↧
Monday. Noon.
↧
"I'm Going to Kill You Like I Killed Maura"
Lawton, OK, 2004
Two weeks ago, I was contacted by a woman who lived in Lawton, Oklahoma, in 2004. She knew Bill a few months after Maura Murray disappeared in 2004. He visited the people who lived in her house, often, as some had ties to Fort Sill, where Bill was working at the time. He was friends with the man she was seeing at the time, who warned her that Bill "had gone off the deep end" and that his girlfriend was missing.One day, Bill found out that her guy was not home for a while and he texted her, asked if he could come over. There was a party at the house that not and so she didn't see the harm. Once he arrived, though, he took her outside and grabbed her and started kissing her. He suggested they go to a hotel. She agreed and went with him in the car.
At a stoplight, she says, Bill reached over and grabbed her by the neck and said, "I'm going to kill you like I killed Maura." She reached over and dug her nails into him. "I'll rip your crotch off," she said.
Immediately, Bill's demeanor changed and he became gentle again. He said he was just joking and they continued on to the hotel. However, at the hotel she decided not to have sex. Later, she says, Bill explained that he was glad she never slept with him because "if you'd have sex with me, something would have happened." He then explained that the women he slept with "ended up dead." He mentioned how a girl he slept with before Maura had died in an accident (something to do with horse back riding, she believes). I have not been able to track back this incident.
Bill told her he was working on a book, titled "You'll Never Be Happy Until You Realize That You Will Never Be Happy."
She remembers the day he came back to town after his sister died and how weirdly flippant he was about it. "He said, 'My sister blew her brains out. Oh well.'"
Washington D.C., 2011
Please listen to the interview (click YouTube link above) with these two women to hear the story in their own voices. Below is a summary.Two years ago, I learned that Bill lost his job at Ray Group International in 2011 after a woman alleged that he sexually assaulted her in the office one night. This woman says his aggression toward her began before that, when she was going up the escalators on the Metro one morning. Someone jogged up beside her and pushed her down. Luckily fellow commuters caught her before she could tumble to the bottom. But her dressed was ripped. She looked up and saw Bill at the top of the escalators. Later, when he assaulted her, he began by saying that it was him who pushed her down that day as (in her words) the humanity in his eyes went away and he became robotic in the attack.
Last month, another woman contacted me about her encounter with Bill in the fall of 2011. She was working as a bartender at the time. She hooked up with Bill one night. The sex started consensual but quickly progressed to choking. He wanted to hear her gasp for breath. She too described the lack of emotion in his eyes. After it was over, she says he was threatening. "This never happened."
When I asked Bill about the second woman, he said it wasn't true. That he never knew her. When I told her that he denied it, she sent me a picture of the napkin they used to communicate at the bar that night. It contains his cell phone in his hand writing.
What the Phone Bill Tells Us
We can track some of Bill's movements during the search for Maura Murray by looking at his phone bills. At the time, both Maura and Bill's phone bills were consolidated into a single bill that went to Sharon Rausch (Bill's mother) in Marengo, Ohio. After the disappearance, Sharon provided a copy of the bill to Helena Murray. John Smith then obtained these documents. Sharon threatened to sue John (he says) if he ever made them public. Two years ago, he gave them to me.
Maura disappeared on Monday, February 9, 2004.
When Bill arrived in New Hampshire on Wednesday night, his cell phone went on roaming. The roaming charges are at the end of each individual bill and listed by location. This gives us a rough look into where he was traveling as they searched for Maura. Below are those rough locations by date:
Wednesday, Feb. 11
4:55 - Rutland, Vermont
7:02 - Burlington, Vermont
Thursday, Feb 12
10 a.m. - noon - Lebanon, New Hampshire
3:24 - Streaked Mountain, Maine
4 p.m. - 4:20 - Concord, New Hampshire
4:40 - 5:30 - Lebanon, New Hampshire
Friday, Feb 13
10:30 - Rutland, Vermont
10:40 - Burlington, Vermont
Saturday, Feb 14
No calls
Sunday, February 15
4 p.m. - Concord, New Hampshire
4:53 - Lebanon, New Hampshire
Now, during these days Bill was calling Maura's cell phone, each call lasting a minute as it was likely going to voicemail. But that last call, at 4:53 was to Maura's phone, too. And that one lasted from 3 - 4 minutes. And after that call, Bill makes no further calls on his cell phone for four days. There are no further calls from his cell phone until Thursday, February 19.
