Brianna Maitland was born on Oct. 8, 1986. She was 17 years old when she went missing from Montgomery, Vermont, and despite the efforts of local authorities, her whereabouts are still unknown more than 15 years later.
In 2003, Brianna followed in her father’s footsteps when she decided to move out of the family home in East Franklin.
Her father suggested they rent an apartment together in Enosburg Falls so that she could transfer to Enosburg Falls High School from Missisquoi Valley Union High School.
When their plan didn’t materialize, Brianna’s father moved back home, but she opted to move in with her boyfriend, according to The Burlington Free Press.
It was during that time that Brianna’s friends claimed she was partying a lot and hanging with a group of people they weren’t too fond of.
When they spoke with her about it and told her that she should focus on getting her life together, she agreed.
But before she could part ways with her new group of friends, Brianna got into a physical altercation with another girl on Feb. 27, 2004. She sustained two black eyes and a concussion, and she had to be taken to the hospital.
After the fight, Brianna decided to move in with a childhood friend in Sheldon. It was there that she began working as a dishwasher at the Black Lantern Inn in Montgomery.
She also worked at a diner in St. Albans.
Brianna eventually dropped out of school and began studying for the general equivalency diploma (GED) test.
On the morning of March 19, 2004, she took a math test and passed. It was the last portion of her GED test, and to celebrate, she went out to eat with mother, and the two of them also went shopping in St. Albans.
Afterward, she returned home to get ready for her shift at the hotel. Before heading out, she left a note for her roommate, who had gone on a weekend trip.
The note read, “I get off work between 10 and 12. I’ll see you after.”
Brianna’s shift ended at 11:20 p.m. She clocked out, walked out of the establishment, and drove off in her vehicle, a pale green 1985 Oldsmobile.
When her roommate returned home, she found the note that she had left her, but Brianna was nowhere to be found. She initially thought she had moved back in with her family when she hadn’t returned to the house in days.
She ultimately decided to call Brianna’s parents to see what was going on.
To her astonishment, no one had seen or heard from Brianna since she left work. That’s when relatives called the police department and reported Brianna missing, which prompted a search by law enforcement.
They used dogs, troopers, and helicopters during their search.
When Brianna’s parents went to the police station to fill out paperwork and submit photos of her, they learned that her vehicle was found just one day after she disappeared.
It had been rammed into the side of a farmhouse located along Route 118, which is about a mile from Brianna’s job.
The home had been vacant for years after the owners, two elderly men, passed away.
Inside the vehicle, officers found Brianna’s migraine medication, two paychecks that equaled $150, contact lenses, and other personal belongings, but the keys were nowhere to be found.
Brianna’s relatives and friends believe that she had been abducted, but Vermont State Police Lt. Thomas Nelson stated that there is no evidence to suggest that she went anywhere or met up with anyone after her shift ended.
Local authorities didn’t initially believe that foul play was involved in her disappearance, but they thought it was suspicious.
While detectives were conducting their investigation, Brianna’s parents were passing out posters and searching for clues near the area where the teen’s car was found.
During that time, the Maitlands were told that on the night of Brianna’s disappearance, a man was seen flirting with her at her job, there was a suspicious white truck parked down a road, and they heard shouting.
That information was turned over to the police, but it didn’t lead detectives to Brianna’s whereabouts, nor did any of the leads they received throughout the years.
There has since been a $20,000 reward offered by family members. They said $10,000 is for information leading to Brianna’s whereabouts, and another $10,000 is for information that will lead to an arrest.
The Vermont State Police are also offering a $5,000 reward to anyone with information that will lead to a break in the case.
Anyone with information regarding the disappearance of Brianna Maitland is urged to call the Vermont State Police at (802) 524-5993.