R.C. Stevens is looking into the disappearance of nursing student Maura Murray.

HAVERHILL, N.H. (AP) – The family of a missing Massachusetts woman has hired an investigator to find out what happened to her following a minor car crash in northern New Hampshire.

R.C. Stevens of PSII Inc., a Northampton, Mass., private investigation agency, is looking into the disappearance of 21-year-old Maura Murray, who was last seen the night of Feb. 9.

It appears Murray, a nursing student at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, was planning a getaway. She lied to professors about a death in the family, said she would be gone from class for the week, then packed her belongings as if she was moving out.

Her family and friends believe she was given a ride and want police to treat her disappearance as a criminal investigation.

“With all the attention from the media, if a good person had picked her up, he would have come forward,” said Sharon Rausch, mother of Bill Rausch, Murray’s boyfriend. “It leads us to believe a bad guy picked her up.

“I just wish they would treat this as a criminal investigation. If they treated it as such, the FBI could become more involved,” she said.

Lt. John Scarinza, commander of New Hampshire State Police Troop F, said that investigators are still treating Murray’s disappearance as a missing person investigation.

Scarinza said there is absolutely no evidence foul play has been involved, and that people living in the area of the accident scene have been interviewed several times.

A search of nearby homes by a canine team as well as forensics experts would require a search warrant. And a search warrant would require probable cause.

Searches of the area, using dogs and a helicopter, have turned up no sign that Murray wandered into the snow-covered wods.

AP-ES-03-01-04 1048EST