Was it a really long voicemail?
Is it possible Maura answered?
Where was Bill in the four days he didn't make a single call?
If Maura answered her phone - and she was in the area - her call would have been logged in her "roaming" section of her bill, which would come directly after her in-service calls, but before Bill's section begins. The copies Sharon provided are 25 pages long. One page is missing. It's the page at the end of Maura's bill, Page 9.
Heather
In 2007, Bill's sister Heather committed suicide in the home of their parents in Marengo, Ohio. A gun.When I contacted the medical examiner of Morrow County, William Lee, he told me that in the days leading up to the suicide, Heather had wanted to speak to the police about a crime she knew about. However, her suicide note makes no mention of any crime and the Sheriff's department has no record of her trying to contact them.
Sharon was interviewed by the New Hampshire Union Leader in 2007. Here's what she said about their trip to New Hampshire to search for Maura:
"We arrived Wednesday around 7 p.m. They interviewed Billy. He was a prime suspect. He was totally distraught. I'll never forget the look on his face. He said 'I feel as dirty as Scott Peterson. They think I've got something to do with it.'"Bill refused to be interviewed by the journalists behind the recent Oxygen series.
He has not spoken about Maura in many years and was never a major part of the search for her after 2004.
Note by the Author
These are serious allegation against Bill Rausch, who is now a public figure, a spokesperson for Got Your 6, and a married father. It was a very difficult decision to write this piece. Bill has suggested he would commit suicide if more was made public. He has threatened to sue me. And he may, though the women he wronged are no longer afraid to speak up. These women have a voice, too. They believe Bill is capable of violence because they have seen it firsthand. And as someone with a daughter, I'd want others to know what Bill is capable of if I were the next woman's father.If you have any information that could help in solving this case please contact the New Hampshire Cold Case Unit at coldcaseunit@dos.nh.gov
You can also contact me directly at jameswrenner@gmail.com
If you have specific evidence and wish to remain 100% anonymous you can also submit tips through Globaleaks.
↧
↧
Was Maura Waiting for Student Loans?
Yesterday, we talked about how Maura was in school only for about two weeks before she disappeared.
The same source who sent me this info also noticed how financial aide overages are posted into a student's account (or the account of a parent, sometimes) at about the same time.
Credit Balances and RefundsAny remaining credit balance must be refunded to you within a certain amount of time, depending on when the credit balance was created.
- On or before the first day of classes: No later than 14 calendar days after the first day of classes
- After the first day of classes: No later than 14 calendar days after the credit balance was created
Refunds from your student account may be delivered by:
- Cash
- Check
- Electronic funds transfer (EFT) to your bank account
- Prepaid debit or ATM card
You can use your refund to pay for other college costs, such as textbooks, supplies, transportation to and from school, rent (if you live off-campus), computer equipment and software, dependent care, and other miscellaneous expenses.
So...
If Maura ran away, now we're looking at a good nest egg. And maybe you can add $4,000 to that, since we've never really had a good accounting of the cash Fred hastily brought to campus with him the weekend before she disappeared.
It is at least possible that Maura had access to around $10,000 the day she vanished.
↧
"I Would Help You Bury a Body."
This man has asked to remain anonymous but will speak to New Hampshire police.
