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

[LLLindsayy]

Good morning everyone. Good morning Brittanee.

I hope and pray that MBPD questions this monster about Brittanee's disappearance.

http://www.wsoctv.com/news/news/local/police-30-years-later-ski-mask-rapist-caught-dna-e/nPfj2/

No way in He!! do I think he stopped raping for 30 years although he did spend time in prison. moo

wm

wm!! Good to "see" you!

They definitely need to find out where this man was on April 25, 2009! He wasn't in jail during that time and apparently he hangs out on the South Carolina coast!

 

[waltzingmatilda]

wm!! Good to "see" you!

They definitely need to find out where this man was on April 25, 2009! He wasn't in jail during that time and apparently he hangs out on the South Carolina coast!

Great 'seeing' you, (((LLLindsayy)))!

My comments in Blue below.

I agree that MBPD should check this guy out wrt Brittanee's case. I don't know if you noticed in his photo but he is only approx. 5'8" tall. Small predators choose small victims that are easy to overpower and we all know that Britt is a small young woman. JMO.

He faces three counts of rape, two counts of kidnapping, two counts of crimes against nature, one count of burglary, two counts of breaking and entering, one count of robbery with a dangerous weapon and two counts of attempted robbery with a dangerous weapon.

“He’s a violent offender. There are cases like we talked about that are very violent in nature. Just the sexual assaults in themselves are considered extremely violent,” said CMPD Major John Jennings.


http://www.wsoctv.com/news/news/local/police-30-years-later-ski-mask-rapist-caught-dna-e/nPfj2/

This is a BAD guy!

Surfside police said Brooks is not facing any local charges.

Not at this time, anyway.

This man is a serial rapist and they don't just stop....they adapt! He served time in Federal prison for a bank heist so he knows his DNA is in the database. So with him being a bonafide serial rapist, bank robber, DNA in the federal database and no telling what else, does it not make sense that he could possibly escalate to disappearing his victims after satisfying his compulsions to avoid arrest?

MBPD and SLED should be checking this guy out in missing persons and rape cases in both SC and NC. (sorry for the graphic post)

MOO

wm

 

[waltzingmatilda]

Here is a link to the WS thread for the above mentioned 'Ski Mask rapist'.

Police: 30 years later, ‘Ski-mask Rapist’ caught with DNA evidence - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community

Can we sleuth him in Britt's case?

 

[Rochestergirl]

This article says they are looking at him for links to Brittanee's case

http://www.carolinalive.com/news/story.aspx?id=770836

Myrtle Beach police are checking open cases to see if there's any connection to a man arrested in Surfside Beach this week and charged with 3 rapes in Charlotte, NC dating back to 1979.

On Tuesday, Surfside Beach police arrested Jerry Brooks.

Police in Charlotte say Brooks' DNA connected him to the 30 year old cases.

Myrtle Beach Police captain David Knipes said his department is looking into any possible links between Brooks and unsolved crimes in this area, like the case of missing spring breaker Brittanee Drexel.

Drexel went missing three years ago while on spring break in Myrtle Beach

 

[waltzingmatilda]

Thanks for the link, Rochestergirl! And hello!:seeya:

I can breath a sigh of relief now because I haven't seen any news about this man on any of the SE NC stations. Our local stations are usually good about giving any updates on Brittanee's case. I'm glad that LE is investigating him.

wm

 

[Christina691]

:what:

I am so shocked but so excited to hear news like this. I mean, we were literally JUST there... it's crazy. We got to Myrtle on Sunday, and left today..so all of this happened while we were there.. just down the street from us.

I highly doubt he's stopped, people like him cannot be fixed.. they just can't. A tiger doesn't change his stripes overnight. The only thing pertaining to him that's changed is his location.

I hope they do question him in Brittanee's disappearance, and I hope a resolution comes from it. I don't want to get my hopes up, though..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=kkMglrcK1J4#!

