Money Crimes with Nicole Lapin - Brianna Maitland: The Car at the Farmhouse

Episode Date: September 1, 2026

On March 19, 2004, 17-year-old Brianna Maitland finished her shift at the Black Lantern Inn in Vermont and drove into the night. An hour later, her car was seen backed into an abandoned farmhouse on a rural stretch of Route 118. When police got there, they found her belongings still inside. But there was no crash, no struggle, and no Brianna. Two decades later, investigators have never publicly named a suspect, though rumors about local criminal networks have never stopped circulating. This is the story of a young woman who left work and drove into a mystery Vermont has never solved.For more, follow The Final Hours wherever you listen to podcasts: https://pod.link/1872821250If you’re new here, don’t forget to follow Scams, Money, & Murder to never miss a case! To hear episodes ad-free, subscribe to Crime House+. Join at crimehouseplus.com or if you’re listening on Apple Podcasts, tap “Try Free” at the top of this show’s page. Scams, Money, & Murder is a Crime House Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Studios.🎧 Need More to Binge? Listen to other Crime House Originals Clues, Crimes Of Reddit, Crime House 24/7, Serial Killers & Murderous Minds, Murder True Crime Stories, and more wherever you get your podcasts!Follow me on SocialInstagram: @CrimehouseTikTok: @CrimehouseFacebook: @crimehousestudiosX: @crimehousemediaYouTube: @crimehousestudios

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at Crimes of Reddit Pod on YouTube. This is Crimehouse. You're in the tiny town of Montgomery in northern Vermont. From State Route 118 at Tulane Highway, you see open fields in every direction, bordered by woods off in the distance. But something catches your eye, something haunting. By the side of the road, a solitary weathered farmhouse sits abandoned. Its white exterior paint has mostly faded away. All of the windows are boarded up, except one.

A piece of plywood has fallen off and landed on top of a pale green 1985 Oldsmobile Delta 88. The car appears to have been thrown in reverse and rammed into the house at a high speed. Its trunk now sits partially inside the structure. This Oldsmobile belongs to 17-year-old Brienne. Maitland, an independent young woman with two jobs. She was last seen driving away from work in this vehicle after finishing a night shift on the evening of March 19, 2004. About an hour later, witnesses see her car backed into this abandoned building, but we don't

know how it got there, or where Brianna went afterwards, seeing as she wasn't found inside. The farmhouse was later destroyed in a fire, but the image of the car backed into the building still haunts her family and us 22 years later. Every year, over half a million people go missing, and that's just in the United States alone. Most of those stories barely get a headline. Some don't even get a tip line. And when cases do get media attention, we only get the broad strokes.

But for those of us who have lived these true crime cases, we know the devil's in the details. This is the final hours, a crime house original powered by Pave Studios. I'm Sarah Turney. And I'm Courtney Nicole. Every Monday, Sarah and I will be looking at the final hours of someone's disappearance to see if there was anything hiding in plain sight. Each episode all offer insight on what those close to the victim might have experienced. Courtney will use her expertise to give more context into the investigation itself.

Crimehouse exists because of listeners like you. Want even more? Join Crimehouse Plus and get every episode of the final hours and the rest of the Crimehouse lineup, ad-free and early, plus at least two bonus episodes every month. To join, go to crimehouseplus.com, or if you listen on Apple Podcasts, tap Try Free at the top of the final hour's show page. As always, this show is made and recorded by humans, not AI. This episode, we're discussing the disappearance of Brianna Maitland. On March 19, 2004,

17-year-old Brianna passed her final exam and got her GED. To celebrate, she went shopping with her mom. Then she got ready for a shift as a dishwasher at the Black Lantern Inn in Montgomery, Vermont. Brianna left her roommate a note saying she'd be back that night, but she never made it home. She clocked out at 11.20 p.m. and walked out the front doors, never to be seen again. Brianna Maitland wasn't afraid to live life on her own terms. Just after her 17th birthday, Brianna moved out of her family home and transferred to a high school better suited to her needs. She made friends who fit her vibe, dated the boys she liked unapologetically, and got two jobs to support herself. When she ultimately decided school wasn't for her, she completed a GED prep course before her peers graduated.

She worked so hard to build herself up in this world, and then one day she simply vanished from it. But before we talk about Brianna's disappearance, let's talk about her life. Brianna Maitland grew up in rural East Franklin, Vermont, just 300 feet from the Canadian border. Her family's modest farmhouse sat at the end of a mile-long dirt driveway surrounded by woods. She lived with her parents, Kelly and Bruce, and her older brother Waylon. There wasn't much to do in the area, but they did have a small lake with a beach that Brianna and her friends love to visit. They also like to go forwailing. Brianna wasn't afraid to get dirty.

