Media Pressure

About Media Pressure

It’s been twenty years since 21-year-old nursing student Maura Murray disappeared without a trace on February 9, 2004. Yet countless questions remain and her family continues to fight for resolution. Her mysterious disappearance is a story that strangers have told hundreds of times. But absent in the story you’ve heard are the voices of those who knew Maura, those closest to the investigation. Not anymore. Maura’s sister, Julie Murray, hosts Season 1 of Media Pressure- The Untold Story of Maura Murray. The goal for this season is to cut out the noise and reveal who Maura really was with exclusive interviews, an in-depth look into the investigation efforts, and an exploration of the impact on those left behind.

Publisher

Voices for Justice Media

Category

society & culture · true crime

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

4 Jan 2024

Latest episode

25 Feb 2026

Latest episodes

13 of 13 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   25 Feb 2026TRANSCRIPT

   New Podcast: The Final Hours with Sarah Turney and Kourtney Nichole

   Today, I'm sharing an episode of The Final Hours, a new Crime House podcast hosted by Sarah Turney, and Kourtney Laymance. Listeners of Media Pressure know how much the framing of a story matters. The Final Hours applies that same scrutiny to disappearance cases by focusing on the hours before someone goes missing. Each episode examines the routines, timelines, and details that often get overlooked once a case enters the public narrative. Together, Kourtney and Sarah bring lived experience into every case, looking not only at what happened, but what led up to it. Listen to and Follow The Final Hours on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you listen. New episodes drop every Monday. Follow and Listen Here: ⁠https://play.megaphone.fm/tcgfvtv5reqwdlzzl9qmrw⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2. 

   13 Oct 2025TRANSCRIPT

   Introducing: CONSPIRACY THEORIES, CULTS, AND CRIMES

   This episode introduces Conspiracy Theories, Cults, and Crimes, a podcast that explores deception, manipulation, and destruction behind shocking secrets and nefarious organizations.

3. 

   3 Feb 2025TRANSCRIPT

   Episode 10: The Tides of Time – Chasing Leads in the Search for Maura Murray

   In this episode, Media Pressure Podcast Season One host Julie Murray explores the relentless search for answers in her sister Maura Murray’s disappearance—one that continues two decades later. With time pressing forward, Maura’s father, Fred Murray, refuses to wait, leading the charge for answers as new leads emerge and old theories resurface. Julie introduces private investigator Lou Barry, a former Chief of Police, who breaks down the complex process of filtering truth from misinformation in Maura’s case. One lead involving a man with a violent past takes us deeper into the unknown, while another search effort in Massachusetts turns up empty. From an old computer hard drive to a review of early investigative reports, Julie sifts through the details that could shift the narrative. We also hear from "June," a rare firsthand witness who interacted with Maura just before she vanished, shedding a different light on those final days. Despite the heartbreak of unanswered questions, the Murrays press forward, determined to uncover the truth—because the tides may rise and fall, but the search for Maura will never stop. Anyone with information about Maura Murray's disappearance is asked to call The New Hampshire State Police Cold Case Unit at 603-223-3648. To learn more about Maura Murray or see the sources used for this episode, visit MissingMauraMurray.org. Media Pressure is a Voices for Justice Media production. Follow the show on social media Instagram: @MediaPressurePod Twitter: @MediaPressPod Facebook: @MediaPressure Season one of Media Pressure is hosted by Julie Murray Twitter: @JulieMurray2_9 TikTok: @MauraMurrayMissing Instagram: @MySisterMauraMurray Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

4. 

   1 Apr 2024TRANSCRIPT

   Episode 9: Q&A

   Host Julie Murray and Executive Producer Sarah Turney discuss season one and answer your most burning questions about Maura Murray’s case. Anyone with information about Maura Murray's disappearance is asked to call The New Hampshire State Police Cold Case Unit at 603-223-3648. To learn more about Maura Murray or see the sources used for this episode, visit MissingMauraMurray.org. Media Pressure is a Voices for Justice Media production. Follow the show on social media Instagram: @MediaPressurePod Twitter: @MediaPressPod Facebook: @MediaPressure Season one of Media Pressure is hosted by Julie Murray Twitter: @JulieMurray2_9 TikTok: @MauraMurrayMissing Instagram: @MySisterMauraMurray Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

5. 

   18 Mar 2024TRANSCRIPT

   Episode 8: Engage With Empathy

   In the final episode of the season, Maura Murray’s family and those closest to the investigation share their gut feelings about what happened to Maura, examine the impact of the media coverage, and leave us with a call to action to engage with empathy. Someone knows something. The pressure is on. Anyone with information about Maura Murray's disappearance is asked to call The New Hampshire State Police Cold Case Unit at 603-223-3648. To learn more about Maura Murray or to see the sources used for this episode, visit MissingMauraMurray.org. Media Pressure is a Voices for Justice Media production. Follow the show on social media Instagram: @MediaPressurePod Twitter: @MediaPressPod Facebook: @MediaPressure Season one of Media Pressure is hosted by Julie Murray Twitter: @JulieMurray2_9 TikTok: @MauraMurrayMissing Instagram: @MySisterMauraMurray Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

6. 

