TX TX - Brandi Wells, 23, Longview, 2 Aug 2006

[MsMarpleTX]

HELLO! First post on WS. Bumping Brandi’s thread bc I live in the area she went missing from and was close to her age and frequented this bar a lot before and after her disappearance. I was away at college during the time she went missing but her case really struck a nerve with me. A few insights I have about the discussions I’ve read on here
1) I don’t find it THAT odd that she went to a bar an hour or less from home with no money, gas or plan. My parents lived about 45 mins from the club and when I went home to visit I would frequently drive that far to go to Graham’s, especially on ladies night.... even though Tyler was slightly closer. Tyler has a different crowd and vibe and I just liked Longview better. Cover was free and they had $0.50 drinks. It was always super crowded and the radio was always advertising it. I can’t recall another bar in the area.... not even in Tyler that did as much radio advertising as Graham’s so it was something you heard about every time you got in the car. I would go by myself often and meet up with friends but often with get there earlier or stay later than the people I went to meet. Maybe I was young and stupid but it felt safe. Always tons of security and cops. There was even security in at least one golf cart riding around the parking lot. The bar tenders were always good about handing the drinks directly to the person drinking it..... not who was paying. Especially on those cheap drink nights. You typically couldn’t go order multiple drinks and carry them away. They wanted to put one drink per one person.... I always thought it was so they wouldn’t get in trouble for over serving bc TABC was always on the clubs butt about not over serving. So I felt safe and secure there.
2)Not EVERYONE scanned their IDs. There was typically someone checking ids at the door to make sure you were old enough to enter. Then you went to a counter to swipe your ID and pay. I saw and experienced many regulars walk right in without ever going to the counter. The bar had tons of employees especially on ladies night and it’s not far fetched that people could have walked in without swiping or being seen on camera.
3)The cameras were very visible and many people knew where they were and how to avoid being on them. There were always drunken fights there and people would be able to fight without being on camera..... I even heard a married lady once say she knew where the were and she would go on crowded nights to meet up with her “other” men so her husband wouldn’t find out or people drinking underage knew where they could sip their drink without being on camera. So if you were in there for illegal/immoral activity, it wouldn’t be hard to avoid them.
3) I would go as far as to say half of the men in that club had on cowboy hats. Most clubs wouldn’t allow baseball hats so any dude wanting to cover his hairline or identity could be wearing a cowboy hat.
4) It was always common for people to leave Graham’s after their fill of cheap drinks and go to another bar, a house party, Shreveport (the casinos are open 24/7 and are an hours drive) or go to the local strip clubs bc they were open later than the bars and would have similar “ladies night” specials..... you couldn’t leave Graham’s without someone inviting you to SOME after hours activities. So I wonder if she was invited somewhere.
5) I find it odd that no one would offer to help her if she was low on gas. It’s a “good ole boy” town and area and I feel like if she would have asked, someone would have offered to help her with gas. My car battery was dead one night when I went to leave and one of the security guards was happy to jump me off as soon he over heard me telling my friend about the issue.
6)The area her phone was supposedly found in has a lot of random people walking around..... a lot of uneducated/homeless/drug involved people.... even more so in 2006. It’s not too far fetched that if someone tossed her phone and it was found by someone in that area and they traded it, gave it, sold it to someone that didn’t think twice before using it.... due to their own ignorance.
7) also in reference to the phone, as someone who has lived in the area, I hate to mention race but Graham’s was not a hang out for black men like the the man who ended up with her phone. It has gotten better in Longview but at that time I feel like it would be insane for a black man to be knowingly using some missing white girls phone. I feel like even if she broke down in that area where her phone was found they would be wanting to get some random white girl OUT of the area.... as to not call attention to that area due to all the activities that used to..... and still do go on to some extent in that area. I just don’t see those people with her phone or anyone that they would associate with being involved.
8) and speaking on race, as busy as that club was..... it was mostly white males with a few Hispanic males..... it was said that most of the Hispanic males that frequented that club were gang affiliated and sold cocaine and so I guess that provides some criminal element but I just always thought of that as something these poor white guys made up to scare the girls away from the good looking Latinos with the coke.
9) the gangs in the “white” community were rampant at that time. They were the ones thought and rumored to be involved in human trafficking. As sad as it sounds, I feel like if she left with a black or Hispanic male, SOME backwoods country dude would have noticed and made comments. Racism was horrible then ( I like to think it’s gotten better) and at this country backwoods bar.... someone would have had SOMETHING to say about her leaving with someone outside her race.

