Found Deceased SC - Brittanee Drexel, 17, Myrtle Beach, 25 April 2009 - #19

[U2forever]

Just when you figure this case has seen it all...

http://www.postandcourier.com/news/...cle_9522c0d8-d0ff-11e6-8f90-93a7a0974ca0.html

Unbelievable.

Well, my my my.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Tarik]

Goes to show what kind of person is defending Taylor.

 

[Dee10]

Another shooting in their tight hood. Sounds like someone was waiting for him to come home. Ck the street sign in the picture.

http://abcnews4.com/news/local/deputies-respond-to-deadly-shooting-near-mcclellanville

 

[redcoupe50]

Another shooting in their tight hood. Sounds like someone was waiting for him to come home. Ck the street sign in the picture.

http://abcnews4.com/news/local/deputies-respond-to-deadly-shooting-near-mcclellanville

I wonder whose towing company took the car. Perhaps maybe to dispose of evidence?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[QPRfan]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[brian1108]

I hope no one killed her.

 

[LLLindsayy]

I hope no one killed her.

I think I speak for all of us here when I say we all HOPE that. However, if you look at the statistics and the evidence in this case, I'm almost certain Brittanee is a murder victim.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[TeenaNJ]

I've been touched by BD's heartbreaking story since i first heard of it. while its tough to be "happy" about anything with this case, i was glad to see that WS still has this active thread for Brittanee.

never posted on this case before though, and i still need to catch up on the earlier threads. however, i came upon something that i wonder was ever discussed here. obv there have been mentions over the years of similar cases with missing / abducted (or attempts) young women in the area. but in particular i saw the sketch (below) from randa massey attempted abduction -
SOURCE: http://www.wmbfnews.com/story/12864913/victim-of-attempted-abduction-in-mb-speaks-out
Composite sketch of suspect (Source: MBPD)

is it just me or does the sketch bear a strong resemblance to one of Taylor's codef's from the mcdonalds robbery ? jmoo (the mcd's mugshot pic is at http://bailbondcity.com/south_carolina/charleston-inmate-MOULTRIE/0001267032 - i did not know if it was OK to post this other picture so i am including link, hope thats ok! )​

while it may be a stretch to try to link all of these cases together, it did strike me that:​

taylor has been looked at as a suspect / poi in BD abduction / murder case
taylor & moultrie arrested for mcdonalds robbery/shooting together
moultrie resemblance to sketch in RM attempted abduction by 3 males -
taylor sr arrested for RM attempt abduction, later released (alibi confirmed by "business surveillance video".)​

jmoo....

​

 

[QPRfan]

TeenaNJ, I want to thank you for joining this thread. In regards to the attempted RM abduction, I have a tough time believing the men who tried to kidnap RM are the same people who took B. Since it happened so close to where BD went missing there was always going to the thought it was the same people. However, it seems brazen to the point of sheer stupidity for the same perpetrators to try to kidnap another tourist off Ocean Blvd, this time in broad daylight, at a point when BD's investigation was still quite active (I believe SLED had just joined the investigation a few weeks earlier) and it had been announced that LE had 3-4 POI's they were keying on. Also, if you believe the recent information suggesting the increasing media coverage around BD's disappearance played an important role in the final decision to murder and dispose of her, it makes even less sense for the same people to attempt to duplicate the crime a little over a year later and draw even more attention to the area. IIRC RM picked ST out of a photo lineup, and I believe the sketch was of one of the other suspected perps. It had been discussed previously here and other places that the sketch bore at least a passing resemblance to DT. I don't recall if it was ever expressly stated that the sketch was of the driver of the van, but that would be the only way it was him.

I would favor the RM perps being people who became aware of the absence of surveillance along that stretch because of the BD investigation and maybe tried to exploit this knowledge to kidnap a girl. The attempt always struck me as incredibly ill-conceived and almost half-heartedly executed (thankfully), like they had never done such a thing and were willing to give up as soon as RM put up a fight.

