Found Deceased SC - Brittanee Drexel, 17, Myrtle Beach, 25 April 2009 - #15

[fabgod]

Going back to tower pings,
Surfside beach pinged around 9.27pm
Firehouse street is about 17 miles from Surfside and pinged at 9.53pm
(About 25 minutes later, so roughly 40 mph)
If it maintained roughly the same speed, the phone would pass Sunset Apartments area at around 10.10pm
(about 9-10 miles from Firehouse St)
This then leaves just under 10 miles to reach the final cell tower ping
(there are no towns on this stretch so it would be easier to go faster)
But even at 40mph 10 miles is only going to take 15 minutes.

This leaves 1 hour and 33 minutes of lost time, in my opinion the key to this case is where were the cell tower pings for this period?

 

[Farmhand]

Farmhand, I dont understand what you mean about taking her to Georgetown?
I was just thinking out loud really, but if she was in the surfside area, where he was stopped the next day, he wouldnt have needed to take her to Georgetown, Im saying could he have been going to check on her near to where he was stopped for the traffic violation.

I Dont think it matters anyway, I just rechecked the cell tower pings that we know of and there was a ping in Surfside at about 9.27, but it kept moving too fast to have stopped for any real length of time in that area.

I did find something interesting though,
I read back a little through the thread here and saw a list of RMs vehicles, although it doesnt state a Harley it does state 3 vehicles including a white GMC truck.
This has been bugging me for a while, when I watch the "disappeared - secret journey" programme on youtube, especially part 2, there are so many sightings of a white pick up truck on there, when the actress is walking down the street and so on. There is also a white pick up coming towards the camera on the traffic camera.

Wondering if this is purposely done? But if it was why not make an appeal for sightings of a white pick up?

I think I misunderstood what you were trying to say. You were thinking she was dropped off somewhere and he came back to next day to check on her but he kept the cell phone and that is why it was tracked to Georgetown area? Yeah maybe they were trying to say something by using that vehicle in the show I don't know.

 

[Farmhand]

Going back to tower pings,
Surfside beach pinged around 9.27pm
Firehouse street is about 17 miles from Surfside and pinged at 9.53pm
(About 25 minutes later, so roughly 40 mph)
If it maintained roughly the same speed, the phone would pass Sunset Apartments area at around 10.10pm
(about 9-10 miles from Firehouse St)
This then leaves just under 10 miles to reach the final cell tower ping
(there are no towns on this stretch so it would be easier to go faster)
But even at 40mph 10 miles is only going to take 15 minutes.

This leaves 1 hour and 33 minutes of lost time, in my opinion the key to this case is where were the cell tower pings for this period?

Yes exactly. Next question. She was kidnapped around 9 PM. Does it take 27 minutes to get from area she was kidnapped to area of surfside cell tower ping? Do you know the location of the surfside cell tower? I thought surfside was only a couple of miles from Myrtle Beach? Do you think it would take 27 minutes to get there? It makes you wonder if something was happening for a few minutes first.

 

[Christina691]

Yes exactly. Next question. She was kidnapped around 9 PM. Does it take 27 minutes to get from area she was kidnapped to area of surfside cell tower ping? Do you know the location of the surfside cell tower? I thought surfside was only a couple of miles from Myrtle Beach? Do you think it would take 27 minutes to get there? It makes you wonder if something was happening for a few minutes first.

Surfside Beach isn't far from Myrtle Beach at all! Speaking of that, when we went on our most recent trip there, my fiance was using his GPS to get directions to our hotel. I put in our destination address (901 s. ocean blvd MB, SC), and initially it brought us to a similar address, but it was in Surfside Beach. I knew it was the wrong location, because there are a million beach houses along the strip there, rather than all the resorts and other hotels like in Myrtle Beach. We practically continued heading north, just staying straight, and we were eventually dumped out onto what I believe was HWY 17, and we just followed hwy 17 all the way to MB. So to answer your question, I don't believe it would take anywhere close to 27 mins to travel from Surfside to MB. I would estimate about 12-15 mins max. Surfside is nice, but it's a lot more deserted.. not a whole lot of lighting or anything like Ocean Boulevard has from the hotels and all the traffic.