IMOO I just feel like it was a random county looking white guy that saw an opportunity and took it knowing he would go unnoticed leaving with her.

I think about Brandi every time I drive by the club. It’s since been bought and remodeled but the crowd is the same. I pray she is FOUND safe. Because of her, I am more careful about my surroundings.

 

[gregjrichards]

HELLO! First post on WS. Bumping Brandi’s thread bc I live in the area she went missing from and was close to her age and frequented this bar a lot before and after her disappearance. I was away at college during the time she went missing but her case really struck a nerve with me. A few insights I have about the discussions I’ve read on here
1) I don’t find it THAT odd that she went to a bar an hour or less from home with no money, gas or plan. My parents lived about 45 mins from the club and when I went home to visit I would frequently drive that far to go to Graham’s, especially on ladies night.... even though Tyler was slightly closer. Tyler has a different crowd and vibe and I just liked Longview better. Cover was free and they had $0.50 drinks. It was always super crowded and the radio was always advertising it. I can’t recall another bar in the area.... not even in Tyler that did as much radio advertising as Graham’s so it was something you heard about every time you got in the car. I would go by myself often and meet up with friends but often with get there earlier or stay later than the people I went to meet. Maybe I was young and stupid but it felt safe. Always tons of security and cops. There was even security in at least one golf cart riding around the parking lot. The bar tenders were always good about handing the drinks directly to the person drinking it..... not who was paying. Especially on those cheap drink nights. You typically couldn’t go order multiple drinks and carry them away. They wanted to put one drink per one person.... I always thought it was so they wouldn’t get in trouble for over serving bc TABC was always on the clubs butt about not over serving. So I felt safe and secure there.
2)Not EVERYONE scanned their IDs. There was typically someone checking ids at the door to make sure you were old enough to enter. Then you went to a counter to swipe your ID and pay. I saw and experienced many regulars walk right in without ever going to the counter. The bar had tons of employees especially on ladies night and it’s not far fetched that people could have walked in without swiping or being seen on camera.
3)The cameras were very visible and many people knew where they were and how to avoid being on them. There were always drunken fights there and people would be able to fight without being on camera..... I even heard a married lady once say she knew where the were and she would go on crowded nights to meet up with her “other” men so her husband wouldn’t find out or people drinking underage knew where they could sip their drink without being on camera. So if you were in there for illegal/immoral activity, it wouldn’t be hard to avoid them.
3) I would go as far as to say half of the men in that club had on cowboy hats. Most clubs wouldn’t allow baseball hats so any dude wanting to cover his hairline or identity could be wearing a cowboy hat.
4) It was always common for people to leave Graham’s after their fill of cheap drinks and go to another bar, a house party, Shreveport (the casinos are open 24/7 and are an hours drive) or go to the local strip clubs bc they were open later than the bars and would have similar “ladies night” specials..... you couldn’t leave Graham’s without someone inviting you to SOME after hours activities. So I wonder if she was invited somewhere.
5) I find it odd that no one would offer to help her if she was low on gas. It’s a “good ole boy” town and area and I feel like if she would have asked, someone would have offered to help her with gas. My car battery was dead one night when I went to leave and one of the security guards was happy to jump me off as soon he over heard me telling my friend about the issue.
6)The area her phone was supposedly found in has a lot of random people walking around..... a lot of uneducated/homeless/drug involved people.... even more so in 2006. It’s not too far fetched that if someone tossed her phone and it was found by someone in that area and they traded it, gave it, sold it to someone that didn’t think twice before using it.... due to their own ignorance.
7) also in reference to the phone, as someone who has lived in the area, I hate to mention race but Graham’s was not a hang out for black men like the the man who ended up with her phone. It has gotten better in Longview but at that time I feel like it would be insane for a black man to be knowingly using some missing white girls phone. I feel like even if she broke down in that area where her phone was found they would be wanting to get some random white girl OUT of the area.... as to not call attention to that area due to all the activities that used to..... and still do go on to some extent in that area. I just don’t see those people with her phone or anyone that they would associate with being involved.
8) and speaking on race, as busy as that club was..... it was mostly white males with a few Hispanic males..... it was said that most of the Hispanic males that frequented that club were gang affiliated and sold cocaine and so I guess that provides some criminal element but I just always thought of that as something these poor white guys made up to scare the girls away from the good looking Latinos with the coke.
9) the gangs in the “white” community were rampant at that time. They were the ones thought and rumored to be involved in human trafficking. As sad as it sounds, I feel like if she left with a black or Hispanic male, SOME backwoods country dude would have noticed and made comments. Racism was horrible then ( I like to think it’s gotten better) and at this country backwoods bar.... someone would have had SOMETHING to say about her leaving with someone outside her race.

