True Crime Twins Podcast

Atlantic City In 2006, the New Year brought in a new lead in the disappearance of Brianna Maitland. On the evening of January 17 th , a Vermont business owner saw a familiar face at a blackjack table at Caesars Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The young woman’s wavy brown hair was parted in the middle. She was slim with a light complexion and high cheekbones. She wore blue jeans and a dark long-sleeved top. She smiled easily. She would drum her fingers against the table and rest her chin in her hand as she waited between hands. The woman appeared at ease and socialized with others at the table, including her companion, a bald middle-aged Caucasian man. He wore a black jacket with upside-down white eagle wings. The Vermonter recognized the woman at the blackjack table. He thought he might be looking at Brianna Maitland, who had been missing for nearly two years. The man did not ask the woman if she was Brianna. He later reported the sighting to law enforcement, who then

What They Found in Her Car From what I’ve learned along the way, I’ve determined that the following items were left behind inside of Brianna Maitland’s abandoned vehicle. In the front seat: The front seat of Brianna Maitland’s vehicle. Photographs taken by Bob Kates in 2006. Bobkatlair.blogspot.com Two paychecks addressed to Brianna Maitland on the front passenger seat. One Styrofoam takeout box with half of a sandwich inside on the front passenger floor. A marijuana leaf trinket with the text “Emerald Bay”. Photograph by Bob Kates. A cut out image of Angelina Jolie from an article in the August 2003 issue of Cosmopolitan Magazine with the text, “Angelina Holds Nothing Back”, taped to the ceiling. Photograph taken by Bob Kates in 2006. Beer bottle caps, glued over radio dials. Multiple cigarette butts in the vehicle’s ash tray. A small card with a graphic of a fairy standing in front of a waterfall, in the driver’s visor. In the ba

The Clothes on Her Back On a missing persons poster, there is often a description of what the person was last seen wearing. Brandon Lawson was last seen in a yellow shirt, camouflage shorts, and white Nikes. Maura Murray wore a dark coat, blue jeans, running shoes, and carried a black backpack when she stepped out of her crashed car on New Hampshire Route 112.  There is no mention of what clothing Brianna was last seen wearing on her missing posters or on her NAMUS profile . Prior to Brianna's evening shift on March 19th, 2004, her mother took her shopping to buy black pants for her waitress job at KJ's Diner. Her first day was to be the following morning. She didn’t show up. Brianna’s brand new black pants were found still in the shopping bag at Jillian's house. Since those were her only pair, Brianna’s mother Kellie and aunt Tammy have speculated that Brianna was wearing blue jeans the night she went missing. On October 25 th , 2007 a pair of blue jeans was lo

Low and Street The farmhouse on Reservoir Road. Although the two have been radio silent since 2004, the public is still interested in cousins Ramon Lyle Ryans (known as "Street") and Nathaniel Charles Jackson (known as "Low") and their potential relevance to the Brianna Maitland case. This post introduces the Queens, New York natives and their connection to the case.  Bruce Maitland, Brianna's father, received an anonymous tip four weeks after the disappearance. He was told Brianna was being held captive in a farmhouse on Reservoir Road in Berkshire, approximately ten miles from the Dutchburn house. Ryans and Jackson, who rented and occupied the home, were implicated in the disappearance. Bruce Maitland implored the Vermont State Police to search the property, prepared to gather men do so himself if they were unwilling. The Vermont State Police did raid the residence along with U.S. Fish and Wildlife agents and U.S. Border Patrol agents. Brianna w

In Keallie's Words, Part 2 Brianna and Keallie, in better days. As I go through my notes from my conversation with Keallie back in March 2018, I'm struck by how open Keallie was with me. She was brutally honest and introspective. Her transparency about her past certainly required significant vulnerability. She's a working mother of three, and also has gone back to school.  Keallie stuck with me on a call that went from 12:14 to 1:46 a.m. In addition to sharing her side of the story regarding her fight with Brianna, Keallie shed a lot of light on the aftermath of Brianna's disappearance. If you've been following the Brianna Maitland episodes on Crawlspace Podcast, you may be familiar with a popular theory among locals, in which Brianna died in an accident which was covered up by male acquaintances. This theory, while incredibly widespread, is based entirely on third party accounts, and to this day has not been verified by tangible evidence. The men inv

In Keallie's Words, Part 1 Brianna's injuries included two black eyes, a broken nose, and a concussion.  "I hit her two times. She didn't fight back. It looks like I annihilated her, but I didn't. I hit  her twice and she didn't fight back. I said, ' you're not worth it' and walked away. They look at me like I'm a monster, and I jumped her with a crew of women, but that's not what happened." If you've looked into the Maitland case, you know Brianna was injured in a fight three weeks before she disappeared. She had a falling out with her friend Keallie LaCross because of a love triangle (or rectangle). Because of the timing of this fight, some have speculated that Keallie may be involved in Brianna's disappearance. Keallie was kind enough to grant me an interview back in March, and we spoke on the phone for nearly two hours. I know people are waiting for a podcast episode with Keallie as a guest. We are working on i

About Bri Brianna Maitland was born on October 8th, 1986 in Burlington, Vermont. Her parents, Bruce and Kellie Maitland were both 25 years old at the time and already had a son together named Waylon. The Maitland family lived in a farmhouse on Boston Post Road in Franklin, Vermont. They lived an "off-the-grid" lifestyle. Brianna grew up without modern conveniences including a stove, microwave, or television. Her unconventional upbringing, as well as her adventurous, confident personality and originality, lead her friends to see her as their beloved "backcountry hippie chick". She popped popcorn using a wood stove, tore her Jeep Wrangler on rural dirt roads, and loved any outdoor activity. She could track wild animals through the woods and tended to the family horses and cows. She was extensively trained in the Brazilian martial art of Jiu Jitsu. She loved her pets, a wrinkle-faced Sharpei named Lau and a cat named Muffin. Her most prized possession

Missing in Vermont  Introduction Brianna Alexandra Maitland was seventeen years old when she vanished on March 19th, 2004. She punched out of work at her new job as a dishwasher at the Black Lantern Inn in Montgomery, Vermont at 11:20 pm. Brianna's coworkers had invited her to join them for dinner after the shift, but she was tired and wanted to get some rest before her first day at her second job at KJ’s Diner, as a waitress. She had a long day. Brianna woke early that Friday morning. Her mother picked her up to go out for breakfast before Brianna took her high school equivalency exam. Earning her GED would be a meaningful accomplishment after withdrawing from high school that previous year. Brianna had also been recently hired for two part-time restaurant jobs. She planned to go to college. By all accounts, Brianna was making sensible choices for her future. After passing the exam, Brianna’s mother took her clothes shopping. Brianna needed black pants for the