The folks behind the upcoming documentary about Maura Murray's disappearance have begun a podcast. Episode 1 just went up. Check it out! Here's the direct link to iTunes.
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Maura Murray Podcast Begins
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Northwestern D.A. Steven Gagne Still Has Not Charged Alden Olson With a Crime, Despite Numerous Threats and Obstruction of Justice.
Alden Olson, as you may recall, was the creep behind the videos released in 2012, in which he taunts Maura Murray's family and suggests he has information about her disappearance.
Since then, he has focussed his attention on me and my family. In 2012, he uploaded a video of my son on YouTube. He has threatened me directly on several occasions in his weird ways, most recently in 2014, when he sent me a photoshopped photo of me next to Kenny from South Park. You know, the kid who dies in every episode.
Last year, Northwestern D.A. Steven Gagne looped me in on a conference call with a police detective and we spoke at length about this. They said there wasn't anything they could do. The YouTube video of my kid was down (though they could have asked YouTube for the records, which would clearly show his upload history). And his threats weren't explicit enough (though what conclusion can you draw other than he meant to threaten me and my family?). The detective went so far as to say that it was a little my fault because I had pictures of my kids on Facebook, which is like saying you deserved it because you wore a skimpy dress.
When I asked them how it would look if Olson showed up at my house with a gun, Gagne remarked: "Well, then, we'd have a pretty good case."
It struck me that they never considered Olson a real threat and were never interested much in charging him with obstruction for the way he pretended to be a suspect in Maura's murder and taunting the Murray family. It seemed to me they just thought he was harmless.
I finally got records from Chatham, Mass, that clearly show Olson is a real threat, records they could easily have pulled a year ago.
In 2007, Olson was arrested for threatening to murder his brother and sister. The detective got his hands on an email Olson sent. Here's a little excerpt:
You, Anna, and Holmes will all pay for this together. If it takes the rest of my goddamn life. You tell Holmes that if he wants to stop me he'll have to kill me. I have nothing left to lose now and I'm fucking ready to die if that's what it takes. Nothing left to lose makes one a dangerous person. You tell him I am after him Goddamn fucking good and I won't back off. Come on Holmes, have your flunkey Jeff Sousa or Derosier or Constantino come try to kill me. I'm fucking ready...Think you'll live long enough to enjoy a grandchild?
These records also reveal that Olson was arrested in 1989 for pulling a shotgun on someone and threatening to kill them.
He owns guns, today.
I spoke to his sister, Anna, earlier today and when I told her about the video of my child, she said, "Well, that was a while ago. Just let it go."
So, this is about the best I can do. Get the record out there and let it stand in case something ever happens to me. I've done my best to get them to do something about this guy. But nobody would.
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New Episode the Maura Murray Podcast Up, Today
This one covers the timeline of events leading up to Maura's disappearance in 2004. Lance and Tim delve into Maura's improper use of credit cards, her strange last weekend at UMass, and her friendship with Kate Markopoulos and Sara Alfieri.
Follow the link to iTunes.
Follow the link to iTunes.
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Episode 3 of Podcast Gets into the Darker Side of Maura Murray
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Episode 4 of the Maura Murray podcast is up.
These podcasts get better every episode.
This one delves into the unanswered questions of the case: the rag in the tailpipe; the party at UMass before Maura's disappearance; why Maura was kicked out of West Point.
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Episode 5 is up!
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**UPDATED** Woman Found Wandering in Maine Won't Tell Police Who She Is
Is it the beginning or end of a mystery? A woman has been found wandering the area of Greene, Maine and was taken in by police. They are trying to figure out who she is.
So far, she has been uncooperative, refusing to speak or write answers to their questions. She has nodded yes or shaken her head no to a couple questions.
She is 5'7" and 120 pounds.
What do you think?
***UPDATE***
The woman claims to be 41-year-old "Jessica Green" from Wisconsin, according to The Portland Press Herald.
