Brittanee Marie Drexel, missing since 4/25/09 from Myrtle Beach, SC

[Nut44x4]

Inside the Search for Brittanee Drexel

01/09/10 6:27 pm
McClellanville, SC - Eight months after a New York teen disappeared in Myrtle Beach, search crews are back in Charleston County looking for Brittanee Drexel.

Down a road in McClellanville, dozens of strangers are looking for one person. Eight months and several searches later there is no sign of the teen who would now be 18 years old.

“We can’t forget her,” Brittanee’s grandmother Carol Wagner said.

The outgoing soccer player disappeared from Myrtle Beach while on vacation with her friends.
“We know she didn’t disappear off the face of the earth,” Dawn Drexel, Brittanee’s mother said. “Whoever hurt her or did something to her, no one has come forward.”

The search is not letting up. At least ten agencies from multiple states are out in the Georgetown and McClellanville area this weekend looking for the girl. Officials covered more than 230 acres on Saturday.

There have been many leads and few clues. Monica Caison, the Executive Director of the CUE Center for Missing Persons has been looking for Brittanee since she vanished.

“We returned to Seven Mile Road (in McClellanville) because this has always been a point of interest for Brittanee’s cell phone,” she explained. “The cadaver dogs are out here to seek out any human remains. We have horse teams because they can see farther ahead over ditch banks and high bushes.”

Time is ticking and each day that slips by could be missed opportunity, but the group remains hopeful.

“As her mother said, she does not want someone stumbling through the woods that wasn’t even looking to find her daughter. She wants someone to find her daughter with dignity,” Caison added.

“We’re never giving up on Brittanee,” Keri Drexel, the teen’s aunt, said. “We love her dearly and we miss her dearly.”

Officials are still testing a pair of sunglasses that were found near the Santee River. They have not determined if they belong to Drexel.

For more information on the search for Brittanee, log onto www.helpfindbrittanee.com
http://www.wciv.com/news/stories/0110/694481.html

[Edward]

They Must find her.

[mymonkey]

They Must find her.

My heart breaks for this family.

[trimmonthelake]

http://www.13wham.com/news/local/story/Intense-Search-for-Brittanee-Drexel-Renewed/jWglsUiOzku15KYzwYA4UA.cspx
Intense Search for Brittanee Drexel Renewed
   Reported by: Elizabeth Schubert
Email: eschubert@13wham.com
Last Update: 9:17 am
Georgetown Co., S. Carolina - The search for missing Chili teen Brittanee Drexel over the weekend yielded no new information.

Her mother, Dawn Drexel made yet another trip to South Carolina where the focus was in Georgetown County where Drexel's cell phone last gave off a signal.

One hundred volunteers, organized by the Cue Center for Missing Persons, combed a wooded area on Saturday.  Some used teams of dogs, others searched the area on all terrain vehicles and on horseback.

Dawn Drexel described the search as exhausting, saying she hasn't slept much, but is determined to keep going.

"If I have to come down here, I have to come down here," Drexel said.  "She's my baby, she's my firstborn, and we're not going to give up.  We're just going to keep searching for her...in hopes to find her."

[trimmonthelake]

http://www.wmbfnews.com/Global/story.asp?S=11798680
Drexel search wraps up, no new leads
Posted: Jan 10, 2010 5:58 PM CST Updated: Jan 11, 2010 8:29 AM CST

CHARLESTON COUNTY, SC (WMBF) - Investigators, friends, family and volunteers gathered near the Georgetown County and Charleston County line to continue to search for any clues as to the whereabouts of a missing New York teen.

Her family and volunteers from the CUE center from Missing Persons are back in the Grand Strand searching for the teen. About 100 people showed up Saturday to help search the area near the North Santee River.

On Sunday there were about 70 searchers out scouring the woods for Brittanee Drexel, the girl who was last seen leaving a Myrtle Beach hotel in April 2009. The group lost about 30 volunteers from Saturday who drove in from out of state and had to travel back.