She was also tough and well-trained in Jiu-Jitsu. She was fun, outgoing, incredibly smart, compassionate, and trusting. One day, seemingly after Brianna got her license, her mom Kelly came home from work to find a teenage boy sitting in their living room. Brianna told her mom she'd picked him up off the side of the road and wasn't going to give him a ride elsewhere. This was despite the fact that Kelly had warned Brianna against stopping for hitchhikers. Aside from her kind-hearted, trusting nature, Brianna was also fiercely independent and determined. Her brother recalled arguing with her about who would get to shower first the next morning. No matter who won, Brianna would wake up early and get to the bathroom first.

Her friend, 20-year-old Shauna LaBelle, remembers the time when one of Brianna's teachers was trying to get the class under control. Brianna got so irritated with her peers goofing off that she stood up and demanded, You guys all shut up, I'm trying to learn here. According to Shauna, not a lot of people understood Brianna or gave her a fair chance. We all know how judgmental high school kids can get, And Brianna couldn't always afford to keep up with the latest trends. She was constantly worried about her appearance, her reputation, and her grades.

Insane. I mean, I was actually on a really similar path to Brianna. My senior year, I was just kind of sick playing the game. So I dropped out and got my GED immediately and started community college the next semester. So, like, I get it. I didn't love high school. I was ready to go on to college. What about you?

Yeah, same. I feel like, I don't know, I feel like my high school experience was just like her. You know, I got a job really young. And basically every paycheck I got went toward buying really nice clothes because I really wanted people like me. I really wanted, I was really like self-conscious about my appearance. So I totally can relate to Brianna. Yeah, I feel like nobody has a great high school experience. Maybe like a few people, but I feel like in general, it's just kind of crappy.

Brianna did have plenty of friends, though. The problem was that most of them didn't go to her school. They lived in the next town over. Brianna wanted to spend more time with them, and she wanted more freedom at home too, the ability to come and go as she pleased. She eventually got it. In the fall of 2003, when Brianna was 16,

her parents, Kelly and Bruce, had some turbulence in their marriage. There was talk of Bruce moving out, and Brianna decided that if he could live somewhere else, she could too. At that point, Bruce actually offered to rent an apartment for both of them. They'd live about eight miles south,

in Enosburg Falls, Vermont, where her friends lived. She could attend high school there with them, but Kelly and Bruce decided to mend their marriage, which meant he wouldn't be moving to Enesburg with Brianna. So Brianna explored different options. Her mom tried to talk her into staying at home, but Brianna had made up her mind. On Brianna's 17th birthday, Wednesday, October 8, 2003,

she moved in with her friend Katie Manning in Enosburg Falls. She transferred to the high school there with her friends just like she wanted, but things didn't exactly work out as she hoped. Just over a month later in early December 2003, Brianna's arrangement at Katie's also fell through. Rather than go home, she started bouncing from place to place couch surfing and living with two on-again, off-again boyfriends and their families, but she stayed in the same general area of northern Vermont. As 2004 rolled around, Brianna's friend Shauna was worried about her. Brianna was partying, a lot, which wasn't unusual for a teenager. But Shauna didn't like the crowd she was hanging out

with. Shawna, who was three years older, talked to Brianna a lot about it. It finally clicked for Brianna on Friday, February 27, 2004. That night, she went to a party and got into a fight with one of her closest friends. That friend was Keely LaCross. When Brianna transferred to Enisburg Falls High School in the fall of 2003, she sat down next to Keely on the gymnasium bleachers and and struck up a conversation. It blossomed into a close friendship. They soon shared a click of teenage girls, something Brianna didn't have back in East Franklin.

In the evenings, they would all pile into Brianna's Oldsmobile, since she was the only one with the car. Brianna often drove them to Keeley's 25-year-old boyfriend's house, and he reportedly had a lot of parties. But no matter where they went, at the end of every night, Brianna would give Keeley a ride home. However, in early 2004,

Brianna started growing apart from her Enosburg friends, including Keeley. Brianna eventually dropped out of high school entirely, and she and Keeley even went a few weeks without seeing each other. During that time, Keeley took a week-long trip to visit her mom in Massachusetts. While she was away, Brianna stayed at Keeley's boyfriend's house, the 25-year-old guy Keeley had been dating for the past two years. As soon as Keeley got home, her friends told her what had happened, and Keeley confronted her boyfriend.