However, the article goes on to say:
Holt said his office got a copy of a photo identification card from Wisconsin authorities, but because the photo was several years old and Green has been living on the streets, he wasn’t prepared to say it was a confirmed match.
Residents called police about Green on Wednesday afternoon and she was found about 2 a.m. Thursday. Initially, she would only nod or shake her head to communicate, Holt said, but she later answered some questions “yes” or “no.”
“She’s not being of any help, whether that’s intentional or not,” he said.
Should be interesting to see if they are ever able to confirm the match.
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First Look!
Available in bookstores and online, everywhere, May 24, 2016.
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Missing Maura Murray Podcast, Episode 6
Lance and Tim asked me on for this week's podcast.
We discuss Fred's actions the weekend before Maura disappeared and the strange party she attended (or didn't) with Kate Markopoulos and Sara Alfieri.
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Former NH State Trooper With Troubled Past Says Maura Was Murdered, Buried Under Suspect's House
Earlier today, a Facebook profile linked to a former NH State Trooper posted a number of alarming claims on a page run by Maura Murray's family.
James A. Conrad claims Maura was murdered, her body buried under a suspect's new house, and that the state police and prosecutor's know this but lack the evidence to dig her up.
Take a look at some of these screen captures from the ongoing group discussion.
This profile purports to be the same James A. Conrad who threatened to kill fellow state troopers during a series of events that occurred in 2007 when his wife was separating from him. A trooper himself, at the time, he gave an emotional resignation at the barracks after being accused of entering his ex's home and then threatened to pull another trooper's gun to force them to kill him, a form of suicide known as death-by-cop. All this according to court records.
At one point Conrad was even chased by police. When they pulled him over, they found he was driving his personal vehicle with what appeared to be a police scanner.
In 2008. Conrad was award a $1.5 million judgement by a jury after suing the state for wrongful imprisonment during this encounter.
This information -- about Maura being murdered and buried under a house -- is new and goes against much of what we've learned in the last few years. But Conrad has taken to social media saying he has first-hand knowledge of details of the investigation and that this is what the detectives believe happened to Maura Murray.
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New Missing Maura Murray Podcast Episode Is Up
Episode 7 features investigative reporter Clint Harting, who has some interesting thoughts on Fred Murray's visit to UMass the weekend before Maura disappeared.
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Last Call
A quick note on the process of publishing the book, True Crime Addict.
I'm currently reviewing notes from the copy editor and making some minor fixes and adjustments. Soon a final draft will be produced and it will essentially be "locked in." Then I can't really touch it as they craft the page layout and begin to produce copies for the May release.
So this is perhaps the last chance to add anything of merit.
I think back to my first months researching the case. I received a call from a man with a very deep voice who claimed to be the boyfriend of a woman who had knowledge about the case (a family member or friend of Maura Murray's). He said I was asking the right questions and that there was information that needed to come out. He promised to try to get his girlfriend to talk. But nothing ever came of it.
If you still have important information about Maura Murray that should be included in a book, please reach out to me.
Also worth noting is a common misconception about journalism. Some people believe that if they never gave consent to appear in a book, they cannot be included. This is simply not true. If you would like to have your say, in your own words, though, I'm still willing to include those statements.
I can be reached directly at jameswrenner@gmail.com.
I'm currently reviewing notes from the copy editor and making some minor fixes and adjustments. Soon a final draft will be produced and it will essentially be "locked in." Then I can't really touch it as they craft the page layout and begin to produce copies for the May release.
So this is perhaps the last chance to add anything of merit.
I think back to my first months researching the case. I received a call from a man with a very deep voice who claimed to be the boyfriend of a woman who had knowledge about the case (a family member or friend of Maura Murray's). He said I was asking the right questions and that there was information that needed to come out. He promised to try to get his girlfriend to talk. But nothing ever came of it.
If you still have important information about Maura Murray that should be included in a book, please reach out to me.
