Brianna Alexandra Maitland, born October 8, 1986, in Burlington, Vermont, disappeared on March 19, 2004, at age 17. She had spent the day completing her GED exam, having lunch with her mother Kellie, and running errands before heading to her shift at the Black Lantern Inn, a restaurant in Montgomery, Vermont. She left work at approximately 11:20 p.m., alone, driving her mother's 1985 Oldsmobile sedan. She has not been seen or heard from since.
The following afternoon, a Vermont State Police trooper found Maitland's car backed into the side of an abandoned house on Route 118 in Richford, about a mile from the Black Lantern Inn, with siding damaged and a piece of plywood resting on the trunk. Two of Maitland's paychecks were on the front seat, and loose change, a water bottle, and an unsmoked cigarette were found outside the vehicle. The trooper initially assumed a drunk driver had abandoned the car, and it was towed to a local garage. Maitland was not reported missing for several days, in part because her roommate assumed she was staying elsewhere and her mother was unaware the car had been recovered. A missing persons report was filed on March 23, 2004.
Several witnesses later came forward describing sightings of the car at the scene overnight, including reports of flashing turn signals and possibly illuminated headlights, though most reported not seeing anyone in or around the vehicle. Law enforcement, who initially considered the possibility that Maitland was a runaway, later concluded foul play was the probable cause of her disappearance; a 2007 FBI flyer stated the scene may have been staged to look like an accident.
Investigators pursued multiple leads without resolution, including an anonymous tip that Maitland was being held in a Berkshire, Vermont house associated with two individuals police identified as drug dealers, which was raided in April 2004; no sign of Maitland was found, though one occupant was arrested on drug charges. A later anonymous affidavit alleged Maitland had been murdered and her body dismembered and disposed of on a pig farm, but law enforcement could not corroborate these claims. A 2006 casino security-camera sighting in Atlantic City generated attention but the woman was never identified. In 2012, investigators examined a possible link to serial killer Israel Keyes, who had property in nearby New York, but the FBI ruled him out as a suspect after his death by suicide that year.
In 2016, investigators recovered DNA samples from Maitland's car, and in March 2022 Vermont State Police announced a match to one of eleven individuals previously tested in connection with the case, though that person's identity has not been released. In 2024, the FBI and Vermont State Police announced a reward of up to $40,000 for information leading to Maitland's recovery. The case remains unsolved and has been the subject of national media coverage, including Dateline NBC and the documentary series Disappeared.
Brianna Alexandra Maitland is born in Burlington, Vermont.
2004-02
Maitland drops out of high school and moves in with childhood friend Jillian Stout in Sheldon, Vermont, enrolling in a GED program.
2004-03-19
Maitland completes her GED exam, spends the day with her mother, then works her shift at the Black Lantern Inn, leaving at approximately 11:20 p.m. alone in her car; she is never seen again.
2004-03-20
Vermont State Police find Maitland's car backed into the side of an abandoned house on Route 118 in Richford, about a mile from her workplace.
2004-03-23
Kellie Maitland files a missing persons report after being unable to locate her daughter.
2004-03-25
Maitland's parents identify the recovered vehicle as their daughter's after being shown a photo by a state trooper.
2004-03-30
Maitland's vehicle is processed for evidence by the state crime laboratory.
2004-04-15
Police raid a rented house in Berkshire, Vermont, following an anonymous tip that Maitland was being held there; no sign of her is found, and one occupant is arrested on drug charges.
2004
Anonymous affidavit from an 'older female' alleges Maitland was murdered and her body dismembered and disposed of on a pig farm; claims could not be corroborated.
2004
Maitland family launches website bringbrihome.org offering a reward of up to $20,000 for information.
2006-02-17
Security footage at Caesars Atlantic City shows a woman resembling Maitland at a poker table; footage is not released until March 2006.
2011-12
Maitland's case is profiled on the Investigation Discovery documentary series Disappeared.
2012-12
FBI rules out serial killer Israel Keyes as a suspect in Maitland's disappearance following his death by suicide.
2016-03-19
Investigators reveal DNA samples were recovered from Maitland's car, on the twelfth anniversary of her disappearance.
2016-07
The abandoned 'old Dutchburn house,' where Maitland's car was found, is destroyed in a fire.
2017
Maitland's case is discussed in the documentary series The Disappearance of Maura Murray on Oxygen.
2022-03
Vermont State Police announce a DNA match to one of eleven previously tested individuals connected to the case; the person's identity is not released.
2024
FBI and Vermont State Police announce a reward of up to $40,000 for information leading to Maitland's recovery.
2025
Private investigator Lou Barry discloses additional witness accounts, including a report of a man standing near the car's headlights and a speeding vehicle at the scene.
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Titles and descriptions are the creators’ own and may not reflect current legal status; see the dossier above for sourced case facts.
Arrested on drug charges during an April 2004 raid of a Berkshire, Vermont house connected to an anonymous tip about Maitland; later named in an uncorroborated anonymous affidavit alleging his involvement in her disappearance and death, which law enforcement was unable to corroborate.
Brianna Maitland
VICTIM
17-year-old who disappeared on March 19, 2004, after leaving her shift at the Black Lantern Inn in Montgomery, Vermont; her whereabouts remain unknown.
Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.
Brianna Maitland, 17, vanished after leaving her shift at the Black Lantern Inn in Montgomery, Vermont, on March 19, 2004. Her car was found the next day backed into an abandoned house nearby, but she has never been located and no one has been charged.