He supposedly confessed to cheating on her with Brianna, but they reportedly kept dating. Instead, she directed her anger at Brianna. Then a short while later, Keely caught Brianna doing something else she did not like. She was sitting in the passenger seat of 18-year-old James Robitized Car, which also made her livid. Because Brianna and Keely had both dated James on and off too,

Keeley felt that Brianna moving on from her boyfriend to someone else she had dated, only added insult to injury. That night, she started shouting at Brianna and calling her names. Brianna just kept her head down and tried to ignore it. But James yelled back at Keely to stop and drove off with Brianna in his car. That was in late February 2004, which brings us back to the party Sarah mentioned earlier.

Yeah, so on February 27th, Brianna showed up at a party with James at a place called the Pallet Factory. Everyone in their Enosburg Fall friend group was there, including Keeley, who was still furious. She spent the whole night trying to intimidate Brianna and get a reaction out of her, but Brianna didn't want any of it. So she went out to sit in James' truck until he was ready to leave. Keely asked where Brianna was, and James told her. So Keeley marched outside to find Brianna and knocked on the car window.

Brianna rolled it down, but Keeley didn't just want to talk. By Keely's own account, she asked Brianna if she was going to come outside and fight. When Brianna didn't answer, Keely reached through the window and punched Brianna in the face. She kept trying to taunt Brianna into getting out of the car and fighting, but Brianna wasn't engaging. So Keely punched her again. Then, Keely says, Brianna just put her head down and cried. Brianna left the party with two black eyes, a broken nose, and a concussion. Over the next few weeks,

Brianna made a big push to get her life where she wanted it. And then, everything unraveled in an instant. Some mysteries have haunted us for centuries. Others are unfolding right now. How does a modern airliner with 239 people on board disappear from the sky without a trace? This is History's Greatest Mysteries, a History Channel original podcast

Brought to you by Rewind Studios. Adapted from the hit TV show, every episode dives into one of the world's greatest enigmas, the vanishings, the myths, the lost relics, and the unexplained. With contributions from top historians, authors, scientists, and researchers, we separate fact from folklore and evidence from rumor, from unsolved crimes to buried treasure, to the deaths and disappearances of famous figures.

These are the stories we think we know, but dig beneath the legend and the truth gets far stranger. Follow history's greatest mysteries, available now wherever you listen to podcasts. On Saturday, February 28, 2004, the day after Keely punched Brianna, her mom took her to the hospital to address her injuries. Since Brianna was skilled in Jiu-Jitsu, her parents asked her why she didn't fight back. Brianna said she didn't want anyone to not like her. Still, Brianna's friend, Shauna LaBelle, convinced her to file a police report against Keeley. At first, Brianna didn't want to because she thought it would make matters worse. But she eventually let Shauna take her to the Vermont state police barracks.

Ready for more stability, 17-year-old Brianna also stopped couch surfing and bouncing from place to place. She moved in with her childhood friend, 17-year-old Gillian Stout, who she'd known since third grade. Jillian lived in Sheldon, about a 15-minute drive from both East Franklin, where Brianna's parents were, and Enosburg Falls, where she had gone to school. While she was there, Brianna settled in and focused on her high school equivalency program. She was preparing for her GED exam. After that, she wanted to go to college. According to Jillian, Brianna lost interest in partying after that.

She preferred staying home and reading a book or watching TV. She was really starting to ground herself. Did you have a party phase in high school? I did not. I did not, actually. I feel like I had my solid little group of friends and we like hung out, but I wasn't crazy. Like I didn't go to a lot of parties. I was also really shy growing up and I think that played a factor. Like embarrassingly shy.

Well, I did. I was just like Brianna. Literally like it feels so similar. I would go out and party. I would skip school the next day. But then I'd be back to do academic decathletal. on after school because I love to learn. I wanted to go to college, but I was just kind of wild. And like Brianna, I was on my own a lot of the time with like no rules, right? Granted, she had,

you know, very caring parents and I didn't. But I just, I relate to her so much. The partying, the like just realizing you want to get your GED. And it was the same time frame, too. I was supposed to graduate in 06. So I relate to her so much. But I feel like she was starting to settle down. And I had that same period too. It's like you kind of burn yourself out. Like it's not fun anymore. You settle down. You want to get your GED and go to college and make something for yourself.

So I just, it's so hard because I can see the bright future ahead of her. I know when at 17 years old, to hold down two jobs to support herself, like that is amazing. I feel like a lot of 17-year-olds will not do that. I think Brianna moving out was more about wanting independence rather than having problems with her parents. They seemed really close and they genuinely loved each other. So I don't think it was anything to do with her parents. You know, I moved out at 17 too. And at the time, I thought it was the best decision ever.

