New Info on Maura Murray/Brittany Maitland Disappearances
Maggie
Authorities shed new light on missing women's lives
By LEON THOMPSON
Messenger Staff Writer
ST. ALBANS TOWN Police concluded Tuesday there is no connection in the
mysterious disappearances of Brianna Maitland, 17, of Franklin, and Maura
Murray, 21, of New Hampshire.
Investigators did say, however, that Maitland had strong ties to the drug
community, and that Murray probably ran away.
For four hours yesterday, the Vermont State Police (VSP), New Hampshire State
Police and FBI met at the VSP barracks in St. Albans before addressing the
media about the cases. Their assessment: The Maitland and Murray cases are
unrelated.
"There is no serial killer on the loose in the area," said Capt. Bruce Lang,
chief criminal investigator of the VSP's Criminal Investigation Bureau.
"We are looking for good, solid leads," Lang said. "We are not looking for
frivolous or pointless information that will lead us on more wild goose chases
in either one of these cases."
For the first time since she vanished March 19, VSP Lt. Tom Nelson
acknowledged Maitland "made unhealthy lifestyle choices in her life prior to
her disappearance."
Specifically, he said, Maitland had a "questionable background involving drug
use" and an unspecified relationship with crack cocaine dealers in northeast
Franklin County.
As part of the Maitland investigation, police executed an April search warrant
at the Reservoir Road residence of Ramon L. Ryans, 27, of Queens, N.Y., and
Stephanie A. Machia, 19, of Berkshire. They were arrested after authorities
allegedly found crack cocaine, marijuana, guns and drug paraphernalia at their
Berkshire home.
Nelson said Maitland knew Ryans and Machia.
"Brianna was involved in the drug communities in that area," Nelson said. "She
allowed that world to become part of her world. ... We're putting this out
there in hopes that someone will step forward with new information."
Shortly after Maitland vanished, her mother, Kellie, told the Messenger her
daughter may have used drugs socially but there was no reason to think
Brianna's disappearance was part of a drug deal gone bad.
At the VSP barracks yesterday, Kellie Maitland said she sat some of Brianna's
friends down after she disappeared and told them, "Anything you have to say
about Brianna you can say right now."
Brianna's friends insisted she was not addicted to drugs but that she liked to
attend parties, Kellie said.
"If she had said she was addicted to something," she said, "I would have
grabbed her and put her into rehab."
Bruce Maitland, who had just finished searching the Missisquoi River banks in
Richford with Kellie Tuesday afternoon, added, "I don't think (Brianna) was an
addict where she needed to clean herself up."
Brianna Maitland was last seen leaving her job at the Black Lantern Inn in
Montgomery just before 11:30 p.m. on March 19. The next afternoon, her
abandoned car was found backed into a boarded up home on Route 118, across
from Dutchburn Farm Road.
Organized and informal searches since then have turned up no leads. Police
have interviewed 61 people and subpoenaed seven people who know Maitland to
testify before a Vermont District Court judge.
Police said they would be willing to make deals with offenders who may have
information leading to Maitland.
The Maitlands have met with the parents of Murray, a nursing student at the
University of Massachusetts at Amherst. She has been missing since she was
involved in a minor one car accident on Route 112 in Haverhill the night of
Monday, Feb. 9.
During the early morning hours of Feb. 8, Murray crashed her father's new car
into a guard rail in Hadley, Mass., causing $10,000 in damage to the vehicle,
according to New Hampshire police. Murray had been with her father and some
friends at a pub the night before.
By Monday morning, she had neatly packed all her dorm room belongings in boxes
and left a personal note from her boyfriend, who is in Oklahoma. She then
researched overnight accommodations in Bartlett, N.H., and Burlington by using
the Internet.
She also withdrew most of her money from her personal account and sent e-mails
to her work supervisor and college professors, saying she would be absent due
to a death in the family.
There was no death in the family.
She did not tell her family, friends or classmates she was leaving school for
the week. She was dealing with other stress in her life, too, investigators
said.
At the accident scene, there were no signs of struggle or evidence of foul
play.
Police believe Murray was headed for an unknown destination and may have
accepted a ride to get there.
"It was her intention to leave," said New Hampshire State Police Lt. John
Scarinza. "What's also clear is she did not want to tell any of her family
what her intentions were. And she did not tell any of her friends."
The FBI has offered several resources and supported all investigating agencies
in both missing persons cases, said D.J. Corbet, special agent in the FBI's
Burlington office.
--- --- ---
Reach Leon Thompson at 524-9771, ext. 112, or le...@samessenger.com
Maggie
"We must reject the idea that every time a law's broken, society is guilty
rather than the lawbreaker. It is time to restore the American precept that
each individual is accountable for his actions." --Ronald Reagan
Child
"Maggie" <maggi...@aol.comSPAMBLOC> wrote in message
news:20040612082052...@mb-m03.aol.com...
> Brianna's friends insisted she was not addicted to drugs but that she
liked to
> attend parties, Kellie said.
>
> "If she had said she was addicted to something," she said, "I would have
> grabbed her and put her into rehab."
