"The use of genetic genealogy to identify the DNA found 18 years ago is just one example of how detectives continue to track down every potential lead in this case.". Both Murray and Brianna are attractive brown-haired young women, and both disappeared after car accidents in which their cars were left behind with personal items inside. Published March 18, 2022 byMichaelVogen, 2829 Technology Forest Blvd Suite 100, The Woodlands, Texas 77381, Your contributions pay for lab supplies and research tools, recovery, enrichment, and analysis of human DNA from trace quantities of degraded or contaminated materials. As reported by Stories of the Unsolved, Maitland's friends confirmed she has experimented with several "hard" drugs including cocaine. The 17-year-old had left her job at the Black Lantern Inn in Montgomery when she went missing. Now, however, police were convinced that something terrible had happened. Brianna did not try to defend herself, although she has had several years of martial arts training. [4], Three weeks prior to her disappearance, Maitland was physically attacked at a party by a female former friend, Keallie Lacross. Described as a fiercely independent . He is still hoping time, will lead him to Brianna, "sometimes time is your friend," Bruce Maitland says. There are accusations of drug use, her running away, and other wicked rumors. [4], In late 2004, police received a statement from an anonymous "older female" who implicated both Ryans and Jackson in Maitland's disappearance and alleged murder. Maura Murray, a 21-year-old nursing student, went missing 13 years ago. When she never arrived at the home she shared with her friend, the friend assumed that Maitlandhad simply gone back to her mother's house. He noted several items inside the vehicle, including two unopened paychecks from the Black Lantern Inn addressed to Brianna Maitland. The VSP has not released the identity of the person, yet did say it belonged to 1 of 11 people they tested previously in connection to Maitland's case. But the attention surrounding cases like Maitland's can sometimes make it more difficult to solve. She had a falling out with her friend Keallie LaCross because of a love triangle (or rectangle). Therefore, she was not aware Maitland had not returned home until two days later. A green 1985 Oldsmobile Delta was found at an odd angle, backed into the side of the building. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. At first, it was reported the skull belonged to a Caucasian woman. Investigators later came to believe the accident may have been staged. Police can't be sure. Maitland's Oldsmobile was found backed into the side of the house. (What makes this case so difficult to solve?) [4], The Maitland family additionally reported that they had received several uncorroborated anonymous phone calls from persons claiming Maitland was "tied to a tree in the woods," and that she had been disposed of at the bottom of a lake. Brianna's NamUs profile was updated on 2/11/22. [2] She was raised with her older brother on their parents' farm in East Franklin, Vermont,[3] near the Canadian border. Vermont State Police and Othram Partner to Investigate Brianna Maitland's Disappearance. Othram scientists used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing to build a DNA profile and conducted genealogical research to develop investigative leads so the Vermont State Police could continue their work. Were those signs of a struggle? Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Angela Baker has been the Vermont State Police lead detective on the case for the past four years. Follow Othram on Twitter @OthramTech or visit Othram.com to learn how It was then that a trooper showed Bruce and Kellie a picture of the green Oldsmobile, backed into the Dutchburn Barn. The Charley Project is NOT a registered non-profit organization and any donations will NOT be tax-deductible. As reported by Stories of the Unsolved, the source said Maitland loaned Ryans money to purchase cocaine, and he never paid her back. In addition to the damage on the bumper, a piece of wood fell off one of the barn windows and landed on the vehicle's trunk. This was the last time Brianna Maitland was seen alive. Because of the timing of this fight, some have speculated that Keallie may be involved in Brianna's disappearance. Stories of the Unsolved reports they both left their personal belongings in their cars and they were both attractive young women with dark hair. [23], In the week following Maitland's disappearance, the Vermont State Police received an anonymous tip claiming that she was being held against her will in a house in nearby Berkshire, Vermont, 10 miles (16km) from Montgomery. A man who drove by the house between 11:30p.m. and 12:30a.m. on March 1920 said the car's headlights may have been on. Her friend had no idea that she would not see her Maitland again. "If you go on the internet and search: Brianna Maitland, just the information that comes up, it is just an obscene amount of information, says Baker. . To support herself, Maitland was working two jobs: as a waitress in St. Albans, Vermont, and as a dishwasher in nearby Montgomery. In what has been widely considered one of the more baffling cases to detectives, the disappearance of Brianna Maitland has been frustrating officials for nearly two decades. At the time of her disappearance, she stood at 5'3 to 5'5 and weighed between 105 to 118 pounds. [10] After completing the test, she and her mother, Kellie, had lunch to celebrate the occasion; her father, Bruce, was out of state working in