Found Deceased SC - Brittanee Drexel, 17, Myrtle Beach, 25 April 2009 - #16

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this was posted on the Heather Elvis thread and thought it was more relevant to Brittanee's case. I don't know how to move a post so I am copying and pasting.

Quote:
Originally Posted by mmkay
Hi, everyone! I mostly just lurk here, but I felt the need to post today. We traveled to Pawleys Island from Charleston (heading north on hwy 17) this morning and noticed what appeared to be a search party near Hopsewee Plantation by the Santee river. This area is on the north end of the Francis Marion forest in between McClellanville and Georgetown.

I sure do hope this is for Heather and today is the day she comes home!

I wanted to follow up on this earlier post...we checked out the area where we initially saw the search party (a wildlife viewing spot near the river) on the way home, and the entrance had been blocked off with orange cones and a no parking sign (it wasn't like that this morning). Not sure if that means anything, but thought I'd share. Also, the search party was mostly LE from what we could see. I forgot to mention that earlier.

I've followed along for so long now, it gave me goosebumps when we passed by. I just feel like they must be there for Heather. I sure hope I'm right.
Today 03:52 PM


bestill said:
That's also the area where BD's phone pinged last. The Pole Yard Landing is right across from Hopsewee. This is so strange to me that I just posted about this very same thing. I pray with with that today will be the day!
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Bumping for Brittanee, her Disappeared episode was on Thursday.
 
Bring Brittanee Home ‏@Bringbritthome 11h

Please join us on May 3rd in #MyrtleBeach for a fundraiser in honor of #BrittaneeDrexel #Missing since 4/25/09. pic.twitter.com/lOrsehWAcM
 

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I was in MB just this past Friday and Saturday. Weather was super foggy for most of the time. DH and I just went down without having made hotel reservations. We drove past the hotel where Brittanee was known to walk out of the lobby and just seemingly vanished into thin air. I have been in MB only one other time since her disappearance. The other time was also in March. I think it was in 2011.

It was starting to get pretty busy by the time we left on Sunday morning.

I saw two billboards for Heather E., but nothing at this point for Brittanee.

Sure is hard to think of anything else besides all of the missing young girls when I visit there now. Sure do hope DD gets some answers soon.
 
AnonymousD said:
Bring Brittanee Home ‏@Bringbritthome 11h

Please join us on May 3rd in #MyrtleBeach for a fundraiser in honor of #BrittaneeDrexel #Missing since 4/25/09. pic.twitter.com/lOrsehWAcM
Click to expand...

I think this is a great place for a fundraiser! I've recently considered the notion that Britt may have hopped on a motorcycle with someone since there are no witnesses to her abduction. I do not know Brittanee but she was so young and left on her own by those friends while in MB, at least some of the time. The walk alone from hotel to hotel, and the video of her in the young man's room, and her taking off to MB against DD's wishes makes me wonder if she impulsively, trustingly accepted a ride. And there is no shortage of bikers in MB. When I was Britt's age I was foolish, thought I was 5 ft tall and bulletproof and never met a stranger. I wouldn't have given a second thought to hopping on the back of a bike with some 'nice' guy for a ride down the street. Especially if I was in a hurry because I needed to get back to the hotel to return a pair of shorts I borrowed from a 'friend'. JMO

wm
 
Does anybody know if there are still frequent searches for Brittanee and if so, how I can get information about helping out? How far in advance do they usually plan searches? I will be in MB SC the 2nd week of June and wanted to help out in some way or another as her disappearance really pulls on my heart strings.
 
kenya2009 said:
Does anybody know if there are still frequent searches for Brittanee and if so, how I can get information about helping out? How far in advance do they usually plan searches? I will be in MB SC the 2nd week of June and wanted to help out in some way or another as her disappearance really pulls on my heart strings.
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I don't think they are very frequent and I know fundraisers are done for CUE to pay for searches. Im not sure if at this point they wait for a new tip to perform a search. You could email CUE center and ask.
 
