Maureen Brainard-Barnes: Life, Disappearance, and Investigation

Maureen Brainard-Barnes was born on June 14, 1982, in New London, Connecticut, to Marie Ducharme of Groton and the late William A. Vieu Sr. She was raised by her mother and stepfather, Robert “Bob” Senecal. Her siblings included her sister Melissa Vieu of New London, her brother William A. Vieu Jr. (who died in a motorcycle accident), and her half-sister Bryona Senecal.

Marie worked as a hotel cleaner, while Bob was employed in the lumber industry and occasionally worked as a mechanic. On June 14, 2003, Maureen’s 21st birthday, Bob died after tripping and falling from a train trestle, drowning in shallow water.

Following his death, Marie left her hotel job and began working as a slot attendant at Mohegan Sun, using the increased income to purchase a Ford Taurus and take a second job cleaning offices. This left her frequently away from home, with Maureen, Missy, and Will relying on each other to manage the household and care for their children.

Maureen left high school at age 16 after discovering she was pregnant. At 17, in 1999, she married Jason Brainard-Barnes, and they moved in with Jason’s grandparents in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. When Jason enlisted in the Army, they moved south for two years.

By 2001, the couple returned to Mystic, Connecticut, but their marriage ended amicably after two years. Their daughter Caitlin primarily lived with her father in Mystic for better educational opportunities.

Maureen took a job at Foxwoods Casino, completing training at its Black Dealer School, and moved in with her sister Missy and her children in Branford Manor, a housing complex in Groton. The siblings—Maureen, Missy, and Will—had reconnected as adults, each raising children of their own.

On Maureen’s 21st birthday, June 14, 2003, tragedy struck when her stepfather Bob died. While walking on a train trestle late at night, Bob tripped and fell into shallow water, where he drowned. His death marked a turning point for the family.

In the aftermath, Marie left her hotel job and secured work as a slot attendant at Mohegan Sun, eventually affording a used Ford Taurus that allowed her to also take a second job cleaning offices. With Marie now working constantly, Maureen, Melissa, and Will stepped in to raise their children together, often functioning as co-parents and emotional support systems.

In 2004, Maureen left Missy’s home and moved in with her new boyfriend, Steve, who ran a pawn shop in Norwich. Steve kept his distance from Maureen’s family and friends, and their relationship quickly became strained.

Around this time, Maureen began promoting her music on MySpace and networking with other aspiring rappers. She discovered modeling advertisements, which led her to ModelMayhem.com, where she created a portfolio. A friend took photographs for her in exchange for keeping the negatives.

After listing herself on ModelMayhem, Maureen received numerous inquiries from supposed modeling agencies, many of which turned out to be for nude modeling or escorting. Though not shocked, she was surprised by the potential income. Opting not to share profits with agencies, she began advertising independently under aliases like “Juliana” on Craigslist’s Eastern Connecticut/Adult Services page.

However, working through Craigslist posed challenges. Many of the clients she encountered were employees or patrons of Foxwoods Casino, where her mother worked.

In 2005, Maureen met Chrissy, a transgender woman who invited her to New York. Their plans were cut short when Maureen learned she was pregnant again. Steve was reportedly a caring father, and Maureen briefly returned to casino work, though it didn’t last.

By 2006, her relationship with Steve ended. Steve had been financially supporting her, so Maureen was left with little. She took a job at Atlantic Security as a telemarketer, but the pay was insufficient. To supplement her income, she began offering massage services. Despite her efforts, she faced eviction, needing $1,200 by July 10, 2007.

Disappearance (July 2007)

July 6, 2007:

• Maureen traveled to Manhattan with her friend Sara Karnes and Mat, a friend of Steve who also acted as her bodyguard. Upon checking into their hotel, they discovered that Maureen’s Craigslist ads had been flagged and removed.

July 9, 2007,

• 10:00 AM: Maureen had only earned $700, which was not enough to prevent eviction. Despite Sara and Mat’s concerns, she insisted on staying in the city while they returned home.
• 11:43 PM: Maureen called her friend Sarah Marquis to say she was stepping outside the motel to meet someone.

July 14, 2007:

• Sara reported Maureen missing to the Norwich Police Department, who coordinated with the NYPD, which later took over the case.

Investigation and Forensics

Phone Records and Suspect Activity

Cellphone records showed that an individual later linked to the Long Island Serial Killer (LISK) began contacting Maureen on July 6, the day she arrived in New York. There were 16 communications between them over the weekend, suggesting they may have been negotiating the terms of an outcall. This contact likely influenced Maureen’s decision to remain behind.

Her phone’s last signal was logged near the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge shortly before midnight on July 9.
Coordinates: 40.756861, -73.954445

Discovery of Remains

• December 13, 2010: Maureen’s remains were found along the north side of Ocean Parkway near Gilgo Beach.
  Coordinates: 40.757108, -73.981304 Map of Cell Phone Activity:
  

Her body had been bound with three leather belts, one of which was wrapped around her legs. A female hair found on a belt buckle was determined not to belong to Maureen. Forensic testing revealed it matched the mitochondrial DNA of Asa Ellerup, the wife of Rex Heuermann, a suspect in the Gilgo Beach murders. Investigators believe the hair may have been transferred from the couple’s home.

