The Caledonian-Record

July 10, 2004

Woman Missing Since July 5

By Gary E. Lindsley

Burlington Police are seeking the public's help in locating 26-year-old Ligia Rae Collins, who disappeared July 5. Her disappearance is being treated as suspicious.

Collins was last seen by her live-in boyfriend around midnight July 4, according to Detective Cpl. Shawn Burke.

Police were told Collins was headed to a male friend's residence in Burlington. She never arrived. Burke said her boyfriend reported her missing about 9 p.m. on Monday.

Collins is a biracial female of Korean descent, according to Burlington police. She is 5-feet, 4-inches tall and weighs between 180 and 200 pounds. She has a nose ring and long, dark blond hair.

Collins' car, a blue 1996 Ford Escort station wagon bearing Vermont plates DLD 818, is also missing.

She left behind two small children who are staying with family members, as well as personal belongings.

Police are following up on several leads, which include conducting field interviews and physical searches of locations where Collins may have been.

Burlington Police are also talking to other police agencies about two other missing women. "We are talking to state police about similarities," Burke said. "We are still in the infancy stage of the investigation."

Friday marked the fifth month since a 22-year-old University of Massachusetts at Amherst nursing student, Maura Murray, disappeared after she was involved in a minor one-car accident on rural Route 112 in the town of Haverhill, N.H., about one mile east of Swiftwater the night of Feb. 9.

Thirty-nine days later, 17-year-old Brianna Maitland of Sheldon, Vt., disappeared after clocking out of work at 11:20 p.m. at the Black Lantern Inn in Montgomery.

Her car was found a mile from the inn early the next morning, March 20, partially ensconced in an abandoned barn.

Information about Collins' disappearance has been placed in the National Crime Information Center data base.

Anyone with information about Collins' disappearance is asked to contact the Burlington Police Department at 802-658-2714 or Crime Stoppers at 802-864-6666.