He said at the time, Bill seemed to be in a very dark place and would go drinking practically every night after work at a place called The Bottom Line. His favorite drink, gin & tonic. This coworker got to know him well and considered him a friend. One day, after some drinks, he says Bill turned to him and said, "We're good friends, aren't we? Like best friends?" He said, sure. Then he claims Bill said, "I would help you bury a body. Really. I'd help you bury a body. That's how good of friends we are."
"I took it as a sincere moment," this man says. "At the time I brushed it off because he'd been in the military. I figured he'd seen casualties."
He says another time Bill told him how he'd go on the news to talk about Maura so that he could use it to pick up women. That he could play the depressed former boyfriend part and it worked very well.
He was there the day Bill was forced to resign his job at Ray Group after a woman said he sexually assaulted her in the office. They allowed him to resign instead of being fired. The executives agreed that they would leave it up to the woman to go to police. This woman can still go to police, actually, as the statue of limitation has not expired. I believe she is currently weighing that option.
In a related note, I just received a massive amount of information and names through a Globaleaks contact. There are more women with claims against Bill.
↧
Seeking Sources
Did you work at IAVA (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America) between 2013 and 2016? You can remain anonymous. Please contact me at jameswrenner@gmail.com
↧
↧
New Reward
$1,000 reward for proof that Maura did not travel alone to New Hampshire and/or proof that she was alive beyond February 9, 2004.
$5,000 reward for the location of her body or information that would lead to closure of this case.
If you wish to remain anonymous, you can use my Globaleaks server to send information and retrieve reward money.
↧
Clarifications Following Oxygen Series
Here are some answers to confounding questions some have had since the Oxygen series ended.
1. Could Maura have struck Petrit Vasi with her car and wrecked it in NH to cover her tracks?
Answer: No. The series ruled this out behind the scenes, after examining the black box in Maura's car. They were able to determine that the car did not strike anyone or anything the night Petrit Vasi was hit.
2. Different Coordinates
Some viewers noticed the coordinates shown in the TV show were different than the ones found on this site. Apparently, the series editor changed them to discourage more people from going to the site, which is quite dangerous.
3. The Missing Page
Last week it was discovered that Maura and Bill Rausch's cell phone bills, which were provided to the Murrays by Bill's mother, were missing a page, specifically Page 9, which would be where Maura's roaming calls would be logged. This could be very important evidence if it showed any call made from her phone after February 9th.
Former US Marshal Art Roderick is said to have spoken directly to Chuck West about this issue (West is essentially the head of the investigation). Roderick reported back to the podcast guys that the entire phone bill was accounted for and that they had probably gotten a subpoena for the original records. However, it appears to me that Art was not clear in his request and West was vague in his reply regarding page 9 specifically.
I tried to get clarification on this issue. My first contact was to the Cold Case unit, whose spokesman told me nobody there had any recollection of this conversation. This morning AG Jeffery Strelzin explained that his office and detectives would have no comment on the phone records at all.
Personally, I don't think they could have easily obtained a subpoena for these records, as there is no evidence of a crime and the records do not exist in New Hampshire. My hunch is the records they have came from Sharon Rausch as well. I hope they noticed before we did that a page was missing.
In any event, it would be great to know for sure. But that would require a quote from West or an official statement from the cold case unit. Until then, it does seem suspicious.
1. Could Maura have struck Petrit Vasi with her car and wrecked it in NH to cover her tracks?
Answer: No. The series ruled this out behind the scenes, after examining the black box in Maura's car. They were able to determine that the car did not strike anyone or anything the night Petrit Vasi was hit.
2. Different Coordinates
Some viewers noticed the coordinates shown in the TV show were different than the ones found on this site. Apparently, the series editor changed them to discourage more people from going to the site, which is quite dangerous.
3. The Missing Page
Last week it was discovered that Maura and Bill Rausch's cell phone bills, which were provided to the Murrays by Bill's mother, were missing a page, specifically Page 9, which would be where Maura's roaming calls would be logged. This could be very important evidence if it showed any call made from her phone after February 9th.