IMOO I just feel like it was a random county looking white guy that saw an opportunity and took it knowing he would go unnoticed leaving with her.

I think about Brandi every time I drive by the club. It’s since been bought and remodeled but the crowd is the same. I pray she is FOUND safe. Because of her, I am more careful about my surroundings.

Welcome to Websleuths MsMarpleTX. Thank you for sharing your own perspective of the area and Brandi’s case it is valuable. Brandi’s case is one I would like solved one day very soon. It will be thirteen years next week since Brandi went missing which is a tragedy.

 

[marsyao]

HELLO! First post on WS. Bumping Brandi’s thread bc I live in the area she went missing from and was close to her age and frequented this bar a lot before and after her disappearance. I was away at college during the time she went missing but her case really struck a nerve with me. A few insights I have about the discussions I’ve read on here
1) I don’t find it THAT odd that she went to a bar an hour or less from home with no money, gas or plan. My parents lived about 45 mins from the club and when I went home to visit I would frequently drive that far to go to Graham’s, especially on ladies night.... even though Tyler was slightly closer. Tyler has a different crowd and vibe and I just liked Longview better. Cover was free and they had $0.50 drinks. It was always super crowded and the radio was always advertising it. I can’t recall another bar in the area.... not even in Tyler that did as much radio advertising as Graham’s so it was something you heard about every time you got in the car. I would go by myself often and meet up with friends but often with get there earlier or stay later than the people I went to meet. Maybe I was young and stupid but it felt safe. Always tons of security and cops. There was even security in at least one golf cart riding around the parking lot. The bar tenders were always good about handing the drinks directly to the person drinking it..... not who was paying. Especially on those cheap drink nights. You typically couldn’t go order multiple drinks and carry them away. They wanted to put one drink per one person.... I always thought it was so they wouldn’t get in trouble for over serving bc TABC was always on the clubs butt about not over serving. So I felt safe and secure there.
2)Not EVERYONE scanned their IDs. There was typically someone checking ids at the door to make sure you were old enough to enter. Then you went to a counter to swipe your ID and pay. I saw and experienced many regulars walk right in without ever going to the counter. The bar had tons of employees especially on ladies night and it’s not far fetched that people could have walked in without swiping or being seen on camera.
3)The cameras were very visible and many people knew where they were and how to avoid being on them. There were always drunken fights there and people would be able to fight without being on camera..... I even heard a married lady once say she knew where the were and she would go on crowded nights to meet up with her “other” men so her husband wouldn’t find out or people drinking underage knew where they could sip their drink without being on camera. So if you were in there for illegal/immoral activity, it wouldn’t be hard to avoid them.
3) I would go as far as to say half of the men in that club had on cowboy hats. Most clubs wouldn’t allow baseball hats so any dude wanting to cover his hairline or identity could be wearing a cowboy hat.
4) It was always common for people to leave Graham’s after their fill of cheap drinks and go to another bar, a house party, Shreveport (the casinos are open 24/7 and are an hours drive) or go to the local strip clubs bc they were open later than the bars and would have similar “ladies night” specials..... you couldn’t leave Graham’s without someone inviting you to SOME after hours activities. So I wonder if she was invited somewhere.
5) I find it odd that no one would offer to help her if she was low on gas. It’s a “good ole boy” town and area and I feel like if she would have asked, someone would have offered to help her with gas. My car battery was dead one night when I went to leave and one of the security guards was happy to jump me off as soon he over heard me telling my friend about the issue.
6)The area her phone was supposedly found in has a lot of random people walking around..... a lot of uneducated/homeless/drug involved people.... even more so in 2006. It’s not too far fetched that if someone tossed her phone and it was found by someone in that area and they traded it, gave it, sold it to someone that didn’t think twice before using it.... due to their own ignorance.
7) also in reference to the phone, as someone who has lived in the area, I hate to mention race but Graham’s was not a hang out for black men like the the man who ended up with her phone. It has gotten better in Longview but at that time I feel like it would be insane for a black man to be knowingly using some missing white girls phone. I feel like even if she broke down in that area where her phone was found they would be wanting to get some random white girl OUT of the area.... as to not call attention to that area due to all the activities that used to..... and still do go on to some extent in that area. I just don’t see those people with her phone or anyone that they would associate with being involved.
8) and speaking on race, as busy as that club was..... it was mostly white males with a few Hispanic males..... it was said that most of the Hispanic males that frequented that club were gang affiliated and sold cocaine and so I guess that provides some criminal element but I just always thought of that as something these poor white guys made up to scare the girls away from the good looking Latinos with the coke.
9) the gangs in the “white” community were rampant at that time. They were the ones thought and rumored to be involved in human trafficking. As sad as it sounds, I feel like if she left with a black or Hispanic male, SOME backwoods country dude would have noticed and made comments. Racism was horrible then ( I like to think it’s gotten better) and at this country backwoods bar.... someone would have had SOMETHING to say about her leaving with someone outside her race.