At :43 to :48 of this video it shows Brittanee walking south on Ocean Boulevard. You will notice the video is taken from across the street and from above. If you look close enough there is a knee or shin high cement wall to her left. In front of the camera is a stop sign and the bottom half of a Super 8 hotel sign. I made a street view of the Quality Inn and Suites and the Super 8 hotel which shows the camera on the 2nd floor on the ledge of a balcony of the Quality Inn and Suites near the palm tree. You might need to move the map around a bit to get a better look at the shape of the Super 8 sign and then compare it to the video.

super 8 1100 south ocean boulevard myrtle beach sc - Google Maps

That is fantastic, thank you so much for finding it! It's hard to realize how far she was actually walking until you see it yourself.. it's a LONG way. On a night with good traffic, it takes you atleast 15 minutes to make it to the side of the strip that she was staying on, and that's driving. There are so many shady parking lots and run down motels everywhere along the route she had taken. Half of the motels along the strip are unoccupied and completely abandoned! It could have been so easy for someone to just sit in one of those parking lots and snatch her up without anyone even seeing. Where that traffic camera is showing, it is indeed the Super 8 hotel. Super 8 is still a good bit from the BW resort, and police have referred to the traffic camera as "the halfway mark" for Brittanee's destination. Majority of the restaurants/attractions and shops are a lot closer to the Bar Harbour hotel.. The amusement park/Ferris wheel is a short distance, and there's a lot of traffic (foot & driving), a lot of lighting, and so many family's walking around. Down closer to the BW resort, there is a lot less traffic because you've already passed all of the attractions and shopping spots. With that being said, if LE is correct with their estimation, it's completely possible that no one could have seen her, or witness someone kidnapping her.

I was watching a clip of the Dr. Phil special where they had PB on there with his attorney, and he says that he offered her a ride back to her hotel, she denied, and he didn't think anything of it because "it was still light outside". I'm sorry, but it being April in Myrtle Beach, and 8:48 pm at night, no it wasn't "still light outside". In the middle of summer at 8:48 pm, it's barely still light outside. On that traffic camera video, you can see that the street lights are on, and it's somewhat dark, and that was before she even arrived to his hotel. It just angers me.

You would not believe how many young girls I saw doing the same exact thing that Brittanee had done that night.. walking by themselves at night, on their phones, not paying attention. Except they looked a lot younger than Brittanee, maybe 15-16 years old. I just wanted to walk up to them and ask "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! Do you not know someone just like you is missing???".. it's so scary!


Oh, found this also. Not any new info, just a different mug shot from Horry Co.
http://southcarolina.arrests.org/Arrests/Jerry_Brooks_8104859/

 

[Farmhand]

A lot of the motels are abandoned or unoccupied? Wow I didn't know that. That would make sense on why no one saw anything. Probably nobody around. Yeah I think I read on a forum that sunset is before 8 pm that time of year in Myrtle Beach. Surely it would have been dark. I have noticed that there is no parking on the boulevard just parking lots and side streets for parking or unoccupied motels. One thing I do notice when I watch the video is how obvious it is she that she is walking all by herself.

 

[Rochestergirl]

Thanks for the link, Rochestergirl! And hello!:seeya:

I can breath a sigh of relief now because I haven't seen any news about this man on any of the SE NC stations. Our local stations are usually good about giving any updates on Brittanee's case. I'm glad that LE is investigating him.

wm

I was glad to see it too;however it does make me scratch my head about Moody. If he is the POI why are they suddenly looking at this new suspect. Just feels like they are grasping at straws.:waitasec:

At times like this it is so frustrating. Will Brittanee ever be found? lease:

 

[Christina691]

A lot of the motels are abandoned or unoccupied? Wow I didn't know that. That would make sense on why no one saw anything. Probably nobody around. Yeah I think I read on a forum that sunset is before 8 pm that time of year in Myrtle Beach. Surely it would have been dark. I have noticed that there is no parking on the boulevard just parking lots and side streets for parking or unoccupied motels. One thing I do notice when I watch the video is how obvious it is she that she is walking all by herself.

oh my gosh, yes, there are so many buildings that are just empy & unoccupied. There are a ton of small "mom & pop" motels that are extremely dumpy, but are still occupied, they're located all up and down the strip. Closer to the BW resort, majority of them are abandoned. You can probably check it out on Google Earth and get an idea of what the area is like. On the side of the street that she's walking on to go to PB's hotel is the side without the ocean, which is where majority of those buildings are located. All of the nice hotels are obviously beachfront, therefore located on the opposite side of the road.