Though temperatures were just above freezing that didn't stop volunteers from spending the day searching for clues.The search party had ATV's, dogs, horses and of course, people. Everyone bundled up and covered about 100 acres of land before lunch.

Though the temperatures were low, moral was high.
"We got to do the best we can," searcher Phil Pestone said. "We can't wait for the weather."

Monica Caison from the CUE Center for Missing Persons says this time of year is a great time to search for clues, because trees are bare and there isn't as much animal activity.

Caison says even if they don't find clues, the search makes a difference.

"Every search is successful because you are eliminating space in which that person could be," she said. "We're eliminating one more spot and know the family can take comfort in knowing she's not in this piece of woods."

Searchers agree that every effort helps, and they says it's all about the attitude you have when you go into it.

"You've got to be serious about it," searcher Elizabeth Creech said. "You've got to search like if you wanted someone to do it for you."

Day No. 2 of searching covered multiple sites, all of which the group had not searched before.

Bernie Thornton of Kingstree brought his bloodhounds to help with the search. Thornton said he has been a part of many search and rescue missions over the years, but each one is very different.

"Every terrain is different," he explained. "Everywhere you go is different, every situation is different."

Caison says what investigators really need is a break.
"We've gone over a lot of areas five or six times," she said. "We need somebody in the community that knows something to come forward and give investigators a clue."

The family says either way, they will be back. Keri Drexel, Brittanee's aunt, is currently working on a scrapbook trying to piece together all of the pictures of her niece she has.

"We're going to keep moving forward and not give up no matter what it takes," she said.

Brittanee's mom, Dawn Drexel says these searches are very nerve-racking, and that's why she says she didn't get much sleep. She says the possibilities are endless and at this point, it's just a waiting game.

"The area that's out here is just all woods, and normally when they're looking in the woods they're looking for a body, it's just scary."

Even so, everyone is very hopeful including Brittanee's Grandma Carol Wagner: "I do [have hope] because they haven't found anything. I really think Brittanee's out there. She's just untouchable right now."

Dawn Drexel added, "It's my world now, it's my life. Unfortunately, it's not the type of club you want to be in."

Searchers did not find any clues that would be significant to Brittanee's case over the weekend. Brittanee's family and friends say they will be back to search again.

The family urges anyone with information to come forward.

"I don't know where we are going from here, but we are not going to stop looking," Wagner said. "We're going to continue to look for Brittanee, she's got to be out there somewhere."

[Lovinlife]

http://www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=11952926

Detective agency joins search for missing NY teen
Posted: Feb 08, 2010 4:51 PM EST
Updated: Feb 08, 2010 5:13 PM EST
 
CHARLESTON, SC (WMBF/AP) - The head of a company that helps parents find missing children has hired a detective agency to search for a New York teen who went missing in Myrtle Beach while on spring break in 2009.

Frank Del Vecchio of AMBER Ready in Rockaway, NJ, said Monday he topes Benson Agency Investigations can bring fresh insight to the case of missing 18-year-old Brittanee Drexel. His company developed technology allowing parents to create profiles and photos of their children stored on cell phones or e-mail that can be quickly distributed if a child goes missing.

Myrtle Beach Police say the Rochester, NY, teen disappeared after she was last seen in the area of 11th Avenue South and 20th Avenue South in Myrtle Beach. Drexel, who was 17 at the time of her disappearance, was in the area against the will of her mother.

Contact was lost between Drexel and her family in New York on April 25, the same night authorities say she disappeared. The last signal from her cell phone came the next night near the South Santee River.

Since she went missing, multiple search efforts for the teen have been executed from Horry County to Charleston County. While investigators have searched throughout three counties, each search effort has left police empty handed.

In a December 2009 attempt, search team consisting of approximately 70 people combed through an unidentified area of Georgetown County after a pair of knock-off Prada sunglasses were discovered near a body of water.

