Maura Murray

WATERVILLE VALLEY – The body of a woman found Wednesday afternoon off a cross-country ski trail in a remote and wooded section of this community has been positively identified as Beth Upton, who left for a walk Sept. 7 and was not seen again.

"I feel like I've been holding my breath for seven weeks and now I can breathe," said Upton's daughter, Diane Best, who vowed not to leave her mother's summer home until she was found.

Upton was a longtime resident of Waterville Valley and was active in the community, serving on the planning board and the conservation commission. About 15 years ago, she married retired Concord attorney Frederic Upton and together they spent summers in town.

According to Fish and Game Lt. Todd Bogardus, the state's medical examiner positively identified Beth Upton.

"There is no foul play, but the cause of death is undetermined," he said.

Beth Upton, 85, set off for a walk mid-afternoon on Sept. 7 and when she did not return later in the afternoon, her husband reported her overdue. An intensive, six-day search followed that scoured the resort town and reached three miles or more up the rugged mountain trails that head into the White Mountain National Forest.

"As a crow flies, she was about a mile and half from her home and about three miles by foot," Bogardus said. "It was in an area where teams searched."

Her body was found nearly three miles up Livermore Road and then on the intermediate cross-country ski trail, Lower Snow's Mountain.

Best's partner, Christopher Lawrence, said the spot was one in which he had come within 300 feet of during the couple's many searches of the area.

They had enlisted in the help of Deb Pullman of Maine Search and Rescue Dogs, who had come to town several towns to help with the search.

At about 3 p.m., Wednesday, she and Waterville Valley Public Safety Chief David Noyes were returning from a search.

"She happened to see something white in the trees," Lawrence said.

With most of the foliage off the trees, it was easier to see deeper into what had been thick woods in early September.

Best and Lawrence said they are grateful for the many people who turned out over the last two months to help search.

Jenkins wrote:

<quoted text>
I got a question for you bill: what percentage of your sar efforts are successful, by your estimate? 50%? More? Less? How many times do you go into the woods and not find the person? Never find the person? How many searches have you personally participated in where the subject was never recovered? I'm just wondering because you make it sound like its fairly common for the person to never be found by sar efforts.

We have been fortunate enough to never have not found somebody that we were looking for. BUT it is not the same types of searches here as up there. We can successfully use containment, we can use sound and light signals sometimes with great effect. We also have the added advantage that most, not all areas but most have cell coverage giving us a lot more information about what the lost person can see and hear. None of that is easy to do in the WMNF because of the area. Sometime yes, sometimes no. We also have the tremendous advantage in most of our cases that the person wanted to be found and is not actively evading us though several of those cases they were trying to evade (suicidal and altered mental status).

Bill

FrmLE wrote:

This is from a post earlier. Still relevant.
Here is the link to the woman who went missing in Waterville Valley.
http://www.wildnh.com/Newsroom/News_2010/News ...
This was a 85 year old woman who walked away from her home in Waterville Valley. She went missing on September 7, 2010. She was found October 28th, a month and half later. She was about 3 miles from where she went missing in an area that had been searched multiple times.
For comparison, here are a few contrasts between poor Mrs. Upton and Maura Murray.
Upton was 85 years old and much less able bodied than Maura Murray who was a track star and able runner.
Upton was found 3 miles from point where she went missing. Searchers were looking for Upton within hours of when she went missing. No searches were made for Maura for at least 48 hours, if I recall.
The search for Mrs. Upton was MASSIVE, to put it mildly. Here is a link where over 150 searchers were walking shoulder to shoulder in the area she went missing. http://www.wmur.com/r/24970992/detail.html
MANCHESTER, N.H.-- A team of 150 people gathered Saturday to search for a Waterville Valley woman missing since last Tuesday.
The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department said it is utilizing everything from horses to helicopters in their search for 85-year-old Beth Upton. Upton was last seen going for a walk in a heavily wooded area, according to her family.
Teams are covering a mile-and-a-half area by walking shoulder to shoulder. A K9 team was expected to join the search Saturday night.
The area where Mrs. Upton went missing was significantly smaller than the possible area where Maura could have gone. If anyone knows Waterville Valley, it really is a bowl shaped valley and most of those Mountains are over 2500 ft or more...

I remember that search well. Talked to the FS personal after and talked with the dog handler who eventually found her.

Excellent example. Most don't really understand how complicated and difficult searching that area is. And that part of Waterville valley is similar in terrain to the area that Maura was last seen in. And your point that she was 85 years old is again, a very good one.

