OK OK - Brittany Phillips, 19, Tulsa, 27 Sept 2004

[sloane7777]

Thought of something else after seeing the update on the DNA composite.

Brittany was raped and murdered, yet there was never any DNA hit in the system for her killer. I wondered if Oklahoma had an untested rape kit backlog. According to this article, Oklahoma is currently auditing for untested rape kits.

Audits of state's untested rape kits unlikely to be completed by deadline

For example, Oklahoma City completed its audit and found it had 1,593 untested rape kits.

As for Tulsa Police, the article says:



Depressing to think that if Brittany's killer was a repeat offender, his DNA could be in other untested rape kits in Oklahoma or any other state.

oklahoma has a back log of everything they had my friends uncle Bill Reed (we have a thread might be under William Carl Reed ) but he sat on the med ex shelf apparently since 1989 and I know the family gave DNA over 10 years ago so there is that example !

 

[sloane7777]

Thought of something else after seeing the update on the DNA composite.

Brittany was raped and murdered, yet there was never any DNA hit in the system for her killer. I wondered if Oklahoma had an untested rape kit backlog. According to this article, Oklahoma is currently auditing for untested rape kits.

Audits of state's untested rape kits unlikely to be completed by deadline

For example, Oklahoma City completed its audit and found it had 1,593 untested rape kits.

As for Tulsa Police, the article says:



Depressing to think that if Brittany's killer was a repeat offender, his DNA could be in other untested rape kits in Oklahoma or any other state.

oklahoma has a back log of everything they had my friends uncle Bill Reed (we have a thread might be under William Carl Reed ) but he sat on the med ex shelf apparently since 1989 and I know the family gave DNA over 10 years ago so there is that example !

 

[Niner]

Something just occurred to me: the friend whose boyfriend stayed over was Brittany's best friend. I wonder if that's the same friend that Brittany dropped off the night she was murdered? Also, something that I didn't pick up on - Brittany was found in a tank-top and underwear... there was no evidence of a break-in. either she was taken completely by surprise (the attic scenario, for instance) or she was with someone she had a relationship with.... but apparently she had no known boyfriends... I dunno, this is pure speculation, but maybe she was seeing someone her friends didn't know about. Maybe it was someone she had to keep secret?

The only reason I could see for her to keep it a secret would be if he was a married man, or had another girlfriend.... like her BFF??!!

 

[Mixolydian]

The blood evidence is really nagging at me. This article is from April 2019 before they announced the DNA is irrelevant. I get how there could be blood and semen for other reasons, it just seems oddly worded. Why would it look like a struggle? How soon had the gf and the gf’s bf slept over? LE knows the difference between old and fresh blood. I mean I guess they could have discovered the blood with luminol. Sadly, she wasn’t found for several says, if I recall correctly. Any thoughts?

“Someone broke into the Tulsa Community College student's apartment in Oklahoma the night of Sept. 28, 2004, and raped and strangled her. Police still seek the killer with only a few clues, including DNA samples from blood left in a struggle at the scene.”

This mother wants to know if you can help find her daughter's killer

 

[Mixolydian]

The blood evidence is really nagging at me. This article is from April 2019 before they announced the DNA is irrelevant. I get how there could be blood and semen for other reasons, it just seems oddly worded. Why would it look like a struggle? How soon had the gf and the gf’s bf slept over? LE knows the difference between old and fresh blood. I mean I guess they could have discovered the blood with luminol. Sadly, she wasn’t found for several says, if I recall correctly. Any thoughts?

“Someone broke into the Tulsa Community College student's apartment in Oklahoma the night of Sept. 28, 2004, and raped and strangled her. Police still seek the killer with only a few clues, including DNA samples from blood left in a struggle at the scene.”

This mother wants to know if you can help find her daughter's killer

I confess that the very first time Imheard about this “mix up” with the dna, which means they have essentially NO physical evidence, made me growl ferociously like a possessed creature. The boyfriend’s story about forgetting that he’d ejaculated on the bed — he KNEW the police were collecting all biological samples and yet he totally failed to

I was confused too and then read another article that expressed frustration that LE has been trying to match the DNA found at the apartment, which turned out to be a friends’ boyfriend who had stayed over a time or two and his alibi is reportedly solid.

“Tulsa police now say DNA found at the scene of a 2004 homicide is not connected to the death of Brittany Phillips...Now, police say further investigation determined the subject was not involved in Phillips' death. Police no longer think the DNA is connected to the murderer.”