   11 Mar 2024TRANSCRIPT

   Episode 7: We Looked Into That

   Nearly two decades later, the search for Maura Murray continues. Julie breaks down the search efforts to date. Fred Murray receives a tip that will turn the investigation upside down. Local private investigator John Smith shares his early involvement in the case and a strange visit from law enforcement. Frustrated with the case's stagnation, Fred Murray sues the state of New Hampshire for Maura’s case files under the Freedom of Information Act. Massachusetts Attorney Terrence O’Connell recounts a surprising discovery in a nearby pond, and reconstruction expert Daniel Parkka shares some startling discoveries. Anyone with information about Maura Murray's disappearance is asked to call The New Hampshire State Police Cold Case Unit at 603-223-3648. To learn more about Maura Murray or see the sources used for this episode, visit MissingMauraMurray.org. Media Pressure is a Voices for Justice Media production. Follow the show on social media Instagram: @MediaPressurePod Twitter: @MediaPressPod Facebook: @MediaPressure Season one of Media Pressure is hosted by Julie Murray Twitter: @JulieMurray2_9 TikTok: @MauraMurrayMissing Instagram: @MySisterMauraMurray Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

7. 

   4 Mar 2024TRANSCRIPT

   Episode 6: The Search

   The nightmare begins for Maura Murray’s family on Tuesday 10, 2004 when they learn she is missing. They walk through the gut-wrenching days and weeks following her disappearance. Julie dives into the investigation and outlines the early missteps and breaks in protocol by law enforcement. A witness, Karen McNamara, experiences a strange encounter while driving home from work. Could it be a clue? Why was a routine traffic stop earlier in the day omitted from the police log? Anyone with information about Maura Murray's disappearance is asked to call The New Hampshire State Police Cold Case Unit at 603-223-3648. To learn more about Maura Murray or see the sources used for this episode, visit MissingMauraMurray.org. Media Pressure is a Voices for Justice Media production. Follow the show on social media Instagram: @MediaPressurePod Twitter: @MediaPressPod Facebook: @MediaPressure Season one of Media Pressure is hosted by Julie Murray Twitter: @JulieMurray2_9 TikTok: @MauraMurrayMissing Instagram: @MySisterMauraMurray Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

8. 

   26 Feb 2024TRANSCRIPT

   Episode 5: The Fateful Day

   Why was Maura Murray in New Hampshire? Julie gives an intimate look into the timeline of February 9, 2004, the day Maura Murray seemingly disappears into thin air on the side of the road in rural New Hampshire. Julie shares new details never heard before and interviews with Maura’s family and those closest to Maura’s case. Anyone with information about Maura Murray's disappearance is asked to call The New Hampshire State Police Cold Case Unit at 603-223-3648. To learn more about Maura Murray or see the sources used for this episode, visit MissingMauraMurray.org. Media Pressure is a Voices for Justice Media production. Follow the show on social media Instagram: @MediaPressurePod Twitter: @MediaPressPod Facebook: @MediaPressure Season one of Media Pressure is hosted by Julie Murray Twitter: @JulieMurray2_9 TikTok: @MauraMurrayMissing Instagram: @MySisterMauraMurray Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

9. 

   19 Feb 2024TRANSCRIPT

   Episode 4: Days Before Disappearance

   The days leading up to Maura Murray’s disappearance in 2004 are almost as mysterious as the disappearance itself and have become true crime folklore. The devil is in the details, which is the episode’s focal point. Julie Murray breaks down the events and timeline leading up to February 9, 2004. Julie also speaks with Maura’s brothers, Fred Murray Jr. and Kurtis Murray, her father, Fred Murray, and friends Megan Sawyer and Kate Markopoulos to uncover little-known nuances surrounding some of the common misconceptions during this timeframe. Julie also strives to answer one of the biggest questions in Maura’s case…what happened at the party? Anyone with information about Maura Murray's disappearance is asked to call The New Hampshire State Police Cold Case Unit at 603-223-3648. To learn more about Maura Murray or see the sources used for this episode, visit MissingMauraMurray.org. Media Pressure is a Voices for Justice Media production. Follow the show on social media Instagram: @MediaPressurePod Twitter: @MediaPressPod Facebook: @MediaPressure Season one of Media Pressure is hosted by Julie Murray Twitter: @JulieMurray2_9 TikTok: @MauraMurrayMissing Instagram: @MySisterMauraMurray Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

10. 

