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

[cc81]

Someone please refresh my poor migraine striken memory... What day did she go missing and what day did the wildfire start?

 

[trigger]

As the mother of a teen girl myself, my heart breaks for DD. I feel this is the worst update she could've gotten. Not only is her daughter dead, but she was held against her will before she was murdered. We all know the implications of that. She's probably imagining all the unspeakable things Brittanee might have gone through in her last days.

It's so sad hearing it. I hope that someone who knows something comes forward and has a conscious. After all, it's been 7 years they might have children of their own now and will make that call.

 

[courtfollower89]

It's so sad hearing it. I hope that someone who knows something comes forward and has a conscious. After all, it's been 7 years they might have children of their own now and will make that call.

So glad to find this thread!
I've shared her missing flyer countless times on social media. I hope her family get answers. It does sound to me lihe detectives have been on it from the beginning though.

Court Follower

 

[Emi]

Someone please refresh my poor migraine striken memory... What day did she go missing and what day did the wildfire start?

according to google the wildifre started the 23rd of April 2009, and Brittanee disappeared on the 25th of April so 2 days after the wildfire started she disappeared

 

[Audrey Horne]

Oh my. I wonder if this was a situation kind of like the Channon Christian rape and murder, possibly with people actually coming and going and participating to different degrees. Or Holly Bobo. That might explain the certainty that others DO know. UGH...I certainly hope not. Poor girl.

 

[Dee10]

This is a very small rural area. Population of 365, 77% married over the age of 15 yrs., median age 56.6

http://www.areavibes.com/mcclellanville-sc/demographics/

 

[katydid23]

It sure sounds like they have a lot of solid evidence. Just not quite enough for a conviction. Here's hoping somebody develops a conscience or realizes what they saw and comes forward.

Yes. That's what I think too. I think they have at least one person who has told them what happened, but that person will not agree to being a witness for a trial. We see that on the 'First 48 ' a lot. Where someone comes forward and says I heard through the grapevine what happened, who killed the victim and why, but I will not go on the record because I am afraid for my family...etc

 

[katydid23]

Oh my. I wonder if this was a situation kind of like the Channon Christian rape and murder, possibly with people actually coming and going and participating to different degrees. Or Holly Bobo. That might explain the certainty that others DO know. UGH...I certainly hope not. Poor girl.

This case has always reminded me of sweet Holly Bobo. A beautiful girl being taken by force...hard to think of how horrifying the circumstances were for them. :sigh:

 

[thref23]

Yes. That's what I think too. I think they have at least one person who has told them what happened, but that person will not agree to being a witness for a trial. We see that on the 'First 48 ' a lot. Where someone comes forward and says I heard through the grapevine what happened, who killed the victim and why, but I will not go on the record because I am afraid for my family...etc

Interestingly, I believe this is also what happened in the Shannon McConaughey case. I can't find it right now, but I recall reading in an archived news story that the five men arrested in that case, were arrested because one of them told LE that the five of them abducted her. Purportedly, the five men were to take turns raping her, but the first one up got carried away and killed her. However, everyone was released because LE couldn't corroborate that story (which, for all we know, could have been made up).

 

[ZooSleuth]

Interestingly, I believe this is also what happened in the Shannon McConaughey case. I can't find it right now, but I recall reading in an archived news story that the five men arrested in that case, were arrested because one of them told LE that the five of them abducted her. Purportedly, the five men were to take turns raping her, but the first one up got carried away and killed her. However, everyone was released because LE couldn't corroborate that story (which, for all we know, could have been made up).

I agree. Any time that a group of ppl are arrested for murder and the only evidence (at least that we have heard of) is a confession from one of the group, it's a red flag IMO. Sounds like it was possibly a coerced confession and witch hunt. To my knowledge none of the accused in Shannon's case have committed any crimes since or before that are anywhere close to rape and murder. I also find it peculiar that they were all African Americans and are accused of killing a woman who I presume was caucasian by her last name. This is the south after all.

It's hard to really get a feel for that case without more info as to why these men were on the radar in the first place.

 

[cujenn81]

Horry county wildfire started April 22nd, several areas evacuated and many people from Highway 90 and Barefoot Landing were not able to return home. I personally remember not being able to go home that night, staying at my moms (with a new tiny baby) in Longs and the entire neighborhood being evacuated in the middle of the night. By Friday the 24th we ended up at hotel around 70/80th Ave North in Myrtle Beach. They gave us free rooms and allowed pets to stay. Brittany was taken Saturday April 25th. I wonder if others were placed in a resort near where she went missing? I wonder if any of those people saw something but didn't put the pieces together because their own life was in a state of chaos.

We had firefighters and utility workers in from other areas helping put out the fires, fixing utilities, and assisting in many ways. We had insurance adjusters in town also assisting. We had contractors coming out of the woodwork trying to get people to bid the restoration work / rebuilding of many homes. What if we had a pyro that came in with any of those groups or just came to watch in general. After the big fires were done and things settled down they might have grabbed her on their way back home. Home to McClelinville. Or perhaps home to somewhere else but McCl. was the location of old family land that was vacant that they could spend a few days at without many noticing.

I can also attest to the 2009 wildfire being a chaotic time around here. I live fairly close to Highway 31... so when it jumped across a four-lane highway, I really started to freak out. I think it took 9 or 10 days to fully contain it but it felt like much longer than that.