So she went three miles. That is 28 square miles to search. Maybe you can cut that in half so, 14 square miles to search. How far could Maura have traveled? 10 miles, 15? 15 miles is 707 square miles to search. You think you know what directions she went, maybe you can cut that in half, but that doesn't mean you even have her in the area you are searching. Still think it's an easy search? It took as I remember several months to find Beth and that was only a 28 square mile search area and they actually had a good idea of where she left from and her initial intentions. Of course a lot of this information they didn't know until they found her, did they Jenkins?

They searched a 1.5 mile area shoulder to shoulder. Found nothing. But your probably right Jenkins, these searches are a piece of cake.

FrmLE. Do you remember the hunter from several years ago that they were searching for? I can't even remember the specifics right off the top of my head. As far as I know, they never found him. I'll have to look back for more information on that. Don't know if you remember the one I'm talking about. I thought that they might have resolved that one fairly quickly but the last I heard they suspended the search and they hadn't found him.

Bill

Just to add to the topic of search difficulties: A lot of the trees in that area are deciduous, with significant annual leaf-fall. By fall of 2004, this would no doubt complicate any ground-search.

How awkward it must be to misplace your LearJet in the woods and not find it for 3 years?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1996_New_Hampshi...

I remember this very well, in 1996 a LearJet flown from CT missed it's approach into Lebanon Airport and took another swing around. The plane lost contact about 7 miles from the airport and went down in the woods.

It was searched form extensively, and I mean very very extensively. I was found 3 years later, in the woods about 20 miles away.

So just imagine, a huge LearJet goes down in the woods, crashes and spreads debri across some 150 yards, shiny metal, fuel, wings, engines, stuff like that if which airplanes are made of. All material that does not decompose, that animals don't eat, that stay intact. And it took 3 years of looking hard, with radar, metal detection devices, ground searches, and every other means of search possible to finally find the plane.

Now imagine a single 120lb body with clothes and a backpack being lost in similar type woods. How long would it take to find her?

Jenkins wrote:

One big question: if she killed herself WHERE THE HELL IS HER BODY?!?!?
Seriously now, are there any other suicide cases you can name where they couldn't find the body for 8.5 YEARS?? Has anybody ever heard of anything like that?

Quoted for effect.

Where is her body? Somewhere in the woods, somewhere in those Mountains.

Seriously, please please please do me a favor. I beg you.

1) Download Google Earth.

2) Type in the search box, Bradley Hill rd, Haverhill NH.

3) Find where it connects to Rt. 112.

4) Now, from that point, pan out until you can see I93 on the right side of the screen.

5) Look at the area between I93 and BHR. Look North and look South. Do you see what is there? NOTHING!

To the North there is nothing until you get to Franconia, which is itself a bunch of nothing.

To the South there is nothing all the way until you get to..... Rumney? Which again, is a whole bunch of nothing. Nothing there, nothing but one little road that runs over to the Ct River Valley.

In between? Nothing but a whole bunch of Mountains. Barely a Road, no towns, nothing.

You think she couldn't disapear in that area?

Please think, just a little think about what people are telling you, people who live in the area, who have hiked that area for better part of 30 years. Think think think.

Beth Upton went missing two years ago today. Weird timing for you to post that.

Maruchan wrote:

Beth Upton went missing two years ago today. Weird timing for you to post that.

Interesting, I did not know that. Pure coinidence.

FrmLE wrote:

How awkward it must be to misplace your LearJet in the woods and not find it for 3 years?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1996_New_Hampshi...
I remember this very well, in 1996 a LearJet flown from CT missed it's approach into Lebanon Airport and took another swing around. The plane lost contact about 7 miles from the airport and went down in the woods.
It was searched form extensively, and I mean very very extensively. I was found 3 years later, in the woods about 20 miles away.
So just imagine, a huge LearJet goes down in the woods, crashes and spreads debri across some 150 yards, shiny metal, fuel, wings, engines, stuff like that if which airplanes are made of. All material that does not decompose, that animals don't eat, that stay intact. And it took 3 years of looking hard, with radar, metal detection devices, ground searches, and every other means of search possible to finally find the plane.
Now imagine a single 120lb body with clothes and a backpack being lost in similar type woods. How long would it take to find her?

I remember that search very well. I was on that one for several days. You would think it would be hard to misplace a Lear jet, but it wasn't. When it was found, it was found by a surveyor (IIRC), by accident, if I remember correctly. He wasn't part of any of the searches that were done.

