Well. You know where I stand with Maura's case. I believe she's alive and in hiding, somewhere. I think the window of opportunity for any sort of abduction to have happened is too small. But I'm going to share this story to see if it kicks up any new leads or connections.
Have you heard of Howard Godfrey?Godfrey is a likely serial killer who got caught after he tried to kill and kidnap a woman in his Vermont home in 1996. He served about five years in prison for the crime. At the time, police collected Godfrey's DNA. Years later, the victim's mother in that case began to suspect Godfrey was guilty of other crimes and pushed police to run his DNA against other crimes. His DNA matched sperm collected in the 1991 cold case murder of Patricia Scoville, who was assaulted during a hike near Moss Glen Falls in Stowe, Vermont.
At the time of Maura Murray's disappearance, Godfrey was living in Kirby, Vermont, not too far from the location of Maura's accident. He had his own small business installing windows and doors and drove a white pickup truck.
So, what's the possible connection, other than location?
I was contacted yesterday by a woman who told me how Godfrey was living above her in-laws garage at the time he was arrested for Scoville's murder, in 2008. The police had to give a warrant and records pertaining to the search of the property to her family. The records note everything they took from Godfrey's apartment. Among the items listed was an old issue of The Caledonian Record. This woman then went to the archives to figure out what was interesting about that specific issue and discovered that, on that date, the top story in the newspaper was about the FBI joining the search for Maura Murray.
Godfrey died in prison - of natural causes.
Does anyone from Haverhill, Bath, Franconia remember this guy working in the area in 2004?
**UPDATE**
Lots of information coming in about this man, today.
Some new bits:
- Godfrey and his wife
once owned a cleaning business called Stowe Dustbusters, which cleaned rental properties in Stowe for All Seasons Rentals. However, this was prior to his first conviction in 1996. At the time of Maura's disappearance he had his doors and windows business in Orleans, Vermont - but he also often did business in New Hampshire. He was living in Kirby.
- Godfrey was definitely not in prison from 2000 - 2005.
- The story about the newspaper probably checks out (and he had another copy of the same article in his truck) but the exact article is still not 100% clear (though I should have an answer on that soon.)
- According to a source close to the Scoville investigation, Godfrey has been looked at for links to both Maura's disappearance and Brianna Maitland. A trooper was assigned specifically to find any link between Maura and Godfrey early on (probably 2005/2006) but no clear link was found then and the trooper is reported to have said they "had a better suspect" for Maura.
- I would be interested to know if any one contracted with this guy for doors/windows in New Hampshire in 2004.