I moved in with like an older man, which is not good to any of our listeners. Like, it is not good. Please don't do that. But at the time, I thought it was the coolest thing. And, you know, looking back, it was not the right choice for me. Every situation is different, though. And Priyana was really responsible. I don't think this is something.

her parents should blame themselves for at all, like letting her move out. Like I said, every situation is different. She was very responsible and they had such a loving relationship. Like nobody would think the worst is going to happen. Yeah, I totally agree. She seemed like she had a good head on her shoulders. And like, to your point, working two jobs is something an incredibly responsible teenager does, not somebody who's wild and out of control and, like, crashing their life out. Well, that brings us to Friday, March 19th, 2004. That morning, Brianna goes out to eat breakfast with her mom, Kelly. Even though they don't live together anymore, they're still close, and spend time together every few days. After they finish eating, Brianna's mom drives her to the community college

of Vermont. She takes the final portion of her GED exam in mathematics. Her test is graded immediately, and she finds out she passed. That afternoon, she and Kelly celebrate her. She's a lot. That afternoon, she and Kelly celebrate by going clothes shopping in St. Albans. It's the nearest little city, 10 miles south of where Brianna's staying in Sheldon. But while they're waiting in the checkout line at one of the stores, something strange happens. Brianna notices something outside the window and tells her mom she'll be right back. Kelly doesn't see where Brianna goes or what she does. She just pays with the register and exits the store.

When she gets outside, Brianna meets her in the parking lot and rushes her toward the car. Brianna doesn't tell her where she's been, but her mom can see she's visibly agitated, and Brianna keeps repeating that she has to get back to Jillian's to get ready for work. On the ride home, Kelly wants to ask Brianna what's bothering her, but she decides not to be pushy and risk violating her daughter's privacy. So at around 3.30 p.m., Kelly drops Brianna off at Gillian's house and says goodbye. Brianna goes inside and gets ready for work, washing dishes at the Black Lantern Inn in Montgomery. She pauses to write a note for Jillian.

It says she'll get off between 10 p.m. and 12 a.m. And that she'll see Jillian after. The Black Lantern Inn is busy on Friday, March 19th, and Brianna's getting backed up washing dishes. Her parents, Kelly and Bruce, are out somewhere just a few miles away. They pass the Black Lantern on their drive home, and Kelly suggests stopping in and checking on Brianna. But Brianna's dad, Bruce, doesn't want to risk embarrassing her in front of her bosses.

He's worried they might seem like nosy parents scoping out the place, so they decide not to. By 11.20 p.m., the restaurant is empty and the kitchen's clean. All of the employees clock out. Brianna's co-workers stick around to socialize, but she tells them she has to go home and get some sleep. She's scheduled to work a shift the next morning at her other job. So she walks out the restaurant entrance, gets in her pale green 1985 Oldsmobile Delta 88, and drives away. An hour later, on the next day, Saturday, March 20th, 2004 at 1230 a.m. A driver on East Berkshire Road in Montgomery spot something concerning. It's a pale green Oldsmobile that looks like it's backed into an abandoned farmhouse. It seems like the car was thrown in reverse fast enough to break

through the outside wall. Part of the trunk is actually inside the structure. This is just the first person who notices the car. It's unclear who calls the police at what time. But officers don't make it out to the scene until that afternoon. At 122 p.m. on March 20th, a state trooper searches the car and finds two un-cashed paychecks made out to, Brianna Maitland. He sees that she works at the Black Lantern Inn,

and instead of calling the car's owner, her mother, he goes to the restaurant to look for Brianna. When he finds that they're closed, he assumes Brianna will eventually come to claim her car. He thinks maybe she abandoned it while intoxicated, so he has it towed to a local auto shop. Meanwhile, the friend Brianna's been staying with Jillian is out of town for the weekend. But on Monday, March 22nd, three days after Brianna's disappearance, Jillian arrives home.

She finds Brianna's note, but assumes she's gone to her parents or another friend's house and will return soon. Brianna doesn't have a cell phone, which is common in 2004. Only 45% of teenagers do then. But when Brianna hasn't returned by Tuesday, March 23rd, Jillian starts to be. to worry. She calls Brianna's parents' house and Kelly picks up. This is when the panic really kicks in because she thought Brianna was home with Jillian. Once Kelly realizes Brianna's missing, she hangs up and starts styling Brianna's friends and employers. None of them have seen or heard from Brianna in days. Then Kelly calls her husband Bruce, who's in New York on business.