The other thing that sticks with me from this episode was how quickly the whole thing seemed to disappear after ST came up with his alibi. I recall RM's mother having a cardiac event right after she was almost kidnapped, possibly related to the emotional strain. Maybe RM told LE she no longer wanted to pursue the case to avoid putting continued stress on her family, or there were no other leads to pursue, or maybe the supposed tourist bureau influence in MB made it fade away when it became obvious no convictions were forthcoming. Either way it would be interesting to know if LE ever followed up with her after DT, DM, and others became known criminals and associates of the other T's who had already established their criminal credentials, and asked her if she recognized any of them as the men involved in her own harrowing ordeal. I can only assume the FBI has already questioned DT's two co-defs from the McD robbery about the BD case.

Anyway, just some random thoughts, all of which are JMHO

 

[JeannaT]

This accusation of Deshaun Taylor doesn't ring true to me. I followed this case carefully at first, but haven't read this stuff recently until now.

None of it seems believable to me - that a father and son would kidnap and be involved in sexually assaulting a young stranger, while someone who is virtually a stranger to them is also present and later turns them in to gain favor for his own legal case. I'm struggling with that.

I thought whoever picked Brittanee up would have been very appealing to her - she was on a party weekend, and I believe she did get into a car with someone she thought was in it for the party. I don't see this guy as the guy she would have hopped in the car with. For whatever reason. Whoever picked her up did it seemlessly without catching anyone's eye, on a very busy street. Whoever it was stopped, and she quickly and willingly got in.

I also don't think the death story rings true - that this witness who has a somewhat undefined relationship with Taylor would have both witnessed Taylor sexually assaulting her, and then pistol whipping her, shooting her twice and dumping her in an alligator swamp. How often do small helpless women who are used for sex trafficking get pistol whipped, shot and dumped while virtual strangers watch? How many sexual assault victims are pistol whipped and shot? Not many in my observation.

I don't know. Maybe it's true - does anyone else kind of feel like this is a complete rabbit trail?

 

[lonetraveler]

This accusation of Deshaun Taylor doesn't ring true to me. I followed this case carefully at first, but haven't read this stuff recently until now.

None of it seems believable to me - that a father and son would kidnap and be involved in sexually assaulting a young stranger, while someone who is virtually a stranger to them is also present and later turns them in to gain favor for his own legal case. I'm struggling with that.

I thought whoever picked Brittanee up would have been very appealing to her - she was on a party weekend, and I believe she did get into a car with someone she thought was in it for the party. I don't see this guy as the guy she would have hopped in the car with. For whatever reason. Whoever picked her up did it seemlessly without catching anyone's eye, on a very busy street. Whoever it was stopped, and she quickly and willingly got in.

I also don't think the death story rings true - that this witness who has a somewhat undefined relationship with Taylor would have both witnessed Taylor sexually assaulting her, and then pistol whipping her, shooting her twice and dumping her in an alligator swamp. How often do small helpless women who are used for sex trafficking get pistol whipped, shot and dumped while virtual strangers watch? How many sexual assault victims are pistol whipped and shot? Not many in my observation.

I don't know. Maybe it's true - does anyone else kind of feel like this is a complete rabbit trail?

Actually I think it's very plausible that a father and son who are deeply into very heavy drug dealing and most likely human trafficking could have their clientele so afraid of their power and influence that they would not hesitate to get rid of a girl who turned out to be much more trouble and risk than they anticipated. When Brittanee's disappearance became national news, these pieces of scum couldn't risk bringing attention to themselves and their family "enterprise". She became a liability that had to be eliminated. These scum are so confident of their hold on the locals and their ability to control the locals by keeping them in fear that it was nothing for them to murder and dispose of Brittanee.

Sent from my HTCD100LVWPP using Tapatalk

 

[Strawberry Fields]

Actually I think it's very plausible that a father and son who are deeply into very heavy drug dealing and most likely human trafficking could have their clientele so afraid of their power and influence that they would not hesitate to get rid of a girl who turned out to be much more trouble and risk than they anticipated. When Brittanee's disappearance became national news, these pieces of scum couldn't risk bringing attention to themselves and their family "enterprise". She became a liability that had to be eliminated. These scum are so confident of their hold on the locals and their ability to control the locals by keeping them in fear that it was nothing for them to murder and dispose of Brittanee.