Also worth noting is a common misconception about journalism. Some people believe that if they never gave consent to appear in a book, they cannot be included. This is simply not true. If you would like to have your say, in your own words, though, I'm still willing to include those statements.
I can be reached directly at jameswrenner@gmail.com.
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5 Clues That Make No Sense About This Case
As I finish up the last drafts of True Crime Addict, I'm getting another look at some of the very odd pieces of this cold case. Here are what I consider the "Top 5" clues that just don't make sense about Maura Murray's disappearance.
5. Kate's Faulty Memory
Two days before Maura disappeared, she attended a late-night party with her friends Kate Markopoulos and Sara Alfieri. Kate said it was at Sara's dorm room. Maura's boyfriend, Billy, said that Maura told him the party was off campus.
Though Kate said the room was packed -- standing room, only -- and that a man walked her and Maura outside at the end of the night, she claims she cannot remember the name of a single other person who was there. Too many years have gone by, she told me. However, when she was interviewed by detectives in 2004, she could not recall any names, either.
Sara, for her part, won't talk about the party at all. Helena Dwyer-Murray, who runs the family Facebook page says Sara eventually told the real story to Fred and will not repeat it to anyone.
4. Family Apathy
When the TV cameras were there, Fred made sure he was actively searching for Maura. But, according to those who stayed at the hotel with him, during the months after Maura disappeared, it was mostly show. He would wake up, go for a jog, get breakfast, then give assignments to searchers. They would regroup for an early dinner and beers and then settle in for the night. Unless the reporters were there. Then Fred would get out in center and actively look through the woods.
Until he sued the state of New Hampshire, Fred was uninterested in searching Maura's personal computer -- he removed it from Maura's dorm and put it in the back of Tim Carpenter's truck. It sat in his closet until police collected it -- and then Fred wanted it back.
Maura's mother was never involved in the search for her daughter. Her sister Julie appears to have dropped by once in the months after Maura vanished. Her other sister, Kathleen, told reporters she thought Maura's breakdown a few days before her disappearance was so that she could just get out of work. Her brother, Kurt, wrote a song he posted on his Facebook page about Maura, asking her what the family did to her to make her run away.
3. The Londonderry Ping
Someone called Maura from Eastern New Hampshire the afternoon she disappeared. This person has never come forward.
2. The Rag in the Tailpipe
Why was there a rag in the tailpipe of Maura's car? The only logical explanation is that someone wanted Maura's car to stall. In fact, her accident in Haverhill may have been caused after her call stalled and she clipped the corner of the curve in front of the weathered barn. When investigators discovered the rag, it was an excellent opportunity for Fred Murray to advance his "local dirtbag kidnapped Maura" theory. Instead, he said he'd told Maura to put the rag there to keep it from smoking.
1. The $4,000
The weekend before Maura disappeared, her father Fred visited UMass. At the same time, someone withdrew $4,000 from his account using several different ATMs in the area. After the disappearance, Fred claimed that he was the one who withdrew the cash and that he did so because he intended to use it to buy Maura a new car from a local dealership. But... at the time his house was being foreclosed on. And Maura's friends say that she was not looking for a new car. And why wouldn't Fred just write a check? And what ever happened to the money?
5. Kate's Faulty Memory
Two days before Maura disappeared, she attended a late-night party with her friends Kate Markopoulos and Sara Alfieri. Kate said it was at Sara's dorm room. Maura's boyfriend, Billy, said that Maura told him the party was off campus.
Though Kate said the room was packed -- standing room, only -- and that a man walked her and Maura outside at the end of the night, she claims she cannot remember the name of a single other person who was there. Too many years have gone by, she told me. However, when she was interviewed by detectives in 2004, she could not recall any names, either.
Sara, for her part, won't talk about the party at all. Helena Dwyer-Murray, who runs the family Facebook page says Sara eventually told the real story to Fred and will not repeat it to anyone.
