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

[Christina691]

I find it puzzling, also. Maybe there is more surveillance that they have but they just aren't releasing that information? I'm sorry, I just don't believe that was the only camera. She walked that ENTIRE strip, her distance was over a mile long!! All of these hotels with parking decks should have surveillance. I've never stayed anywhere in MB that didn't have surveillance not only in the entire establishment inside, but the surrounding areas outside. I know BlueWater has more than that one lousy lobby camera! There should be a camera in the pool area(s), elevators, and ESPECIALLY the parking lot.. I mean, come on!! This was 2009 we are talking about, not 1950. If the Super 8, one of the cheapest & nastiest hotels is the only area with a camera (that's not even decent quality), Myrtle Beach should be embarrassed when they are referred to 'one of the most family oriented vacation spots'. I know they have updated their camera technology since she went missing, but it was 2009... They should have had more cameras put up wayyyyy before then.

I think that if LE DOES have access to more footage, or if they already have it in their possession, they aren't going to say until there is a solid break in the case. On that video where Dawn & Brittane's grandmother are with the psychic in MB, the psychic says something about a white vehicle, and her grandmother then says 'yeah, they said they believe a white vehicle was involved'... Okay, I don't know about you guys, but I don't see a white vehicle in that 10 second video of her walking. Am I going blind? This was still early in the investigation, long before they publicly confirmed RM as a POI- so why aren't they mentioning this 'white vehicle' now? This makes me think they could have possibly seen footage from another camera somewhere, but they're just holding information for whatever reason. All of this is JMO and pure speculation.

I feel like they have forgotten about her.. I know that's obviously not the case at all, and they're doing their job probably to the best of their ability, but it is so frustrating!! The only time I hear any new information about the case, its always coming from either Dawn herself or other family members, or on the local news stations in MB or Rochester. Wheen was the last time LE formally gave an update, back when they searched RM's apartment?? That's almost been two years ago! Even if they just said something as simple as 'her investigation is on-going & we are actively searching and following up on leads', maybe it would reach out to that one person (or group of individuals) with a guilty conscience weighing on their shoulders & be able to give her family some answers and closure to this nightmare they're dealing with.

 

[JustCryssy]

I could be REALLY wrong here... but the way I understand it, that is just the LAST footage of BD, not necessarily the ONLY.

It was my impression that they followed her with camera footage until she didn't appear on the gas station footage on the way back, letting them know she vanished between the two spots.

JMO.
As I said, I may be WAY wrong.

 

[Farmhand]

The only footage I've seen is from the traffic cam and the stills from the video from the BlueWater Resort. Maybe there is more I don't know. If LE wasn't on the ball some of it might have been recorded over after a few days.

 

[justagirl247]

I think LE know ALOT more then they are letting on in this case. I just wish the would find her she deserves to go home. I dont know why but i just feel as though she isnt dead I know everything point to the fact that she probably is but my first thought when i think of the case is she is being held somewhere ...maybe i am just hopeing she is alive not sure but i wish they would find her soon either way and give her and her family some peace

 

[neverletgo]

:bump:

Bumping for Britt and again reposting a beautiful video of Brittanee that LLLindsayy made that I have bookmarked from my lurking days. :beats:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ixj2RZzsKTA

 

[Farmhand]

I think LE know ALOT more then they are letting on in this case. I just wish the would find her she deserves to go home. I dont know why but i just feel as though she isnt dead I know everything point to the fact that she probably is but my first thought when i think of the case is she is being held somewhere ...maybe i am just hopeing she is alive not sure but i wish they would find her soon either way and give her and her family some peace

I've often wondered if the family is getting the updates they should be getting from LE. Is LE telling them anything about what they know or what they think happened? I realize LE can't tell them everything but telling them some things would be helpful.

 

[Steely Dan]

I've often wondered if the family is getting the updates they should be getting from LE. Is LE telling them anything about what they know or what they think happened? I realize LE can't tell them everything but telling them some things would be helpful.

When I interviewed her for Tricia's show and on Tricia's show she said that the police have told her things that she can't tell anyone else.

 

[Farmhand]

OK. That is good.

 

[hoshizora]

I've been reading up about this case recently. Brittanee is my age, so it hits close to home. I just hope she's found. She would be 22 this year.