IMOO I just feel like it was a random county looking white guy that saw an opportunity and took it knowing he would go unnoticed leaving with her.

I think about Brandi every time I drive by the club. It’s since been bought and remodeled but the crowd is the same. I pray she is FOUND safe. Because of her, I am more careful about my surroundings.

Great post,though I won't believe the sex traffic angle, kidnapping a woman on the street is not how sex traffic works in this country

 

[MsMarpleTX]

Great post,though I won't believe the sex traffic angle, kidnapping a woman on the street is not how sex traffic works in this country

I agree! I work with an organization called “For The Silent” and I totally agree that most women involved aren’t just snatched off the street. Typically they are groomed and/or absorbed from vulnerable situations.... where there won’t be missed as much or cause as much attention as a random girl going missing..... wouldn’t you agree? I’m always eager to get more insight on others views about human trafficking

 

[MsMarpleTX]

Welcome to Websleuths MsMarpleTX. Thank you for sharing your own perspective of the area and Brandi’s case it is valuable. Brandi’s case is one I would like solved one day very soon. It will be thirteen years next week since Brandi went missing which is a tragedy.

I hope to see it solved! We have so many random women missing here in east Texas and I would love to see Brandi’s case, Lauren Thompson And Kimberly Flints case SOLVED!

 

[MsMarpleTX]

H

 

[marsyao]

I agree! I work with an organization called “For The Silent” and I totally agree that most women involved aren’t just snatched off the street. Typically they are groomed and/or absorbed from vulnerable situations.... where there won’t be missed as much or cause as much attention as a random girl going missing..... wouldn’t you agree? I’m always eager to get more insight on others views about human trafficking

Yes, you are right, but I also would say not all of sex workers were groomed or absorbed, it has more to do with the life they lived in, the family they grew up, the crowed they hanging out with, the substance abuse problem etc. etc., sometimes selling their body for money would be a very natural decision, they may work as a sex worker long before they had their pimp, and some of them never have a pimp in their life with the help of modern technology

 

[Macole]

What a tragic case, and close to home for me as it is within 45 or so miles of where I live. It's just so hard to believe someone can just disappear into thin air like that. Sadly, it seems that it happens every day.