Those sunglasses, according to investigators, matched those worn by Drexel in a photo taken with friends in Myrtle Beach before her disappearance. Monica Caison with the CUE Center for Missing Persons says the sunglasses were located by a group of people collecting wood for a fire in December.

Members of the CUE Center, in coordination with investigators from the Georgetown County Sheriff's Office, Charleston County Sheriff's Office and the Myrtle Beach Police Department used search dogs, multiple boats, divers and a remote-controlled robotic camera to search the immediate area where the Prada sunglasses were found.

Despite using a variety of search tactics, Caison says investigators exhausted their search without any additional leads.

CrimeStoppers of the Lowcountry continues to offer a reward for any information on Drexel's whereabouts.  Anyone with information regarding the disappearance of Drexel is urged to contact the agency at 1-888-CRIME-SC.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

[CarolynV]

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/02/22/1266154/skeletal-remains-found-near-lake.html

[sharon]

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/02/22/1266154/skeletal-remains-found-near-lake.html

Probably not Brittanee.


http://www.wbtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=12025514

Items found with skeletal remains may help ID victim
Posted: Feb 22, 2010 4:54 PM EST Updated: Feb 25, 2010 3:08 PM EST
Video Gallery
Skeletal remains update
0:32   

By Jeff Rivenbark - email

CHARLOTTE, NC - Police have released pictures of two items that found with some skeletal remains in effort to identify the victim.

The remains were found Monday afternoon in the woods along the 1600 block of Strollaway Road in southwest Charlotte.

The body was so badly decomposed, police have been unable to identify the victim's race.

However, there were some distinct clothing items which appeared to belong to a male.

Detectives found a pair of Wrangler jeans, a black woven belt, and a pair of men's sized Puritan brand underwear.

They also found a white, Fruit of the Loom tank top located inside of a 'No Boundaries' black long-sleeved shirt.  The shirt has a photograph of a Lion's Head on the front.

They found a Seneca brand cigarette pack inside a jean pocket, with a blue lighter and a uniquely colored pocket knife displaying the yellow, red and silver.  The pocket knife also had a cross emblem in red along with a photograph of a motorcycle on both sides.

If you know who the victim may be based on the detailed clothing description provided, call Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600 or contact Det. T Brandon at 704-432-TIPS.

Copyright 2010 WBTV. All rights reserved.

[Mtnmom]

I dont know if this area is close.

Body found on Folly Beach

FOLLY BEACH, SC (WCSC) - The Folly Beach Public Safety and the Charleston County Sheriff's Office is investigating the discovery of a dead body on Folly Beach.

The discovery was made at the Sunset Cay Marina area early Sunday afternoon.

The Charleston County Coroner is on the scene but at this time there has been no determination of the gender.

We will bring you more information as it is made available.
http://www.live5news.com/Global/story.asp?S=12059583

[Nut44x4]

I've been watching this one....They think it is a man that went missing in Jan/2010....

Body found floating at Folly Beach
The Post and Courier
Sunday, February 28, 2010

FOLLY BEACH - A dive team has been called to the Sunset Cay Marina area after a body was spotted floating in the water.

The site is near where a 74-year-old man went missing in late January.

Rashid Mir, a Pakistani man who was last seen on a boat docked at a Folly Beach marina, was a decorated pilot in Pakistan’s air force who went on to become a successful commercial airline pilot with a career spanning three decades. He was last seen on the Whapatula, a 30-foot sloop docked at the marina.

Officials say they have no immediate identity on the floating victim, with more details to come later.

http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2010/feb/28/body-found-floating-folly-beach/

[Nut44x4]

Yes...male and ID'd as Rashid Mir

3/5/10
Missing Spanish Fork man's body found in South Carolina
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700014281/Missing-Spanish-Fork-mans-body-found-in-South-Carolina.html?s_cid=rss-30

[cookie]

Nut...what do you think about the POI who is involved in the Chelsea King case? Brittanee has the same cute look about her that Chelsea had...and if this POI traveled around as a serial rapist, he could have been in that area around Spring break time..perfect opportunity for a predator...?