Former US Marshal Art Roderick is said to have spoken directly to Chuck West about this issue (West is essentially the head of the investigation). Roderick reported back to the podcast guys that the entire phone bill was accounted for and that they had probably gotten a subpoena for the original records. However, it appears to me that Art was not clear in his request and West was vague in his reply regarding page 9 specifically.
I tried to get clarification on this issue. My first contact was to the Cold Case unit, whose spokesman told me nobody there had any recollection of this conversation. This morning AG Jeffery Strelzin explained that his office and detectives would have no comment on the phone records at all.
Personally, I don't think they could have easily obtained a subpoena for these records, as there is no evidence of a crime and the records do not exist in New Hampshire. My hunch is the records they have came from Sharon Rausch as well. I hope they noticed before we did that a page was missing.
In any event, it would be great to know for sure. But that would require a quote from West or an official statement from the cold case unit. Until then, it does seem suspicious.
↧
Sexual Harassment Claims Against Bill Rausch Continued at IAVA, Say Former Employees
Two sources describe a night in the winter of 2015 where Rausch led a small group of coworkers to the bar after work. Once there, he ordered oysters and champagne and picked up the tab for the expensive dinner. This is very reminiscent of the stories a former girlfriend from Fort Sill tells of how he and enlisted friends would slum the area bars, flashing cash to pick up women. (the photo below is taken from a blog run by an acquaintance during his time there).
From there, they went to a karaoke bar and had more drinks without Bill. Still, the sexting continued.
At the end of the night, the other man walked the assistant back to her hotel. Bill was there, already, waiting for her to return. According to these sources he was very aggressive and manic, asking to be let into her room. One witness describe it becoming an argument in the street.
In the following weeks and months Bill allegedly asked his coworker to not tell anybody what happened that night.
Why is this important enough to warrant a post on this blog?
At the very least, this is another story that shows a pattern of behavior by Bill Rausch against women, especially women he has some power over and gives context and reason for Maura wanting to run away.
But also, I strongly believe Maura was traveling with a tandem driver the night she went missing and possibly even made it to her destination - a cabin in the woods. If she did, everybody's alibi on February 9 is worthless.
Bill maintains his innocence. Through his lawyer today he claims there is no truth to any of these claims. Each of these women must be lying.
↧
A Personal Note on the Maura Murray Mystery
I made a decision about a year ago to step away from this case and spend time doing things that I find more rewarding - writing fiction, being with my family, etc. But after the Oxygen documentary aired I was contacted by a number of women who had run-ins with Maura's former boyfriend, Bill Rausch and they wanted someone to tell their story. So two weeks ago, I flew out to D.C. and got their interviews on tape so there would be no debate over their intentions or words.
Their stories have affected me and caused me to take another look at this case.
We always assumed Bill Rausch had an air-tight alibi. And he does, for the disappearance. But I have always believed that Maura was traveling with a tandem driver the night she vanished. It is the only explanation that makes sense to me. And if she did just that, perhaps she made it to her cabin in the woods after all. If she did, nobody's alibis matter anymore.
When I took another look at Maura's phone records I discovered a missing page. That missing page was taken from the portion of the bill that may have shown us Maura's roaming calls while she was in New Hampshire. These records were given to the Murray family by Bill's mother (Maura's phone was being paid for by the Rausch family).
Additionally, I found that on the Sunday after Maura vanished, Bill made a roaming call to her phone that lasted between 3 and 4 minutes. After that call, Bill does not make another phone call for four days.
I don't know what happened in New Hampshire. But here's what we do know: the boyfriend of a missing woman has been accused of sex assault in DC. Of pushing a woman down the stairs in the Metro. Of grabbing a woman by the neck and saying "I'll kill you like I killed Maura." During the search for his would-be fiance, he stops making calls and checking his voicemail on his cell phone for four days.
This case has taken a turn. If you have info that would help, please come forward.