While Bruce packs up and drives home, Kelly calls the Vermont State Police to officially report Brianna missing. Police enter Brianna into the National Crime Information Center as a missing juvenile. From there, her information sent out to law enforcement agencies across the country. On March 24th, Kelly and Bruce make more phone calls and drive to various places Brianna hung out. Considering Brianna's need for independence, Kelly starts to wonder if maybe she ran away. Brianna has a close relationship with her aunt Tammy, Kelly's sister in Pittsburgh. So Kelly tries to call her, Tammy isn't home. The following morning, March 25th, six days since Brianna was last seen, Kelly and Bruce go to the Vermont State Police barracks in St. Albans. There, they fill out paperwork

and provide some photos of Brianna. During that meeting, a trooper asks Bruce what type of car Brianna drives. Bruce describes the pale green Oldsmobile, and that's when the trooper connects the abandoned vehicle they found days earlier to the missing person's case. He pulls out a picture of the car at the abandoned farmhouse and shows it to the mainlands. Kelly's knees go weak, and she gets nauseous. She knows she's looking at a crime scene. I actually see situations like this pretty often. It's amazing how many times two cases are running parallel to each other, and it isn't until a family member mentions one small, seemingly mundane detail that everything clicks. But by then, valuable time has usually been lost, and evidence can be gone, which is just

sad and frustrating. Yeah. I mean, imagine what would have happened if Bruce didn't describe the car and they didn't make that connection. It's insane how the smallest detail can crack our case wide open. It is really scary to think what would have happened if Brianna's dad did not describe the car that day. Who knows how much longer it would have taken to connect the two cases. Yeah. I mean, having to find that information out, like in the moment at the police station, you feel nauseous. It is the worst, absolutely. But I'm glad that they made this connection because it is so vital to this case.

So as you might imagine, Bruce is a livid when he discovers that Brianna's car, which is registered to Kelly, was found five days earlier. He can't understand why the state troopers didn't notify them of this. Regardless, they head to the auto shop immediately where Brianna's brother, Waylon, meets them.

In the car, they find the paychecks and a few other items Brianna wouldn't leave behind, like her contact lenses, her migraine medication, her ATM card, driver's license, and her makeup. But there's something even more concerning. Bruce learns that since they never found the keys to the car, the trunk has not been opened. He immediately imagines the worst. Bruce borrows a crowbar and prides open the trunk. He breathes a sigh of relief when he realizes Brianna's not inside. That makes me want to cry. Like, I've never had to go through anything like that. And I can't even imagine that's a nightmare. I know. This situation, it must have been

so terrifying for the family to like in slow motion open the trunk fully expecting the worst. It probably felt great not finding Brianna in there, but I feel like it just opened up a whole new can of worms. And that's also like on one hand, it's great that she wasn't in there. But on the other, it's just really scary to imagine what did actually take place there. And also, I feel like it's crazy that at this point, five days had passed, and they haven't, like, the police have not opened up the trunk. I don't know. Like, I don't like the fact that this has taken so long to connect the cases, not to anybody's fault at all, but like it's already taken a long time to connect those two cases. And then the truck still hasn't been opened. I don't know. That's not good. Yeah, I mean, outside of a

missing person's case, right, it feels like protocol to notify when somebody's car is towed. I don't know why that wasn't done in this case by either the police or the company who towed it and was storing it. Like at some point, you know, they want to get their money for storing it. They want to get the money that they paid to tow it there, presumably, right? So I don't know why this took so long on either end. It is kind of frustrating to know the police officer saw that night that her car was found her like a few hours later that the paychecks in the car were made out to Brianna at her place of employment. So he knew then that she worked there. It's kind of an odd situation how it was backed into this building.

Yeah, I mean, I believe that's also a crime, even when it's an accident, if you back into a house or a barn and you harm it in some way, right? Like, that's also a crime. I don't know. This feels like it slipped through the fingers of so many systems and people, and I'll never understand why. Well, in this case, there's only a few items in the trunk. Again, things her family thinks that she wouldn't have just left behind. Things she'd been holding onto for a close friend and some of Brianna's own childhood possessions. Now, the Maitland's think she might have been taken against her will. Even though Kelly thinks her jiu-jitsu training wouldn't be Briana hard to contain. At this point down in Pittsburgh, Brianna's Aunt Tammy still doesn't know she's missing. Kelly left her some confusing messages the day before.

But the Maitland's phone line is constantly busy so she can't return the call. So when Tammy finally does find out about Brianna's disappearance, it's not through her sister. It's through the 11 o'clock news. Her heart sinks, but then she starts throwing things into a suitcase. Then she drives the 11 hours from Pittsburgh to East Franklin, Vermont, overnight. Tammy arrives on Thursday, March 25th, and immediately starts helping with the search effort. Kelly is on top of designing, printing, and distributing missing person flyers. Meanwhile, Bruce launches his own investigation.