[Lovinlife]

It's been three months since the sunglasses were found.  Still waiting on DNA testing? 

[Lovinlife]

I can't believe it's almost been a year already.  Prayers for Brittanee and her family and friends.  We have not forgotten you Brittanee!!!!

http://www.wmbfnews.com/Global/story.asp?S=12158126

Biker run to highlight search for missing NY teen
Posted: Mar 17, 2010 5:53 PM EDT
Updated: Mar 17, 2010 5:53 PM EDT

MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) - It's been a fruitless search for a New York teenager who vanished while on spring break in Myrtle Beach in 2009, and now family and friends of the missing teen will return to the Grand Strand to bring new light to the case.

Investigators say Brittanee Drexel, of Rochester, NY, disappeared after she was last seen in the area of 11th Avenue South and 20th Avenue South in Myrtle Beach. Drexel, who was 17 at the time of her disappearance, was in the area against the will of her mother.

Contact was lost between Drexel and her family in New York on April 25, the same night authorities say she disappeared from the area. The last signal from her cell phone came the next night near the South Santee River.

Since she went missing, multiple search efforts for the teen have been executed from Horry County to Charleston County. While investigators have searched throughout three counties, each search effort has left police empty handed.

Drexel's grandmother says the family is organizing a biker run on April 24, stretching from Georgetown to the Blue Water Resort in Myrtle Beach where she was last seen.

The teen's family says they also plan on holding a candlelight vigil at the Blue Water in honor of Drexel.

Copyright 2010 WMBF News. All rights reserved.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.carolinalive.com/news/story.aspx?id=432439
Drexel case on minds of spring breakers
Friday, March 19, 2010

everal spring breakers in Myrtle Beach say the case of a spring breaker thought to have been abducted this time last year made them think twice before coming to the Grand Strand.

Kate Ruberry and her friends from Maryland are down for the week, and said their parents warned them about a couple of high-profile missing persons cases.

"They told us about Natalee Holloway and (Brittanee Drexel)," Ruberry said.

Drexel vanished from Ocean Boulevard on April 25, 2009, and police have said in the past they think she was abducted.

"We never like do our own thing. We always go out together. We always have our phones on us. And we're always like in contact with each other," Ruberry said.

As for police, they say Drexel's disappearance will not affect protocol on the boulevard.

"One incident's not going to change the way we police Ocean Boulevard. We've done it the same in the 20 plus years that I've been here," said Cpt. David Knipes with the Myrtle Beach Police Department.

"We have officers. They are visible. They make numerous cases. They try to keep the peace down there. Obviously we ask for voluntary compliance on everybody's part. Don't do anything here that you wouldn't do at your own home," Knipes said.

Knipes said the March spring break crowds are usually the older college-aged students, and he said they don't typically cause too many problems.

He said it's the high school students who flood Myrtle Beach beginning mid-April through June who get the rowdiest.

[canadianmonkey]

Brittanee Drexel's Family: "Stop The Cruel Postings On Facebook."
   Reported by: Patrice Walsh
Email: pwalsh@13wham.com

Dawn Drexel says she is grateful for the support her family has received since her 18 year old daughter disappeared.

Drexel says she misses her daughter everyday and still holds out hope.  But she says now she has to deal with insulting posts on Facebook.  In one case, she says a girl set up a site pretending to be Brittanee, even going as far as to use pictures of the missing girl in her profile.

Drexel says "it's cruel and it's sick and it has to stop."  She has contacted Myrtle Beach Police to investigate the postings and Facebook has removed four of them.

But Drexel says others keep popping up. She says there have also been insulting remarks about her family and her daughter posted on other social networking sites.

She says no one can understand what it feels like to have a child disappear, unless they have been through it.

She begs those who have used her daughter's name and pictures in an insulting way to stop.