We always assumed Bill Rausch had an air-tight alibi. And he does, for the disappearance. But I have always believed that Maura was traveling with a tandem driver the night she vanished. It is the only explanation that makes sense to me. And if she did just that, perhaps she made it to her cabin in the woods after all. If she did, nobody's alibis matter anymore.
When I took another look at Maura's phone records I discovered a missing page. That missing page was taken from the portion of the bill that may have shown us Maura's roaming calls while she was in New Hampshire. These records were given to the Murray family by Bill's mother (Maura's phone was being paid for by the Rausch family).
Additionally, I found that on the Sunday after Maura vanished, Bill made a roaming call to her phone that lasted between 3 and 4 minutes. After that call, Bill does not make another phone call for four days.
I don't know what happened in New Hampshire. But here's what we do know: the boyfriend of a missing woman has been accused of sex assault in DC. Of pushing a woman down the stairs in the Metro. Of grabbing a woman by the neck and saying "I'll kill you like I killed Maura." During the search for his would-be fiance, he stops making calls and checking his voicemail on his cell phone for four days.
This case has taken a turn. If you have info that would help, please come forward.
↧
↧
The Sunday Phone Call
And while Bill is accounted for on the day of the disappearance (in the field at Fort Sill), as far as I can tell his whereabouts later in the week once he's in New Hampshire are not completely accounted for. Since the women came forward I took another look at the phone bill for Maura and Bill. First, there's the oddity of Page 9, which was the page where Maura's roaming charges would have appeared - and is the only page missing from the copy of the bill that Bill's mother provided to the Murray family.
But I'm also very interested in the phone call Bill made to Maura's cell phone on Sunday. It lasted between 3 and 4 minutes. And then Bill does not make another call from his cell phone until Thursday. He's not using his cell to check his voicemail, or to call Maura, or to call the Murrays or police for four days. While Maura is missing.
Readers have suggested different possibilities for the length of that final call. Did he connect with Maura - is that why the page is missing? Was he leaving a long voicemail, pleading to her to come home? Another reader suggested he could have used his phone to dial into Maura's voicemail to check her messages. At the time, anyone with the password could call up the number and enter the password to access voicemail for that phone, and then save or delete the messages.
Since the Nov. 6 post, Bill was not answered further questions.
↧
More Missing Pages
Reader (and friend) "Becky" had a good idea. She said another way to tell if Maura had made any roaming calls would be to look at the final page of the phone bill, which would include a grand total of all roaming minutes. All you needed to do then would be to subtract the minutes Bill used and if there was more left over, you'd know Maura had roaming charges, too.
So I went back to the reports. And that page is missing, too.
The records supplied to the Murray family - and to John Smith and Lance & Tim - are missing Page 9 and also the last page, Page 25, the page that would have tallied and summarized all charges.
Others have suggested these pages were misplaced or left out by mistake. Art Roderick claimed the police surely would have thought to subpoena the original records in 2004.
But early articles suggest the police didn't believe Maura's disappearance was even a crime worthy of subpoenas. In fact, the police stopped searching for Maura by Thursday, three days after she vanished, and didn't go looking again for some time.
And none of us so-called sleuths (not I or Lance or Tim or Art or Maggie or John) noticed that these pages were missing or what that might mean until October of this year.
We can't assume the police got the original records or thought to do so. Not when we know so much was missed early on. My hunch is that the records they have were given to them by the Rausch family.
As we can see by Bill Rausch's roaming charges, if Maura did make calls in the White Mountains the day of her disappearance - or in the days after - those calls would be found in these missing pages. Is it a coincidence those exact pages are missing? If so, that's some real bad luck.
↧
Police Field Calls About Alleged Confession of Kathleen Murray
Where did this narrative come from exactly? According to evidence emailed to me earlier today, it comes from two women on Facebook who claim to be friends with Kathleen - Noelle Hallstrom and Melissa Bridges. Noelle was the moderator for a Maura Murray subreddit (she has trolled several people who have commented on the case). Melissa used to have a crime podcast and "befriended" Kathleen over Facebook.