Bill

WTH-the-original wrote:

<quoted text>
I remember that search very well. I was on that one for several days. You would think it would be hard to misplace a Lear jet, but it wasn't. When it was found, it was found by a surveyor (IIRC), by accident, if I remember correctly. He wasn't part of any of the searches that were done.
Bill

Yep, it was a surveyor walking some property over in Dorchester/Wentworth in the middle of nowhere. The search was huge, there was speculation they took off and went to Candad (with a hunky boyfriend maybe??) then they went to the Caribean, then they stole the plane and flew it to Long Island, and on and on..

In the end it was right there, on the side of a half assed mountian in plain sight. It gives some idea the scale and scope of the area once you actually get on your feet and start to walk in the woods.

Hmmmmmmmm

While the White Mountains are beautiful they have taken seveal lives through the years, some found and some never to be seen again.
I have walked the woods on both sides of BHR and across the river on 112 when I used to go rabbit hunting. I've also fished just about the whole river and swam in every swimming hole so I am familiar with the land. It is very easy to get twisted around in these woods if you don't have a compass.
In the summer every bush and tree looks the same and in the winter the white snow makes the landmarks and trails disappear.
Many times in the winter I've heard on the scanner that there are skiers in trouble because they went off trail and got lost. A search party is sent out to bring them back. These stupid skiers that pay no attention to the signs and rules are now being
fined for the cost of the search.

Wowzer the real one wrote:

While the White Mountains are beautiful they have taken seveal lives through the years, some found and some never to be seen again.
I have walked the woods on both sides of BHR and across the river on 112 when I used to go rabbit hunting. I've also fished just about the whole river and swam in every swimming hole so I am familiar with the land. It is very easy to get twisted around in these woods if you don't have a compass.
In the summer every bush and tree looks the same and in the winter the white snow makes the landmarks and trails disappear.
Many times in the winter I've heard on the scanner that there are skiers in trouble because they went off trail and got lost. A search party is sent out to bring them back. These stupid skiers that pay no attention to the signs and rules are now being
fined for the cost of the search.

Wowzer I had a compass and still got lost. It is definetly easy to get lost in the woods.

http://www.youtube.com/watch...

citigirl wrote:

<quoted text>Wowzer I had a compass and still got lost. It is definetly easy to get lost in the woods.

Yes it is easy. I also got lost in Easton after walking off of an old logging road. I still remember the feeling of panic when I realized I was lost. After that I always carried a compass when I went in the woods.

I completely agree that if she truly got lost in the woods finding her would be extremely difficult and nobody can say that she isn't out there just because she hasn't been found. That is clearly true. The wmnf is a huge place and there are many many things that make sar efforts extremely difficult.

But i wasnt really talking anout that, When I said where the hell is her body I was talking about suicide.
Why would she try to hide her body if she killed herself?
Has anyone ever heard of a case were someone who committed suicide tried to hide their own body?
Orko said that he believes she intended in killing herself on a favorite trail or the top of a mt or something like that, which then begs the question where the hell is her body. If that is what happened to her then wouldn't you expect to find her body along a trail somewhere, or top o a mt?
I clearly stated if she killed herself, then where is her body.

It makes absolutely no logical sense that she would have just walked straight into the woods never to be seen again. Why would she do that? You guys state, as if it's a fact, that she was trying to elude le. Well let's say for a minute that she was trying to do that. Why the hell would she need to walk miles into the woods to do that? She could hide just as well 50' of the road as a mile off the rd, even 10' off the rd she wouldn't be seen. What could possibly be the purpose to walk deep into the woods? Especially when you consider what she was wearing.
Let's say she was planning to kill herself, well it's the same thing. She could do that just as easy 10' from the road as she could a mile off the rd. to say that she just walked straight into the woods for miles defies all logic and reason. If you believe she was planning on killing herself and she was tryin to tie up loose ends before; packing her room, etc. well if she was tying up loose ends that indicates that she at least somewhat gave a shit about her family. Do wouldn't you think that she would want her body to be found? Was she tryin to torment her family after death?
On many different levels it just makes no sense for her to have walked straight into the woods.

I agree that if she did do that then it would be very difficult to find her, but I can't think of one logical reason for her doing so.

Be for real here; Do you guys actually believe that she walked far into the woods? Really?? I don't see how anybody can honestly believe that's what happened to her

Wowzer the real one wrote:

<quoted text>
Yes it is easy. I also got lost in Easton after walking off of an old logging road. I still remember the feeling of panic when I realized I was lost. After that I always carried a compass when I went in the woods.

