined so i wished them well and went inside. Later processing what happen was -“oh my god if those guys had gotten me first i would be raped and dead” , why else would the guy have done all that cursing and banging on window etc ? YES i dodged death or at least rape. It just emphasized to me what i already know the world is a random place where trouble can just befall you at any given time, whether you escape being a victim is sometimes about sheer luck. I believe i had an angel on my shoulder that night or you could say i was just really lucky that couple happened upon me before the 2 guys in the truck . It’s scary to me that despite there being 3 of us in that couples car and one of us a male,the truck guy was that aggressive to do as he did. So what chance would a girl alone have, if in the same situation i was ? not much chance at all. next day my mom and i went to where my suv was, i saw the dead o’possum i stepped on ugh how gross . we went back to try to start it and to be sure it wasn’t towed before we could retrieve it, so yeah we then had it towed and fixed.This entire incident with the truck that night happened in mere seconds ! I am sorry if i rambled a bit, i only wanted to emphasize why it’s easy for me to believe maura was the victim of an opportunity killer/rapist. I believe it was in the A-frame house that she was murdered. listening to further details involving this house, makes it a extremely likely spot. The mysterious concrete slab with no record as to whom put it there or why it was there, no permit in place to allow slab to be added on the property. ( building code ) of course someone could have just placed it there without a permit. But whom and why? There is no valid explanation for what exactly it was needed for . Why did cadavers go crazy inside the house particularly at the closet? The couple who bought the place after its being empty 10 years experienced so many odd things they came across while there. The podcast by the 2 guys you mentioned and mike and sarah,was very detailed Creepy, The part in which they tell their youngest child heard her name called, she felt creeped out and sensed a presence or some unease about the house . Now i’m not a big believer in the paranormal but their story is believable, and worth mentioning The luminol lighting up the room was major ! too bad they took no photos.
So many things point in the direction of foul play, versus running away to new life or being a dumbass and traipsing through 2 feet of snow into the strange freezing cold wilderness to die. In the end we may never ever find out what truly happened to Maura we can only continue to speculate unless someone confesses or the police figure it out.
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Not often that I get comments on here, so thank you for sharing your opinion and experience. I appreciate hearing the foul play theory since it’s the one I believe to be the most plausible in this case.
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