Sent from my HTCD100LVWPP using Tapatalk

Although I would really not want to believe this story of the horrible things that were done to Brittanee and that others saw it or were actually involved I do believe it happened. It sounds like the father and son keep people in that community afraid of them. I also think something is amiss in the "legal system" in that whole area. I even find myself feeling afraid to say that even though I've several states away.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

 

[Strawberry Fields]

Although I would really not want to believe this story of the horrible things that were done to Brittanee and that others saw it or were actually involved I do believe it happened. It sounds like the father and son keep people in that community afraid of them. I also think something is amiss in the "legal system" in that whole area. I even find myself feeling afraid to say that even though I live several states away.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

 

[QPRfan]

This accusation of Deshaun Taylor doesn't ring true to me. I followed this case carefully at first, but haven't read this stuff recently until now.

None of it seems believable to me - that a father and son would kidnap and be involved in sexually assaulting a young stranger, while someone who is virtually a stranger to them is also present and later turns them in to gain favor for his own legal case. I'm struggling with that.

I thought whoever picked Brittanee up would have been very appealing to her - she was on a party weekend, and I believe she did get into a car with someone she thought was in it for the party. I don't see this guy as the guy she would have hopped in the car with. For whatever reason. Whoever picked her up did it seemlessly without catching anyone's eye, on a very busy street. Whoever it was stopped, and she quickly and willingly got in.

As far as I know, the exact series of events at the moment of Brittanee's kidnapping remain somewhat blurry. The informant who provided the details of her death did not claim he was present during her kidnapping, and I doubt Brittanee would've willingly entered a car with an older man, such as Shaun Taylor. There have evidently been second-hand statements of Deshaun Taylor "picking her up" in Myrtle Beach and transporting her to the McClellanville/South Santee area, but even those statements are somewhat vague about how exactly that transpired. There are some people who believe she was "introduced" to the Taylors while in SC by one or more of the "friends" she traveled with. If true, that bit of familiarity may have allowed a younger member of that group (DT, MT) to entice Brittanee to approach a vehicle close enough for others to subdue and take her, quickly and quietly, possibly from the parking lot next to the Blue Water and not necessarily off the sidewalk of Ocean Blvd.

I also don't think the death story rings true - that this witness who has a somewhat undefined relationship with Taylor would have both witnessed Taylor sexually assaulting her, and then pistol whipping her, shooting her twice and dumping her in an alligator swamp. How often do small helpless women who are used for sex trafficking get pistol whipped, shot and dumped while virtual strangers watch? How many sexual assault victims are pistol whipped and shot? Not many in my observation.

Just for clarity, the inmate statement describes Deshaun Taylor sexually assaulting Brittanee, an unnamed person pistol whipping her during her attempted escape and carrying/dragging her back inside the house, and only assumes Shaun Taylor as responsible for shooting and murdering her. Also, the individual(s) who carry her body away are not specifically named, at least in the information provided at the bond hearing. Brown is not exactly a random stranger with an undefined relationship to the perpetrators. He is a known criminal who was supposedly was at the house to pay money owed to Shaun Taylor, making him (to my eye) probably a criminal associate. In one of his recent interviews, even Deshaun acknowledges a relationship between Brown and Shaun Taylor. As far as how common it is for kidnapped and sex-trafficked girls/women to be pistol whipped and shot, I have no idea, but my guess is its not unheard of. Also, the "customers" of sex traffickers are probably frequently "strangers" to the victim, and may very well witness violent acts, especially if the victim tries to escape right in front of them. The threat of violence is undoubtedly a key way of keeping these victims in line. I agree that pistol whipping a defenseless teenage girl, who is utterly outnumbered and has no place to run, seems unnecessarily brutal and violent, but hardly out of the question, especially if her murder that day had already been predetermined.

I don't know. Maybe it's true - does anyone else kind of feel like this is a complete rabbit trail?