I never realized the fact that it was Sunday that RM received that ticket.. so yeah, him working on Sunday wouldn't really make much sense. If he's the one behind all of this, I find it entirely possible that he returned to MB on Sunday to check out the area and see what was going on with LE and everyone else searching for her. & Driving his motorcycle would make him look a lot less suspicious than he would if he were driving one of the pickup trucks.

 

[Farmhand]

Surfside Beach isn't far from Myrtle Beach at all! Speaking of that, when we went on our most recent trip there, my fiance was using his GPS to get directions to our hotel. I put in our destination address (901 s. ocean blvd MB, SC), and initially it brought us to a similar address, but it was in Surfside Beach. I knew it was the wrong location, because there are a million beach houses along the strip there, rather than all the resorts and other hotels like in Myrtle Beach. We practically continued heading north, just staying straight, and we were eventually dumped out onto what I believe was HWY 17, and we just followed hwy 17 all the way to MB. So to answer your question, I don't believe it would take anywhere close to 27 mins to travel from Surfside to MB. I would estimate about 12-15 mins max. Surfside is nice, but it's a lot more deserted.. not a whole lot of lighting or anything like Ocean Boulevard has from the hotels and all the traffic.

I never realized the fact that it was Sunday that RM received that ticket.. so yeah, him working on Sunday wouldn't really make much sense. If he's the one behind all of this, I find it entirely possible that he returned to MB on Sunday to check out the area and see what was going on with LE and everyone else searching for her. & Driving his motorcycle would make him look a lot less suspicious than he would if he were driving one of the pickup trucks.

Excellent. I didn't think it would take 27 minutes. Of course we don't know the exact time of her kidnapping but it was close to 9 pm give or take a couple of minutes. So there is a gap of about 10 to 15 minutes. It makes you wonder if there wasn't a struggle of some sort or a need for perp to stop for a period of time. I was also thinking another reason perp might have returned the following day to MB is if something was dropped at the sight of kidnapping and he went back to retrieve it? I know BD had on a pair of sandals. I dunno just a thought.

 

[fabgod]

Great points Christina and Farmhand.

Taking Farmhands excellent work on times into account, we know BD last texted out at 8.58pm, she left Bluewater at 8.48pm and we also know it would have taken around 15 minutes to reach the traffic camera that she was seen on, going to the Bluewater.

That means she disappeared before 9.03pm.
This leaves about 24 miles to do around 7 miles, lets not forget, we dont know the location of the surfside tower and we also dont know the distance from that tower, the phone was when it made that ping (it could be a couple of miles further south or north)

So if we go for the average, 7 miles in a built up area, I am guessing the speed limit is 30, down to the fact RM got stopped for exceeding that speed (I know it was on a different road)
7 miles at 30 mph is around 15 minutes which leaves us approximately 10 minutes that we cannot account for.

If a perp is working alone, he would have to subdue the victim, if there were 2 or more perps, then one could restrain the victim while the other drove.

Again, if we could somehow get the cell ping records we could possibly see where the phone was at any period and maybe narrow down locations.

As far as I know, there have been no searches in the Surfside area on property, so LE mustn't think its likely she could have been dropped off there, we obviously don't have all the information but we can't rule out the possibility as there is a 10 minute gap where it would be possible

 

[fabgod]

Just to add to that though,
Why drop a "victim" off and then drive South eventually ending up at the Pole Yard area 3 hours later?
It would then be an hour back to the Surfside area, all done to just get rid of the phone?

I personally think, we need to be looking at there being a time period where the Cell phone stopped moving, somewhere between Georgetown and the Pole Yard.
There has to be a reason for the last ping, what is the reason?
Is it where BD was
Is it where the bag and phone were dumped while crossing the bridge going south (but why did it take so long to get there)
Is it simply to send searches in the wrong direction?