I looked at the footage of her walking along and it seems to be quite crowded, even though it is around 9 PM. I find it hard to believe that someone could grab a girl and throw her in a car on a street like that. I'm suspecting she knew the people and they offered her a lift. Did the LE ask for people who were on the strip to come forward and tell what they saw? Someone would've seen something! Even if they saw her get in a car willingly, that's a huge clue.

 

[Farmhand]

I'm not sure anyone has come forward to say they saw her accept a ride or to say they saw her being abducted. I'm not sure anyone has even come forward to say they saw her walking down the boulevard at any time. Maybe people weren't paying attention or maybe the boulevard really wasn't that busy further south towards the Bluewater Resort. The traffic cam footage was taken 45 minutes before and is several blocks from the location were she disappeared. It was dark and I think as drivers we tend to focus on the traffic and the road ahead of us and tend not to pay attention to what is occurring to our left or right. The palm trees, the bushes that line the boulevard, buildings, signs, parked cars would be an obstruction to your view especially at night. My feeling is that if you stepped off the sidewalk a few feet at night when it was dark people probably wouldn't even be able to see you. I guess the thing that tends to make me think she was abducted is the fact she no longer used her cell phone that night after the message she sent to her boyfriend.

 

[Christina691]

I'm not sure anyone has come forward to say they saw her accept a ride or to say they saw her being abducted. I'm not sure anyone has even come forward to say they saw her walking down the boulevard at any time. Maybe people weren't paying attention or maybe the boulevard really wasn't that busy further south towards the Bluewater Resort. The traffic cam footage was taken 45 minutes before and is several blocks from the location were she disappeared. It was dark and I think as drivers we tend to focus on the traffic and the road ahead of us and tend not to pay attention to what is occurring to our left or right. The palm trees, the bushes that line the boulevard, buildings, signs, parked cars would be an obstruction to your view especially at night. My feeling is that if you stepped off the sidewalk a few feet at night when it was dark people probably wouldn't even be able to see you. I guess the thing that tends to make me think she was abducted is the fact she no longer used her cell phone that night after the message she sent to her boyfriend.

Considering the fact it was 9PM, it is still fairly dark on that end of the strip. 9pm comes, and majority of the tourists are either back at their own hotels staying in for the night, or they are on the opposite side close to the Bar Harbor hotel because that's where majority of the attractions are. On the traffic camera, it looks somewhat crowded, but I think it's because that area itself is normally crowded. It was pretty much the halfway point between Bar Harbor and BlueWater, there are still shops and restaurants, etc. I can say that even though it was 9PM, the area around BlueWater is still well-lit. However, the hotels are a little more spaced out, and of course less foot/vehicle traffic. There are more little alley ways and abandoned parking lots..... but still, IMO it would be nearly impossible for someone to NOT see something, even though the surroundings may depict otherwise.

I don't think anyone who was on the strip that night who may have saw her has ever came forward and said anything. But, you have to remember that even if all those people did see her walking or whatever, they had no way of knowing "hey, this girl is about to vanish, I need to pay attention and see what happens"- you would think you're just passing another normal person on the street, nothing important. The non-existent cell phone usage around 9:00 is why people think it's a stranger abduction. Brittanee seems like the kind of teenage girl that you would literally have to pry that cell phone out of her hands, this applies to probably 90% of other teenage girls her age. If someone she knew or met while she was there offered her a ride or whatever, she should have still felt comfortable enough to continue texting her boyfriend, just as she had done for the entire trip.

On an earlier post of mine, I mentioned not seeing any white vehicles in the surveillance video. I took a closer look, and saw two. One looks like an older model car, the other looks like an SUV of some sort. Other than the comment Brittanee's grandmother made on the Maury show, does anyone have any further information regarding any vehicle involved? Do any of the POI's have a white vehicle?

Dawn said that Brittanee was going to the BlueWater resort to retrieve a pair of shoes that had been left in a vehicle earlier that day. Supposedly a pair or red flip-flops according to PB. He claimed you could easily see her carrying the red flip flops when she exits the BW resort lobby to go back to her own hotel. I was never able to see them until today. In addition to the oversized white purse she's carrying, it looks like she's carrying red flip flops in her left hand as she's exiting. I had to watch a could of times to make sure that was what I was seeing. Again, not completely sure, but I think I do see her carrying a pair of flip flops. If this was an abduction, don't you guys think she would have dropped some of her belongings if she was startled and abducted? None of her belongings have been found!!

I feel better now knowing that Dawn does have information, and that LE isn't just ignoring her or keeping her in the dark. Even if she can't share the information publicly, I'm still hopeful that it will lead to a resolution.

