Brianna Maitland: 13 Years Gone

The day is Friday, March 19, 2004. 17 year old Brianna Maitland clocked out of her job in Montgomery, Vermont at around 11:20 pm. She walked to her 1986 Oldsmobile sedan and drove away, never to be seen alive again. Her car was found the next day backed directly up to an abandoned house roughly a mile away.

At the time of this writing, Brianna has been missing for over 13 years.

Prior to her disappearance, Brianna Maitland was an average teenage girl living in Vermont. At age 17, in hopes of seeking more independence, she moved out of her parents home with a friend 15 miles away. This allowed her to attend a new high school closer to a group of her friends. Unfortunately, this arrangement proved to be unsuitable and ultimately Brianna dropped out of school in February of 2004. She moved in with a different friend but didn't entirely give up on her education; Brianna enrolled in an program to obtain her GED shortly after.

Her parents, Kellie and Bruce Maitland, insisted there were no problems at home. They strongly opposed Brianna moving away from home but nonetheless allowed her to do so. Neither parent observed any unusual events prior that would shed light on her disappearance. However, on the day Brianna vanished her mother took her shopping before she went to work. As they were checking out of the store, Brianna abruptly left and went outside, telling her mother she'd be right back. Kellie Maitland completed the purchase and walked outside meeting back up with Brianna and driving her back to the house she shared with her friend. During the drive her mother noted she seemed upset, shaken and agitated. Not wanting to intrude, she didn't further talk to Brianna about what was bothering her. Kellie Maitland dropped her daughter off and never saw her again.

Less than a month before Brianna vanished, she was physically assaulted at a party, resulting in a concussion and facial abrasions. She was treated a local hospital for her injuries and later filed a formal complaint with police over the matter. The charges were pending against the assailant when Brianna went missing, though they were later dropped despite objection by the Maitland family. The motive for the attack remains unclear but the young lady has never been formally named a person of interest or suspect in Brianna's disappearance, but does have a criminal record.

The car was found the following day, March 20, 2004, by police and also observed by several passing motorists. Brianna's Oldsmobile was backed directly into the abandoned house, causing damage. Police found a trove of items in the area, but nothing explicitly pointed to a struggle. Aside from some personal items in the car, her paychecks were also still in the car, not yet cashed. In March of 2016, Vermont police revealed they have recovered DNA from inside of the car.

Over the years rumors of drug use, associations with shady people and possible debts have been brought up in her disappearance, making for even more of a tangled web of what may have happened to 17 year old Brianna Maitland. As of 2017, police have made no arrests in her case but feel strongly she fell victim to foul play.

The Charley Project: Brianna Maitland

Disappeared TV episode info "Vanished in Vermont"

Brianna's NamUs page