Another point on the cell phone, apparently the phone will ping towers even if it is switched off,
We know that the phone was going straight to answerphone, so that also means battery usage would be less.
the only way to stop a phone pinging is for it to be completely flat, take out the battery or break it.
The way BD seemed to depend on it, I cannot see that she would have taken the phone out without having enough charge for the evening, so that would imply that the phone didnt run out of charge, that it most likely did end up in the water IMO

 

[redcoupe50]

The fact that the speed limit was 30 mph (48Kmph) would suggest it was in a residential area. I would think the speed limit for Highway 17 would be 55 mph (88 Kmph) or higher. He could have been on Highway 17 and then turned off onto 16th Avenue North and starting speeding and was caught. Hard to say what direction he was going on 16th Avenue North.

The speed limit on Business 17 (Kings Hwy) cant be anymore than 45mph as it is an extremely busy highway, especially during spring break and summer. However, the speed limit on BYPASS 17 is at least 55mph and would be the ideal route to take to Myrtle Beach from Georgetown. I thought back on a previous post and decided to share this article again. Could these people possibly be friends of RM? If so, that could explain a pit stop on the way to Georgetown the night BD went missing.


http://m.wistv.com/autojuice?target...ing-in-depth-child-exploitation-investigation

Also, on a side note, I have studied investigation and I read one time that usually while tons of people are helplessly watching a building burn, the arsonist is standing in the same crowd.

He might have had this planned for a while. He certainly had plenty of time to think while in prison. But whether it was him involved or not, my gut has always been leaning towards the trafficking theory.

IMO of course

 

[fabgod]

The speed limit on Business 17 (Kings Hwy) cant be anymore than 45mph as it is an extremely busy highway, especially during spring break and summer. However, the speed limit on BYPASS 17 is at least 55mph and would be the ideal route to take to Myrtle Beach from Georgetown. I thought back on a previous post and decided to share this article again. Could these people possibly be friends of RM? If so, that could explain a pit stop on the way to Georgetown the night BD went missing.


http://m.wistv.com/autojuice?target...ing-in-depth-child-exploitation-investigation

Also, on a side note, I have studied investigation and I read one time that usually while tons of people are helplessly watching a building burn, the arsonist is standing in the same crowd.

He might have had this planned for a while. He certainly had plenty of time to think while in prison. But whether it was him involved or not, my gut has always been leaning towards the trafficking theory.

IMO of course

Good post Redcoupe,
from the time it took for the phone to reach Surfside, it seems that initially they were moving quite slowly and could have taken what I presume was 17 Business, through the main part of town and then jumped onto i17 bypass at some stage, when the speed seems to pick up.

I wonder if LE kept the traffic camera footage because at the time it was obviously being treated as a runaway/missing person and not an abduction, with the benefit of information they acted on in 2011 (RM) the vehicles owned by him came into play.
If LE still had footage, they could check against his vehicles to see if they were in the area, but if the= footage wasnt saved, then that would not be an option.

I still struggle with the situation though.
I dont like talking like this so lets suggest its not BD for these purposes for a moment,

an abductor is waiting in his vehicle, he has the intention that he is going to grab a victim from the sidewalk, he is parked off the road maybe in a quiet car park.
He spots the victim and grabs her, he immediately has to take the phone away from her, which isnt a problem and then has to get her into the vehicle.

I am presuming the vehicle is a truck for obvious reasons, so it is a two door, he bundles the victim into the vehicle and then has to go round the other side to get in.
I dont know our victim but from what I see, she is fiesty in the fact she will defy parents and make a long distance trip alone without worry, I dont see her just accepting the situation.

I know there is the possibility that she is knocked out or even that there is a weapon involved, but the intention if it is our POI is obviously sexual, so he would want a live person at some later point.
The scenario just makes me think that there are more than one persons involved, Imagine driving while trying to keep your victim in check, there are other cars on the road, there is the possibility that you have to stop at traffic lights and or junctions, the victim is just going to sit there and not try to attract attention?

Anybody got any thoughts?

