Maura Murray

If the family has had this information for a while, than I assume they passed the info to LE and it has been investigated.

I am still hoping that Renner will interview RO to get her account of things, rather than write it off as unimportant. I'm not convinced by his post that this is the same red truck that RO saw.

I should've worded what I said a little differently. The FBI was willing to work the case, IF they were asked for help from the nhsp. The nhsp only requested their assistance in doing the background work down in mass, which they did for the FBI.

So it's not like the FBI wanted to work the case and the nhsp told them they can't, they were just never invited to do any work in nh.

Unless specifically requested the FBI only works cases that are federal crimes, since there was no evidence of an interstate kidnapping or local corruption there was nothing for them to do unless the nhsp requested assistance.

The FBI did say that they would work the case but the nhsp never requested their assistance. Unless their assistance is requested they can't just work any case they want, only cases where a FEDERAL crime is suspected. At this point there is no reason to think there was a federal crime committed.

Renner needs to interview RO and the plate number person ASAP. I´m not totally convinced this is the same red truck that was seen parked on BHR with driver outside.

Frostman wrote:

From Renner’s blog today:
"Graves says a red truck was seen pulling into the Stage Shop but it wasn't from Mass. Another witness grabbed the plate number and handed it over to the family later on. It was registered to a local man named Walter Glynn. Glynn apparently lives with his brother. As far as Graves knows, the men have never been questioned.”
When was the last time you made a concerted effort to write down the plate number of a vehicle that was just out and about?

This is inaccurate info. concerning the red truck

hannah_b wrote:

Renner needs to interview RO and the plate number person ASAP. I´m not totally convinced this is the same red truck that was seen parked on BHR with driver outside.

I think the plate number person should at least be told that his full name is on an internet forum/blog pertaining to a missing woman. I think Renner should have tried harder to find him and talk to him before putting his full name on his blog.
And if Renner thinks it's probably nothing and the guy was probably just turning around then why did he put his name out there for the world to see?

citigirl wrote:

<quoted text>This is inaccurate info. concerning the red truck

Then please tell us what the accurate info concerning Red Truck is. Thanks.

Teenagers who leave home in search of a better life are called "runaways." Adults who do so are called "walkaways." To say that Maura ran away is in keeping with--inaccurately--referring to her and thinking of her as a "young girl"--a silly, impetuous child. Words are powerful. Language matters.

I find this quite interesting considering that Renner supposedly starting writing his book already.

Subreddit submitted today, April 22, 2013, by James Renner:

"Can you help me solve Maura Murray's disappearance?

I'm a true crime journalist/novelist from Ohio. I made my mark writing about unsolved crimes in Cleveland. Wrote a couple books. I'm currently researching the 2004 unsolved disappearance of UMass student Maura Murray. Everyone involved in this case had serious skeletons in their closet but I need a little help finding the clue that will lead us to Maura.
http://mauramurray.blogspot.com "

I'll post the link in a separate post in case Topix won't post it.

Idyldreama wrote:

Teenagers who leave home in search of a better life are called "runaways." Adults who do so are called "walkaways." To say that Maura ran away is in keeping with--inaccurately--referring to her and thinking of her as a "young girl"--a silly, impetuous child. Words are powerful. Language matters.

yes, precise, accurate language matters.

For a family that has committed itself to the notion that Maura drove the Saturn from Amherst to Haverhill, that she met with foul play, and her family will leave no stone unturned in their effort to find out what happened to Maura, they seem curiously uninterested about BSG's observation of Saturn damage before it left Amherst.

Even if Maura's family does not like the source, regardless of how discredited or "clinically disturbed" they would like to describe him, are they just not quite interested enough to find out about it? Isn't Maura's family rather too willing to let a little prejudice get in their way? Are they really that determined to follow up on this info?

Maruchan wrote:

I find this quite interesting considering that Renner supposedly starting writing his book already.
Subreddit submitted today, April 22, 2013, by James Renner:
"Can you help me solve Maura Murray's disappearance?
I'm a true crime journalist/novelist from Ohio. I made my mark writing about unsolved crimes in Cleveland. Wrote a couple books. I'm currently researching the 2004 unsolved disappearance of UMass student Maura Murray. Everyone involved in this case had serious skeletons in their closet but I need a little help finding the clue that will lead us to Maura.
http://mauramurray.blogspot.com "
I'll post the link in a separate post in case Topix won't post it.

Yep, Topix deleted the link.

To find it, go to wwwDOTredditDOTcom and type in "solve maura murray" in the "search reddit" box on the right - it should be the only hit.

This is funny.

Uh, James, her name isn't "Robin Ordway" either.

:)

Everybody, I do hope you're aware that Renner makes changes to his blog posts when the mood strikes him. He started off with "Robinson Ordway" and changed it to "Robin Ordway" later on this evening, apparently after reading here. For reasons unknown, he apparently decided that the witness's name was "Robin" based on ... what exactly?

(insert "rolling eyes" icon here)

He also approved comments after I posted, and John Green posted questions as well, to which Renner replied: "Lots of good questions, everyone. This is still new info. I will check in with Rick again as to how exactly that info was given over. I would like to talk to the ***** brothers or anyone who knows them."