Also, some of the smaller oceanfront hotels that don't have a parking deck or a parking lot in general will tell their guests to use abandoned lots across the street from their location(s)- again, these lots would be located on the same side of the street as the Super 8 motel. It could have been fairly easy for someone to just sit in one of those parking lots and spot her. I wish we knew what side of the street she was walking on when leaving the BW resort. If she stayed on the same sidewalk as the resort, it's likely that SOMEONE would have been able to see something. I think it would have been a little out of her way to come out of the BW resort, cross the street, walk that entire mile back to her hotel and then have to go across the street again.. but anything is possible!

About the parking- there are a lot of locals that will drive to MB that obviously aren't staying in hotels. Up towards the very beginning of the strip, there is an enormous parking deck that both tourists & locals can use to park their cars, and walk a short distance to the beach or all of the shops. A lot of the businesses that are located close to the Boardwalk parking deck also offer parking for tourists/locals, typically for a small amount of money. I know we passed several subway locations that offer all day parking for I think $5. BUT, all of those parking places are located on the complete opposite side of the strip compared to the BW resort. It's possible that maybe somene (a local, maybe?) could have parked in any of those spots, and left, and possibly saw Brittanee walking on Ocean Boulevard, followed her without her knowing and parked in one of those empty lots waiting for her to return back to her hotel (bar harbour).

 

[Farmhand]

I would agree she was probably walking on the west side of the boulevard as she walked back to her hotel. I would guess the west side of street is less active as compared to the oceanfront side. You even see that in the video of Brittanee walking down the boulevard. I see people walking by and in front of Brittanee on that side of the street but I don't see anyone walking on the west side of the street. The person that kidnapped her is familiar with Myrtle Beach and knows areas of the boulevard that are less active and parked there. He would have grabbed her near his vehicle. You wouldn't attempt to kidnap someone and have your vehicle parked 2 or 3 blocks away.

 

[teeandcee]

Does anyone know if RM's previous victims are all girls aged 12-14? I'm not doubting he's a sick pervert, but I can't picture a pedophile whose preference is preteen girls going after a 17-year-old. BD was tiny but she didn't look like a preteen in the video of her leaving the hotel or walking down the street.

 

[anbeaudre]

Is it possible brits phone may have had any sort of backup to photos and videos taken on the trip that may reveal someone she may have met there? I know the newer phones now backup to google accounts.

Also, outside the box here but I read there were wildfires in the area when she disappeared, is it possible at all evidence could have been burned or is the timing off??

Lastly what are your theories about the glasses being found? I truly believe they are hers bc the situation is too ironic, but as previously stated, there was no evidence of wearing.. do you think they were placed there to throw off LE or as a clue from a sick serial criminal who enjoys tokens of his crimes? She is either alive or dead, no other options... If she is dead, what could have become of her body? Water, fire, burial, maybe even in some way destroyed, but, her clothing and purse have not been found. She was carrying a purse in the surv video.. where is the purse? I'm sure if it were disposed of or dropped it would have been found, but someone has it, the same someone who had the sunglasses. No activity on her bank account.. I'm wondering if she had a digital camera in her purse? Or an item that could have been pawned.. or any jewelery she could have been wearing?

Creepy as this may sound but do u think the person could be following her case online? If only ip addresses could be linked to a poi...

If she is alive and being held what would her standards of living be like? She could be held somewhere, but if so, why would the person have kept her belongings all this time, I'm sure shed have tried to escape.

 

[teeandcee]

If she is dead, what could have become of her body? Water, fire, burial, maybe even in some way destroyed, but, her clothing and purse have not been found. She was carrying a purse in the surv video.. where is the purse? I'm sure if it were disposed of or dropped it would have been found, but someone has it, the same someone who had the sunglasses. .

It's awful to think about, but she could have been dismembered and dropped in any body of water.

As for her purse, I'm no criminal but off the top of my head I think a purse would be easy to dispose of. I've lost purses in my own house before only to discover them years later. One could wrap it in something, add it to the kitchen trash, then take the trash bag out to the can or dump. Or burn it, the trash or the purse. A lot of people in the country burn their trash.