4. Family Apathy
When the TV cameras were there, Fred made sure he was actively searching for Maura. But, according to those who stayed at the hotel with him, during the months after Maura disappeared, it was mostly show. He would wake up, go for a jog, get breakfast, then give assignments to searchers. They would regroup for an early dinner and beers and then settle in for the night. Unless the reporters were there. Then Fred would get out in center and actively look through the woods.
Until he sued the state of New Hampshire, Fred was uninterested in searching Maura's personal computer -- he removed it from Maura's dorm and put it in the back of Tim Carpenter's truck. It sat in his closet until police collected it -- and then Fred wanted it back.
Maura's mother was never involved in the search for her daughter. Her sister Julie appears to have dropped by once in the months after Maura vanished. Her other sister, Kathleen, told reporters she thought Maura's breakdown a few days before her disappearance was so that she could just get out of work. Her brother, Kurt, wrote a song he posted on his Facebook page about Maura, asking her what the family did to her to make her run away.
3. The Londonderry Ping
Someone called Maura from Eastern New Hampshire the afternoon she disappeared. This person has never come forward.
2. The Rag in the Tailpipe
Why was there a rag in the tailpipe of Maura's car? The only logical explanation is that someone wanted Maura's car to stall. In fact, her accident in Haverhill may have been caused after her call stalled and she clipped the corner of the curve in front of the weathered barn. When investigators discovered the rag, it was an excellent opportunity for Fred Murray to advance his "local dirtbag kidnapped Maura" theory. Instead, he said he'd told Maura to put the rag there to keep it from smoking.
1. The $4,000
The weekend before Maura disappeared, her father Fred visited UMass. At the same time, someone withdrew $4,000 from his account using several different ATMs in the area. After the disappearance, Fred claimed that he was the one who withdrew the cash and that he did so because he intended to use it to buy Maura a new car from a local dealership. But... at the time his house was being foreclosed on. And Maura's friends say that she was not looking for a new car. And why wouldn't Fred just write a check? And what ever happened to the money?
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BREAKING: Did Alden Olson's videos inspire Vester Lee Flanagan?
For years, I have been trying to motivate Massachusetts D.A. Steve Gagne to do something about Alden Olson, the man who continues to taunt the Murray family with YouTube videos suggesting that he killed her in 2004. Olson posted video of my son on YouTube and has threatened me directly. Gagne knew Olson had a history of threatening violence in Mass -- Olson threatened to murder members of his own family a few years ago in Chatham.
But Gagne would not press charges. Olson had deleted the YouTube video of my son (though Gagne could easily have retrieved it from the service). When I asked him what would happen if he did nothing, and Olson showed up on my doorstep with a gun, he sarcastically told me that then they would have a pretty good case. He suggested Olson was harmless. Now we know that isn't true.
Take a look at this screen shot from Olson's famous "Anniversary" video, the first video he used to taunt investigators and suggest he killed Maura Murray. One of the top comments is from Vester Lee Flanagan, the man who murdered news reporter Alison Parker and photojournalist Adam Ward on live TV last week.
Flanagan filmed the murders and uploaded it to the Internet to taunt the world before committing suicide.
I wonder where he got that idea?
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New 'Missing Maura Murray' Podcast Examines Fred Murray's Words
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Update to Vester Lee Flanagan Connection
The profile changed tonight.
See the post below.
See the post below.
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Missing Maura Murray Podcast, Episode 9
The new episode is up.
This week, Lance and Tim invited me back on to discuss further details about the case.
We also get into the strange posts by someone claiming to be Vester Lee Flanagan. No one has figured out exactly what happened with that, yet. It's possible the account was Flanagan's and someone hacked it after he murdered two journalists. It's also possible it was an online troll, like Alden Olson, who only pretended to be Flanagan.
As always, this case is just damn strange.
This week, Lance and Tim invited me back on to discuss further details about the case.