He questions everyone at the Black Lantern. In fact, Kelly thinks he makes it there before. the police do. On Friday, March 26th, the troopers are busy searching the area around the old farmhouse where Brianna's car was found. They bring out canine units

and a helicopter, and they find what they refer to as an item of interest on the ground near the location of the car. The problem is, they aren't sure how long it's been there or if it has anything to do with Brianna and her case.

Eventually, they get a DNA profile on it, though. They run it through Kodas and compare it to some persons of interest, but there's no significant match. It seems to be a dead end. Then on March 30th, 2004, the troopers towed Brianna's Oldsmobile to the barracks at St. Albans. They examine it more thoroughly and won't give any details other than they don't find any signs of foul play. Meanwhile, back at the Maitlands, the phone is ringing off the hook, and they're receiving all sorts of disturbing tips. One even mentioned something like Brianna is tied to a tree in the

woods. But Brianna's Aunt Tammy answers a call that sparks a popular theory, one that will be talked about for years to come. The call is from the family of another missing young woman, 21-year-old Mara Murray from Haverill, New Hampshire, just two hours away. Mara disappeared about six weeks before Brianna on February 9, 2004. Her car was also found abandoned on the side of the road 90 miles away from Brianna's. The scenarios seem similar. except that at least one person saw Mara briefly after she got out of her car. Mara and Brianna's parents wonder if a pattern is forming. That maybe someone's abducting young women from inside their cars.

Maybe there's a serial killer operating in the region. Vermont and New Hampshire police start to investigate these theories as well. On Thursday, April 1, 2004, about two weeks after Brianna disappeared, the Class Kids Foundation sets up headquarters at the Montgomery Town Hall to help out. They organize ground searches on Friday, April 2nd and Saturday, April 3rd, with 300 volunteers each day. Another 100 volunteers search on Sunday, April 4th. They don't find anything, but the publicity does cause more witnesses to come forward, including people who saw Brianna's Oldsmobile backed into the abandoned farmhouse on the night of March 19. The first person drove by between

11.30 p.m. and 1230 a.m. He believes the car's headlights were on. The second person drove by between 12 and 12.30 a.m. He saw one of the car's turn signals blinking, and the last overnight sighting was around 2.30 a.m. And this time, by someone Brianna actually knew. James Robatai, the one who drove her home the night of the fight, passed her crashed car on its way home from a party that night. He pulled over when he recognized the vehicle and saw that the headlights were on and the doors were open. So he said he shut them, then left the scene. worried he was going to get in trouble for drinking if he called the police. None of these witnesses saw anyone in or around the car,

but a group of hikers drove by later that morning after the sun had come up. They thought the side of the car was so eerie. They actually got out of their car to take pictures. Since the vehicle was towed before becoming part of a missing person's case, the police didn't photograph the scene, which means these pictures taken by hikers become the only existing crime scene photographs. One of them also described something he saw at the crime scene that couldn't be seen in photos. Some loose change, a water bottle, and a broken necklace later confirmed to be Brianna's

on the ground next to the driver's side door. The troopers still don't know what to make of the scene. They're focused on trying to figure out why Brianna was at the abandoned farmhouse in the first place. Did she plan to meet someone? Did she happen to run into somebody she knew? Did she stumble into a situation with a stranger? In the weeks following Brianna's disappearance, seven people are subpoenaed to testify. Brianna's friend Shauna is one of them.

Keeley LaCross, the ex-friend who gave Brianna two black eyes, is another. At one point, Shana and Keeley run into each other. And when Shana asked her what's going to happen with her assault case, Keeley supposedly answers a bit smugly. According to Shana, she says nothing's going to happen because Brianna is missing. Keeley also allegedly admits she's not taking Brianna's disappearance seriously. because she doesn't believe it's real. But the longer Brianna is missing, the more real it will become for Keeley.

Because it turns out, some people they know might be at the center of it. The moment a body is found, the clock starts ticking. 48 hours. That's how long detectives have before the trail begins to go cold. From A&E and Crime House, this is the official podcast from the famous true crime series. the first 48. Step inside the critical window, the interrogations, the dead ends, and the breakthroughs that crack a case wide open. I'm Carter Roy.