I do wonder what she was doing 50-60 miles from home, with no money and no gas in her car, she was allegedly going to a pawn shop for money (?), and then go to a night club... with no money? Sorry, this all just makes me go Hmmmm.

So I wonder if she went there to meet someone. Surely they checked her cell phone records. Surely they did ....:scared:

So my question, why would she venture that far from home, alone, with no money, no means, etc. It just doesn't make any sense to me, unless she had purpose and reason to be meeting up with someone. So who was that someone? Maybe therein lies the answer.

Btw, is it just a mystery, or do we know what happened to lead them to re-open the case? Hopefully some kind of solid lead.

1st Brandi had no intention of going to the pawn shop until the next day.
2nd Brandi actually had enough gas to get there and back but ended up getting lost and had to call the club many times for directions. This caused her to loose most all of her gas.
3rd She went there to meet up with no one in particular. Phone records, computers, social accounts were all checked thoroughly. She had simply heard the place was fun and wanted to go. She had no plans of drinking so no need for money.
Thank you all for caring so much about Brandi and I just wanted to clear that up for all wondering.

 

[Macole]

Thanks for the bump, this case really gets to me, I wish someone could find out if the guy in the cowboy hat was questioned by LE. I wonder if he was one of the three people who had her cell phone, I really think he has something to do with it.

Have always been told he could not be identified for questioning. No...I don't like that answer either. This is Texas and you would see many men in that club wearing cowboy hats on any night but I still believe he could be identified.

 

[Macole]

Rambling off some thoughts here...

The pawn shop thing is most likely a lie because all of the pawn shops in Longview close by 6 pm. There are plenty of pawn shops in the area she was from (Athens, Tyler). Graham's is not really located near any pawn shops either. So it's not like she went to a pawn shop and then decided to go to the club since it's close by. Her grandmother states in the interview that she was trying to get out and meet people in the Athens area since she was moving back. Longview and Athens really aren't close enough that you would meet new friends that you would get to see on a regular basis.

If I remember correctly, she went on ladies night, which is no cover charge, and if you know how to work it, you won't have to pay for drinks. So it's possible to not need any money to go on ladies night. However, the fact that she was almost out of gas is strange. Why drive to Longview, when Tyler is closer? I can only assume that she had gone to meet someone.

I will give a break down of Graham's on ladies night. After 9, its Packed so full that its hard to walk around or see. There are always obnoxious men in cowboy hats, that think they are Gods gift to women. There are always a couple fights that break out. There are police everywhere. By each bar, sitting among the tables, and on the dance floor. Everybody knows everybody, and she would have definitely been noticed, being a stranger by herself. The parking lot is about the size of a walmart parking lot and there is almost always security out there in golf carts. The club is right on edge of the seedy part of town.

One time, when I was 18, a friend and I pulled up, parked got out of our cars, and a car came flying up behind us with some crackhead behind the wheel demanding money. Security was on him. We didn't have to scream, or make hand signals or anything. They saw something strange going on, and took care of it.

Depending on which way they (her? Him?) pulled out of the club, they could have gone down McCann, which has lots if businesses with security cameras that could have tracked them for about 1/2 a mile. If they went the other direction, into the seedier part of town, they could have driven without a trace.

I have heard she was a drug user, and also heard she was mentally slow. I don't know if either of those are true. I know for a fact that LE is aware of the gentleman that walks out with her, and know his identity.

MOO! I believe law enforcement has suspects and knows what happened to her, they just don't have evidence to back it up. Or the suspect is somebody fairly important, and LE doesn't want a scandal. MOO!