Like I said before, he doesn't investigate - he just throws stuff up and hope some of it sticks. As FrmLE said, "Irresponsible is the word that comes to mind."

FrmLE wrote:

I personally find the manner in which Renner ‘investigates’ to be amateurish and careless. He throws names out like candy canes at the Christmas Parade, without verification or even speaking to the person who headlines his blog this week.
I am glad I am not just some local guy who gets fingered by someone who heard something from someone who saw something and told his neighbor who told Renner.
Irresponsible is the word that comes to mind.

it's cheap and easy to toss names out with abandon. some have done the same on topix. having integrity in journalism and in life are not different.

Maruchan wrote:

I find this quite interesting considering that Renner supposedly starting writing his book already.
Subreddit submitted today, April 22, 2013, by James Renner:
"Can you help me solve Maura Murray's disappearance?
I'm a true crime journalist/novelist from Ohio. I made my mark writing about unsolved crimes in Cleveland. Wrote a couple books. I'm currently researching the 2004 unsolved disappearance of UMass student Maura Murray. Everyone involved in this case had serious skeletons in their closet but I need a little help finding the clue that will lead us to Maura.

i have a hunch that, like many of us, james witnessed the power of reddit in the aftermath of the boston marathon bombings and figured he would throw a line into the water, so to speak, to see what could come of it. i say this not as a defense of james or his journalistic practices. i'm also surprised that he appeals to information that will "lead us to Maura" as opposed to appealing for information that will help fill in the details of her disappearance or to answer some of the mystery surrounding her disappearance. i may be parsing words, but it seems like james really is intent on not just writing about the case but resolving it by finding maura. good luck with that. i also find it interesting that he is continuing to fish for info even though he has started writing the book. i guess he could be doing both, but it seems like extra work if he gets more info later that will change or color whatever he may have already written.

Maruchan wrote:

Everybody, I do hope you're aware that Renner makes changes to his blog posts when the mood strikes him. He started off with "Robinson Ordway" and changed it to "Robin Ordway" later on this evening, apparently after reading here. For reasons unknown, he apparently decided that the witness's name was "Robin" based on ... what exactly?

it think this makes a good point about journalistic integrity. most online news sources, whether corporate news sites or reputable citizen-journalist sites, will either add a comment at the end when an article is edited after it has posted, or will actually leave the original text with a strike through it and insert edited or clarified text directly in the article itself. now, we all know an author's personal blog isn't the same as either of those, but it certainly would be on the up-and-up for an investigative journalist to at least note what was edited, post-publication, and why.

just my two cents.

I've explained it before.

I use my blog as a generator of leads. I believe in "crowd-sourcing" clues and info in these unsolved cases. A "hive mind" of readers is always going to be smarter than one individual journalist. Yes, the Reddit post went up after I noticed how readers there helped generate leads in the Boston bombing case. I was very impressed by that.

There are lots of new tips coming in based on the posts I've put up in the last two weeks. In fact, I would not know the identity of the man from Maura's photo yet if not for my readers.

What isn't helpful are the posters on here who "know" certain information that may be helpful to the investigation but choose not to share it. These people I call "Gollums" and they show up in every cold case. I dealt with them during the Amy Mihaljevic book, too. It's creepy, really. They think by hanging on to their "precious" info, it makes them special somehow.

hannah_b wrote:

I remember Whiston being kicked off the MMM forum for asking too many questions. Maybe he believed the purpose of the forum was finding her, but it was seemingly really meant as a shrine to the All American Girl and an altar to the Murray cult. Several other posters were scolded for asking questions. Then there was the Time Out Tent, complete with a bartender... People where so often punished for asking questions it became a joke even amongst themselves. Sickening, I say! I quickly realized I wouldn´t be welcome on that forum, so I refrained from posting and just read along.

If I could shed a counter thought. Here's one example: Helena said Maura ran for UMASS. Another poster looked into UMASS and found out Maura never ran track there, and so the idea that the Murray's were not forthcoming about Maura was added to the existing pile of miscommunication.

Maura, ran cross country.

See?

And the beat went on.......

citigirl wrote:

<quoted text>This is inaccurate info. concerning the red truck

Is it inaccurate in it's entirety or inaccurate in insignificant details? Will you divulge the accurate information?

citigirl wrote:

<quoted text>This is inaccurate info. concerning the red truck

Tonto say: Her words true because computer say so.

Computer. Always. True.

Topix is only on computer.

Topix always true.

Tonto say: Too much letters. Computer simple. Not computer.

Renner not computer.

Tonto say: A wise man nose what to believe because wise man use computer.

James Renner wrote:

I've explained it before.
I use my blog as a generator of leads. I believe in "crowd-sourcing" clues and info in these unsolved cases. A "hive mind" of readers is always going to be smarter than one individual journalist. Yes, the Reddit post went up after I noticed how readers there helped generate leads in the Boston bombing case. I was very impressed by that.
There are lots of new tips coming in based on the posts I've put up in the last two weeks. In fact, I would not know the identity of the man from Maura's photo yet if not for my readers.
What isn't helpful are the posters on here who "know" certain information that may be helpful to the investigation but choose not to share it. These people I call "Gollums" and they show up in every cold case. I dealt with them during the Amy Mihaljevic book, too. It's creepy, really. They think by hanging on to their "precious" info, it makes them special somehow.