*Last Updated – August 11, 2024*
EARLY LIFE:
Brianna Maitland was born in Burlington, Vermont, on October 8, 1986, to parents Bruce and Kellie Maitland. The youngest of two children, she grew up on a farm in East Franklin, Vermont, not far from the Canadian border.
Known affectionately as “Bri” and “B”, Brianna was a well-liked and well-rounded young woman who was a joy to be around. Her spontaneity, confidence and overall happiness resulted in her gravitating toward everyone around her, and she was described as having been very trusting of others. In terms of her favourite activities, she was known to be an avid reader and had trained several years in jiujitsu.
On her 17th birthday, Brianna decided she wanted to leave the family farm and move closer to her friends, who lived 15 miles away and attended a different high school. Wanting more independence and to experience life away from her rural surroundings, she enrolled in her friends’ school and ventured out on her own.
Brianna’s living arrangements weren’t stable at this time, as she bounced between friends’ homes, and while her parents were not happy with her moving out, they decided to tolerate the situation.
By February 2004, Brianna had dropped out of school, but was still determined to complete her education, enrolling herself in a GED program. At the time, she’d found stable living arrangements with her childhood friend, Jillian Stout, in Sheldon, Vermont.
LEAD UP TO DISAPPEARANCE:
Approximately three weeks before her disappearance, Brianna was reportedly attacked by a female acquaintance whilst at a party. While the reason for the assault is unclear, Bruce believes it may have been the result of jealousy, caused by Brianna interacting with a male individual.
According to witnesses, Brianna hadn’t tried to defend herself. She subsequently went to the hospital, where she received treatment for two black eyes, facial cuts, a concussion and a broken nose. She’d filed a criminal complaint that was still pending at the time of her disappearance, but it was dropped by the District Attorney three weeks after she went missing, against her parents’ objections.
During the early stages of the investigation into her disappearance, investigators stated the woman who attacked Brianna had been cleared of any involvement.
On the morning of March 19, 2004, Brianna took and passed her GED examination, meaning she could move forward with her plans to attend college part-time. To celebrate the accomplishment, she and her mother had lunch together and spent the afternoon shopping.
According to Kellie, Brianna was in good spirits, with the two discussing her college plans. However, she did notice a shift in her daughter’s mood while the pair were waiting to checkout at a store, when something caught Brianna’s attention. She had gone outside, and when Kellie went to meet her in the parking lot, she seemed noticeable shaken. Not wanting to pry, Kellie didn’t ask what was bothering her.
Kellie dropped Brianna back at her residence between 3:30 PM and 4:00 PM, as she had to work that evening. Before leaving for her shift as a dishwasher at the Black Lantern Inn in Montgomery, some 20 miles from Sheldon, Brianna left Jillian a note, saying she’d be home later that night.
According to Brianna’s coworkers, the shift went by uneventfully. The 17-year-old hadn’t received or made any calls, and she didn’t have any visitors. After they’d closed up, they remember asking Brianna if she’d like to have dinner with them, but she declined, saying she was tired and had to work the next morning at her second job at KJ’s Diner in St. Albans, Vermont.
DISAPPEARANCE:
At 11:20 PM on March 19, 2004, Brianna left the Black Lantern Inn, with her coworkers recalling her getting into her car and driving out of the parking lot. That weekend, Jillian had been away visiting family, so didn’t see her roommate’s note until she returned home that Monday. When she didn’t find Brianna at the residence, she assumed she’d simply moved back in with her parents and brother in East Franklin.
On March 20, 2004, a state trooper was dispatched to an abandoned barn in Richford, Vermont, known as the “old Dutchburn house”. The location is about a mile west of Montgomery, off East Berkshire Road and Vermont Route 118, across from Dutchburn Farm Road.
When he arrived, he found a pale green four-door 1985 Oldsmobile Delta backed into the barn, causing minor damage to the rear bumper. The vehicle had made a hole in the barn wall, causing a piece of plywood that had been covering one of the windows to land on its trunk. There were no indications that the Oldsmobile had come off the road in an uncontrolled way.
A closer examination showed the rear wheels had been raised, causing the vehicle to become disabled, and it was unlocked, despite the keys being missing. Inside were two uncashed paycheques totalling $150 on the front seat. A variety of other personal effects were found outside, including some loose change, a water bottle and an unsmoked cigarette.
Assuming the Oldsmobile had simply been abandoned by a suspected drunk driver, the trooper arranged for it to be towed to a local garage. A check of the vehicle’s registration showed it belonged to Kellie Maitland, but the Vermont State Police didn’t notify her about it being impounded, as the paycheques indicated Brianna had been the primary driver. Hoping to inform her that it had been found, they went to the Black Lantern Inn, but it was closed.
Later, investigators came to believe that the accident involving the Oldsmobile and the “old Dutchburn house” had been staged, according to a 2007 flyer distributed by the FBI.
As Brianna wasn’t scheduled to work on March 21, 2004, her coworkers weren’t aware she had gone missing. On March 23, Jillian called Brianna’s parents and learnt her roommate hadn’t actually returned home to East Franklin.