>
> Bruce Maitland, who had just finished searching the Missisquoi River
banks in
> Richford with Kellie Tuesday afternoon, added, "I don't think (Brianna)
was an
> addict where she needed to clean herself up."
Denial ain't just a river in egypt mom and dad.
> "It was her intention to leave," said New Hampshire State Police Lt. John
> Scarinza. "What's also clear is she did not want to tell any of her
family
> what her intentions were. And she did not tell any of her friends."
I have always believed that Murray took off on her own.
Kris Baker
"Child" <be...@NOT-SO-bad-dawgs-in-ak.com> wrote in message
news:10cp8ab...@corp.supernews.com...
>
> "Maggie" <maggi...@aol.comSPAMBLOC> wrote in message
> news:20040612082052...@mb-m03.aol.com...
>
> > Brianna's friends insisted she was not addicted to drugs
> > but that she liked to attend parties, Kellie said.
> >
> > "If she had said she was addicted to something,"
> > she said, "I would have grabbed her and put her into rehab."
> >
> > Bruce Maitland, who had just finished searching the
> > Missisquoi River banks in Richford with Kellie Tuesday
> > afternoon, added, "I don't think (Brianna) was an
> > addict where she needed to clean herself up."
>
> Denial ain't just a river in egypt mom and dad.
So she was the kind of addict that *didn't* need
to clean herself up?
> > "It was her intention to leave," said New Hampshire State
> > Police Lt. John Scarinza. "What's also clear is she did not
> > want to tell any of her family what her intentions were. And
> > she did not tell any of her friends."
>
> I have always believed that Murray took off on her own.
Yup.....and I still believe that someone may have been
following her, to take her away after the "accident".
I wonder how much money she had on her, since
she cleaned out most of her bank account(s)?
Kris
Michele317
>> > but that she liked to attend parties, Kellie said.
>> >
>> > "If she had said she was addicted to something,"
>> > she said, "I would have grabbed her and put her into rehab."
>> >
>> > Bruce Maitland, who had just finished searching the
>> > Missisquoi River banks in Richford with Kellie Tuesday
>> > afternoon, added, "I don't think (Brianna) was an
>> > addict where she needed to clean herself up."
>>
>> Denial ain't just a river in egypt mom and dad.
>
> So she was the kind of addict that *didn't* need
> to clean herself up?
sure... you know, the kind who 'go to parties' and use drugs and hang out with
dealers. no 'problem' that i can see :). i guess some folks think 'addict'
means lying in a gutter in a pile of your own vomit with a needle hanging out
of your arm.
Uncle Dollar Bill
(Michele317) wrote:
Ah, lying in a gutter in a pile of my own vomit with a needle hanging
out of my arm... now _THOSE_ were the days...
;-)
(J/k - been an addict, but never _that_ bad...)
--
L8r,
Uncle Dollar Bill
Kris Baker
"Michele317" <miche...@aol.combover> wrote in message
news:20040613155844...@mb-m13.aol.com...
Yeah, THAT kind. Like all of them are (and....I'll bet
good old Mom and Dad, too). Who else *wouldn't*
see a problem, but a junkie?
Kris
Maggie
>> > "It was her intention to leave," said New Hampshire State
>> > Police Lt. John Scarinza. "What's also clear is she did not
>> > want to tell any of her family what her intentions were. And
>> > she did not tell any of her friends."
>>
>> I have always believed that Murray took off on her own.
>
> Yup.....and I still believe that someone may have been
> following her, to take her away after the "accident".
>
> I wonder how much money she had on her, since
> she cleaned out most of her bank account(s)?
>
>Kris
***I think she's long dead.
Kris Baker
"Maggie" <maggi...@aol.comSPAMBLOC> wrote in message
>
> >> > "It was her intention to leave," said New Hampshire State
> >> > Police Lt. John Scarinza. "What's also clear is she did not
> >> > want to tell any of her family what her intentions were. And
> >> > she did not tell any of her friends."
> >>
> >> I have always believed that Murray took off on her own.
> >
> > Yup.....and I still believe that someone may have been
> > following her, to take her away after the "accident".
> >
> > I wonder how much money she had on her, since
> > she cleaned out most of her bank account(s)?
> >
> >Kris
>
> ***I think she's long dead.
>
> Maggie
I'm leaning that way. She had a plan to "escape" with
her money and get away.....and something went wrong.
Either the "accident" was more severe than planned, the
help she expected didn't arrive, or the help she didn't
expect, did arrive...and it wasn't "help".
Kris
Maggie
***One other possibility (not saying I think this is what happened, though):
The help she expected arrived, but her new friend didn't have the same plans
for their time together that she had.
Kris Baker
"Maggie" <maggi...@aol.comSPAMBLOC> wrote in message
Yup. That falls under my second scenario....it wasn't
"help". I wonder if any of her new/old friends have a
new car, and how many money was found IN the
wrecked vehicle? (Bet there was none.)
The chance to find a large amount of cash may have
been the impetus for all of those searchers, though.
Kris