 

[Steely Dan]

I'm not sure anyone has come forward to say they saw her accept a ride or to say they saw her being abducted. I'm not sure anyone has even come forward to say they saw her walking down the boulevard at any time. Maybe people weren't paying attention or maybe the boulevard really wasn't that busy further south towards the Bluewater Resort. The traffic cam footage was taken 45 minutes before and is several blocks from the location were she disappeared. It was dark and I think as drivers we tend to focus on the traffic and the road ahead of us and tend not to pay attention to what is occurring to our left or right. The palm trees, the bushes that line the boulevard, buildings, signs, parked cars would be an obstruction to your view especially at night. My feeling is that if you stepped off the sidewalk a few feet at night when it was dark people probably wouldn't even be able to see you. I guess the thing that tends to make me think she was abducted is the fact she no longer used her cell phone that night after the message she sent to her boyfriend.

I believe she voluntarily got into the car because it was someone she knew. JMO

 

[hoshizora]

You guys are right. I'm just remembering Jill Meagher, who went missing (and later turned up murdered) in Melbourne, Australia. There was footage of her talking to a man (her attacker) outside a shop and as they walked out of frame, there are people walking by and there is even a man who looked back in the direction they walked. (This footage is up on YouTube, if anyone is curious). A few of these people came forward and were able to help police, I believe. I know nobody knew she was about to disappear. But I think if someone had snatched her, there would've been someone who heard screams at least. That's why I think she knew her abductor. Although her friends said she was too trusting and a bit naive, so it's possible it could be someone random who was going to offer her a lift. Brittanee was very pretty and I assume she probably used to get unwanted attention, so someone could've seen her, thought she was attractive and decided to offer her a lift that turned nasty. I just don't believe she was snatched off the street. One might even argue that the lack of witnesses is because nobody saw anything out of the ordinary.

It's very possible she met someone down there and as soon as she got in the car willingly, something happened to make her stop texting her boyfriend, like she could've been threatened with a weapon or bound. It's hard to think about, but those are some thoughts. I believe her attacker, whether she is dead or alive, has her possessions though. I find it hard to believe, as utterly creepy as that swamp area is, that there wasn't even a tiny piece of her clothing found if something happened there. I have a feeling they might find something in the swamp though... but I know they can't go there. It was obviously a local who was familiar with the beaten track kinda areas.

I wonder if they have reviewed the traffic footage during the time they believe she was abducted and noticed anything strange or out of the ordinary about it, too. Like someone running, or a car speeding, or something like that. Those actions might not have something to do with her disappearance, but it could be someone reacting to it. I know she went in the opposite direction, and I am unfamiliar with this area so I don't know how far away the traffic cam is to where they believe she was abducted, but it's worth looking at. I'm surprised there aren't more cameras, though.

 

[Farmhand]

Considering the fact it was 9PM, it is still fairly dark on that end of the strip. 9pm comes, and majority of the tourists are either back at their own hotels staying in for the night, or they are on the opposite side close to the Bar Harbor hotel because that's where majority of the attractions are. On the traffic camera, it looks somewhat crowded, but I think it's because that area itself is normally crowded. It was pretty much the halfway point between Bar Harbor and BlueWater, there are still shops and restaurants, etc. I can say that even though it was 9PM, the area around BlueWater is still well-lit. However, the hotels are a little more spaced out, and of course less foot/vehicle traffic. There are more little alley ways and abandoned parking lots..... but still, IMO it would be nearly impossible for someone to NOT see something, even though the surroundings may depict otherwise.

I don't think anyone who was on the strip that night who may have saw her has ever came forward and said anything. But, you have to remember that even if all those people did see her walking or whatever, they had no way of knowing "hey, this girl is about to vanish, I need to pay attention and see what happens"- you would think you're just passing another normal person on the street, nothing important. The non-existent cell phone usage around 9:00 is why people think it's a stranger abduction. Brittanee seems like the kind of teenage girl that you would literally have to pry that cell phone out of her hands, this applies to probably 90% of other teenage girls her age. If someone she knew or met while she was there offered her a ride or whatever, she should have still felt comfortable enough to continue texting her boyfriend, just as she had done for the entire trip.

On an earlier post of mine, I mentioned not seeing any white vehicles in the surveillance video. I took a closer look, and saw two. One looks like an older model car, the other looks like an SUV of some sort. Other than the comment Brittanee's grandmother made on the Maury show, does anyone have any further information regarding any vehicle involved? Do any of the POI's have a white vehicle?