Each week, I revisit a landmark homicide investigation with the depth you know and immersive, long-form storytelling built for your ears. Real detectives. Real cases. Real stakes. This is the first 48. new episodes every Thursday. Listen to and follow the first 48 on Apple Podcasts,

Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you listen to podcasts. On April 9, 2004, three weeks after Brianna's disappearance, the assault complaint against Keely is dropped. The Maitland's object, even though they know it's probably what Brianna would have wanted. Keeley also said on the show disappeared that Chie was cleared of any involvement in Brianna's disappearance. But the Vermont state police have never confirmed that publicly. And as the search continues into mid-April,

people start to share rumors about Brianna's involvement in something serious. The Vermont drug culture. Just weeks before Brianna vanished, police caught wind of a drug ring that had cropped up in the area. Rumor got around that Brianna had gone to at least one party with known dealers and hard drug use. Though Brianna supposedly only smoked marijuana, she also reportedly admitted to trying other hard drugs in the past.

But her friends, like Shauna, believed her when she said she only used socially once in a while. Investigators don't have a problem believing that either. After all, she was 17 years old, managed to get herself two jobs, and had earned her GED before most kids her age hadn't even graduated yet. Regardless, it's the part about her socializing with known dealers that the police are concerned about. especially because four weeks after Brianna's disappearance, her family receives an anonymous phone call with a disturbing tip. The caller says Brianna is being held captive in the root cellar of a farmhouse in Berkshire, 11 miles from the restaurant where Brianna was last seen.

The police follow that tip. On April 15, 2004, they raid the farmhouse, which is being rented by two men in their mid to late 20s, Ramon Ryan's and Nathaniel Jackson. Vermont state troopers ask Ramon and Nathaniel about that tip that Brianna is on their property. They admit to knowing her, but say she's not there. They also give police permission to search the place. State troopers find marijuana, six grams of crack cocaine, and two handguns. But not Brianna.

Four people connected to the house are questioned. Ramon Ryan's and Stephanie Machia, who are brought in on possession of marijuana and crack cocaine, and Nathaniel Jackson and Timothy Powell. Supposedly, Ramon and Nathaniel are cousins who set up shop in upstate Vermont specifically to sell drugs, and when they got there, they became popular with some of the local women,

including Brianna, Keely, and their other teenage friends. Ramone and Nathaniel reportedly hung out around Enosburg Falls High School frequently and sold drugs to students at the park across the street. It's such a convincing thread that police close the book on another theory. In mid-June 2004, almost three months after Brianna went missing,

the Vermont state police make an announcement. They've ruled out any connection between the disappearances of Brianna Maitland and Mara Murray, who went missing around the same time in nearby New Hampshire. Then, the lead detective goes on to say something

Brianna's parents find shocking that Brianna owed someone drug money when she went missing. They're talking about Nathaniel Jackson, but they don't use his, name. And this gets published in the local paper. That's right, Courtney. And it enrages Brianna's parents Kelly and Bruce, because the police have no hard proof. They're just speculating because of hearsay. And Brianna's supposed friendship with Ramon and Nathaniel. And while the Maitlands never believe

their daughter was perfect, they know she was a good person who was working hard to get her life together. I'm mad again. This feels a bit like victim blaming to me, Sarah. I don't know about how you feel. Yeah, 100%, especially if it's not something that they've confirmed. These types of things can make the public care less about a victim, and I think that's where it becomes dangerous. Ding, ding, ding. I feel like the police seemed to insinuate that because Brianna had previously used drugs,

that must explain why she disappeared. And I feel like we just see that way too often. It's honestly one of the reasons why I'm a little bit afraid, and I'm always careful about how I talk about a victim's past because the second someone isn't seen as like perfect, people, and sometimes even investigators, start jumping to conclusions. And that can absolutely hurt a case. Yeah, I mean, not only is it like personally offensive,

but again, I think the larger concern is that people will stop looking if they assume that she's just like running out because she owes somebody drug money or something. And like, let's be real. If we're not going to look for teenagers who have experimented, with drugs, we're not going to find any of the missing kids. Like, it just is what it is. I'm so sick of the media villainizing teenagers for doing normal teenage things. Eventually, the newspaper publishes a retraction regarding the drug money claim. The police

apologized to the family and promised to work more closely with them. In June 2005, the police are still working on the drug house angle, but far more delicately, over a year after Ramon Ryan's is charged with possession, the police agreed to reduce his drug charge to a misdemeanor, under one condition. He tells them what he knows about Brianna's case. He grants the interview, but doesn't give any helpful information. After that, Ramon is released from custody for time served and leaves Vermont. Then, six months later, another lead comes out of left field. It's Tuesday, January 17, 2006. Almost two years had passed since Brianna went missing. That night, someone from Vermont is visiting a casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