Creepily, the offender could have given it to a someone as a gift. That's not uncommon.

 

[LLLindsayy]

Did anyone else know that RM is also being looked at in the CS case? Maybe I have just overlooked this in articles past.

 

[anbeaudre]

Dismemberment.. that was my first thought when I found out rm worked at a woodworking shop.

 

[anbeaudre]

Did anyone else know that RM is also being looked at in the CS case? Maybe I have just overlooked this in articles past.

Cs? Oh sorry, u meal crystal soles.

 

[LLLindsayy]

Does anyone know if RM's previous victims are all girls aged 12-14? I'm not doubting he's a sick pervert, but I can't picture a pedophile whose preference is preteen girls going after a 17-year-old. BD was tiny but she didn't look like a preteen in the video of her leaving the hotel or walking down the street.

What I really need to do is go back and reread all of the particulars, because as times goes by I forget specific facts. One victim that spoke out was eight years old when she was assaulted by RM.

I also came across this website: https://pibillwarner.wordpress.com/...onde-teen-brittanee-drexel-in-south-carolina/ which gives a rundown (near the bottom) of RM's crimes and convictions.

I agree that it is obvious that Brittanee is not a preteen. She's built small, but her face is more mature than a preteen's, IMO.

 

[LLLindsayy]

Is it possible brits phone may have had any sort of backup to photos and videos taken on the trip that may reveal someone she may have met there? I know the newer phones now backup to google accounts.

Also, outside the box here but I read there were wildfires in the area when she disappeared, is it possible at all evidence could have been burned or is the timing off??

Lastly what are your theories about the glasses being found? I truly believe they are hers bc the situation is too ironic, but as previously stated, there was no evidence of wearing.. do you think they were placed there to throw off LE or as a clue from a sick serial criminal who enjoys tokens of his crimes? She is either alive or dead, no other options... If she is dead, what could have become of her body? Water, fire, burial, maybe even in some way destroyed, but, her clothing and purse have not been found. She was carrying a purse in the surv video.. where is the purse? I'm sure if it were disposed of or dropped it would have been found, but someone has it, the same someone who had the sunglasses. No activity on her bank account.. I'm wondering if she had a digital camera in her purse? Or an item that could have been pawned.. or any jewelery she could have been wearing?

Creepy as this may sound but do u think the person could be following her case online? If only ip addresses could be linked to a poi...

If she is alive and being held what would her standards of living be like? She could be held somewhere, but if so, why would the person have kept her belongings all this time, I'm sure shed have tried to escape.

BBMBlue: I would say that it's absolutely possible that her phone might contain evidence. It's certainly something phones are capable of doing in this day and age. That said, IMO, if her phone contains anything pertaining to her disappearance it is because the crime involves someone she knows. The jury is still out on whether that is the case or not, but I think it is unlikely that she met someone in MB, and THEN got the evidence on her phone, and then a crime was committed. Also, FWIW, I think it's unlikely she met up with someone in MB who she had prior contact with but had never met before. Do I make sense or am I just rambling?

:twocents:

BBMGreen: I need to go back and look over this again, but I do recall a fire in the vicinity and in the approximate time frame. I also remember running this thought through my mind that this could be an effort to get rid of evidence. I'll research this and edit.

:twocents:

BBMRed: As soon as the glasses were found I believed that they were Brittanee's. Maybe it's just wishful thinking, but I truly feel as though they are connected to this case. I vaguely remember there was a search right near the riverbank where the glasses were found shortly before but nothing was located. In regards to why there is no sign of wear there could be multiple explanations. Were they placed there to defer attention from pertinent evidence? Maybe searchers were getting too close, and the perp wanted to divert focus. Had the glasses been there all along but were covered with something and therefore not visible to the searchers and also protected from weathering? It's possible I'd think.

:twocents:

BBMPink: IIRC, there was no mention of any jewelry that she had on that night.

:twocents:

BBMOrange: I would bet that the person responsible for this crime is definitely following this case online. He or she may even read here at WS. All of this is provided that the perp is not currently in jail and that he/she has Internet access.

:twocents:

PS: :welcome:
Thanks for coming to visit us and Brittanee. Hope you stick around.