1...she had no intention of going to the pawn shop until the next day...was always her plan...she knew they were closed.
2. I am Brandi's Godmother not Grandmother. I actually stated she was moving back to Athens for school but when visiting family in Tyler on weekends she wanted to meet people after being away so long and friends had moved away. She had heard Graham's was a fun place...so she wanted to go....no other reason. Not to mention if you have ever hung out in Tyler...you would know it is a tough crowd to get in with.
3. No ma'am Brandi has never ever been a drug user and only drank occasionally socially.
4. Brandi isn't slow mentally....she is just naive when it comes to street smarts. She always believed people were sweet like her and was outgoing and eager to meet new people.
I want everyone to know I am not offended...just putting facts out there. I and Brandi's family appreciate all of your thoughts of Brandi.

 

[Macole]

Great news and I hope they have all the ID's from who was really there that night. I think this is in no way a cold case; it should have been solved. Just poor LE work on this one, poor family.

I'd also like to know the amt of gas in the car; on the odometer. The actual reading. So little facts in such an old case.

Unfortunately we will never know that answer.

 

[Macole]

Is it just me who thinks that the cell phone NOT BELONGING TO BRANDI that was found in her abandoned car IS "A LEAD"? The phone reportedly belonged to a serviceman stationed in Iraq … so said the investigators. And that was THE END of that lead? Missing person … abandoned car … property NOT BELONGING TO MISSING PERSON found in vehicle last known driven by missing person … and 7 YEARS later we're still looking "everywhere" (except at the owner of that cell phone) for answers regarding the missing Brandi Wells?? … REALLY?? …

He was Brandi's previous boyfriend who was overseas when she went missing. He broke up with Brandi while stationed there. He had left his phone with her when deployed as they were not allowed at that time to take them with them overseas. That may be different today but back then they couldn't.

 

[Macole]

I just watched the disappeared episode about her. A few things stick out in my mind:

1. Why was she carrying around an inactivated cell phone of her ex bf? And it took police several days to show the phone to Brandi's mom and discover this wasn't her actually phone. I can't believe it took them that long to put two-and-two together.

2. Her real cell phone had no activity for ~9 days after she disappeared. Then supposedly those thugs got a hold of it and used it, etc. I think it's odd that the cell phone was able to hold a battery charge that long, even if not in use. I know my phones couldn't go 9 days without being charged. Unless the thugs charged it and then used it.

3. I agree with previous poster who asked about finger prints on the steering wheel. Obviously Brandi wasn't driving that car at the end due to the position of the seat. So did they dust the wheel and the shifter for prints? The door handles? I'm sure they did...but nothing was mentioned about this in the episode.

4. The shot of the gas can that they showed in the tv show...the gas can had some dust/dirt on it. This makes me think that it wasn't a brand-new can that she purchased. It was either in her car for a long time, or someone else's car and they "helped" her get gas.

Wasn't the actual gas can used...that was just a gas can for the show.

 

[Macole]

The last flip phone I ever had would go 10 days without needing to be charged. I remember that exact number because it always surprised me. I didn't use it much though. Maybe a few phone calls in that time.

Brandi's phone would have been or should have been dead because her mother and I called it so much the battery would have drained. Left message after message until it was completely full.

 

[Macole]

I saw the disappeared episode recently and wondered if there was any updates in the case. I wonder why it was reopened when it should never have been closed.

It is strange the lady in the bar who last spoke to Brandi had a friend who also went missing years earlier. I feel sorry for this lady she must wonder all the time what happened to both of them.

Does the other lady who went missing years earlier have a thread here?

In Brandi's case what do you guys think of the strange phone call Brandi's mom got from a man called "Tim" saying only that Brandi was alive and living in Kansas City, Missouri? Why would a guy phone her mum? Where did he get her number from? Why would he say Brandi was in Kansas City, Missouri?

http://www.cbs19.tv/story/12079655/mysterious-man-claims-missing-east-texas-woman-is-alive

There are loads of unanswered questions in this case which other posters have already asked. I hope Brandi's family and friends find out what happened one day.

I have set up email alerts for this case so will post any updates I find.