Noelle has told people that this information was given to Julie Murray who instructed Melissa to go to the police.
I have a lot of problems with this theory, not the least of which is the time it takes to remove a body from a trunk and get it into a truck without being seen. And to then drive it into another state. I've met Tim Carpenter and the things he told me have checked out so far. But that doesn't mean he shouldn't be vetted like anyone else who knew Maura.
The danger of rumors like this is how fast they can be viewed as fact when people want a resolution. I think of the Lisa Pruett case and how a bunch of kids hijacked an investigation that nearly put an innocent man in prison. Here's a narrative started by an Internet troll as an idea that has now apparently progressed to police statements and calls for Art Roderick to assist the cold case unit on this lead.
We know the police took Kathleen's DNA to compare it to evidence found in Maura's abandoned car earlier this year. Now it seems we know why. It's important to remember that when crazy stories like this appear, they still have to do their due diligence to rule it out.
If you have any information about this case please contact the Cold Case Unit.
↧
This Blog is Locked as an Archive
Going forward, this blog will serve as an archive of clues in the case and a record of the span of time I spent looking for Maura Murray. I began the search in 2010, when I believed Maura may have been the victim of a homicide or kidnapping. Over the years, I have become convinced that she had a plan to leave and has remained hidden in order to protect a child. As such, I am no longer actively searching for Maura Murray - in fact, I hope she remains hidden.
Of course, I cannot be 100% sure. Not in a world of Ariel Castros. So the blog remains for other people to parse through the evidence. It will remain as an archive until Maura is found safe or until there is a major break in the case.
I have disabled comments because I am focusing my time on other projects and can't responsibly keep up with deleting the insults and threats that come through.
For those new to the mystery, please spend some time clicking through the documents section for reliable information.
My book on the case is available here in print, ebook, and as an audiobook.
There is an excellent podcast about the case here.
Here is the official SubReddit for the case, where you can debate.
Thank you, constant readers - especially those silent types who came back day after day just out of curiosity. Thanks for your help. In our best moments, we showed what good social media can do for unresolved cases.
Best,
James Renner
↧
↧
Hey, what happened to that last post?
I was asked by friends and sources to take the last post down. I will share again once everyone involved has had some time to consider how best to talk about the information. Sorry for any confusion.
↧
Citizen Detectives Planned Sting Operation on Kathleen Murray
The person who gave this statement was part of a Facebook group that has been discussing a scenario in which Tim Carpenter was responsible for what happened to Maura Murray.
The story that has taken on a life of its own online in recent days goes like this - Kathleen met Maura on Monday and Maura was driving her to a rehab facility in New Hampshire. But Tim Carpenter followed them to Rt. 112, where he raced ahead of them and braked, causing Maura's car to smash into the back of his red truck. Then he put Maura in the trunk of the Saturn while Kathleen drove further only to get in the accident by the weathered barn. Following the accident, Maura and Kathleen were put in the truck. Maura's body is said to have ended up at a landfill in Mass.
Where did this narrative come from exactly? According to evidence emailed to me earlier today, it comes from several women on Facebook who claim to be friends with Kathleen - Noelle Hallstrom Pelillo, her daughter, Sara, and Melissa Bridges. Noelle was the moderator for a Maura Murray subreddit (she has trolled several people who have commented on the case). Melissa used to have a crime podcast and "befriended" Kathleen over Facebook.
While Noelle spun the narrative, Melissa seems to have kept to what she had heard directly.
Noelle has told people that this information was given to Julie Murray who instructed Melissa to go to the police.
I have a lot of problems with this theory, not the least of which is the time it takes to remove a body from a trunk and get it into a truck without being seen. And to then drive it into another state. I've met Tim Carpenter and the things he told me have checked out so far. But that doesn't mean he shouldn't be vetted like anyone else who knew Maura.
