True Crime Addict is out, today. It is the definitive book on the Maura Murray case and includes several new clues and insights into the 12 year old cold case. It ends with an epilogue in which we learn more about the character of Bill Rausch, who was Maura's boyfriend at the time of her disappearance.
Last fall, four women who worked with Bill at Ray Group International, in Washington D.C., in 2011 came forward with stories about what it was like to work with him. One woman, whom I call "Andie", claimed he pushed her down the stairs in the Metro one day and pretended it wasn't him. Another woman who shared an office with him believes he destroyed ultra-sound photographs of her unborn child which she'd brought to work to show around. Another woman says Bill mentioned Maura one day. According to her, he said he and Maura were breaking up when she disappeared and, in hindsight, he was glad things worked out the way they did.
But what caused Bill to lose his job at Ray Group was an alleged sexual assault that took place in the president's office, after hours. Andie returned to the office one evening, after meeting with coworkers nearby. She found Bill inside and he appeared to be intoxicated, she said. This is how she explained the rest: He asked her to come into the president's office and once inside, he locked the door behind her. Alone, he turned to her and smiled in a way that scared her. He told her he was the one who pushed her down in the Metro. She tried to leave. He blocked her. He pushed her toward a wide table. Then he turned her around and pushed her face-down into the tabletop and pushed his body against her. She struggled. He pushed her down harder. Luckily, a coworker arrived. They could hear her outside the door. "Don't say a fucking word," he said. Frightened she called out. This appeared to shock him and he hid under the desk. She took this opportunity to open door to let the coworker in.
After this incident, Ray Group International did "an internal investigation" and Bill never came back to the office. He no longer lists the company in his public LinkedIn profile.
I spoke to Bill about this. He admitted he knew about the allegations and left the job after the women reported it.
It is important to note that Bill has a tight alibi for the night Maura was missing and he was actively searching for her after she disappeared, calling her friend, Kate Markopoulos repeatedly.