Two decades after Vermont teenager Brianna Maitland was reported missing, a case that remains unsolved, the FBI is putting up a $40,000 reward for information that leads to her recovery.
They made the announcement with Vermont State Police Tuesday, 20 years to the day after she was last seen in Montgomery, Vermont.
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"Someone out there may have information that can help solve this case. It's been too long and it's time to come forward," said Craig Tremaroli, special agent in charge of the FBI's Albany office, which investigates crime in Vermont.
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The 17-year-old was last seen during the late evening hours of March 19, 2004, as she was finishing her shift at the Black Lantern Inn in Montgomery. According to NBC News, she had had left a note for her roommate saying she’d be home after work.
After her shift, Brianna and some coworkers hung out at the inn until around 11:20 p.m., when she reportedly left to drive home to Swanton. She was seen leaving in her 1985 Oldsmobile 88, but no one has seen her since.
The next day, Brianna’s car was discovered by police backed up onto the outside wall of a barn on an abandoned farm. Inside the car, officers found two of Brianna’s paychecks, as well as her migraine medicine and other belongings. Her car keys were missing.
Her parents didn't know their daughter was missing until they got a call three days later from her roommate asking if they knew where Brianna was.
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“She called us and asked, ‘Where's Brianna?’ We said, ‘Well, I don’t know,’” Brianna’s father Bruce told NBC News. “At the time, it was a bit concerning. But it was Brianna, and she could have been with a number of her friends.”
After calls to her friends didn't turn up anything, her parents reported her missing to police the following day.
Investigators said they first believed that Brianna might have run away, but it was later determined that she might have been a victim of foul play. There have been multiple leads followed up on over the years, but none of them have panned out.
Authorities said Tuesday that they have not stopped looking for Brianna.
"Ever since Brianna disappeared, we have worked to muster any and all law enforcement resources we could to this investigation. Partnering with the FBI to provide up to $40,000 in reward money offers one more significant tool as we continue to pursue answers in this two-decade-old search," said Vermont State Police Col. Matt Birmingham, who himself spent two years investigating the case when he was a detective sergeant.