Rochestergirl said:
I don't think they are very frequent and I know fundraisers are done for CUE to pay for searches. Im not sure if at this point they wait for a new tip to perform a search. You could email CUE center and ask.
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Thank you! I will look into it.
 
waltzingmatilda said:
Something has been nagging at me lately about the behavior of this group Brittanee was with in MB. Why did they let her tag along? She allegedly didn't have any money. She was just a kid, not legally an adult, younger than the rest of the group. I cannot recall if she gained entrance into any clubs but she wouldn't have been able to consume alcohol unless she had a fake ID or someone in the group bought her drinks at the bar and brought them to her. Britt didn't do drugs but there were drugs allegedly consumed by the group of 'friends'. So why would they bring along a 17 year old 'misfit' on their spring break trip?

MOO but I think Brittanee was being used by these friends. She would have been charged as a minor if she had drugs on her person but the friends would have been charged as adults. So I wonder if the group met someone at a club who could hook them up and Brittanee was tapped to meet the person, do the deal and deliver the goods back to each hotel as a type of repayment for being allowed along in the first place. This is the only way I can reconcile in my mind.......why Britt seemed to disappear into thin air. If she were doing a deal, she most likely would have gotten into a described car willingly because drug deals are done in private.....why the guys up and left in the middle of the night. They were probably freaking when Brittanee didn't return and also short on money as well.....why the young women moved to another hotel and left Brittanee's things behind. They would probably all be freaking out that she didn't return and possibly angry, thinking she took off with their money since she didn't have any or much money of her own. Hence, the girls leaving her luggage behind. The actions of this group seems to me that they were nervous about something or trying to distance themselves from Brittanee. Did they think she had been arrested and would point the finger towards them and that's why they all scattered?

There is a good chance that in this scenario the 'friends' didn't even know the dealers real name or only a first name since they were on vaca. I went to Hawaii in my early twenties with a group of friends and the first thing we did was ask a bartender where we could score maui wowee and got results. (Bartenders know stuff) This is just my opinion based on the actions of the 'friends' with a bit of personal experience thrown in for good measure. :D

wm
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Interesting theory. Wasn't BD texting her bf back home and pretty much in the middle of that suddenly stopped? She seemed to be in pretty good communication with him. Wouldn't she indicate to him to if she were involved in something uncomfortable or shady? At the same time, she was supposedly distancing herself from the older acquaintances because of their drug use. So her being the drug mule doesn't wash with me.

However... every time I visualize her walking that relatively short distance and texting at the same time... I just can't see her being grabbed and thrown in a vehicle like that. Sure it happens. This drug dealer thing got me thinking that if a vehicle pulled up who RECOGNIZED her... and who she recognized, she might get in. Someone driving down the street randomly might not have any idea if she were alone, if she was attractive, etc... It seems to me someone knew she was alone, they knew who she was... How would they know those thing outside of her being involved in a drug deal?

I do agree that it could have been someone that her acquaintances knew. Some low life character who noticed her and wanted her. Those people knew that she was supposed to be on the way back because of the "shorts"
Was it really the "shorts" or was that a code? Even if it was really the shorts, it's possible the was aware of this from the acquaintances (and may have been eavesdropping, etc) So maybe he takes a quick drive and sees her walking on the other side of the street. He turns around and pulls up and says... "hey I'm going to the hotel... I'll give you ride". I could see something like that... where she would get into the car voluntarily, thinking the they were really going to the Hotel. Instead, when he doesn't go to the hotel, she gets restrained. The phone is on for the drive... See I've had a problem with her being abducted right on the sidewalk while texting and then the phone still being on. That just didn't make sense. Seemed she would drop it, they might take it... etc... But if she willingly got into that vehicle, it makes a lot more sense that the phone is there and then drops out of her hand when she is restrained or incapacitated in some way. My understanding is the vehicle kept moving at a swift pace. No stopping to dig for the phone, etc... until it cuts out for good.

I think you are onto something with this. It makes a lot more sense that it was some peripheral person associated with either group of people. A person that had been around her, recognized her, and who she might accept a ride from.