Maybe Brown witnessed everything he says he witnessed. Maybe he didn't, and is just using second-hand information to try to decrease his sentence. I don't know the truth there, but what was disclosed at the bond hearing seems to be a rough overview of what Brown told the FBI. Whatever the whole story is, some of the details were enough to convince Brittanee's parents it was accurate and true. If accurate, his story certainly raises many more questions for me, among them...

-Was Brittanee offered to Brown and the others with him (supporting the assertion she was being trafficked in the days after she was taken)?
-Was Brown surprised to find Brittanee at that house? Or was he already aware of what was transpiring and, possibly, traveled there intentionally that day because he knew she was there and being trafficked?
-If he was already aware of the situation, how did he receive that information?
-After her attempted escape, why was she brought back inside the house to be shot? Was there an area already set up for the murder (supporting the assertion her murder was pre-planned and performed in response to increasing media and LE scrutiny and not simply a rash and overly violent reaction to her escape attempt)?
-Without actually witnessing the murder, what makes Brown assume it was Shaun Taylor who shot her? Was it something Taylor said before or after?
-Why did Brown remain outside when Brittanee was being brought back inside the house? Was he specifically told to stay outside and, if so, why?
-Brown states he witnessed her body being taken away. If true, can he describe what was the body wrapped in? What type of vehicle was it loaded into? Who drove the body away to be disposed of? Were specific instructions provided to those people for exactly where to take it?

I'm sure the FBI asked all these questions and hundreds more, and hopefully got answers that will inevitably aid in finding and prosecuting every single person involved.

As always, everything I write is simply my own opinion.

 

[QPRfan]

I am re-posting this with a corrected format. I mistakenly added my own words to the prior quote and want to make sure no one attributes my words/opinions to someone else.

This accusation of Deshaun Taylor doesn't ring true to me. I followed this case carefully at first, but haven't read this stuff recently until now.

None of it seems believable to me - that a father and son would kidnap and be involved in sexually assaulting a young stranger, while someone who is virtually a stranger to them is also present and later turns them in to gain favor for his own legal case. I'm struggling with that.

I thought whoever picked Brittanee up would have been very appealing to her - she was on a party weekend, and I believe she did get into a car with someone she thought was in it for the party. I don't see this guy as the guy she would have hopped in the car with. For whatever reason. Whoever picked her up did it seemlessly without catching anyone's eye, on a very busy street. Whoever it was stopped, and she quickly and willingly got in.

As far as I know, the exact series of events at the moment of Brittanee's kidnapping remain somewhat blurry. The informant who provided the details of her death did not claim he was present during her kidnapping, and I doubt Brittanee would've willingly entered a car with an older man, such as Shaun Taylor. There have evidently been second-hand statements of Deshaun Taylor "picking her up" in Myrtle Beach and transporting her to the McClellanville/South Santee area, but even those statements are somewhat vague about how exactly that transpired. There are some people who believe she was "introduced" to the Taylors while in SC by one or more of the "friends" she traveled with. If true, that bit of familiarity may have allowed a younger member of that group (DT, MT) to entice Brittanee to approach a vehicle close enough for others to subdue and take her, quickly and quietly, possibly from the parking lot next to the Blue Water and not necessarily off the sidewalk of Ocean Blvd.

I also don't think the death story rings true - that this witness who has a somewhat undefined relationship with Taylor would have both witnessed Taylor sexually assaulting her, and then pistol whipping her, shooting her twice and dumping her in an alligator swamp. How often do small helpless women who are used for sex trafficking get pistol whipped, shot and dumped while virtual strangers watch? How many sexual assault victims are pistol whipped and shot? Not many in my observation.

