Missing Persons AbJack Entertainment

Episode 94 Brianna Maitland
17 year old Brianna Maitland vanished without a trace on Friday night March 19, 2004 after she left her shift at the Black Lantern Inn in Montgomery, Vermont. Her co-workers watched her drive off in her Green 1985 Oldsmobile at around 11:20PM. They had asked her to hang out and share a meal, but she was tired and had to work her second job early the next morning. In the hours after Brianna laft work, her car was spotted by multiple witnesses backed into the wall of  a barn house about a mile from the Black Lantern Inn. One of the witnesses was a young man who had dated Brianna. He claimed that he found her car abandoned against the barn home with its doors open and headlights on, but there was no sign of Brianna, so he turned off her lights and shut the doors before leaving. Another witness, a police officer, discovered the car and when he saw Brianna's uncashed paychecks inside from the Black Lantern Inn, he headed there to try and figure out what was going on, but by the time he arrived, they were closed. Rather than report the incident, he left for a long weekend get away, setting into motion a set of circumstances that caused a delay in anyone even realizing Brianna was missing. Hours after the police officer had come upon the scene, a group of travelers spotted the odd scene of the car backed into the barn. It was so odd, they stopped to take photos and investigate the scene. A broken necklace and some of Brianna's belongings were found inside and outside of the car. The car was towed, and 2 days would pass before anyone realized Brianna was missing. 
Officially, Brianna was never seen again, although there were reported sightings of her in other states thought to be cases of mistaken identity. Brianna's parents, Bruce and Kellie Maitland, were left to wonder what happened to their daughter. Along the way, they had to hear all kinds of rumors about Brianna, and what may have happened to her and who may be responsible. Brianna's case was thought by some to possibly be linked to the disapperance of Maura Murray, another high profile missing persons case in New England. Maura vanished from New Hampshire a month before Brianna, and as in Brianna's case, her car and odd clues were left behind. 
The Maitlands found a friend, advocate, and ally in Private Investigator Greg Overacker who has worked doggedly on Brianna's case for years. In this episode, he discusses the case, and tried to sort out fact from fiction. He also discusses the book he wrote on Brianna's case.
When Brianna Maitland vanished, she was described as White, with Brown haid and Hazel eyes. She stood about 5ft5 and weight around 116 pounds. If you have any information about Brianna's case, call the FBI tip line at 800-CALLFBI or call the Vermont State Police at 844-84-VTIPS. You can also reach out to Bruce Maitland's organization; Private Investigations for the Missing. 
Visit this link to order Greg Overacker's book; The Hunt for Brianna Maitland; The Relentless Pursuit of Answers to one of Vermont's Biggest Mysteries. You can also reach out to Greg via Facebook with tips or to get an autographed copy of his book. 
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Episode 93 Still Missing; A Re-Release of Episode 50 Our Most Mysterious Cases So Far
 
From the Missing Persons 'Still Missing' Vault of episodes, this week's episode is a re-release of Episode 50; Our Most Mysterious Cases So Far.
To commemorate the 50th episode of Missing Persons, hosts Jess & Mike look back at the first 49 episodes and each pick out their top 5 most mysterious cases to recap, and discuss in more depth.
 
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Episode 92 Mary Jane Croft VanGilder Update Part 2 of 2
In part 2 of our update on the Mary Jane Croft Van Gilder case, we talk once again with Detective Adam Turner of the Shelby, OH police department who solved this case. He discusses what went into solving the case and what questions remain unanswered.
To listen to our full original episode on Mary Jane's case, visit our website.
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To contact the podcast or learn more about the cases we discuss visit:
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Episode 91 Mary Jane Croft Van Gilder Update Part 1 of 2
Mary Jane Croft VanGilder went missing in 1945. We originally covered her case in episode 8 of Missing Persons. She had left her family in WV to escape an abusive relationship. She traveled to OH where she took a warehouse job, and routinely sent letters and war bonds home to her children. In February, 1945, she filed for divorce. The following month, she quit her job and vanished. Her family had searched for her ever since. Decades after she went missing, Detective Adam Turner was tasked with trying to do what seemed impossible- figure out what happened to Mary Jane decades before when she vanished. It was an uphill battle, but against the odds, through hard work and refusal to give up, Detective Turner solved the mystery. He found out that Mary Jane Croft Van Gilder had started her life over as Mary Jane Sebren. She possibly re-married, and then had additional children. She lived the rest of her life without either of her 2 families knowing about the other before she passed away in 1990.
In this episode, the first of two parts, we recap what happened, and what we know, and we re-play our original interview with Mary Jane's daughter, Anna. In our next episode of Missing Persons, we will have an all new interview with Detective Adam Turner who breaks down just how he was able to solve this case, and what else he knows about Mary Jane's disappearance, and new life.
To listen to our full original episode on Mary Jane's case, visit our website.
 