 

[fabgod]

That is a interesting idea. But why then take her to the Georgetown area to begin with? The photos posted in Facebook by the one GF are from June/July 2011. I don't see anything from 2009. I think she is from Georgetown. Some of the photos are at the Hard Rock Cafe. That Hard Rock Cafe is in Myrtle Beach.

Farmhand,
I just thought about your post here and the G/F,
If I remember rightly, didnt the G/F state somewhere that they were nowhere near the area that evening?

 

[Farmhand]

Farmhand,
I just thought about your post here and the G/F,
If I remember rightly, didnt the G/F state somewhere that they were nowhere near the area that evening?

Yeah. I think I read that on this forum but have never seen any article or news story that says that. It might have been a different girlfriend than the one who posted pics on Facebook. Not sure though.

 

[Farmhand]

If BD was taken to Sunset Lodge or the other address at 4257 S Fraser wouldn't you have to drive through Georgetown, SC first? It looks like the only way to get across that body of water which I think is Winyah Bay is Highway 17. Most if not all convenience stores or gas stations would have some kind of video surveillance. Gas stations or convenience stores are most times found at intersections of major highways or on busy streets. Gas stations usually have video surveillance set up on their gas pumps and a lot of times the traffic in the background is recorded. Did LE check into a possibility of some video surveillance that might be of value in Georgetown, SC?

 

[fabgod]

If BD was taken to Sunset Lodge or the other address at 4257 S Fraser wouldn't you have to drive through Georgetown, SC first? It looks like the only way to get across that body of water which I think is Winyah Bay is Highway 17. Most if not all convenience stores or gas stations would have some kind of video surveillance. Gas stations or convenience stores are most times found at intersections of major highways or on busy streets. Gas stations usually have video surveillance set up on their gas pumps and a lot of times the traffic in the background is recorded. Did LE check into a possibility of some video surveillance that might be of value in Georgetown, SC?

Whats the betting that they didnt?
They didnt have a POI at that time, so they would not have had a vehicle to check against, plus, didn hey treat it as a runaway for a while?
I suppose it would be a forlorn hope to have taken the CCTV and kept it wouldnt it?

 

[fabgod]

Going back to my thoughts on BD being taken by a single abductor,
we know she was apparently quite trusting, so she may have accepted a lift, we know from RM history how he attracted a child into his vehicle on the pretence that the child shouldnt have been there alone and how it was dangerous and he would drive her to the police station (or similar)
I also have this thought that she would have gotten in a vehicle with a man and a woman without really having any concerns, I wonder if the G/F who provided the alibi was checked out?

One more thing, does anyone have a recollection of RM having worked at Georgetown airport?

 

[Farmhand]

Going back to my thoughts on BD being taken by a single abductor,
we know she was apparently quite trusting, so she may have accepted a lift, we know from RM history how he attracted a child into his vehicle on the pretence that the child shouldnt have been there alone and how it was dangerous and he would drive her to the police station (or similar)
I also have this thought that she would have gotten in a vehicle with a man and a woman without really having any concerns, I wonder if the G/F who provided the alibi was checked out?

One more thing, does anyone have a recollection of RM having worked at Georgetown airport?

I think she could have accepted a ride but she had a history of walking back and forth on Ocean Boulevard and walking around Myrtle Beach by herself. Supposedly Peter B offered her a ride that night and she declined. Whether that is true or not I don't know. Then she walks almost half way back to her hotel and then she accepts a ride? I guess I don't see that happening.

 

[Farmhand]

Whats the betting that they didnt?
They didnt have a POI at that time, so they would not have had a vehicle to check against, plus, didn hey treat it as a runaway for a while?
I suppose it would be a forlorn hope to have taken the CCTV and kept it wouldnt it?

Yeah. but I think from the onset they knew her phone went down to the Georgetown area whether she was hitchhiking, a runaway or kidnapped. You would think they would have looked for any video from Georgetown and would keep it in case something developed. Wishful thinking I guess.

 

[fabgod]

I think she could have accepted a ride but she had a history of walking back and forth on Ocean Boulevard and walking around Myrtle Beach by herself. Supposedly Peter B offered her a ride that night and she declined. Whether that is true or not I don't know. Then she walks almost half way back to her hotel and then she accepts a ride? I guess I don't see that happening.