Just for clarity, the inmate statement describes Deshaun Taylor sexually assaulting Brittanee, an unnamed person pistol whipping her during her attempted escape and carrying/dragging her back inside the house, and only assumes Shaun Taylor as responsible for shooting and murdering her. Also, the individual(s) who carry her body away are not specifically named, at least in the information provided at the bond hearing. Brown is not exactly a random stranger with an undefined relationship to the perpetrators. He is a known criminal who was supposedly was at the house to pay money owed to Shaun Taylor, making him (to my eye) probably a criminal associate. In one of his recent interviews, even Deshaun acknowledges a relationship between Brown and Shaun Taylor. As far as how common it is for kidnapped and sex-trafficked girls/women to be pistol whipped and shot, I have no idea, but my guess is its not unheard of. Also, the "customers" of sex traffickers are probably frequently "strangers" to the victim, and may very well witness violent acts, especially if the victim tries to escape right in front of them. The threat of violence is undoubtedly a key way of keeping these victims in line. I agree that pistol whipping a defenseless teenage girl, who is utterly outnumbered and has no place to run, seems unnecessarily brutal and violent, but hardly out of the question, especially if her murder that day had already been predetermined.

I don't know. Maybe it's true - does anyone else kind of feel like this is a complete rabbit trail?

Maybe Brown witnessed everything he says he witnessed. Maybe he didn't, and is just using second-hand information to try to decrease his sentence. I don't know the truth there, but what was disclosed at the bond hearing seems to be a rough overview of what Brown told the FBI. Whatever the whole story is, some of the details were enough to convince Brittanee's parents it was accurate and true. If accurate, his story certainly raises many more questions for me, among them...

-Was Brittanee offered to Brown and the others with him (supporting the assertion she was being trafficked in the days after she was taken)?
-Was Brown surprised to find Brittanee at that house? Or was he already aware of what was transpiring and, possibly, traveled there intentionally that day because he knew she was there and being trafficked?
-If he was already aware of the situation, how did he receive that information?
-After her attempted escape, why was she brought back inside the house to be shot? Was there an area already set up for the murder (supporting the assertion her murder was pre-planned and performed in response to increasing media and LE scrutiny and not simply a rash and overly violent reaction to her escape attempt)?
-Without actually witnessing the murder, what makes Brown assume it was Shaun Taylor who shot her? Was it something Taylor said before or after?
-Why did Brown remain outside when Brittanee was being brought back inside the house? Was he specifically told to stay outside and, if so, why?
-Brown states he witnessed her body being taken away. If true, can he describe what was the body wrapped in? What type of vehicle was it loaded into? Who drove the body away to be disposed of? Were specific instructions provided to those people for exactly where to take it?

I'm sure the FBI asked all these questions and hundreds more, and hopefully got answers that will inevitably aid in finding and prosecuting every single person involved.

As always, everything I write is simply my own opinion.

 

[Caffeine]

I think if the FBI has their sights on these guys there's likely more to it than just hearsay.

It's going to be a slow and meticulous journey but in the end I think we'll have enough evidence to pursue a conviction here. At least I hope....

 

[QPRfan]

I was wondering if anyone had mapped out the exact location of the "stash house?" Back in October when Brett Davidsen of WHEC in Rochester went to SC to interview DaShaun Taylor, he claimed to have tracked down that house and even recorded a segment of his report from in front of it. During an online Q&A session before the report aired, Davidsen said he had talked to neighbors in that area who had confirmed it was the house the FBI had searched. He also mentioned the house was close to a church, and he had confirmed it was owned by someone related to the Taylors. I tried contacting Davidsen directly to get more information, but never heard back from him. I guess I had always envisioned that house to be somewhat remote from other structures, but that didn't appear to be the case. Also, does anyone know if that house is the same place that was described as a "barn" that was searched by LE very early on after B's disappearance, and if it isn't, if the barn was located nearby?

I apologize if I'm just re-hashing stuff that's already been discussed at length. This case just haunts me, and I have a tough time wrapping my head around the idea of an entire community of people, many of whom appear to portray themselves as spiritual/religious, being complicit in such an absolutely inhuman and horrific crime. I see several other cases here on WS (Bobo, Verk, Vetrano...) making progress toward justice. I hope similar progress is being made behind the scenes here.

 

[Guided_141]

Also, does anyone know if that house is the same place that was described as a "barn" that was searched by LE very early on after B's disappearance, and if it isn't, if the barn was located nearby?