Those acquaintances that she was there with... doing drugs to a degree that Brittanee felt really uncomfortable with... makes you wonder just what drugs, how far were they going with their partying? This is really curious... because going down to a Spring Break party atmosphere, BD had to know some of what goes on. So if it were THAT far over the line that she felt uncomfortable, it does make you wonder just WHAT were they doing? I mean it's a given that people are going to be smoking pot, bongs, etc... so seems to me it was something quite a bit heavier and maybe it was the dealer types that were hanging around that caused her to be uncomfortable.
 
It's sad that there's so very little to work with. The fact that the police were chasing people like RM makes me think they really have no clue about what happened. Let's face it, the case has been at a dead stop for years and we are at the point that unless someone comes forward there's a good chance we will never know.

At this point I'm stuck on the theory that she got into a car voluntarily with someone. This was someone she knew, even if just briefly. I'd think that she was restrained in the vehicle by others and the cell phone wasn't found or thought of until they stopped somewhere. This to me was someone that saw an opportunity and took it.

I still think the friends have information that could help. They might not even think they know something relevant, but I'd bet there are still tidbits of information undiscovered...all you need is a few crumbs to start a trail.

The thought of this becoming another unsolvable cold case is depressing, but becomes more and more a reality with each passing year.

Where are you Brittanee?
 
Vinny said:
It's sad that there's so very little to work with. The fact that the police were chasing people like RM makes me think they really have no clue about what happened. Let's face it, the case has been at a dead stop for years and we are at the point that unless someone comes forward there's a good chance we will never know.

At this point I'm stuck on the theory that she got into a car voluntarily with someone. This was someone she knew, even if just briefly. I'd think that she was restrained in the vehicle by others and the cell phone wasn't found or thought of until they stopped somewhere. This to me was someone that saw an opportunity and took it.

I still think the friends have information that could help. They might not even think they know something relevant, but I'd bet there are still tidbits of information undiscovered...all you need is a few crumbs to start a trail.

The thought of this becoming another unsolvable cold case is depressing, but becomes more and more a reality with each passing year.

Where are you Brittanee?
Click to expand...

I agree with your theory. I also think she got in a vehicle willingly, which explains why no passerby's seen or heard her struggle. If she was forced into a vehicle, there would most definitely be at least a bit of a fight or she would at least scream or yell. I just get the impression that she was feisty and would never just allow some stranger to subdue her without some sort of fight.
 
This is a sad case that seems to have turned ice cold. Such a pretty girl with a whole future ahead.

Looking into the case you have two possibilities it seems, but both have big problems.

1. Brittanee was taken by an opportunist, a person like the questioned RM for example. Initially I felt it would be impossible to abduct a 17 year old girl so quickly and silently but having looked at the area she is thought to have been taken I do concede it is possible. That area on a dark night would very likely look very shifty, there is a lot of cover in the alleys with various foliage. And yet I still feel that in a busy resort town at a busy time she could still likely have made enough noise to draw attention or at least make the attacker drive very erratically. Maybe this means that two or more people might have been involved? Perhaps the Perp had a gun or other means to make her quiet though. If it was a stranger I think its likely to be someone local as its such a risky abduction to undertake.


2. Britanee was taken by force or went willingly with someone she knew. Brozowitz seems unlikely to be involved to me, what is his motive for example? But for sure Brozowitz is the most egotistical insensitive person involved. Hr drew suspicion upon himself then compounded this by retaining an attorney when he was never confirmed as a suspect or even POI by LE. Hi defensive attitude made him look very bad. I feel the same about the girls she went with, are they withholding information that might make them look bad? I think the fact that these girls used drugs and perhaps that the other boys used drugs has just muddied the waters and made cooperation difficult.

There is just not enough to go in with this case and for me the focus on RM, although he needed to be investigated seems to indicate the police have run dry. Completely stumped with this case. Surely for LE the thing to do would be go back to they very start again and take fresh statements from all the kids she was with? Ask them all to do polygraphs and check alibi's. From there the only thing I can think of would be to re-check, check and check again all CCTV and traffic cameras in the wider area to watch for any erratic driving. Its a pity that those cameras do not have the quality to see who is in a car in this case.

