On September 7, 2016, 47-year-old Rita Maze was found deceased in the trunk of her car near Spokane International Airport in Washington. The cause of death was determined to be a single gunshot wound to her chest and abdomen. The events leading up to the discovery of her body began the day before, when Maze contacted her family in a panicked state, claiming she had been abducted from a rest stop along Interstate 15 between Helena and Great Falls, Montana.
She told them a large man had struck her over the head and forced her into the trunk of her own vehicle.
During a frantic 10-minute phone call with her family, Maze pleaded for help, unsure of her exact location as she remained trapped in the trunk. Law enforcement was able to track her cellphone's location and her bank card, which had been used for small purchases at gas stations in Kingston, Idaho, and Ritzville, Washington. At one point during the search, a law enforcement officer called Maze's cellphone. The officer reported that someone answered the phone, followed by the sound of gunshots and then silence.
When deputies located her vehicle in an industrial area near the airport, they discovered her body in the trunk. A handgun and two spent shell casings were also found with her. Despite Maze’s claims of being abducted, investigators soon began to doubt the narrative of a homicide. Early on, the Spokane County Sheriff's Office indicated that they did not believe there was a danger to the public. By December 2016, the FBI, which had taken the lead on the investigation, announced that they were not actively seeking any suspects in her death.
After a thorough investigation that included analyzing evidence and waiting for laboratory results, the FBI officially concluded in August 2017 that Rita Maze's death was the result of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. They determined that she had faked her own kidnapping. Surveillance footage from gas stations where her card was used reportedly showed her alone. Despite the official findings, Maze's family expressed their disbelief that she would take her own life, stating that they believed she was murdered and the scene was staged to look like a suicide. The FBI, however, closed the case, leaving the motive behind her actions a mystery. No arrests were ever made as there was no suspect to pursue.