I apologize if I'm just re-hashing stuff that's already been discussed at length. This case just haunts me, and I have a tough time wrapping my head around the idea of an entire community of people, many of whom appear to portray themselves as spiritual/religious, being complicit in such an absolutely inhuman and horrific crime. I see several other cases here on WS (Bobo, Verk, Vetrano...) making progress toward justice. I hope similar progress is being made behind the scenes here.

I think I found the "stash" house. I am not sure about the rules so pm me and I'll share it with you...

Speculation forthcoming (no insider knowledge though I am kinda local in that I live within a few hours of the town in question and travel past it 5-6 times a year)....

I am skeptical that the entire community were aware of any alleged hostage situation. It's possible that the stash house they searched was somehow connected to the those people suspected of abducting Brittanee and they may have found evidence of other crimes/contraband/etc. without finding anything directly implicating she was kept there for any great length of time. It is far enough away that you could potentially go there under cover of darkness or any non-church time and go unnoticed except by a few houses. I would say the site is relatively close to an areas where I would expect to see people congregating in public. Assuming the nearby church is active it would be a risky place to stash someone for a long period of time dead (smell) or alive (possible to yell for help etc.).

As far as progress in this case my feeling is that the investigators were able to verify some of the jailhouse informant's statements and maybe they were able to find some more circumstantial evidence/taped conversations/info from other informants (not wanting to be identified) but no smoking gun. I think that absent a body, murder weapon, or (more credible) witness they are going to have trouble making any charges they bring stick to any one individual suspect. It may be that they have as BD's stepdad stated "exhaustive" evidence that is largely circumstantial and will eventually decide it's enough to roll the dice and bring into court. I would imagine the investigators/DA office would need to feel like they have reached the point of diminishing returns in turning up new evidence and do not believe the "smoking gun" is there to be found.

But.....I feel the need to play devil's advocate and pipe in to say that it's entirely possible that they have almost nothing in the way of evidence (outside of the jail house informant) and are making statements/holding press conferences/ etc. in seeking to place pressure on people they feel are involved or have information that could lead to an arrest. There always seems to be a lot of faith in law enforcement and credibility leaned towards the FBI on these boards and taking them at there word (especially before charges are brought) is just bit more than my cynical world view can handle. There have certainly been a number of cases where LE has bluffed, ignored contrary evidence, coerced false information, and outright lied (in court or before) to order to get a conviction. It may be we have heard about all of the evidence and LE is trying to shake somebody into giving a confession.

 

[Heyits_tay04]

Guided_141,

absolutely agree with your statement about no smoking gun and "hard" evidence. (Sorry I don't know the correct way to just quote that) IMO they could have a case without a body if there was something that proved beyond a reasonable doubt, but without it you're right it's purely circumstantial making it a tougher case.

OT but her disappearance and story resonated with me from the time I saw it on TV and then researched it for myself. I did a lot of dumb things at 17, (including lying to my parents and flying to Colorado to see my boyfriend without their permission) but I couldn't imagine going on spring break without my boyfriend and with people who weren't really my friends. I feel sorry for her because knowing how cruel some girls can be and Brittanee was beautiful, I'm sure she was miserable. Most girls don't even go to the bathroom alone but not in this case! Ridiculous. I know how crazy PCB from spending SB there while in college and I would not want to do that at 17. My heart aches for her


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Justice for Susan Winters.

 

[Caffeine]

The sad thing is that there very well may not be any hard evidence to be had here. At least not easily found. Unfortunately, i think in some cases there is such thing as a perfect crime - whether evidence is never found or there just isnt enough to charge someone.

Whatever vehicle used to abduct her could be crushed into a tiny cube at a junk yard...any weapon used in the act could be sitting at the bottom of any body of water...the body could be hidden meticulously, or nothing left of it at all.

There's obviously some major obstacles to potentially overcome and whether or not it's possible remains to be seen.

However, I feel strongly they have an excellent idea of what happened, who was involved but again, that smoking gun just might not be there yet...or ever.

Either way, I hope justice is served and there is some evidence to be had one way or the other.