The danger of rumors like this is how fast they can be viewed as fact when people want a resolution. I think of the Lisa Pruett case and how a bunch of kids hijacked an investigation that nearly put an innocent man in prison. Here's a narrative started by an Internet troll as an idea that has now apparently progressed to police statements and calls for Art Roderick to assist the cold case unit on this lead.
We know the police took Kathleen's DNA to compare it to evidence found in Maura's abandoned car earlier this year. Now it seems we know why. It's important to remember that when crazy stories like this appear, they still have to do their due diligence to rule it out.
If you have any information about this case please contact the Cold Case Unit.
**UPDATE**
I took this post down yesterday at the request of several people, including Melissa. I'm putting it back up because I am concerned about what is planned with this info. They asked me to take it down because they were planning a sting operation on Kathleen outside the scope of official law enforcement.
As it was relayed to me by two different people involved in it, the plan was to send Melissa and Sara up to Vermont -both wearing a wire - to get Kathleen drunk and ask her about Tim. Why? Because the Cold Case Unit reportedly won't look further at Tim without probable cause to do so. A confession by Kathleen ostensibly would be that probable cause.
However, after sleeping on it and thinking about it, I am very concerned for the safety of the women involved in this illicit sting as well as Kathleen, herself. First of all, Kathleen once blew a .352 when she was driving drunk. That's brain-damage level of intoxication. These women could not possibly hope to drink her under the table. Added to that is the group Kathleen runs with up in Vermont, who are dangerous and unsavory people. Finally, what good is a confession if the subject is impaired. What defense attorney wouldn't love this case.
This is all kinds of bad. And there's a dozen scenarios that could have played out in Vermont that could have legitimately hurt people. People could have died.
I don't want to disappoint my friends for putting this post back up. And I honestly feel bad for making these Internet sleuths look bad. They're not bad people. I've certainly crossed the line a couple times with my approach to this case (and consider myself a recovering true crime addict). They mean well. But... what a clustercuss.
This is not the answer to the Maura Murray case. But I do believe it's finally moving in the right direction, as they consider scenarios in which Maura was not traveling alone, and possibly died at the hands of someone she knew.
↧
What Happened at the Party
After 13 years we finally have some answers about what happened at the dorm party two days before Maura disappeared. In the early days of the case, Maura’s friends from Hanson spoke to her friends at Umass and also Bill Rausch. They discovered that Maura “hooked up” with a guy at the party in Sara Alfieri and Heather Hammond’s room, and left with him.
This information is important for a couple reasons. It shows Kate Markopoulos lied repeatedly about the circumstances of the party. And it shows Bill had reason to be angry at Maura that week, after learning about it.
Police have said they investigated the man Maura was with that night and essentially ruled him out, though it would be very interesting to speak to him, and to know what Maura was talking about that night.
This info comes from several sources who were in the room when Maura’s friends relayed this to the documentary crew.
This information is important for a couple reasons. It shows Kate Markopoulos lied repeatedly about the circumstances of the party. And it shows Bill had reason to be angry at Maura that week, after learning about it.
Police have said they investigated the man Maura was with that night and essentially ruled him out, though it would be very interesting to speak to him, and to know what Maura was talking about that night.
This info comes from several sources who were in the room when Maura’s friends relayed this to the documentary crew.
↧
Maura Called Home of Child Abuse Worker Before Disappearance
This case is just nuts.
As you can see, I'm diving back into the case for a bit since the women came forward about Bill Rausch. Currently, I'm going back through the Maura's cell phone records from the days before her disappearance. On January 24, Maura made two separate calls to the home of a woman who worked for the Department of Human Services, investigating and working on child abuse cases in Weymouth, Massachusetts. Her number was unlisted but she sometimes gave it out to clients. In 2004 she was retired but she was working up until the late-1990s, and would have been an employee of DHS when Maura and her siblings (or even friends & relatives) were children.
She does not recall speaking to Maura directly.
I also found it interesting that she has never spoken to police, though her number is one of the last numbers Maura called on her phone before she disappeared. She was never contacted by the Rauschs or Murrays, either.