Dawn said that Brittanee was going to the BlueWater resort to retrieve a pair of shoes that had been left in a vehicle earlier that day. Supposedly a pair or red flip-flops according to PB. He claimed you could easily see her carrying the red flip flops when she exits the BW resort lobby to go back to her own hotel. I was never able to see them until today. In addition to the oversized white purse she's carrying, it looks like she's carrying red flip flops in her left hand as she's exiting. I had to watch a could of times to make sure that was what I was seeing. Again, not completely sure, but I think I do see her carrying a pair of flip flops. If this was an abduction, don't you guys think she would have dropped some of her belongings if she was startled and abducted? None of her belongings have been found!!

I feel better now knowing that Dawn does have information, and that LE isn't just ignoring her or keeping her in the dark. Even if she can't share the information publicly, I'm still hopeful that it will lead to a resolution.

I haven't seen any video only photos of BD leaving the BlueWater Resort. This isn't the best quality photo but yeah I can see something reddish in her right hand. I don't see anything in her left hand. If anyone has a better quality photo I would like to see it. I would like to see the video from the traffic cam from about 8 pm to 9:30 pm to see if any more white cars can been seen. I'm sure the original video is probably better quality than what we see on the YouTube video. The YouTube video is probably a 2nd or 3rd generation video. If those are red flip-flops then she wouldn't be going out to a parking lot to meet someone to retrieve the flip-flops from a car. This would make sense since you don't see anyone leave with her and why would someone leave and go one direction and BD leave through a different exit if they are going to meet at the same place.

 

[amber1]

"She never made it walking back past the traffic camera. Somewhere between the Blue Water Resort and her own hotel, Britanee vanishes. "-Disappeared

Bumping for Britanee.

 

[justagirl247]

just a random thought and may have already be covered but was it possible she went in somewhere like maybe a store or club? and when she came out it was a much later time then would they would have been expecting her to have passed the next camera?

 

[amber1]

I had wondered that as well...it looks like they believe she was taken shortly after she left her motel to return the shorts to her friends, because of the time she stopped texting her boyfriend. Also, her cell phone was able to be tracked down because signals it sent out, and they were able to track the phone moving a fast speed, indicating she would have been in a car. Her cell phone was miles away in a different town...I had thought maybe she took a ride from someone she knew or stopped somewhere else and took a different route back, but then why would she stop texting her boyfriend?
From all the facts presented in Disappeared, I think someone took her after she left the hotel right off the street and threw her in a vehicle. It also makes more sense to me that more than one person would be involved. JMO.

 

[justagirl247]

True! gosh this case bothers me it seems like it should be easy to figure out but there is just something missing if anyone could ever figure out what that missing piece is i think it would be solved ...like i said i'm just kind of throwing out ideas if nothing else then at least it is ruling out things....I just hope they can get more answers and soon

 

[amber1]

I also agree! I really do feel Brittanee's disappearance is one that can be solved...I have hope she'll be found.
I remember on Disappeared, they were searching the wooded areas all over, and they said if she somehow ended up in areas similar to these, she could not last long because of all the wildlife there. I believe the person from Disappeared said a person could maybe last 6 hours in that kind of landscape.
But it is possible she was never near the woods at all...we just don't know:/
I just wonder if someone she was with "sold her out" to some bad people, or if someone she did not even know was just watching her and waiting. The documentary did say she was not getting along with the people she went down there with because they were doing drugs and Brittanee did not like that, and she would often go many places by herself...I think this would have made her an easy target, along with how petite she is.
And have they further looked into the people she was down there with? I find it odd they said she could borrow their shorts, and minutes later after she leaves, they ask her to walk back because the person needed them back? Not trying to point fingers, but that part of the documentary did not sit well with me, I found that very strange..and ironic she vanishes the day before she is about to come home...could drugs be a possible motive? Maybe she saw something that someone else did not want her to see, and the fact she was not "part of the crowd" doing drugs had them unease, thinking she may "expose" something? I think this could be a good possible motive, besides for the simple fact someone may have taken her just because she is pretty and was a "convenient" target.

 

[Landonsmom02]

I would guess a lot of these clubs in MB are trying to make as much money as possible during spring break and would probably let anybody in the door.

True. I went to MB for my junior and senior year SB and we could get in anywhere....even at 16/17yrs old.