New York at the time. Brianna's parents also think she came to harm, but they maintain their daughter was not seriously involved with drugs and drugs were not a factor in her disappearance. In 2012, authorities investigated the possibility that Maitland was one of Keyes' victims. [4], The disappearance of Maura Murray, a college student from Massachusetts, in northwest New Hampshire the month before was deemed unrelated to Maitland's disappearance by law enforcement,[11] in spite of the events occurring within 90 miles (140km) of each other. As reported by WMUR, her vehicle was found abandoned in a ditch in North Haverhill, New Hampshire, approximately 90 miles from where Maitland's vehicle was found. Less than . Founded in 2018, and located in The Woodlands, Texas, our team works with academic researchers, forensic scientists, medical examiners, Despite working two jobs, she had managed to study for and successfully complete her GED. They hope to discover new leads in a case that has had them frustrated for nearly twenty years (via Vermont Biz). Brianna Maitland. A woman's fleece jacket was found in a field near Brianna's car, but it apparently did not belong to her. She has not been found. They confirmed their daughter had been operating the vehicle on the night of March 19, 2004. Then, read all about the bungled kidnapping of Frank Sinatra, Jr., the son of Old Blue Eyes who was returned to his family 48 hours after he was first kidnapped. On March 23, 2004, Kellie Maitland contacted the Vermont State Police to report Brianna missing. The trooper went to the Black Lantern Inn to attempt to contact Maitland, but the establishment was closed. I dont think this was a random act of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, he said to Fox News. One week after Maitland disappeared, authorities received a tip that she was being held captive by Ramon L. Ryans and Nathanial Charles Jackson at a home in Berkshire. If she is alive, she would currently be 35 years old. HE SAYS CERTAIN ALGORITHMS CAN HELP- BUT STILL THESE THINGS TAKE TIME. To celebrate, Kellie and Brianna met for lunch and a shopping trip. The DNA collected from near Brianna's car was added to the FBI's DNA database and compared to samples from 11 people of interest in the case, but no match was found. She told her co-workers that she needed to get home and get some rest before starting at her second part time job the next morning. Because of this, some started to speculate that the skull might belong to Heidi Wilbur, Brianna Maitland or Maura Murray, three young women went missing in Vermont and New Hampshire. However, while inside one of the stores, Kellie said Brianna saw something or someone that prompted her to leave the store and wait for her mother in the parking lot. The 17-year-old had left her job at the Black Lantern Inn in Montgomery when she went missing. Brianna had a shift as a dishwasher at the Black Lantern Inn in Montgomery later that evening, and she seemed anxious to get home and get to work. There has been some speculation that Brianna's disappearance is related to the disappearance of Maura Murray, a nursing student from Massachusetts who vanished February 9, 2004 in Haverhill, New Hampshire after getting into a car accident. The Biggest Brianna Maitland Theories: What Really Happened. Brianna Maitland, 17, was last seen about 11:20 p.m. on March 19, 2004 She had just started a job as a waitress Her car was found smashed into the side of an abandoned house A $20,000 reward is. October 8, 2003. She never arrived and her friend assumed she had moved back in with her parents and brother in East Franklin, Vermont. Maitland's car had been reported several days earlier outside of Montgomery, Vermont, in what looked to be a minor accident. UP1856 07/27/2005 Anne Arundel MD. However, the vehicle's keys were never found. (SOT) (the rumor mill is just alive and well with this case SHE ALSO SAYS THERE'S VERY LITTLE EVIDENCE TO GO ON. Unfortunately, adulting is hard and things did not go as well as planned. More than three decades later, the identity of a man found by hunters in rural North Carolina remains a mystery, A decade later, investigators are still working to identify a man found in the Umcompaghre Plateau in Whitewater, CO. More than four decades later, investigators are still working to identify an infant girl whose body was found in the Truckee River in Sierra County, California. A woman's fleece jacket was laying nearby, which was later proven to not belong to Maitland (via Murder Squad). en.wikipedia.org / Creative Commons In March 2004, 17-year-old Vermont waitress Brianna Maitland finished work for the day and drove home. Up until her parents had reported her missing, police believed that Brianna Maitland was a runaway. She filed a criminal complaint against her alleged attacker. On March 25, 2004, Kellie and her husband, Bruce, went to the State Police Barracks in St. Albans to drop off some photographs of Brianna. Both men were arrested for drug activity and booked on charges. That morning, she took the exam for her GED and learned that she passed and would receive a high school equivalency diploma. She was headed to a friend's house where she was living, but she never arrived. She says rumors surrounding the case, and the fact there is little evidence have made it more difficult to solve. October 9, 2021. The car was then towed to a local tow yard. 17 year old, Brianna was described as being a "free spirit," and wanted to do things her own way. That night, she crashed her car into a tree in New Hampshire. According to Kellie, there were no major stressors at home, but Brianna Maitland preferred the instability of couch-surfing with various friends to actually living at home with her mom and dad. When police probed the inside of Brianna Maitland's car, they found crucial pieces of evidence that could indicate several possible scenarios. Anyone with tips or other information that might in any way be relevant to the investigation should contact Detective Baker at angela.baker@vermont.gov, or submit an anonymous tip online. At the time of her disappearance Brianna was described as a . The 17-year-old had left her job at the Black Lantern Inn in Montgomery when she went missing. HER CAR WAS LATER FOUND BACKED INTO AN ABANDONED BARN 17 YEARS LATER.. POLICE- STILL DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO HER. