The police arrive at the scene of an accident on Route 112 in Haverhill, New Hampshire. They approach the crashed vehicle, but curiously, the young woman who was reportedly driving it is not there. Red stains appear to be inside and outside of the car. Although air bags deployed during impact (implying this could be serious), the stains are from red wine and not from blood. The bus driver who spotted the young woman was asked not to call the officers. In fact, the young woman “pleaded” with the bus driver not to do so. She said she would call AAA, but everyone knows there is no cell phone service in this area. So the bus driver felt wary leaving the scene and called the authorities as soon as he got home. Now, the girl is gone.

It is not uncommon for somewhat intoxicated young drivers to abandon their vehicles, so the police are not too worried at this point. At present, this looks like another crazy college student left her car stranded. Tonight, officers believe they are looking at a crash. They are not envisioning that investigators will revisit this site again and again in the years to come. They have no idea that this day, February 9 2004, will mark the disappearance of Maura Murray.

While this may sound like a plot from a novelist like Gillian Flynn, it is a true account of The Disappearance of Maura Murray, now a six-part series on the Oxygen network. It also inspired the popular podcast Missing Maura Murray devoted to the most diligent deep-dive into this case. True crime enthusiasts are riveted and armchair detectives continually weigh in on Reditt and other popular online forums. Those following the case know that there are so many details - a deluge of details - that it is easy to become distracted and bogged down by parts of the timeline.

Maura was a U Mass student who had allegedly left West Point on the heels of some troubling disciplinary infractions. She may have had a smattering of personal issues. Prior to her disappearance, she planned a road trip and sent an email stating she would not be in class due to a death in the family. There was no actual death in the family. Maura may have been in distress and completely stressed out (she had reportedly once used a stolen credit card. Another time, more recent to her disappearance, she had done damage to her dad’s car when leaving a party). Perhaps Maura’s relationship with her boyfriend was seriously at issue and she felt pressure from the father she looked up to.....On the other hand, there is the chance that none of that is terribly relevant anymore if Maura didn’t simply vanish without a trace...

Perhaps Maura was murdered by someone who saw her stranded roadside and offered her a ride. All we know is that Maura’s trail went completely cold. This has been verified by scent dogs.

THOSE WELL-VERSED (AND IMMERSED) IN THE MAURA MURRAY CASE

There are investigators, profilers, writers, podcast hosts and a true crime author named James Renner.

Wikipedia James Renner, author of True Crime Addict: How I Lost Myself in the Mysterious Disappearance of Maura Murray

Renner is seen as a controversial figure attached to this case, especially for his speculations about Maura Murray’s father Fred’s behavior. The scrutiny Renner is under is part of the price one pays for intense fascination with a missing person’s case. A fascination so fierce that he has turned over every possible theory and tried to discuss the psychology of every player in this story. What the actual “story” is remains in question and Renner knows there’s still a lot that he does not know.

One thing is for certain: He has devoted time, money, resources and energies into this search. He has listened to strangers and even hopped into one’s car to hear the man’s theories about what happened to Maura. He is hopeful, though not necessarily certain, that Maura Murray is still out there and has started a new life, possibly in Canada.

There is also journalist Maggie Freleng who is investigating the disappearance and can be seen in the Oxygen series. Unlike the middle-aged men before her devoted to this case, Freleng brings a female Millennial’s perspective. She is also a former U Mass student who heard of Maura’s case when she attended the college. She sat down with me for the following interview several weeks ago: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/journalist-maggie-freleng-investigates-the-disappearance_us_59c017b6e4b06ecee6b2a2f1

JAMES RENNER IS ACTUALLY 50/50 AS TO WHETHER MAURA IS ALIVE OR DEAD

The hosts of the podcast True Crime Garage, known as Nic and The Captain, are the ones to inform me that despite what I see in the Oxygen documentary, James Renner is not 100 percent convinced that Maura Murray is alive and living in Canada (though due to sightings there, it is a theory of his as mentioned in the Oxygen series). True Crime Garage has conducted several interviews with Renner.

Facebook Nic and The Captain of True Crime Garage

THE TANDEM DRIVER

Renner confirms with me that the podcast hosts are indeed correct: “What I’m convinced of is that she was not traveling alone. I believe there was a tandem driver in the vehicle ahead of them and they were the one/s that picked her up after the crash. I’d like to believe she’s alive and the tandem driver helped her get away because she wanted to start a new life. However, it is also possible that the tandem driver is responsible for her death.” On Tuesday, Renner posted some new thoughts on this tandem driver: http://mauramurray.blogspot.com/2017/10/a-new-theory.html

HOW RENNER GOT HOOKED

Renner has written about being consumed with the case. He even contends that his fascination is unhealthy. That is the reason he’s trying to step away from True Crime (he writes fictional crime as well), though he remains dedicated to the search for Murray.

As to how he got involved in the first place: “I was looking for a big case I could write a book about. When I heard about this one, it stood out because there are two mysteries tangled around each other. There is the mystery of what happened, and the other of what she was doing in the White Mountains to begin with. I feel as though I’ve answered the question of what she was doing in the mountains. It really is a double mystery and it’s confounding.”

Scrutinized and criticized for speculating about Maura’s mental state at the time of her disappearance, and for weighing in on Fred’s reluctance to discuss personal events in his daughter’s life, Renner is still not deterred. “I want her family to have closure. We all are concerned and want to know what happened to Maura. There is that common goal,” he stresses. Despite being in the hot seat and even having The Disappearance of Maura Murray address that very point about him, Renner says about the series: “Whatever gets everybody to the table in helping to solve this case, I have no issues with.”