We also get into the strange posts by someone claiming to be Vester Lee Flanagan. No one has figured out exactly what happened with that, yet. It's possible the account was Flanagan's and someone hacked it after he murdered two journalists. It's also possible it was an online troll, like Alden Olson, who only pretended to be Flanagan.
As always, this case is just damn strange.
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A Quick Reminder About My Comment Policy
This site is getting a lot of attention again, thanks to the podcast and the upcoming release of the book. Because of this, many people want to comment and weigh in on the clues of the case. That's great. I think we get closer to the truth the more we discuss this case.
However, due to a few persistent trolls, I must monitor and approve every comment before it posts. I try to do this in three batches during the day. So if you post, your comment will eventually appear (sometimes rather quickly, sometimes not).
The following kinds of comments may not be approved:
- Any comment naming uncharged suspects which imply they did it.
- Any comment including a phone number or address of a subject or suspect
- Any comment that suggests a police officer murdered Maura (that simply didn't happen)
- Any comment that is needlessly cruel or mean
Other than that, let's talk shop!
However, due to a few persistent trolls, I must monitor and approve every comment before it posts. I try to do this in three batches during the day. So if you post, your comment will eventually appear (sometimes rather quickly, sometimes not).
The following kinds of comments may not be approved:
- Any comment naming uncharged suspects which imply they did it.
- Any comment including a phone number or address of a subject or suspect
- Any comment that suggests a police officer murdered Maura (that simply didn't happen)
- Any comment that is needlessly cruel or mean
Other than that, let's talk shop!
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Could the Londonderry Ping Have Come From a Rental Agent?
I'm still thinking about this "ping" thing. On the day she disappeared, it appears that someone called Maura Murray's phone from the area of Londonderry, NH.
I wonder if it's possible the person who made this call was the person who rented a property to Maura that night. If you recall, Maura was trying to track down a rental property in the White Mountains for that night -- she had called the Salamons trying to rent their two-bedroom condo but they could not arrange it for her at that time.
Maybe she (or the tandem driver) was able to leave a message with a renter and the ping was them calling her back. That person was not close to the White Mountains but may have had a listed number for the property Maura wanted. They could have called Maura and told her where to pick up the keys.
So...
I wonder if there is still record of rental places along Rt. 112 in which the listed contact lived in Londonderry.
First one to track it down gets 100 master class points.
I wonder if it's possible the person who made this call was the person who rented a property to Maura that night. If you recall, Maura was trying to track down a rental property in the White Mountains for that night -- she had called the Salamons trying to rent their two-bedroom condo but they could not arrange it for her at that time.
Maybe she (or the tandem driver) was able to leave a message with a renter and the ping was them calling her back. That person was not close to the White Mountains but may have had a listed number for the property Maura wanted. They could have called Maura and told her where to pick up the keys.
So...
I wonder if there is still record of rental places along Rt. 112 in which the listed contact lived in Londonderry.
First one to track it down gets 100 master class points.
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Catch-22
I've done a couple interviews lately and some people have pointed out the Catch-22 that has entangled itself around this blog and book. Namely, if I truly believe that Maura ran away from her family, why am I doing their work for them and tracking her down?
I have a few answers to this, none of which are particularly decent.
1. I simply have to know at this point. It's a solution to a difficult mystery.
2. I want to know what Maura Murray would tell us about Fred and family.
3. I want to prove she's alive but I will happily keep her location secret in exchange for that knowledge. Which is another way of saying, give me what I want and I'll go away.
So. Is it a worthy pursuit?
Why do you search for Maura Murray?
I have a few answers to this, none of which are particularly decent.
1. I simply have to know at this point. It's a solution to a difficult mystery.
2. I want to know what Maura Murray would tell us about Fred and family.
3. I want to prove she's alive but I will happily keep her location secret in exchange for that knowledge. Which is another way of saying, give me what I want and I'll go away.
So. Is it a worthy pursuit?
Why do you search for Maura Murray?
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