Kellie became concerned upon learning that her daughter hadn’t been seen in a few days and thus began to call Brianna’s friends and employers. Unfortunately, no one had been in contact with her since the night she’d last worked. Kellie then reported her daughter missing, and it was at this time that the Oldsmobile became connected to the case.
SEARCH:
On March 25, 2004, Bruce and Kellie gave photos of Brianna to the Vermont State Police. Investigators were initially unsure that foul play was involved, given there were no signs of a violent confrontation at the scene where the Oldsmobile had been found. As such, they considered the 17-year-old to be a runaway.
Despite this, they still initiated a search, which involved officers and search dogs combing the area around the barn on foot, but nothing of value was found. A look in the house uncovered drug-dealer paraphernalia and a gun.
At the time of her disappearance, Brianna had been taking medication for migraines, which had been left behind in her vehicle, along with her contact lenses, clothing, makeup and driver’s license. This indicated that she’d either intended to return at some point or that she hadn’t abandoned it of her own free will. A woman’s fleece jacket was found in the field near where the Oldsmobile had been abandoned, but it apparently didn’t belong to the missing teen.
On March 30, 2004, the Oldsmobile was processed by the Vermont state crime lab. While there were no signs of a struggle or that Brianna met with foul play, it was later revealed that DNA had been found. Not long after, it was concluded that her disappearance was probably the result of something nefarious.
Several people came forward to say they’d seen Brianna’s vehicle on the night she went missing. One witness had driven by the barn between 11:30 PM and 12:30 AM and saw headlights, but hadn’t seen anyone in or around the Oldsmobile. Another stated that he’d seen the turn signal flashing between midnight and 12:30 AM that night.
Brianna’s former boyfriend had been returning from a party across the border in Canada when he saw the vehicle around 4:00 AM, but, similar to the first witness, no one was seen with it. A few motorists noticed the scene the next morning, with some finding it strange enough that they actually stopped to take pictures. One reported seeing loose change, a bracelet or necklace, and a water bottle on the ground next to it.
Over the years, official searches saw divers search a Berkshire pond, and police have scoured local wooded areas and the space around Hutchins Bridge with cadaver dogs. A court inquest also occurred, and Border Patrol officers utilized their helicopter to help cover more land.
Brianna’s friends and family conducted their own searches of the area and put up missing persons flyers across Vermont and the surrounding states. Her parents took matters into their own hands, following leads across Vermont, New York, Québec and Connecticut. They even went to a strip club in Boston after receiving a call that Brianna was seen there, but it turned out to be a case of mistaken identity.
A month into the investigation, Bruce sent a letter to Vermont Gov. James Douglas, stating that he felt the search hadn’t been aggressive enough and that investigators were keeping him and Kellie in the dark about its progress.
In May 2004, Brianna’s parents teamed up with those of Maura Murray, who’d gone missing in Haverhill, New Hampshire, in February 2004, and Amie Riley, a 20-year-old New Hampshire woman whose murdered body had been found in April of that year, to plead for help from both public and federal authorities. It was thought the three cases were connected and the families wanted the FBI to become involved in the investigations, since they crossed state lines.
On February 17, 2006, there was an alleged sighting of Brianna at the Caesars World Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Grainy surveillance footage showed a woman resembling the missing 17-year-old sitting at a poker table with a bald man. Unfortunately, the woman has never been identified, but Kellie maintains that she sees a strong resemblance between her and Brianna.
During a search of a remote wooded area of Montgomery in October 2007, a pair of weathered blue jeans were located. The area, approximately seven miles from where Brianna went missing, hadn’t been searched previously. The clothing was sent to the state forensics lab to be analyzed, but the results of these tests haven’t been publicly released.
To help with the search for their missing daughter, Bruce and Kellie hired private investigator, Greg Overacker. In 2008, an expanded review of the investigation was conducted and a dedicated team was created. This meant that a more aggressive approach could be taken. Additional interviews were conducted, some with individuals who’d already been spoken to by investigators.
The family has received several uncorroborated anonymous phone calls from people claiming that Brianna had been tied to a tree in the woods and her body disposed of at the bottom of a lake. In 2010, the Vermont State Police Search and Rescue Team, along with a K-9 unit, conducted a search of Prive Hill Road in Richford, but nothing new was uncovered.
In March 2016, the information about the DNA discovered in Brianna’s vehicle was made public. Over four years later, the Vermont State Police’s Major Crime Unit teamed up with Othram, Inc. to re-examine the evidence.
In March 2022, it was revealed a match had been found through the use of genetic genealogy and that the individual was one of 11 who’d previously been looked at in relation to Brianna’s disappearance. According to investigators, there’s not enough evidence to consider the unnamed person a suspect, but it’s been noted that they’ve been cooperative with the investigation.