It is a horrifying feeling when you get lost in the woods. Although I have not always shared the same opinions as others as to what happened to Maura Iam greatful to those whom have helped search for her.

Wow frmLE, that's crazy that you didn't know it was two yrs ago to the day that upton went missing.
That's some serious synchronicity going down right there!

WTH-the-original wrote:

<quoted text>
We have been fortunate enough to never have not found somebody that we were looking for. BUT it is not the same types of searches here as up there. We can successfully use containment, we can use sound and light signals sometimes with great effect. We also have the added advantage that most, not all areas but most have cell coverage giving us a lot more information about what the lost person can see and hear. None of that is easy to do in the WMNF because of the area. Sometime yes, sometimes no. We also have the tremendous advantage in most of our cases that the person wanted to be found and is not actively evading us though several of those cases they were trying to evade (suicidal and altered mental status).
Bill

WTH-" BUT it is not the same types of searches here as up there." Where are you referring to as being here and why are the searches different? Have you ever been called in to help find a missing person from NH? If so how many hours after the person was missing that you were contacted to help in the search?

Jenkins wrote:

Why the hell would she need to walk miles into the woods to do that? She could hide just as well 50' of the road as a mile off the rd, even 10' off the rd she wouldn't be seen.

Absolutely spoken like someone who has never been out at night, trying to stay just "50 feet" away from something like a winding road while on the move. Try it sometime. Try not getting close enough to a road at night to be seen, and then not screwing up and getting too far away so that you don't get lost. Do it with a friend that knows what he is doing. We wouldn't want to loose you also.

That is just one of the ways she might have perished. It could also have been intentional. Why are you convinced that if she wanted to commit suicide she would want to be found? Or if she wanted to be found, she totally underestimated the ability to find her body?

Bill

JWB wrote:

<quoted text>
Jenkins, I personaly don't find it odd that CS interviewd whitnesses and stayed on the scene for 2 hours for a car accident. CS clearly was looking for the girl as he thought she may have sought refuge at one of their houses. Remember also that both of these houses called in to report the accident so CS was doing his job to talk to them in order to fill out his report.
CS had to wait for other responders to come to the scene as well as he took the time to analyze the crash as well as do a drive arround to try and find her. I think his actions were more of doing his job and I wouldn't read much more into it. The rag in the tailpipe is the kicker however nobody whitnessed her just sitting in her car with the windows rolled up after she had walked to the back of her car.

You make a pretty good point there about him wanting to see if she took refuge in a nearby house, that makes sense. But how long does that really take? To go knock on someone's door and ask if she was there would take like a few mins max. He must have wanted a little more in depth information.
remember that he was under no obligation to go talk to anyone just because they called 911. If the cops had to talk to every person who calls 911 to report a car accident that would be a serious strain on resources, and it's unnecessary.
This was a one car accident where there was no property damaged and no major injuries. Getting in depth statements from witnesses is completely unnecessary, especially when you consider the fact that all the witnesses only witnessed what happened AFTER the accident, to my knowledge there was no one who actually witnessed the crash while it happened. Theoretically none of them had any information that would be useful for him in filling out his report, that info had to be taken from the physical evidence of the crash; damage to the car, snowbanks, etc... if you think about it he didn't need to talk to them at all to fill out his report.
According to everything I've read on the matter the other first responders were on the scene very quickly and he only drove around looking for her for about 15min, please correct me if I'm wrong here. So none of that made it take 2hrs.

But really how long does all this really take? 45mins? An hour? 2 hours is a really long time for a cop to stay on the scene of something that is really just a simple one car accident.
Remember that pretty much everyone agrees that accidents like this happen ALL THE TIME in nh during the winter. A car slides off the rd and the driver leaves the scene rather than wait for the cops.
The cops do NOT stay on the scene of all these accidents for 2hrs, that is not normal. There is just no need; you take a quick look around to make sure the driver isn't hurt nearby and you call a tow truck, maybe talk to a witness quickly if there is one available. I would say that generally it is unusual for a cop to stay on the scene of a one car accident for longer than an hour.

It is clear that smith didn't treat this like a normal one car accident, the same kind that happens every day in nh. He must have thought there was something different about this wreck that required so much attention. How different he really thought it was is unclear. None of his actions are a definite indication that he thought foul play but it sure does look like he thought that might be a possibility. Bottoms line: he clearly did not treat this like a normal one car accident where the driver simply slid off the road.