And then there is the last cell tower ping. The area surrounding that tower is very disturbing. Dawn Drexel said she was told that a person would be eaten in 6 hours if dumped there. At least there would still be the possibility of finding her flip flops and clothes. This is probably the most depressing evidence in the case. I would like this to be a red herring and just the phone to be here but that just seems too ornate. If you believe this is where Miss Drexel ended up then I suppose it is a very strong indication that she was taken by someone who knows the area.
 
I really wish those sunglasses found led to something of importance in this case. If my memory serves me right, didn't Dawn Drexel and Brittanee's boyfriend say the glasses resembled the ones Britt had gotten for her birthday or Christmas (I can't remember which, sorry)??
 
Okay, originally I didn't think PB or any of the other people Brittanee was with in Myrtle Beach had anything to do with her disappearance, but why would PB need to get a lawyer if he knows he's innocent? I just don't get it. JMO and :twocents:
 
Vinny said:
It's sad that there's so very little to work with. The fact that the police were chasing people like RM makes me think they really have no clue about what happened. Let's face it, the case has been at a dead stop for years and we are at the point that unless someone comes forward there's a good chance we will never know.

At this point I'm stuck on the theory that she got into a car voluntarily with someone. This was someone she knew, even if just briefly. I'd think that she was restrained in the vehicle by others and the cell phone wasn't found or thought of until they stopped somewhere. This to me was someone that saw an opportunity and took it.

I still think the friends have information that could help. They might not even think they know something relevant, but I'd bet there are still tidbits of information undiscovered...all you need is a few crumbs to start a trail.

The thought of this becoming another unsolvable cold case is depressing, but becomes more and more a reality with each passing year.

Where are you Brittanee?
Click to expand...


1) Stranger Abduction is actually rare - 1% chance.
It can't be ruled out because it does happen.
But it means you should look at the immediate people connected very very carefully and their periphery.

2) The way she was texting her bf and then suddenly stopped, but the phone was still left on does not fit with SA. One or Two SA's would quickly want to disable a phone, or the phone would likely fall or be left behind. The fact that phone goes in the vehicle and is on for a long time points to her getting in the car voluntarily. (see my post #432)

3) The code of silence to protect unsavory characters in the periphery of her so called "friends" would not be unusual and could have multiple motivations. For example:
a) She was already in some sort of dispute over the shorts (whether physical shorts or code for something else). People can get viciously angry over things like that. Maybe not enough to kill, but maybe enough to let "something" happen to them.
b) BD is/was exceptionally stunningly attractive. Attention that she may have been getting could have been part of the friction that developed between her and the "friends". For example, what if the "friends" were not only buying drugs from thugs but were openly having sex with them too? That is the kind of thing I could see getting into "uncomfortable" territory. Yes, girls going down to party with hard drugs and thugs do things like have open sex in front of each other or including each other. If BD crossed paths with this, some human nature kicks in. Imagine a room with a few naked thugs getting it on with a few naked "friends" and hard drugs in plain view. BD walks in and sees things that makes her a witness unless she gets into the groove. The guys want her over the other "friends" too... The "friends" get ugly resentful of BD. So the thugs think BD is a risk but also want to do her. The "friends" are very jealous and pretty much seethe with hatred.
So, when the shorts become an issue, there is more to it than meets the eye. It's not just about the shorts. Thugs very possibly know that BD is enroute with the shorts, or perhaps thugs are with "friends" driving to intercept BD. I'm not sure if the "friends" had alibi's when BD was taken.
c) FEAR - the "friends" could reasonably fear that if they identified their drug sources who might be responsible, they would be next.

4) The time and place of abduction is less than ideal, presenting lots of risk for a Random SA. That would really seem unlikely. At the same time, an SA that had seen her, watched her, stalked her for a period of time should have had better opportunities and would very likely be on cams somewhere.

5) The friend behavior of both groups of friends is odd, something does smell. It's very likely that at least one group of friends knows something but aren't talking.
 
In 2 days another year will have gone by. Is there any investigations going on at this time? I always think about BD and DD at this time of year.
 
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