Tulsa police say DNA profile is not Brittany Phillips' killer

“Majors said. “Through information we received from him and corroboration we got for his story, we are no longer looking at the suspect based on the forensic composite drawing that we released...This means the DNA profile that we have used for 15 years, develop from blood and semen at the crime scene, the blood and semen was not our killer...It was found at her apartment because Brittany let this young man and her girlfriend sleep over."

Brittany Phillips slaying: Police say man whose DNA was at Tulsa crime scene is no longer a suspect

when he and his girlfriend stayed the night (which was fairly close to the time of the murder)yet he

 

[Mixolydian]

The only reason I could see for her to keep it a secret would be if he was a married man, or had another girlfriend.... like her BFF??!!

 

[Mixolydian]

The blood evidence is really nagging at me.”
“Someone broke into the Tulsa Community College student's apartment in Oklahoma the night of Sept. 28, 2004, and raped and strangled her. Police still seek the killer with only a few clues, including DNA samples from blood left in a struggle at the scene.”

This mother wants to know if you can help find her daughter's killer

Sorry, I’ve been worrying about this case for days since the dna was exploded as the boyfriend’s claims about leaving his semen there in an innocent tryst with her friend (his girlfriend at the time), and then forgetting allllllllll about it and never telling anyone (Nor the girlfriend either — she never thought to mention that she’d had sex in the apartment on the rape bed to police?) And when they knew how hard they were working? It reeeeaaaallllyyy bothers me...deeply. I confess that the very first time I heard about this “mix up” with the dna, which means they now have essentially NO physical evidence, made me growl ferociously like a possessed creature. The boyfriend’s story about forgetting that he’d ejaculated on the bed Recently when he and his girlfriend stayed the night, which was fairly close to the time of the murder ((yet he didn’t tell LE?!)) Something is very strange here.

 

[Razz]

Sorry, I’ve been worrying about this case for days since the dna was exploded as the boyfriend’s claims about leaving his semen there in an innocent tryst with her friend (his girlfriend at the time), and then forgetting allllllllll about it and never telling anyone (Nor the girlfriend either — she never thought to mention that she’d had sex in the apartment on the rape bed to police?) And when they knew how hard they were working? It reeeeaaaallllyyy bothers me...deeply. I confess that the very first time I heard about this “mix up” with the dna, which means they now have essentially NO physical evidence, made me growl ferociously like a possessed creature. The boyfriend’s story about forgetting that he’d ejaculated on the bed Recently when he and his girlfriend stayed the night, which was fairly close to the time of the murder ((yet he didn’t tell LE?!)) Something is very strange here.

Why would a man ejaculate on the bed instead of where they'd normally ejaculate when with a girlfriend?

Maybe someone came by and she trusted them enough to let them in.
(But if she were to answer the door, I'd think she would have put on a robe over her tank and undies regardless of who the caller was.)

If the girlfriend and her boyfriend had sex, you'd think there woul be other evidence ie, dna from the girlfriend.
Did they find her dna?

But if someone attempted to rape Brittany but didn't succeed, that would explain the perp's ejaculation on the sheet....possibly.

And again, had I known my bf and her boyfriend had "tangoed" in my bed, I would have washed the sheets immediately.

 

[JnRyan]

Why would a man ejaculate on the bed instead of where they'd normally ejaculate when with a girlfriend?

Maybe someone came by and she trusted them enough to let them in.
(But if she were to answer the door, I'd think she would have put on a robe over her tank and undies regardless of who the caller was.)

If the girlfriend and her boyfriend had sex, you'd think there woul be other evidence ie, dna from the girlfriend.
Did they find her dna?

But if someone attempted to rape Brittany but didn't succeed, that would explain the perp's ejaculation on the sheet....possibly.

And again, had I known my bf and her boyfriend had "tangoed" in my bed, I would have washed the sheets immediately.

I can see the semen being on the bed while having sex with the girl friend. That it would still be there at the time of the murder I struggle with. Though, if Brittany had a comforter or spread over the bed maybe that is where the stain was found. The only scenario I can think of for it still being there is, if it is on the bedspread, is we don't know the color and/or design on the bedspread or the size of the stain. That is, it may not be readily apparent and the couple probably never told Brittany.

