Episode 94 Brianna Maitland
17 year old Brianna Maitland vanished without a trace on Friday night March 19, 2004 after she left her shift at the Black Lantern Inn in Montgomery, Vermont. Her co-workers watched her drive off in her Green 1985 Oldsmobile at around 11:20PM. They had asked her to hang out and share a meal, but she was tired and had to work her second job early the next morning. In the hours after Brianna left work, her car was spotted by multiple witnesses backed into the wall of a barn house about a mile from the Black Lantern Inn. One of the witnesses was a young man who had dated Brianna. He claimed that he found her car abandoned against the barn home with its doors open and headlights on, but there was no sign of Brianna, so he turned off her lights and shut the doors before leaving. Another witness, a police officer, discovered the car and when he saw Brianna's uncashed paychecks inside from the Black Lantern Inn, he headed there to try and figure out what was going on, but by the time he arrived, they were closed. Rather than report the incident, he left for a long weekend get away, setting into motion a set of circumstances that caused a delay in anyone even realizing Brianna was missing. Hours after the police officer had come upon the scene, a group of travelers spotted the odd scene of the car backed into the barn. It was so odd, they stopped to take photos and investigate the scene. A broken necklace and some of Brianna's belongings were found inside and outside of the car. The car was towed, and 2 days would pass before anyone realized Brianna was missing.
Officially, Brianna was never seen again, although there were reported sightings of her in other states thought to be cases of mistaken identity. Brianna's parents, Bruce and Kellie Maitland, were left to wonder what happened to their daughter. Along the way, they had to hear all kinds of rumors about Brianna, and what may have happened to her and who may be responsible. Brianna's case was thought by some to possibly be linked to the disapperance of Maura Murray, another high profile missing persons case in New England. Maura vanished from New Hampshire a month before Brianna, and as in Brianna's case, her car and odd clues were left behind.
The Maitlands found a friend, advocate, and ally in Private Investigator Greg Overacker who has worked doggedly on Brianna's case for years. In this episode, he discusses the case, and tried to sort out fact from fiction. He also discusses the book he wrote on Brianna's case.
When Brianna Maitland vanished, she was described as White, with Brown hair and Hazel eyes. She stood about 5ft5 and weight around 116 pounds. If you have any information about Brianna's case, call the FBI tip line at 800-CALLFBI or call the Vermont State Police at 844-84-VTIPS. You can also reach out to Bruce Maitland's organization; Private Investigations for the Missing.
Visit this link to order Greg Overacker's book; The Hunt for Brianna Maitland; The Relentless Pursuit of Answers to one of Vermont's Biggest Mysteries. You can also reach out to Greg via Facebook with tips or to get an autographed copy of his book.
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