The CrimeCon Cold Case Club wrapped up its first 6-week investigation with the help of over 6,000 registered members. The group utilized the collective brainpower and talents of its members to work alongside experts in reviewing case evidence and theories.
Sheryl McCollum, Director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, led club members in weekly virtual meetings through examining distinct aspects of the case and providing direct access to experts, special guests, case evidence and exclusive content. The ultimate goal was to bring awareness and fresh eyes to the case.
Club members dissected the Maura Murray case, as they followed along with Oxygen’s new show, The Disappearance of Maura Murray led by investigative journalist Maggie Freleng. Throughout it’s 6 weeks, the show brought twists and turns, as well as a ton of new information and insight.
In the final episode, the tested DNA results were revealed to be inconclusive. Art and Maggie met with psychic Allison DuBois, and traveled around New Hampshire seeking clues in the disappearance. Based on a lead from the internet, they then hike to the top of a mountain to the coordinates where Maura might have been buried. Finally, they sat down with Maura’s family to tell them that the state investigation had been reopened, and show them the last known images of Maura through previously unreleased ATM footage.
The final Club meeting on October 29th kicked off with an exclusive video from psychic Pam Coronado. Previously unfamiliar with the case, Pam was able to give a fresh perspective without any outside mental noise. She provides a surprising amount of detail in her video, which can be found inside the club portal. A few of the points she makes are actually very similar to what psychic Allison DuBois stated in the final episode.
Chief Investigator Sheryl McCollum and CrimeCon’s Kevin Balfe led the Club meeting in a live audio broadcast. They were joined by Maggie Freleng & Art Roderick, from The Disappearance of Maura Murray and Lance Reenstierna & Tim Pilleri, hosts of the Missing Maura Murray podcast.
During the meeting, the group answered questions from Club members and addressed a wide variety of topics. This included general concepts like the use of psychics in cold cases and the reluctance of eyewitnesses and friends to speak publicly. As well as particular case concerns such as the reliability of “Witness A’s” account of SUV 001 and the timeline on the night of the accident.
They dug deeper into specific topics from the show finale like the blood evidence from the “A Frame” house, the previously unreleased footage of Maura at the ATM machine, the “Loon Mountain 3” and the strange emails Tim & Lance received that included map coordinates, which ultimately led to their White Mountains hike.
When asked about the show conclusion, Art Roderick said:
“It would’ve been nice if we came to a conclusion and solved it in 6 hours but, we did close to 300 hours of interviews, we sat down with probably 100 people, interviewed each one for about an hour and a half. And all you see is a short 2-3 minute clip. It’s hard to say what impression everyone walks away with but we might have had a different one.”
Over the course of Oxygen’s investigative series, Maggie and Art take their best stab at debunking theories to come to a final conclusion. Ultimately, they decide that Maura was most likely murdered. The show had an obvious impact on it’s viewers and club members, as shown by the club’s survey results.
When initially surveyed at the start of the program, only 27% of club participants indicated that they believed Maura was murdered. At the conclusion of the program, that percentage had increased dramatically to 84%.
Next steps for the Club will be announced but in the interim, the member’s forum, private tips email, case documents, exclusive extras and past meeting archives remain open and all are encouraged to stay active. There is also a big session in production on the Maura Murray case for CrimeCon this May. Be sure to grab your tickets now!
Catch up on all of the past episodes of Oxygen’s “The Disappearance of Maura Murray” online for free.