 

[Scholes18]

Sorry, I’ve been worrying about this case for days since the dna was exploded as the boyfriend’s claims about leaving his semen there in an innocent tryst with her friend (his girlfriend at the time), and then forgetting allllllllll about it and never telling anyone (Nor the girlfriend either — she never thought to mention that she’d had sex in the apartment on the rape bed to police?) And when they knew how hard they were working? It reeeeaaaallllyyy bothers me...deeply. I confess that the very first time I heard about this “mix up” with the dna, which means they now have essentially NO physical evidence, made me growl ferociously like a possessed creature. The boyfriend’s story about forgetting that he’d ejaculated on the bed Recently when he and his girlfriend stayed the night, which was fairly close to the time of the murder ((yet he didn’t tell LE?!)) Something is very strange here.

I missed this when it came out, but Casefile, which is an Aussie podcast, did an episode: Case 146: Brittany Phillips - Casefile: True Crime Podcast

A couple of things they highlight regarding the semen stain on the sheets:

• Apparently it was the impression of Brittany's friend that the DNA was from semen taken from inside Brittany. No one seemed to be aware that it was actually found on the sheets.
• The DNA from the semen was a direct match to the best friend's boyfriend in GEDmatch - meaning they didn't track him down through a relative. The guy had submitted his own DNA for genetic/familial research purposes.

Don't get me wrong. I'd still be very curious to hear what they have to say about this . Brittany's mom said in the Murder Squad episode that the best friend went off the radar for a long time after Brittany died. I know it can't be easy for her, but she would have had the most insight into what may have happened (whether or not she or her boyfriend may have had anything to do with Brittany's death).

But other than that, the Casefile podcast dropped a couple bombshells I hadn't heard before:

1. Apparently there was a towel next to Brittany's body that may have been used for "clean up." Ummmm. that seems like an important piece of evidence to test.
2. The previous tenant of Brittany's apartment was possibly dealing drugs or had some gang affiliation? Hadn't heard that before.
3. Brittany had gone out with a security guard, and she had to eventually block his number because he wouldn't stop trying to contact her? The guy refused to provide a DNA sample!
4. Detective Majors (the cold case officer in Tulsa) seems confident that Brittany is the victim of a serial killer. He speculates that the murderer has 3+ victims in other states.

The Casefile episode and the Murder Squad episode are both worth a listen for those that are interested in the latest info we have.

 

[PingTheRouter]

Don't get me wrong. I'd still be very curious to hear what they have to say about this . Brittany's mom said in the Murder Squad episode that the best friend went off the radar for a long time after Brittany died. I know it can't be easy for her, but she would have had the most insight into what may have happened (whether or not she or her boyfriend may have had anything to do with Brittany's death).

Maggie was on the websleuth live webshow tonight on youtube she was a great guest and we loved hearing from her, we had some very hard questions about her daughter and she answered them all with humility and grace

and she talks about alot of your points with answers!

she said Brittany had bruising on the inside of her thighs and that she wasn't bound in any way, that the bone in her neck was broken consistent with strangulation but could not say if it was manual strangulation or otherwise i am guessing due to decomp

what gets me is this below

1 - no semen from rape kit?
2- n0 DNA from killer under finger nails, which makes no sense since she wasn't bound and that i think maggie said she had some sort of defensive wounds to her hands or bruising to her hands from fighting for her life
3- maggie also brought up that she did not know for sure if Brittany was raped before she was killed or after, i took that to mean he may have started the rape aka trying = bruising her thighs.. but then killed her because she was struggling and then raped her because to bruise your heart has to be pumping right?
also a possible way to know this would be vaginal tearing or bruising and its not 100% she may have given up the fight and still been alive but her mother seems to think she would have fought to her death, so its a possibly way to know
4 - she also mentioned the "blood" was a tiny spec found on the wall besides the bed

i hope Maggie doesn't take any offense in the questions we ask, i feel bad writing about rape and the things that go along with it, to me its such a personal crime and its horrible to discuss but the only way we can see the full picture and try figure it out is to talk about everything,

when i heard Maggie speak tonight she mentioned birth control and how Brittany didn't always use anything but had never got pregnant in that moment i could hear her heart break.. because she never got to see her daughter have her own children, i heard that in her voice

 

[PingTheRouter]

Also noticed something interesting Brittanys tombstone says

from october 4th 1985 - october 4th 2003

that date isn't correct right? she was killed on the 28th from what police have guessed from evidence

so... did they just use her birthday because it was so close? or did they use when her funeral was?