Dawn Drexel says the investigation into Brittanee's disappearance continues with police and a private investigator looking at new leads and investigating tips that come in.

Drexel will mark the one year anniversary of Brittanee's disappearance with an awareness event on April 25th at the Culver Road Armory.  It begins at 1 pm.


http://www.13wham.com/news/local/story/Brittanee-Drexels-Family-Stop-The-Cruel-Postings/511y8iZXDkir-Nf7rT5xug.cspx

[Edward]

I do hope investigators have been monitoring the boys..
Although a girl walking in the night is an open ticket to trouble from almost anyone.

[piwannaberookie]

those insulting posts could mean the people behind brittanee's disappearance are getting scared and are acting out because they are angry too that they left the sunglasses where they were and now they are close to getting caught. a little more digging around maybe the culprits will turn themselves in.

[pink angel]

Persons of interest developed in missing teen case

Investigators in the case of missing spring breaker Brittanee Drexel say they've developed three, possibly four, persons of interest in connection to the teen's disappearance.

"The people we're looking at, I feel really good about because all of our little pieces of evidence ... they're all pointing in the same direction towards certain people," Myrtle Beach Detective Vincent Dorio said Friday.

Drexel, 17 at the time of her disappearance and from Rochester, NY, vanished April 25, 2009, from Ocean Boulevard in Myrtle Beach.

In the first few days following her disappearance, investigators tracked Drexel's cell phone signals to an area near the South Santee Community in Georgetown County.

Dozens of searches over the past year provided no clues, and at one point last fall, detectives described the case as becoming cold.

But Georgetown County Investigator Chris Bailey says that all changed during the holidays.

"I think the tip I received in the first part of December was the big turn around," Bailey said Friday afternoon during an interview.

Bailey, Dorio and Charleston County Detective Rocky Burke formed a task force soon after the December discovery and have spent most of this year developing additional leads.

The trio, along with an outside group, Merrill's Investigations, have concentrated their efforts in an area along the Georgetown/Charleston County line.

They're describing that area as the "location of interest," and they say it's where the persons of interest live. However, detectives wouldn't provide specific details for fear of jeopardizing the investigation.

Bailey said the new information has recently provided enough probable cause for search warrants and even lie detector tests that have been given to the persons of interest.

"There have been some polygraphs, but again, we can't discuss that," Bailey said. "But we're real comfortable with our (persons of interest.)"

The persons of interest, Bailey said, know what happened to Drexel.

"They're suspected of being present with Brittanee, knowing her whereabouts or possible whereabouts," Bailey said.

The investigators, while confident in their persons of interest, say they still need the final clue to establish that a crime occurred.

"We could use that one person -- or that one piece of evidence -- that comes forward and ties everything together to make a solid arrest which leads to a solid conviction," Dorio, the Myrtle Beach detective said.

When asked whether they thought if Drexel is still alive, both Dorio and Bailey said no.

"Things that we are hearing, and I'm speaking for myself, leads to believe that she is not," Bailey said. "In the beginning, it was a missing persons case, but everything we've looked at, I'm confident foul play was involved, and this is probably going to be a homicide investigation."

When reached Friday afternoon and asked about the new developments, Brittanee's mother, Dawn Drexel, said she was reeling from all sorts of emotion.

Dawn said it means they're probably close to finding closure based on the news, but "are you ready to hear what you're about to hear?" Dawn said.

She said it's tough adjusting to a possible turn of events, "knowing it is going to be a whole different story."

"I may have to accept I'm never going to see my daughter again."

Investigators ask that anyone with information call their tipline at the Georgetwon County Sheriffis Office. The number is 843-436-6058, and you can remain anonymous.
http://www.carolinalive.com/news/story.aspx?id=441801

[Tracygirl]

Hi Pink angel long time no see! How ya doin?

So I read that and kept asking...Who is the person of interest! I am glad they are putting this together. I hope they find her soon