 

[Farmhand]

I did a quick google search on the fires in SC at that time and I see news stories on April 23, 2009 about some fires in the Conway, Florence and North Myrtle Beach areas. I don't see any stories about fires near Georgetown, SC. The fires started before she went missing. I am a former wildland firefighter. I fought fire for 15 years and in 25 to 30 states of the US. I even had a chance one time to fight fire in Australia but couldn't make it on such short notice. I've even done some fire investigation work. I personally don't see someone starting a forest fire to get rid of some evidence when you could build a small campfire to do that or just put in a trash bag and put it in a dumpster. Has anyone checked the garbage dump in Georgetown, SC? I also believe the sunglasses found could be BD's. As I understand it she was on her own most of the time there and I would guess she spent some time shopping and milling around in stores and probably bought something she could afford, a knock-off pair of designer sunglasses with the word Prada displayed prominently on them. I would suggest they could have been dropped there on the night she went missing by accident as something else may have been discarded or buried in the area possibly in the woods or in the river and the person that dropped them didn't notice. I've been interested in what the river levels may have been doing at that time and through the summer and am going to check into it. In the Dru Sjodin case the area she was found at had been searched once before. This may be the case with BD. I also think the person who committed these crimes could be following the case via the internet since we know primary POI in this case had a Facebook account up until about a year and a half ago.

 

[Christina691]

I would love to think that the glasses are Brittanee's, I'm about 90% convinced that they are hers. The style seems like something she would wear (as you can see in the personal pictures of her wearing a pair). BUT, I don't believe that they've been in that location the entire time. Someone had to have put them there on purpose, or they aren't hers. There's no way they could have been there for over a year in that swamp area without any sign of weathering, or damage. It's unfortunate they couldn't find any DNA on them.
Hypothetically, if the glasses are Brittanee's, and they have for sure been there all this time, would it even be possible for her DNA to still be on the glasses after just sitting there for this long? What if someone who was was being questioned in her disappearance just went somewhere, purchased them, and used gloves to place them in that spot? I'm completely unaware of how easily DNA can be lost, so forgive me if that's a stupid question :/

Thinking back, what ever happened with that attempted abduction a year after Brittanee's disappearance with the people from McClellanville? She obviously ID'd the wrong person, because ST wasn't even in the area when that attempted abduction took place, police were able to clear him through surveillance footage in another town. So, did they not ask her to try and ID someone else? Did anyone on Ocean Boulevard see this abduction even happen?? It was practically broad daylight, in the EXACT spot where Brittanee was supposedly taken. I know this is awful to say, but is this girl's story even credible?? No one, not even her, got the van's tag number?? And also, they were able to clear ST of any involvement with Brittanee's disappearance, but were they able to clear the other 3 people he runs around with that live close to him? It's just aggravating, they were so certain that they had their man.. not just him, but convinced his entire crew was involved with her disappearance due to the location of Britt's cell phone, and since they apparently tried to abduct this other girl.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the three people that ST runs around with, weren't they charged with attempted kidnapping back in the 90's?? I could be thinking of another case.. I've looked at so many different articles, it's hard to remember.

@Farmhand- I've wondered the exact same thing! I feel like LE is just searching the same spot over and over again, expecting to find something that is most likely not going to be there. I have hope and faith and trust that they know what they're doing, but it's frustrating sometimes. Either they know a lot more than they're saying regarding that area in connection with Brittanee's disappearance, or they continue looking because they have no other leads. Due to all of the towers pinged from her cell phone, three separate counties supplied all of their equipment and LE/volunteers in the search for her, why aren't they searching places like the landfills? I highly doubt after all this time they would be able to find anything, just as they did with RM's apartment. Even if they physically didn't find Brittanee herself, there's still a chance they could recover some of her personal belongings- they've never found her cell phone, her purse, or what about the girl's shorts she was supposed to return? searching areas like that now is probably hopeless, but I wonder if it had been done three years ago would they have found anything?

I think they know a lot more than what they're telling her family/the public, or they would be looking all over the place for her, not just that swamp.

& I also agree about the major age difference between the 6 year old RM took in California & Brittanee. Theoretically speaking, pedophiles normally stick with one age bracket, so that has always been a major doubt that I've had about RM being the perp.