They claim to spot someone who looks just like Brianna Maitland sitting at a poker table. The police show Brianna's mother, Kelly, the security footage. To her, the woman looks just like Brianna, slim with dark brown hair and a very similar nose. And she also moves like her and uses the same hand gestures. But Kelly hasn't seen Brianna in nearly two years. and the video is grainy and taken from an odd angle, so she can't confirm 100%, but it's a lead worth pursuing. The Vermont and New Jersey police team up to try to find the woman

and a man she was with in the footage, but they come up empty-handed. The video is all they have, and even though Kelly is hopeful, she's still on the fence. So a media agency cleans up and increases the resolution on the footage. After that, Kelly confirms immediately, It's not Brianna. But the police keep turning up other leads. On Thursday, February 1st, 2007,

almost three years since Brianna went missing, a local newspaper publishes a sworn statement from a police officer, one that the Maitlands haven't yet heard. A year earlier, a local woman supposedly told him an incredibly detailed, gruesome story about how Brianna was killed by Ramon Ryan's. It seems too horrible and specific for anyone to have just made up. but the police can't corroborate any of it,

and the witness is reportedly unreliable. She's supposedly trying to get a plea bargain for her son who's facing prison time. By this point, investigators have questioned many people who know Nathaniel and Ramon, and the dots just won't connect, at least not yet. As of this recording, neither of them have ever been charged or arrested in connection to Brianna's disappearance. So all we're left with is theories. Investigators do suspect foul play, but at this point, they're playing their cards close to the chest. This is very much still an active investigation, one with a $40,000 reward for the right information.

What we do know is this. Brianna Maitland woke up early on Friday, March 19, 2004, to go out for breakfast with her mother Kelly. Even though Brianna no longer lived at home, she spent time with her mom frequently and maintained a close. relationship. After finishing their meal, Brianna's mom drove her to the Community College of Vermont. There she took the final test for her GED, the mathematics portion, and she passed. That warranted a celebration, so she went shopping with her mom. They browsed the Easter decorations and bought Brianna some work clothes. But then something strange happened. While she and Kelly were waiting in line of the cash register, Brianna saw something through the shop window and excused herself.

Her mom checked out and left the store to find Brianna waiting in the parking lot. Brianna never explained why she left the store in the first place. Around 3.30 p.m., Kelly dropped Brianna off. She wrote a note to her roommate Jillian saying that she'd be back between 10 p.m. and midnight. Brianna clocked out at 11.20 p.m. And while her coworkers wanted to hang out, Brianna said she wanted to go home and go to bed. She had work at a different restaurant the next day. So Brianna left and got into her pale,

Green, 85 Oldsmobile Delta 88, and drove away. Never to return to the life she worked so hard to build for herself. Brianna Maitland will be about 39 years old as of this recording. She's 5'4-and-caucasian with brown hair and hazel eyes. Her last known weight was 105 pounds. She has a scar on her forehead near her left eyebrow. Her left nostril is pierced and when she disappeared, she was wearing a stud in it. If you have any information about Brianna Meantland, you can reach the FBI tip line at 1-800 call FBI or tips.fbi.gov. You can also call the Vermont State Police tip line at 1-844-84 v. Tips. Thank you for listening to the final hours. If you have any other details about Brianna-Maitland's case,

please share it with us on social media. We want to hear from you. Your thoughts, condolences, and feedback are what make this community so special. special. At Crimehouse, we value your support. Share your thoughts on social media and remember to rate, review, and follow the final hours to help others discover the show. And to enhance your listening experience, don't forget to join Crimehouse Plus at crimehouse.com. Or if you listen on Apple podcast, tap try free at the top of the final hour show page. The final hours is hosted by Sarah Attorney and me, Corey Nicole, and is a crimehouse original powered by Pave Studios. This episode was to life by the Final Hours team.

Max Cutler, Ron Shapiro, Alex Benadon, Lori Marinelli, Natalie Pritzofsky, Sarah Camp, Alyssa Fox, Dana Brazil Solovey, and Russell Nash. Thank you for listening. I'm Sarah Turney. And I'm Courtney Nicole. We're the host of the Crimehouse Original podcast, The Final Hours. Crime has impacted both of our families,

teaching us how the last conversations the missed red flags can change everything. On the final hours, we examine the moments before a disappearance and the questions that never got answered, a podcast that puts the moments before it disappearance under a microscope. Listen to and follow the final hours, available now wherever you get your podcasts. Hi listeners, it's Vanessa. Are you the type to fall down an internet rabbit hole and not come up for hours? You'll love Crimes of Reddit, a new crimehouse original with Sabrina Deanna Roga and Alexis Linkletter. Every week, one host brings real true crime stories from Reddit, while the other reacts completely blind.

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