True Crime Twins Podcast

Community Q&A With Bri's Dad Last week, I asked the online community if they had any questions for Bruce Maitland, Brianna's Dad. Bruce was kind enough to offer his input to the followers of his daughter's case. The following is a compilation of your questions with his answers in bold. Thank you, Bruce, for your time and thought in your responses. I think they will prove to be productive in clarifying common questions for people following this case. Did the Black Lantern Inn have surveillance footage?   No. Can you confirm Brianna did not have a cellphone?  She did not have a cell phone. Did the police look into the phone records at the Black Lantern Inn?  Yes and so did I. Nothing was found in them to point to anyone. Did the Black Lantern Inn have live music when Brianna worked there?   No. Did Brianna tell anyone what time she would be leaving work, or make plans with anyone that night?   She left the ...

The Parking Lot Story In my undergraduate and graduate coursework on criminal justice, a recurring theme is the dangers of confirmation bias. It is human nature to attempt to make connections to make sense of something that is senseless or mysterious. I know that is a reason I am interested in cold cases. What’s dangerous about this aspect of human nature is that it can lead to confirmation bias, in which we develop a theory and work backwards to confirm it, placing significance on leads (and worse, speculation) that support our theory, and disregard the rest. As this is in our nature, it is crucial for investigators, professional and amateur alike, to be aware of it every step of the way in efforts to avoid such thinking. After all, it is a gross logical fallacy that stagnates an investigation. Speculation and confirmation bias are the antithesis of objective, fact-focused, critical thinking. It gives us tunnel vision when seeing clearly is what we, and whomever we are trying ...