Anyone who gets involved in this case quickly becomes hounded by some of the most vile trolls on the Internet. I don't know what it is about this case in particular, but I've never experienced anything quite like this.
The first and worst was Alden Olson, a Walmart greeter from Hadley who uploaded a video on YouTube on the anniversary of Maura's disappearance, taunting the Murray family. Olson went so far as to upload videos of my five-year-old son.
Since then, there have been various other trolls trying to wreak havoc and undermine any discussion about this case - I have to approve every post on this blog because they do things like submit 100 comments and then delete them all, causing confusion in the comments section. Every day, there are new threats from anonymous posters.
Tim & Lance were hounded by an aggressive troll when they tried to follow coordinates into the White Mountains that some have suggested is the location of Maura's body. Someone called them at their motel and emailed an odd, threatening message. They were so shook up, they left before they could search.
These trolls hide behind the anonymity provided by the Internet, going so far as to have their emails and posts routed through remailing services to hide their locations. As a rule, I don't share all of these because this blog would become just a forum for these attacks, an echo chamber of hate.
But a reader just noticed something in this video:
Take a look at the still at the top of the article. He believes he sees Maura's face in the shadows in the upper left of this screen grab, and she looks like she's suffered trauma of some kind.
I don't know what to make of the rest of the video. Perhaps someone else will find some clue.
And yes, that's me looking fat and haggard in a hotel room. Happily sober and twenty pounds thinner, now, thank you trolls.