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Episode 90 Missing Persons Alert: Avery Doherty 
 
Avery Lydia Doherty is a child missing out of Ames, Iowa and is presumed to be the victim of a familial abduction at the hands of her mother, Esther Bender. She's been missing since October, 2023. Her mother Esther, had an 'unofficial' shared custody agreement with Avery's father, Brandon Doherty who is the guest in this episode. The relationship between Esther and Brandon officially ended when Avery was much younger, but the pair remains on good terms for Avery's benefit. When Brandon moved 3 hours away to Kansas City, MO, he continued to stay in touch, and alternated between having Avery stay with him, and him going to visit her in Ames. While their shared custody agreement wasn't organized by the court, it was working for them for a while. Then, Brandon noticed that Esther seemed to be trying to phase him out of his daughter's life. She would miss pre-arranged meetups and drop offs. She then began to explore changing her daughter's last name. Brandon sensed something was 'off' and decided to hire an attorney and get the courts involved so that the shared custody was in an official capacity recognized by the court. Instead of showing up to court, Esther and Avery vanished. Esther un-enrolled Avery from her school without notifying Brandon. When Brandon was not able to contact Esther, he feared something was wrong, and went to Esther's residence only to find it had been haphazardly cleaned out, and was left in a mess. Esther's minivan was left behind, and there has been no contact with her or Avery since. In light of the parental abduction, the court stepped in and issued a ruling that if and when Avery is found, she is to be returned to Brandon to have full custody. 
There is evidence that Esther pre-planned this abduction, and purchased a burner phone, and minutes to keep off of investigator's radar.They fear that she left the state, and may have had assistance by one or more people to help pull off this abduction.
Avery Doherty is described as weighing 45 pounds and standing 4 feet, 5 inches tall. She is white and has blonde hair and blue eyes. Esther Bender, who may be using her maiden name, Yoder. Although no clear description of Esther was given, she is described as White with dark Brown hair.
Anyone with information on the case should call Ames police at 515-239-5133.
 
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Episode 88 Charles Robert 'Bobby' Steele 
43 Year Old Charles Robert 'Bobby' Steele has been missing since April 11,2023 when he walked out of his sister Kelly's home in Delaware, and was never seen again. Prior to that, Bobby had been down on his luck. A childhood injury left him dependent on pain killers, and his addition led to him being arrested and incarcerated, and later, homeless in Maryland. Bobby struggled to stay sober and was looking forward to moving into a new home. He had qualified for a voucher that would get him off the streets, and into his own home permanently, and he was very excited. However, around the same time, he seemed worried and in a panic over something or someone. He expressed his uneasiness to his sister Kelly, and went as far as to ask her to routinely call him or do a video call with him to make sure he was okay. Bobby seemed relieved when Kelly picked him up and brought him home to her house, and things were looking up. That's when Bobby vanished and wasn't seen again. Kelly has been anxiously searching for her brother ever since, and is getting bounced around from one police jurisdiction to another. It's also been a challenge to find and talk to people on the street that knew Bobby, or might have information; including his girlfriend Leah Vari. It seems she too has gone off the radar.  Kelly has taken to TikTok to spread awareness and ask for the public's help. Kelly discusses her efforts to find Bobby in this episode.
Bobby is described as a White male, 5ft11, 180 pounds, and having Brown hair and Hazel eyes. 
If you have any information, please call the Elkton, MD police dept at 410-398-4200
 
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To contact the podcast or learn more about the cases we discuss visit:
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