 

[Dylansmom08]

Also noticed something interesting Brittanys tombstone says

from october 4th 1985 - october 4th 2003

that date isn't correct right? she was killed on the 28th from what police have guessed from evidence

so... did they just use her birthday because it was so close? or did they use when her funeral was?

October 4 was the date that they had her funeral Maggie said last night that her birthday was the same day they buried her on.

 

[DeathbyBoobie]

Also noticed something interesting Brittanys tombstone says

from october 4th 1985 - october 4th 2003

that date isn't correct right? she was killed on the 28th from what police have guessed from evidence

so... did they just use her birthday because it was so close? or did they use when her funeral was?

Weird. i never noticed that. She was murdered in 2004 though. don't know why it says 2003

 

[DeathbyBoobie]

Also noticed something interesting Brittanys tombstone says

from october 4th 1985 - october 4th 2003

that date isn't correct right? she was killed on the 28th from what police have guessed from evidence

so... did they just use her birthday because it was so close? or did they use when her funeral was?

i went back and look and it's 2004 on the tombstone.

 

[dotr]

Just "barging in" with this link, not sure if it has already been posted or not..
Montana Mother, Daughter On Mission To Help Solve Tulsa Cold Case
Aug 21 2020
''TULSA, Okla. -

A Montana mother and daughter are on a mission to help solve a Tulsa cold case after finding a bottle with a note in it about the case.

“I could see the words: find my killer,” Charlie Struna said.

Brittany Phillips was 18 when she was raped and murdered in her Tulsa apartment in 2004, and nobody has been arrested. Brittany’s mother travels all over the nation to get publicity for the case and each time, she puts a flier in a bottle and puts it in a river.

Charlie Struna said she and her daughter were speechless and emotional when they found the bottle.

They were searching for a lost phone in the river near Missoula, Montana and found the bottle.''

 

[Niner]

OSBI asking for help in 2004 murder of Tulsa college student

Sept. 28, 2020

TULSA, Okla. (KTUL) — The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation is asking the public for help in finding information on a 2004 homicide.

Agents say Brittany Phillips, 18, was last seen leaving a friend's apartment on Sept. 27, 2004.

 

[JnRyan]

OSBI asking for help in 2004 murder of Tulsa college student

Sept. 28, 2020

TULSA, Okla. (KTUL) — The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation is asking the public for help in finding information on a 2004 homicide.

Agents say Brittany Phillips, 18, was last seen leaving a friend's apartment on Sept. 27, 2004.

Barely anything there in article. But it does help keep her case in the public's eye. And who knows - because so little is there it may prompt someone to research her case and realize they do know something when they see the details.

 

[Scholes18]

The 16 year anniversary of Brittany's murder was on Sunday. You'd think that if the OSBI is hoping for information/tips from the public their statement might have a few more details than she "was last seen leaving a friend's apartment on Sept. 27, 2004." I mean. Come on guys!!! They even still have the old Parabon phenotype sketch up on their website: Brittany Phillips | Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation I hate to be critical, but that's borderline negligent. This is one of the most important unsolved cases in OK, and they haven't even changed their website??? It looks like they aren't even trying.

16 years... At what point should OSBI and TPD release more of the case file to the public? I get that they need to hold a few things back that only the killer would know, but releasing more information 1) gets the public's attention & interest, which may lead to more tips, 2) puts more info in the hands of journalists/podcasters/crime shows that may cover the case, which could create national attention, which may help raise donations for more DNA testing, etc..

 

[Scholes18]

I don't see any news or new podcast episodes about Brittany's case, but I'm bumping it anyway.

In my opinion, one of the big things to pay attention to is that Brittany had just moved back to Tulsa Fall of 2004, and she just started classes at TCC. So she was new to her apartment building (and apartment complex, for that matter), the new girl in class, & the new girl at work (one of the podcasts said she got a job at Applebee's). Fall of 2004 she's around a lot of new people. To me, it's much more likely that she's been noticed in one of these new environments than it is that she became the target of a completely random killer.

Last thing, two of the podcasts about Brittany's murder have said that she had blood under her fingernails. Apparently there was not enough to create a DNA profile of the attacker in 2004, but you'd think that M-Vac technology might be good enough to get a better sample that could be tested again. Murder Squad said that they pulled 70 swab samples from Brittany's body, so let's hope one of these yields DNA from the perpetrator.