As you can see, I'm diving back into the case for a bit since the women came forward about Bill Rausch. Currently, I'm going back through the Maura's cell phone records from the days before her disappearance. On January 24, Maura made two separate calls to the home of a woman who worked for the Department of Human Services, investigating and working on child abuse cases in Weymouth, Massachusetts. Her number was unlisted but she sometimes gave it out to clients. In 2004 she was retired but she was working up until the late-1990s, and would have been an employee of DHS when Maura and her siblings (or even friends & relatives) were children.
She does not recall speaking to Maura directly.
I also found it interesting that she has never spoken to police, though her number is one of the last numbers Maura called on her phone before she disappeared. She was never contacted by the Rauschs or Murrays, either.
↧
↧
To the Anonymous Source
I received your message via Globaleaks.
Firstly, I'd like to apologize for blowing you off years ago. That's not something I would do now.
I wouldn't ask you to tell me where she is, but if you can offer proof that you spoke to her after 2004 (photos, screen caps of conversations, etc.) I would delete this blog. You would also be entitled to the reward, if that matters. If not, I can donate to a charity of your choosing.
You have to realize, with no proof, this seems like a prank. But there was enough genuine sentiment in your email that I want to give you the benefit of doubt.
Firstly, I'd like to apologize for blowing you off years ago. That's not something I would do now.
I wouldn't ask you to tell me where she is, but if you can offer proof that you spoke to her after 2004 (photos, screen caps of conversations, etc.) I would delete this blog. You would also be entitled to the reward, if that matters. If not, I can donate to a charity of your choosing.
You have to realize, with no proof, this seems like a prank. But there was enough genuine sentiment in your email that I want to give you the benefit of doubt.
↧
Bill Rausch Loses Job, Got Your Six May Shutter Due to Sex Assault Allegations
Bill Rausch - Maura Murray's boyfriend at the time of her disappearance - has lost his job as Exec Director of Got Your Six, following allegations of sex assault and harassment in D.C. going back to his time with Ray Group International and IAVA.
They have allowed him to announce his exit on the Friday before a holiday, which all but assures limited media fallout. In a message Bill sent at 10:30 this morning, he makes no mention of the sexual assault allegations but says, only, "this will be my last month..." as part of Got Your Six.
Got Your Six's former director left after allegations of sexual harassment, as well.
Staff members Lauren Augustine, Cathleen Pearl, and Mark Szymanski were contacted over the last month. No one has officially commented on the matter.
Rausch's email to colleagues spins his departure as a restructuring. But an email I received from a donor suggests it is in fact related to the allegations of sex assault that has plagued him since two women told their stories on this blog in November.
↧
Fred Murray Says Sara Alfieri Hid Identity of Maura's Hookup
In a statement released yesterday, Fred Murray revealed more information about the party that Maura Murray attended the weekend before she disappeared, which was held in the dorm room of Sara Alfieri.
He says he was told by Kate Markopoulos that there were three men at the party that night - Sara's cousin and two friends. When they spoke, Sara told him she was asleep for most of the party, which he does not believe. She would not give him names. He would like to know the identity of these three men, to ask them what they might know about his daughter's actions that weekend.
We learned just last week that Maura hooked up with one of these men. Additionally, it has been rumored for years that Maura left with a friend's cousin.
I would love to speak to one of these men, on background, about the events of that night. Feel free to email: jameswrenner@gmail.com
He says he was told by Kate Markopoulos that there were three men at the party that night - Sara's cousin and two friends. When they spoke, Sara told him she was asleep for most of the party, which he does not believe. She would not give him names. He would like to know the identity of these three men, to ask them what they might know about his daughter's actions that weekend.
We learned just last week that Maura hooked up with one of these men. Additionally, it has been rumored for years that Maura left with a friend's cousin.
I would love to speak to one of these men, on background, about the events of that night. Feel free to email: jameswrenner@gmail.com
↧