John and Jeff discuss the timeline and events that took place the evening of Monday February 9, 2004 at the Weathered Barn Corner in Haverhill, NH and how those events affect the case of Maura Murray.

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On February 9, 2004,  at 3:30 PM Maura Murray departed from UMASS in Amherst, MA. AT 7:30 she disappeared 150 miles away in Haverhill, NH. But what happened before she left may be the clue to finding out what happened. Join the True Crime Monkey and investigator John Smith as they delve into the detail of the days before she left UMASS. 
#mauramurray #disappearance #johnsmith #truecrimemonkey #missing #disappearanceofmauramurray

In 2022 John Smith and myself did a Q & A via Zoom call about the Maura Murray case that was suggested by one of the Maura Murray Facebook pages. Listeners could join the call and ask questions. The feedback was very positive. So I hope you enjoy part 2 of this multi part episode !

In 2022 John Smith and myself did a Q & A via Zoom call about the Maura Murray case that was suggested by one of the Maura Murray Facebook pages. Listeners could join the call and ask questions. The feedback was very positive. So I hope you enjoy part 1 of this multi part episode !

On Thursday August 8, 2013 Brandon Lawson arrived back to his home where he lived with his long time girlfriend, Ladessa Lofton. The couple had been together for over 10 years, and had 3 kids together. Brandon also had 1 other child from a former relationship. Shortly before 11 PM that evening, Brandon and Ladessa got into an arguement. According to a reporter on the story, most likely the argument was over the fact that Brandon had not returned home the night before, and that Ladessa believed that Brandon had started doing drugs again. However, a friend close to Brandon, Jason Watts, said in an interview, “to take that story with a grain of salt”. However, Brandon’s own brother Kyle tells a different story in a prerecorded interview we’ll play for you later in this podcast.  Brandon did have a history of drug abuse, mainly marijuana and methamphetamines, but had been clean for the past 6 months. Brandon was starting a new job the following week, and in fact, had just passed a drug test the day before he went missing. Brandon was leaving his job at Renegade Oil Well Services, for a better paying job, with better benefits. Brandon, it seemed was trying to better himself and provide more for his family.

On Saturday night, August 3, 2019, most Dayton, OH residents went to bed trying to comprehend why a maniac went into a Wal Mart in El Paso, Texas earlier that day and killed 23 people in a mass shooting. But, by the time Daytonians would wake up Sunday morning they would have to deal with another mass shooting, but time it was in their own backyard, Dayton’s Oregon District.

This is a blast from the past. In 2018 I did a Q & A interview with John Smith who has been investigating the Disappearance of Maura Murray since day one.  Many things have changed with the case since the time of this interview. But many of those who had listened to it back in 2018, have asked me to revive the interview and put it in podcast form. So here it is. I hope you enjoy this oldie but goodie.

It was Friday April 1, 2006, the last day of classes before Spring Break for students at the Ohio State University in Columbus, OH. 27 year old Brian Shaffer, a second year medical school student, had plans of going out for a few drinks with is friend William “Clint” Florence to kick off the weekend, before taking off for Miami Fl with his girlfriend Alexis Waggoner. They had planned a spring break vacation trip given to Brian by his mother, Renee Shaffer. Some close to the couple thought that Brian might even propose to Alexis while in Miami. The two were to board their flight that Monday morning, but Brian would never make it to the airport for his flight.

Brian Shaffer was born on February 25, 1979 to Renee and Randy Shaffer. Brian also has a younger brother named Derek. Brian grew up in Pickerington, OH a superb just out side Columbus, OH. He graduated High School in 1997, and then enrolled at Ohio State University. Brian was on the “6 year plan” and in 2003 earned is bachelors degree in Microbiology. Brian then enrolled in the OSU College of Medicine in 2004. He was in his second year of medical school at the time of his disappearance. While in medical school, Brian met his future girlfriend, Alexis Waggoner from Toledo, OH. Brian was always attracted to the “beach life”. He even once stated that “the medical thing is a temporary gig” and that his real passion was to start his own back playing music in the style and Jimmy Buffet. Could Brian have been foreshadowing his own future ?

Brian was very close to his parents, especially his mother, Renee. Unfortunately, she was diagnosed with cancer and would pass away in 2006, just three weeks before Brian would disappear. The loss of his mother was especially tough for Brian, although those around him said he handled it well. Although, Brian disappeared in 2006, the Shaffer family would suffer another deviation loss in 2008. Brians father Randy would be killed by a falling tree branch just outside his home, while he was out surveying damage caused by strong winds in the area from the remnants of Hurricane Ike which had made their way all the way up to the Ohio Valley. This had left only Derek, Brian’s younger brother to grieve alone, as he has lost his mother, his brother, and his father in a span of only two years.

On Sunday July 22, 2001, 28 year old Niqui McCown attended church in her hometown of Richmond, IN. After church, Niqui headed over to a nearby laundromat, while her fiancé and high school sweetheart, Robert “Bobby” Webster met up with his best man at a local tuxedo shop to get fitted for his upcoming wedding that was scheduled in just 3 weeks. Niqui and Bobby had dated all thru high school but had broken up when Bobby moved out to California. However, after his return, about three years prior to her disappearance, Niqui and Bobby had rekindled their relationship. The two planned to meet up later that afternoon at 4:30 PM at Niqui’s mother’s house, but that meeting would never take place.

Marilyn Renee Nicole McCown was born on January 6, 1973. Niqui had a 9 year old daughter, Peyton, from a previous relationship. Niqui and Peyton’s father Steven, maintained a cordial relationship and co parented their daughter. Niqui was the youngest of 10 children in a very close knit family, and was especially close with her sister Michelle.

At the time of her disappearance Niqui worked just over the state line in Dayton, OH which is about a 45 drive from her home in Richmond, IN. Niqui worked at the Montgomery County Education and Pre-Release Center. She began her career there as a corrections officer and had worked her way up to a position in the accounting department. She was also a member of the facility’s Hostage Negotiation Team. Additionally, Niqui was taking classes Sinclair Community College in Dayton, OH in hopes of becoming a US Marshall or working for the FBI.

On that fateful day of July 22, 2001, after initially going to the laundromat Niqui returned to her mother’s home, Niqui’s mother was watching Peyton while Niqui was busy.  Niqui told her mother that she wasn’t comfortable waiting at the laundromat because 2 Hispanic men were harassing her there. Niqui was a very attractive woman and had had a similar situation happen once before, with an unidentified white male. Her mother told her to just get her clothes and finish her laundry there at her home. Niqui left her mothers home to presumably return to the laundromat, but no one knows for certain what happened after that, and Niqui never returned back to her mothers home.

Erica Nicole Baker was born on June 22, 1989 and was 3’11 and weighed 65 pounds at the time of her disappearance. Erica’s parents Greg Baker and Misty Baker were divorced at the time, and Erica stay primarily with her mother. On February 7th at around 3:30 PM, Erica asked her mother if she could take her dog, a Shih Tzu named Jamie, for a walk. Her mother initially said no, because it was raining and she didn’t want Erica to catch a cold. But Erica persisted and promised to wear a raincoat over her Winnie the Pooh sweater. Her mother has since regretted that decision, and hasn’t seen her daughter since.

When Erica had not returned home after a reasonable amount of time, her mother began to worry and began to search for Erica. Her anxiety level would only increase when shortly after she began searching, Erica’s dog, Jamie, was found walking in the street, with his leash still attached. Police were then called and the official search began. The search lasted thru the night and continued into the following days. Authorities even drained a 2.9 million gallon retention pond at the Kettering Rec Center in hopes of finding Erica.