    12 Feb 2024TRANSCRIPT

    Episode 3: No Excuse Ma'am

    This episode dives deep into Maura Murray’s time at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Following in her big sister’s footsteps, Maura joins Julie at West Point. She is quickly indoctrinated into cadet life and soon realizes she made a mistake. Julie speaks with one of Maura’s closest friends at the Academy, Megan Sawyer, in an exclusive interview, and with Maura’s friend from UMass, Kate Markopoulos, in her first interview about Maura’s case. Anyone with information about Maura Murray's disappearance is asked to call The New Hampshire State Police Cold Case Unit at 603-223-3648. To learn more about Maura Murray or see the sources used for this episode, visit MissingMauraMurray.org. Media Pressure is a Voices for Justice Media production. Follow the show on social media Instagram: @MediaPressurePod Twitter: @MediaPressPod Facebook: @MediaPressure Season one of Media Pressure is hosted by Julie Murray Twitter: @JulieMurray2_9 TikTok: @MauraMurrayMissing Instagram: @MySisterMauraMurray Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

11. 

    5 Feb 2024TRANSCRIPT

    Episode 1: The Call

    February 9, 2004, was no ordinary day for 21-year-old University of Massachusetts nursing student Maura Murray. The Dean’s List student leaves campus without telling a soul and heads north in her beat-up 1996 Saturn sedan. Several hours later, she vanishes without a trace off the side of Route 112 in Woodsville, a village in the town of Haverhill, New Hampshire. She is never seen again. This day will haunt her family and friends for the rest of their lives. This season examines one of the country’s most widely recognized true crime mysteries as told by those who lived it. This episode starts in the middle of the tragedy, February 9, 2004, and we quickly learn that nothing is black and white. Her sister, Julie Murray, brothers Fred Jr. and Kurtis Murray, and her father, Fred Murray, reflect on receiving THE call. Tune in to hear other exclusive interviews from award-winning Investigative Reporter Bob Ward, Attorney Terrence O’Connell, and renowned author and Clinical Psychologist Seth Gillihan. Anyone with information about Maura Murray's disappearance is asked to call The New Hampshire State Police Cold Case Unit at 603-223-3648. To learn more about Maura Murray or see the sources used for this episode, visit MissingMauraMurray.org. Media Pressure is a Voices for Justice Media production. Follow the show on social media Instagram: @MediaPressurePod Twitter: @MediaPressPod Facebook: @MediaPressure Season one of Media Pressure is hosted by Julie Murray Twitter: @JulieMurray2_9 TikTok: @MauraMurrayMissing Instagram: @MySisterMauraMurray Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

12. 

    5 Feb 2024TRANSCRIPT

    Episode 2: The Beginning

    Who is Maura Murray? Maura grew up on the South Shore of Massachusetts in the small town of Hanson, just south of Boston. She was a standout student-athlete at Whitman-Hanson Regional High School with big dreams of a bright future. This episode explores Maura Murray’s childhood and family dynamics. Her sister, Julie Murray, brothers Fred Murray Junior and Kurtis Murray, and father, Fred Murray, reminisce about Maura Murray's growing up. Tune in to hear funny and heart-wrenching stories as well as new details never before shared by her family. Anyone with information about Maura Murray's disappearance is asked to call The New Hampshire State Police Cold Case Unit at 603-223-3648. To learn more about Maura Murray or see the sources used for this episode, visit MissingMauraMurray.org. Media Pressure is a Voices for Justice Media production. Follow the show on social media Instagram: @MediaPressurePod Twitter: @MediaPressPod Facebook: @MediaPressure Season one of Media Pressure is hosted by Julie Murray Twitter: @JulieMurray2_9 TikTok: @MauraMurrayMissing Instagram: @MySisterMauraMurray Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

13. 

    4 Jan 2024TRANSCRIPT

    Trailer

    It’s been twenty years since 21-year-old nursing student Maura Murray disappeared without a trace on February 9, 2004. Yet countless questions remain, hundreds of theories circulate the internet, and her family continues to fight for resolution. Her mysterious disappearance is a story that strangers have told hundreds of times. But absent in the story you’ve heard are the voices of those who knew Maura, those closest to the investigation. Not anymore. Maura’s sister, Julie Murray, hosts Season 1 of Media Pressure- The Untold Story of Maura Murray. The goal for this season is to cut out the noise and reveal who Maura really was with exclusive interviews, an in-depth look into the investigation efforts, and an exploration of the impact on those left behind. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Inside a recent episode

New Podcast: The Final Hours with Sarah Turney and Kourtney Nichole

Published 25 Feb 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] If there's sensitive information that needs to be held back, hold it back. But why not let the family look at it? It's just another pair of eyes. I mean, usually multiple pairs of eyes from someone who knew this person best. Right. At that point, I mean, it can't really hurt, right? When a case has, you know, long since gone cold, it can't really hurt to have a pair of fresh eyes looking at it. And I, you know, I personally do agree that families should have more access to case files. And it's really, really sad to think that a lot of them, including Jennifer's family, had to pay to access them. […]

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.8 / 5

2,544 ratings

Spotify

4.9 / 5

1,571 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 49 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

39

Social presence

97

YouTube

0

Engagement

100

Contact Media Pressure

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

Questions about Media Pressure