In March 2024, the FBI announced it was offering a $40,000 reward for information leading to Brianna’s whereabouts, on top of the $5,000 being offered by her father. They say the investigation is still active, but that no clear suspect has been uncovered. Hundreds of people have been interviewed in relation to the case, and it’s said that new tips are still called in almost weekly.
THEORIES:
1) The strongest theory in the case is that Brianna’s disappearance was drug-related. According to reports, illicit substances are prominent in Montgomery, and the 17-year-old’s friends said she’d experimented with “hard” drugs, particularly cocaine. This has led some to speculate that she could have been murdered over a drug debt and her body disposed of to hide the crime.
It should be noted that investigators haven’t been able to substantiate this theory, and her parents maintain Brianna wasn’t seriously involved in the scene, despite them finding out about her friendships with supposed drug users and dealers.
In the week following her disappearance, police received a tip stating that Brianna was being held in a house in Berkshire known to be occupied by drug dealers she was acquainted with: Ramon L. Ryans and Nathanial Charles Jackson, both of New York. On April 15, 2004, the residence was raided and police uncovered cocaine, marijuana and drug paraphernalia, but no trace of Brianna. At this time, Ryans was arrested on drug charges.
In late 2004, investigators received a tip from an anonymous female that implicated Ryans and Jackson in Brianna’s disappearance and supposed murder. The unknown woman stated the pair had killed the 17-year-old the week after she went missing, after Ryans and her argued over money she’d leant him to purchase cocaine.
After she was killed, the woman claims Brianna’s body was temporarily stored in the basement of another individual’s home, before being dismembered with a table saw and disposed of at a pig farm. Police have been unable to corroborate the validity of this statement.
2) Another theory in the case is that Brianna simply left of her own accord. According to friends and those who knew her, the teenager had mentioned plans for a short trip out of the area. This, paired with her history of running away, have led some to speculate she simply decided to move somewhere new and start over.
Police, however, have been unable to uncover any evidence to indicate the 17-year-old left voluntarily.
3) A third theory is that Brianna was abducted by several people. Her parents believe this would have had to be the case, as a single person wouldn’t have been able to subdue their daughter, given her martial arts training. They believe someone may have spotted her, became obsessed and hid in her backseat, before attacking her while she drove home from the Black Lantern Inn.
4) As aforementioned, a popular theory is that Brianna’s disappearance is related to that of Maura Murray, given that Haverhill, New Hampshire, where Maura was last seen, is only 90 miles from Montgomery.
FBI agents met with local authorities to discuss the possible links between the two cases, including the fact that both women went missing after a car accident; they both left their belongings behind; and both were young, with brown-hair. However, it was eventually concluded that, despite the similarities, the cases were likely not connected.
5) A final theory that’s since been ruled out by the FBI is that Brianna was a victim of Alaskan serial killer Israel Keyes. In 2012, investigators looked into a possible connection between Keyes and the missing teenager, as he was known to have committed his crimes in Vermont, New York, Alaska, Washington and Oregon. However, his financial records showed he was elsewhere on the day Brianna went missing.
On December 2, 2012, Keyes died by suicide while incarcerated at the Anchorage Correctional Complex. While he left a note, it didn’t offer any clues regarding additional victims of his crimes.
AFTERMATH:
In 2004, Brianna’s parents organized a now-defunct website with a posted maximum reward of $20,000 for information leading to her whereabouts. As of 2017, the reward had expired. Two Facebook pages have also been set up to help raise awareness about the case: Brianna Maitland missing – family page and Brianna Maitland.
Brianna’s case was part of Project Jason’s 18 Wheel Angel Campaign, which asked truck drivers and business travellers to volunteer their resources and time to help spread the word about missing persons cases via printable flyers.
There are vigils held every year on the anniversary of Brianna’s disappearance, where her family and community members come together to bring about renewed awareness about the investigation.
Wanting to make something good out of his daughter’s disappearance, Bruce created Private Investigations for the Missing, a non-profit dedicated to providing private investigators to those unable to afford them. There is an active GoFundMe page where supporters can donate to the organization.
In July 2016, the “old Dutchburn house” was destroyed in a fire.
Brianna’s case has received widespread media attention. Along with being the subject of numerous podcasts, it has also been featured on Dateline NBC and Disappeared, amongst other television programs.
DETAILS:
Brianna Maitland went missing from Montgomery, Vermont, on the night of March 19, 2004. However, it should be noted that some agencies state that her disappearance occurred in East Franklin or Sheldon – both places where she is known to have lived.
At the time of her disappearance, Brianna was 17 years old, stood between 5’3″ and 5’5″, and weighed 105-118 pounds. She has brown hair, hazel eyes and a faint facial scar that extends from her left eyebrow to her forehead. Her left nostril is pierced. According to reports, she was wearing either a small ring or a stud when she went missing.
DETAILS:
Currently, Brianna’s case is classified as Endangered Missing, with foul play suspected.
Anyone with information regarding her disappearance is asked to contact the Vermont State Police tip line at +1 (844) 848-8477. Tips can also be called into the FBI at +1 (800) 225-5324.
Image Credit: FBI/DNASolves Crime
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