I worked in Surfside back then and remember my drive home on the day the fire started. The smoke and flames were so massive that I thought a building close by was on fire, but I was 15-20 miles away. It was a very scary time!

This was taken from a helicopter but the flames didn't look much different from my POV driving home that day.

 

[Emi]

[video=youtube;r_cuBxF1PpM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_cuBxF1PpM[/video] - the presser if someone needs it

 

[Canaille]

I just transcribed the press conference.... beginning where the news cut in.

MBPD
The next day Brittanee disappeared. We know that Brittanee made it to the Bluewater Resort. The last time we saw her was on surveillance camera leaving the resort. On April the 25th 2009, that image was captured and since then Brittanee has been missing. Since that time, the MB police department has been working diligently to find this vibrant, young lady.

We have conducted hundreds of interviews and followed just as many leads across this country. We, the Myrtle Beach Police Department and our law enforcement partners, have a unified goal. We are working together to discover and find out what happened to Brittanee Drexel and to provide closure to this grieving family. We met with the Drexel family the very first day. We made a promise to them. We promised to do everything in our power, use every resource available, work together as a team to acheive that goal. We will not give up. We will not stop this investigation. And we will continue to work this investigation until we have achieved this goal. As many of you are aware, cell phone evidence that's collected on Brittanee has led us to this area of SC. I now ask FBI Special Agent David Thomas in charge to share with you how our continued efforts will be moving forward.

FBI
Thank you. Again, my name is Dave Thomas. I'm a special agent in charge for the FBI here in SC. And I echo comments... I appreciate the family being here, the media being here. The FBI has been involved in this investigation with our closest partners-- Mark Kuell (sp?) with SLED, Sheriff of Berkley County, Charleston County, Warren Gall (sp?), Myrtle Beach asked us to help early on to see if the FBI had any resources in this investigation. And the agency investigators have worked tirelessly from Day One on this investigation. What we've come to discover through the course of the investigation now is that Brittanee Drexel did leave the Myrtle Beach area. We believe she traveled to this area around McClellanville and the North Charleston/South Georgetown area, and we believe she was killed after that.

Snipped by me and BBM for focus.

Damn! That's basically covering the entire Francis Marion Forest.

cujenn, you are awesome! Thank you for this!

 

[peeksneeka]

I am wondering if the comment about her being held a portion of the time against her will is alluding to the remainder of the time her being dead. It is possible that her body was removed from the area. But, I find it interesting that the FBI stated that she "travelled" to the area twice. That word seems very deliberate.


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[tarabull]

Snipped by me and BBM for focus.

Damn! That's basically covering the entire Francis Marion Forest.

cujenn, you are awesome! Thank you for this!

BBM above...fwiw

Recent discovery of bodies in Francis Marion makes some wonder if forest Is becoming less safe
September 13, 2012

http://www.postandcourier.com/artic...s-some-wonder-if-forest-is-becoming-less-safe

 

[cujenn81]

I am wondering if the comment about her being held a portion of the time against her will is alluding to the remainder of the time her being dead. It is possible that her body was removed from the area. But, I find it interesting that the FBI stated that she "travelled" to the area twice. That word seems very deliberate.


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I know! I'm trying to figure out what the wording might mean. He also said Brittanee "did leave the Myrtle Beach area" instead of taken, or abducted, or kidnapped. I just can't wrap my head around WHO she would have willingly left the area with, or more importantly, WHY she would. She clearly didn't leave alone on foot, and she didn't have access to a vehicle. Maybe she was initially told that they (whoever they are) were going somewhere else? But, I still think LE would have said 'taken' or maybe 'lured', if that were the case.

I can't remember. Who was the college student she was allegedly with at a hotel the night before? The person came forward with the video like a year later and Brittanee is seen sitting on the bed texting and then later on the balcony, I think.

 

[Emi]

@cujenn81 the guys name is: Peter Brozowitz

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[bestill]

You're quite welcome!

(& it really was... it took me over an hour!)

Thank you! The family member that spoke out and said we need help is Britt's dad, Chad Drexel, I'm pretty sure. So sad for them, it's gut wrenching to think she was alive when her mom first started looking and they have been looking for seven years.

 

[lovinlife83]

I can also attest to the 2009 wildfire being a chaotic time around here. I live fairly close to Highway 31... so when it jumped across a four-lane highway, I really started to freak out. I think it took 9 or 10 days to fully contain it but it felt like much longer than that.

I worked in Surfside back then and remember my drive home on the day the fire started. The smoke and flames were so massive that I thought a building close by was on fire, but I was 15-20 miles away. It was a very scary time!

This was taken from a helicopter but the flames didn't look much different from my POV driving home that day.

I worked in Surfside too at that time, I remember being one on the last cars to drive on 31 on my way home April 22nd the fire was right next to the highway. My windows were up but I could feel the temp change. These pics were taken while I was driving. We lived very close to where the fire started on 90. I was sure that were safe to stay at my mom's up by 90 and 22. When the police evacuated us in the middle of the night, we had no where to go because shelters didn't allow pets.


I looked thru the photo album on my computer and I have pics of smoke when trying to leave for work on April 29th (last picture). It went on for a while.

 

[ZooSleuth]

@cujenn81 the guys name is: Peter Brozowitz

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She's talking about a different group of guys that met Brittanee. She met them while down there and went to their hotel room one night. They have a video of her hanging out in their room