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. As with any missing person case, there are clues left behind. Although the damage was minor, authorities initially believed the driver left the car in the barn because they were under the influence of alcohol or drugs. [4], After completing her shift at work, Maitland clocked out and left the Black Lantern Inn at approximately 11:20p.m.[11] She told her co-workers she needed to get home and rest before working the next day at her second job in St. And could she possibly still be alive? [4] Ryans was arrested during the raid for drug charges. She also left behind all her clothing, her medicine, driver's license, her makeup, and her contact lenses. This page was last edited on 22 February 2023, at 01:11. On March 19, 2004, Brianna Maitland finished her GED test and passed with flying colors. Maitland's parents believe multiple people were involved in her disappearance. It's now been nearly two decades since Maitland was last seen leaving the Black Lantern Inn in Montgomery, Vermont, where she worked in 2004. They noticed Brianna's paychecks inside the vehicle and guessed that she was the primary driver, so they went to her place of work to try to find her and tell her about the car. Bruce Maitland, Brianna's father, received an anonymous tip four weeks after the disappearance. "There isn't a day that goes by that I dont think about her," says Bruce Maitland, Brianna's dad who says he is still holding out hope hell find his daughter. 0:49. Brianna Maitland went missing from Montgomery, Vermont, but it should be noted that some agencies state her disappearance occurred in East Franklin or Sheldon. Brianna Maitland went missing 17 years ago. (MINDSHOCK TRUE CRIME PODCAST) MindShock 21.4K subscribers Join Subscribe 47 Share 1.4K views 1 month ago TRUE CRIME BRIANNA MAITLAND - EPISODE. In 2020, police announced they were working with Othram, a Houston-based company that specializes in forensic testing and investigation. [4] Kellie completed her purchase and met Brianna in the parking lot, and noticed that her daughter seemed unnerved, shaken, and agitated. She moved in with her friend Katie Manning in Enosburg and enrolled in Enosburg Falls High School. Sgt. As of 2022[update], Maitland's disappearance remains unsolved. When they reported that they hadn't seen or heard from her since March 19, concern escalated (via Murder Squad). [4] By the end of February 2004, she dropped out of high school and moved in with her childhood friend, Jillian Stout, in Sheldon, Vermont, approximately 20 miles (32km) west of Montgomery. Myself, I never reported whether I was successful or not. A piece of plywood that had been covering a window lay on the car's trunk. Feb 14, 2022. She currently has 11 rule outs The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) UP85157 09/26/2021 Chautauqua NY. Some theories about Brianna Maitland's disappearance suggest she was the victim of a serial killer. Brianna Maitland vanished after work in Montgomery, Vermont, in November 2004 and authorities are still chasing down leads. One of the more popular theories is that Maitland's case is somehow connected to the disappearance of Maura Murray. Brianna Maitland On a freezing cold March 19, 2004, night at 11:20 p.m., 17-year old Brianna Maitland clocked out of her job at the historic Black Lantern Inn in Montgomery Center, Vermont. While waiting in the check-out line of a store, Kellie said something outside caught Brianna's attention; she told her mother she would return shortly, and left the store. [7] The motive for the attack was unclear,[8] though Brianna's father, Bruce, would later state that he believed it stemmed from jealousy over Maitland's interaction with a male peer at the party. Brianna Maitland was born on October 8, 1986 and grew up in Burlington, Vermont. "Anyone can write a blog, anyone can write information about this case," says Duane Dunston, an Associate professor of cybersecurity at Champlain College.Dunston says the veracity of the information on the internet can often be used as a tool for investigators, but it can sometimes make it more challenging to determine fact from fiction.He says certain algorithms can help investigators, but it takes time. She transferred to a new high school, then moved out of her mothers home and began living with friends. "There isn't a day that goes by that I dont think about her," says Bruce Maitland, Brianna's dad who says he is still holding out hope hell find his daughter. But there was no sign of Maitland. Both admitted that they knew Maitland and Jackson maintained that he had not seen her since a week before she disappeared from Montgomery. We suspect Brianna was the victim of foul play, Maj. Glenn Hall of the Vermont State Police said to Fox News. .