Digital Evidence and Law Enforcement Contact

During a review of Maureen’s computer, Norwich Police found that one of the final people to contact her via Craigslist was a police officer. While the officer’s identity was never disclosed, archival reports referenced two separate incidents:

• One officer was arrested in a prostitution sting.
• Another was stripped of his firearm and placed on modified duty.

June 14, 1982 – Born in New London, Connecticut, to Marie Ducharme and the late William A. Vieu Sr.

• Raised in Groton, living with her mother, Marie, and stepfather Robert “Bob” Senecal.

Siblings:

• Melissa Vieu (sister)
• William A. Vieu Jr. (brother, died in a motorcycle accident)
• Bryona Senecal (half-sister)

1998–1999

• 1998 (Age 16) – Drops out of high school upon discovering she is pregnant.
• 1999 (Age 17) – Marries Jason Brainard-Barnes; gives birth to daughter Caitlin.
• Couple lives in Pawtucket with Jason’s grandparents.
• Jason enlists in the Army; the couple moves south for two years.

2001

• Maureen and Jason return to Mystic, CT.
• The marriage dissolves amicably; Caitlin stays with Jason due to better schooling options in Mystic.

2002–2003

• Maureen begins working at Foxwoods Casino, attends Blackjack Dealer School.
• Moves in with sister Missy at Branford Manor in Groton; reunited with her siblings.

June 14, 2003

• Stepfather Bob Senecal dies (Maureen’s 21st birthday).
• Bob drowned after falling from a train trestle late at night.

Post-2003

• Marie switches jobs, becomes a slot attendant at Mohegan Sun and later takes a second job.
• Maureen, Missy, and Will co-parent their children while Marie works.

2004

• Maureen moves in with new boyfriend Steve, who ran a pawnshop in Norwich.
• Steve isolated her from her family.
• Relationship strained early.

2005

• Maureen discovers ModelMayhem.com through MySpace, exploring modeling and later adult ads.
• Begins advertising under aliases like Juliana on Craigslist’s Eastern Connecticut/Adult Services section.
• Meets Chrissy, who introduces her to NYC; trip is canceled due to a new pregnancy.
• Steve is the father; Maureen briefly returns to casino work.

2006

• Breaks up with Steve; faces financial hardship.
• Takes job at Atlantic Security (telemarketing), then transitions to “massage services” due to low pay.
• By mid-2007, she is facing eviction without $1,200 by July 10.

July 6, 2007 (Friday) – Travels to Manhattan with friends Sara Karnes and Mat (Steve’s friend/bodyguard).

• Craigslist ads flagged as inappropriate.
• Cellphone records show LISK begins contacting Maureen this day.

July 9, 2007 (Monday)

• 10:00 AM – Maureen decides to stay in NYC, despite her friends urging her to return home.
• 11:43 PM – She calls Sarah Marquis, saying she’s going to meet someone outside the Super 8 Motel.
• Cellphone activity ends near the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge (Coordinates: 40.756861, -73.954445).

July 10, 2007 – Maureen was due in court for eviction proceedings.

July 14, 2007 – Sara reports Maureen missing to Norwich Police Department.

• NYPD joins the investigation and eventually takes over.

Investigation & Recovery

Cellphone Data & Suspect Communications

• Between July 6–9, there were 16 interactions between Maureen and a client believed to be LISK.
• Suggests she may have stayed behind specifically for this client.

December 13, 2010

• Maureen’s remains found near Gilgo Beach (North side of Ocean Parkway).
• GPS Coordinates: 40.757108, -73.981304
• Cause of death: Strangulation (consistent with other LISK victims).
• Leather belts used to bind her body.
• One belt buckle contained a strand of female hair later matched to Asa Ellerup (wife of Rex Heuermann).

Forensic and Digital Evidence

• Craigslist communications linked to a law enforcement officer as one of her last contacts.
• Officer’s name never released.
• Separate archived reports revealed:
• One officer was arrested in a sting.
• Another was disarmed and placed on modified duty.

Maureen Phone Records

Cellphone data indicates that LISK started calling Brainard-Barnes on July 6th, which was the Friday that she traveled to Manhattan. This means that he may have spotted her ad and initiated contact before it was demoted or suspended.

Considering they had 16 separate interactions over that weekend period, it seems plausible that they were haggling over the particulars of an out call. It is also possible that this out call was the sole reason that she decided to remain behind by herself when her friend returned home.

Cellphone activity

Brainard-Barnes was picked up outside the Super 8 motel shortly before midnight on July 9th, 2007. 

Her last cellphone activity occurred near the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge (59th Street Bridge).

Coordinates: 40.756861, -73.954445  Map of Cell Phone Activity

Call from a stranger

Sara Karnes accompanied Brainard-Barnes to Manhattan on Friday, July 6th, 2007. However, after a quiet weekend, she decided to cut her losses and return to Connecticut on the 8th.

Two weeks later, she received a phone call from a private number.

When she answered it, a man asked her if she was from Connecticut and if she knew Maureen.

He also described a tattoo on her friend’s right arm.

Sara Karnes told the man that Maureen was her friend and that she had been missing for two weeks.

In response, he claimed that she was “fine” and that he had just seen her at a “wh*rehouse in Queens.”

Karnes knew that this didn’t sound right, as her friend was an independent escort. When she asked where it was, he said that he didn’t know the exact address.

At that point, the man promised to call her back and provide her with the location.

However, he never did.