You are right, I forgot about that comment.
Like you say though, we dont even know if that really is true or not, it seems a bit odd that BD would walk all that way back, especially when she apparently asked that other guy to walk with her on a different night?

If those so called friends, had just clarified what had or had not happened down there, this case would be in a lot better position by now imo

 

[fabgod]

Yeah. but I think from the onset they knew her phone went down to the Georgetown area whether she was hitchhiking, a runaway or kidnapped. You would think they would have looked for any video from Georgetown and would keep it in case something developed. Wishful thinking I guess.

On roads like i17 are there any cameras? Do you have number plate recognition cameras and traffic video cameras on those types of road?

 

[redcoupe50]

On roads like i17 are there any cameras? Do you have number plate recognition cameras and traffic video cameras on those types of road?[/QUOTE

Ive never seen any

 

[Farmhand]

Good post Redcoupe,
from the time it took for the phone to reach Surfside, it seems that initially they were moving quite slowly and could have taken what I presume was 17 Business, through the main part of town and then jumped onto i17 bypass at some stage, when the speed seems to pick up.

I wonder if LE kept the traffic camera footage because at the time it was obviously being treated as a runaway/missing person and not an abduction, with the benefit of information they acted on in 2011 (RM) the vehicles owned by him came into play.
If LE still had footage, they could check against his vehicles to see if they were in the area, but if the= footage wasnt saved, then that would not be an option.

I still struggle with the situation though.
I dont like talking like this so lets suggest its not BD for these purposes for a moment,

an abductor is waiting in his vehicle, he has the intention that he is going to grab a victim from the sidewalk, he is parked off the road maybe in a quiet car park.
He spots the victim and grabs her, he immediately has to take the phone away from her, which isnt a problem and then has to get her into the vehicle.

I am presuming the vehicle is a truck for obvious reasons, so it is a two door, he bundles the victim into the vehicle and then has to go round the other side to get in.
I dont know our victim but from what I see, she is fiesty in the fact she will defy parents and make a long distance trip alone without worry, I dont see her just accepting the situation.

I know there is the possibility that she is knocked out or even that there is a weapon involved, but the intention if it is our POI is obviously sexual, so he would want a live person at some later point.
The scenario just makes me think that there are more than one persons involved, Imagine driving while trying to keep your victim in check, there are other cars on the road, there is the possibility that you have to stop at traffic lights and or junctions, the victim is just going to sit there and not try to attract attention?

Anybody got any thoughts?

In 2003, a girl was kidnapped, raped, and murdered in my neck of the woods. Her name was Dru Sjodin. She was a college student at the University of North Dakota. A nephew of mine attended college with her. She was abducted during the day in a Mall parking lot in Grand Forks, ND taken into Minnesota and killed and nobody saw a thing. The person who committed the crime was 5'4" and weighed maybe 160 lbs. He was little dude not a imposing individual at all. I know because I've seen him in person. Of course I'm 6'1". The person of interest in this case looks like he lifts weights, works out, exercises by riding his bike, looks like a linebacker. He uses his hands all day in his work probably has strong hands, strong grip and forearms. My old man was a farm kid and he did manual labor his entire life. He wasn't a big guy but he had incredible hand and arm strength. He could literally bring you to your knees with his handshake if he wanted. He had what I often called Popeye forearms. I think this crime against BD could have easily have been done by one person. Ted Bundy was known to carry a kit with him when he committed his crimes which included duct tape, blindfolds, knives, handcuffs, rope, etc. You can buy a stun gun that fits in the palm of your hand at your local Sporting Goods store no questions asked for $50. A lot of the newer vehicles have child proof doors in which a latch is turned and you are unable to open passenger door from the inside. If a pickup was used it would have been close quarters. The person could have had a weapon. How would a person react when faced with this kind of violence? I don't know. People will react differently. Some would fight, some don't hoping they will escape, be let go or rescued. You have only a split second to decide.