THERE ARE PLENTY OF CHARACTERS, BUT DO NOT CALL THEM “SUSPECTS”

One notable thing about Maura Murray’s disappearance is that it would be inaccurate to say there are any real “suspects.” There certainly are characters. Everybody who has spoken up has become a part of the story in some way and to some extent.

”As far as suspects go, you have a list,” explains Renner, “but the thing you have to remember is there’s no evidence of a crime here and that has plagued the investigation from the beginning. What if there’s no crime? Maura could be a young woman who wanted to run away. That’s not illegal. It’s something that’s very conflicting about all these types of investigations. If we are dealing with a murder here, it has to be someone that she knew. I think for whatever reason, people want to add drama where there’s no drama and it’s very disturbing. I’ve had some of these people online take pictures of my son and put them on YouTube. Yes, they are very distrustful individuals, but I don’t think they have anything to do with Maura’s disappearance.”

Renner adds that he hopes Bill, Maura’s boyfriend at the time she vanished, talks to Maggie Freleng in the documentary. He has spoken to Bill and feels there is a lot there to sift through.

James Renner's blog - http://mauramurray.blogspot.com/p/cast-of-characters.html Maura Murray with Bill Rausch

“I also spoke with Maura’s track coach who she was having an affair with while seeing Bill. http://mauramurray.blogspot.com/2011/09/real-maura-murray.html He’s the one who said Maura used to talk about running away and starting a new life. Interestingly, Maura only mentioned her boyfriend to him and not her father. She seemed to have a fantasy of wanting to get away from her boyfriend who was very controlling. Bill (the boyfriend) is a very interesting character and there will be more coming out about him. Back in 2011, there was an alleged sexual assault at his work and he left that job over the allegation. Two more women have come forward since the documentary has started airing. I’m speaking to the second one tonight and expect to get more of the same. The thing with Bill is that he has an alibi - he was in Fort Sill, Oklahoma, many miles away, when Maura disappeared.”

James Renner's blog - http://mauramurray.blogspot.com Bill Rausch today

ANOTHER MAJOR MISCONCEPTION ABOUT RENNER

Renner took to his blog to set the record straight about something: He had not actually been the one to say anything about Fred having an inappropriate relationship with his daughter. This was something actually discussed by online commentators. He clarifies how this took flight in the following blog post: http://mauramurray.blogspot.com/2017/10/the-toughest-question.html

Renner has been very critical of Fred Murray on other fronts: “He was never open with the media before my book came out unless he could direct questions and control the narrative. He didn’t want it known that Maura was about to be kicked out of West Point.They allowed her to withdraw. He didn’t want it known that she was linked to credit card fraud and identity theft. When all of that was made public, it was a case of ‘what do you have to lose now?’ Prior to that, Fred was effectively saying that none of what happened in the days leading up to the disappearance matters. Of course it does! Past is prologue.”

RENNER’S OWN PSYCHOLOGICAL DIAGNOSIS

Renner discussed having his own psychological diagnosis in his book about the Maura Murray case, True Crime Addict: How I Lost Myself in the Mysterious Disappearance of Maura Murray. Critics have weighed in on Renner’s credibility because he states in the book that a test he was administered indicated he has antisocial personality disorder (I, for one, am doubting the results after speaking with Renner who seems incredibly helpful and kind).

I ask Renner to respond to those critics: “When I write, I want people to remember that these obsessions are very unhealthy. If you’re going to read Trainspotting, you should NOT come away with the thought ‘using drugs is cool.’ I want my book to be the Trainspotting of true crime. The obsession is unhealthy and that’s why I’m not doing true crime anymore. As far as my credibility, the publisher of my book made sure it was seriously vetted. And the facts stand. What I found during the course of writing it: These bad guys are stand-ins for my grandfather who was a very bad guy, a serial rapist! As I try to get these bad guys, I’m reminded of the one bad guy I never could get.”

THE RAG IN THE TAILPIPE - A RED HERRING?

In episode 3 of the Oxygen series, the investigators discuss how a rag was found in the tailpipe of Maura Murray’s car. Was someone nefariously trying to cause trouble to Murray’s car? Says Renner: “The rag in the tailpipe will be explained I think. It's a red herring. It came from her trunk.” Viewers will have to see what episode 4 reveals about this aspect of the case.

MAURA’S SISTER KATHLEEN

The night before Maura went missing, she appeared to be in a trance and broke down in tears after getting off the phone. “My sister!” was all that she said. No one is clear about that phone conversation and how it may have affected Murray. Kathleen Murray does disclose that she had spoken to Maura about some personal problems that night. Oxygen viewers have expressed their uncertainty after watching Kathleen’s interview. Is there something the sister isn’t saying?

Says Renner: “I wouldn't read too much into Kathleen's interview. I think she was very nervous. I think one day she might open up more about her own life and memories of Maura. I hope she finds the strength to do so.”

WE ARE SPINNING WEB AFTER WEB AFTER WEB, BUT STILL FEEL LIKE WE’RE GETTING NOWHERE

Many an avid listener of the popular Missing Maura Murray podcast (the hosts are part of the Oxygen series) have expressed the above sentiment.

“I think we’ll have an answer one way or another very soon,” says Renner with conviction, “The Oxygen series is very well done and I feel it will compel people to come forward and finally share the information they have.”

This Saturday, James Renner will have a Facebook live discussion at 9 pm EST after the next episode of Oxygen’s The Disappearance of Maura Murray airs (Week, the six-part series airs Saturdays, 7/6c and 9/8c).

NEXT UP ON THE HUFFINGTON POST: The hosts of True Crime Garage and others weigh in on this case. Stay tuned.