TIM calling has always made me wonder since that phone was listed in my name...not Brandi's mother. I answered the phone and he asked....Ellen? I said no and called her to the phone. How would anyone had known Brandi's mother had asked me to move in after Brandi went missing. Very odd.

 

[Macole]

I'm sure her number isn't unlisted, so he probably just looked it up. He could be a psychic, or a psycho who likes to torment people. Maybe he was even there that night, and has since moved. Hopefully LE takes a look at him.

The phone was listed under my name....not Brandi's mother.

 

[Macole]

I'm searching online to find more details about this case. It seems, however, that Disappeared and WS are the only sources of info., plus a handful of comments on news stories.

Makes me sad for Brandi.

Does anyone know why she was going to a pawn shop? I'm not trying to be snarky, I'm genuinely curious as to why she went. Yes, of course, money. But...is that a common thing to do? What was she pawning, and why? I'm just intrigued as to whether she was trying to get cash together for gas to get to Longview. Maybe she was meeting someone and was desperate to get the cash together to go...
What was she pawning? Perhaps her exbf cell phone? Maybe he had given it to her and she didn't need it...plus, there was mention of her starting a new job but she was currently not working so, I understand the empty gas tank ..

Just don't get why she would drive there on empty, with no prospects of cash except random strangers at a bar? Nah, I think she was attempting to meet someone in particular, who maybe said I'll give you money for gas when you get here..just come...
Imo
Thinking a lot about brandi today

Sent from my KFTHWI

Brandi was going to the pawn shop the next day to pawn some jewelry to pay for her dorm room for the upcoming semester. She hadn't started work and was in a bit of a bind and had to have the money by that next Monday.
Ran her car low on gas getting lost and went there not to meet anyone in particular.

 

[Macole]

I just watched the ID show on Brandi Wells. It is a tragedy and baffling case. From watching and reading the updates, I have to think this is a solvable case. There are three things that need to be done:
1) Everyone that went into the club had an ID swiped. EVERYONE, espcially cowboy hat guy, needs to be questioned. My guess is that due to the face that it took 6 weeks to ID Brandi on the surveilance tapes, this was not done. There might have been a ton of people there that night, but his is a potnential homocide.
2) It needs to be determined if there is any physical evidence putting someone else into Brand's car. Fingerprints, DNA, clothing fibers, or anything could point to a suspect. If she just met a man at the club, odds are he wouldn't have had gloves. A total lack or prints or cleaning of the car would also indicate somebody wiped the car down and point to a homocide.
3) The three guys that were using the phone should have been put through the ringer. Searches, cadaver dogs, background checks, alibis determined. Everything. All that we know is that two out of three passed a polygraph.
My guess is point two has been done and point three has been done to some extent. If there were prints in the car or DNA there would be a suspect.
The case is just totally baffling. Given that Brandi's purse was in her car, she probably went back there. If somebody dumped the car on the interstate, there would have to somebody else to give the driver a lift, indicating two people with involvement. If Brandi pulls over her car, to get gas, why leave the tank in the car? Can't the tank be checked for prints?
Given the strange circustances with the case I think there are two possible theories-1.)Brandi left with someone and something bad happened. The perpetrators went and moved her car, put the purse back, dumped the phone. 2.) Maybe just maybe Brandi uped and left on her own free will. She sounds somewhat independent. There is a lack of a body, violence, or her connected to somebody outside the club.

Based on the total lack of evidence, I'm leaning towards a runaway situation.

Brandi didn't take her purse into the club...it was left in the car. She did however get back to her car because the guy who offered to help if she didn't receive help with gas (cleared)...the napkin with his phone number was in her car. He had no cash on him...just I guess a debit or credit card.

 

[Macole]

What a shame this case has not been solved. It would be nice to bring this back into the spotlight to see if any new leads come in. How does one go about getting donated bulletin board space/public announcements, media coverage?

Let me know if you find out!!!

 

[Macole]

What a shame this case has not been solved. It would be nice to bring this back into the spotlight to see if any new leads come in. How does one go about getting donated bulletin board space/public announcements, media coverage?

Let me know if you find out!!! I would personally like one overlooking the club!