Brittanee Drexel, Missing, April 25, 2009 SC.
Endangered Missing BRITTANEE DREXEL DOB: Oct 7, 1991 Missing: Apr 25, 2009 Age Now: 17 Sex: Female Race: White Hair: Brown Eyes: Blue Height: 5'0" (152 cm) Weight: 103 lbs (47 kg) Missing From: MYRTLE BEACH SC United States The photos on the left and the photo in the center are of Brittanee. Her ears and nose are pierced. Brittanee has blonde highlights in her hair. She was last seen wearing a white, black, teal, and gray top, along with black shorts, similar to the outfit pictured above. Brittanee was also wearing white flip flops. ANYONE HAVING INFORMATION SHOULD CONTACT National Center for Missing & Exploited Children 1-800-843-5678 (1-800-THE-LOST) Myrtle Beach Police Department (South Carolina) 1-843-918-1000 Poster Available at: http://www.ncmec.org/missingkids/servlet/PubCaseSearchServlet?act=viewPoster&caseNum=1121354&orgPrefix=NCMC&searchLang=en_US

Brittanee Drexel's Mother Fears Daughter Not Alive May 04, 2009 It has been nine days since anyone has seen 17-year-old Brittanee Marie Drexel, a junior at Gates Chili High School in Rochester, New York, who disappeared after a spring break trip to Myrtle Beach last month. With each passing day, Brittanee's family is confronted with the harsh reality that they might never see her again. "It's a parent's worst nightmare," Brittanee's mother, Dawn Drexel, said in an interview with foxnews.com. "There are a lot of things that don't add up, and I'm scared that there's the possibility that she's not alive." Dawn's hope was dashed even further when a tip last week – a sighting on a bus on North Ocean Boulevard – proved to be a false lead. The girl that two witnesses had identified as Brittanee was actually a look-alike who worked at a local hotel. Despite the letdown of the false identification, a more solid lead came the following day when authorities announced that they had tracked Brittanee's cell phone signal to an area 30 miles south of Myrtle Beach, near U.S. 17 and the Charleston County line. According to police, the phone gave off its last signal a day after Brittanee was last seen. It is the belief among investigators that the phone went dead shortly thereafter. As a result of the cell phone lead, officials from the Myrtle Beach Police Department, Georgetown County Sheriff's Office, Charleston County Sheriff's Office, State Law Enforcement Division and North Charleston Police Department conducted intense searches near the South Santee River in Georgetown County. In addition to local law enforcement, several volunteer organizations – the Laura Recovery Center, North Carolina Canine Emergency Response Team and the CUE Center for Missing Persons - participated in the search effort. Helicopters, boats equipped with side-scan sonar, and K9's were all utilized during the search effort; however despite their best effort, searchers were unable to locate neither Brittanee nor her phone. Brittanee's friends last saw her at about 8:00 p.m. on April 25, when she left the Bar Harbor Hotel to walk about a half-mile to the Bluewater Resort to visit a group of male friends from Rochester. When the Myrtle Beach police questioned the men, they said that Brittanee had come to their hotel, but left roughly ten minutes later to return an item of clothing to a friend back at the Bar Harbor Hotel. At about 8:45 p.m., Brittanee sent a text message to one of her travel companions, informing the companion that she was on her way back. What happened to Brittanee after that remains a mystery. Peter Brozowitz, one of the last known people to have seen Brittanee prior to her disappearance, has given a DNA sample to police. Investigators also searched the vehicle that he traveled in during his trip to Myrtle Beach; however nothing of evidentiary value was found inside it. Brozowitz's attorney, John Parrinello, said that his client has an "iron clad alibi" in terms of his whereabouts during the time Brittanee went missing. According to Dawn, investigators are not focusing on Brozowitz or any of his travel companions. "As far as I know they’ve done what they needed to do as far as those boys are concerned back home," Dawn told whec.com. "They’re not persons of interest anymore." Brittanee is described as a white female, 5 feet tall, 103 pounds, with blue eyes and shoulder-length straight brown hair. She was last seen wearing a multicolored shirt, black shorts and flip flops. According to Dawn, Brittanee was recently diagnosed with depression. For more information, please visit: http://www.helpfindbrittanee.com. Anyone with information on Brittanee Drexel's whereabouts is asked to contact the Myrtle Beach Police Department at 843-918-1300 or 1-800-THE-LOST (843-5678). http://blogs.discovery.com/criminal_report/2009/05/brittanee-drexel.html

Missing Teen on 2 Search Sites; Friends Warn of Dangers Last Update: 7:33 pm (Myrtle Beach, S.C./Chili, N.Y.) - Police say Friday's search of a nearby river sparked no new clues in the search for Brittanee Drexel, the teen from Chili who was last seen 9 days ago. While friends back home pray for her safe return, they are also talking candidly about spring break, choices, and risk. Nine days is a long time to Brittanee's closest friends who stay hopeful --and helpful by raising money to help her mom. Her friend Jennifer Murray said, "We've been trying not to think, just hope..." They're also hoping to raise awareness among their peers. Jennifer said, "We want girls to realize this is serious. You can't just go out with anyone. You need to be careful who you hang out with, and what you do." "I want people to realize you cannot trust everyone,” said friend Casey Capo. “It’s not okay just to go out on your own." Brittanee told her mom she was staying with a friend and then sneaked off to Myrtle Beach with a group her father describes as older and more like acquaintances than actual friends. Security cameras show her leaving one hotel—alone--headed back to her own room 22 blocks away, but she never arrived. Her friends are saying the kinds of choices teens sometimes make without thinking them through have potential for real danger. From the Center for Missing & Exploited Children, Pam Weaver said, "It’s a good opportunity for parents to say, ‘Gee, have I had a conversation with my children?’ Even if they're teenagers, they need to make sure they're living their lives in the safest way possible." It's a message Brittanee's friends are now talking about, even as they pray for her to come home. 'Brit, if you hear this, nobody is mad at you. We're not upset,” said Casey Capo. “We just want you home safe." The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children is taking new steps to generate national awareness in Brittanee’s case. Her photo and information is one of nine cases now featured on the national web site. America's Most Wanted is also highlighting the case on its home page, though there are no plans to talk about it on Saturday's broadcast. http://www.13wham.com/mostpopular/story/Missing-Teen-on-2-Search-Sites-Friends-Warn-of/WNiCUXv2rkK__ppuWVsoDQ.cspx

Boyfriend of missing Chili teen speaks out It has now been nine days now since a Gates-Chili High School student disappeared from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. There has been an all out search for Brittanee Drexel. And still no sign of the 17-year-old. She was in South Carolina on spring break. Drexel's boyfriend, a 19-year-old from Chili, believes Brittanee has been abducted. John Grieco said, “It is not a runaway. I can tell you that right now.” Grieco says he's known Brittanee for two-and-a half years and she would not runaway. “She could not drop her brother and sister, her grandfather. She knows her grandfather has a bad heart. She would not put her family through this.” Grieco has been in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for the past week searching for his girlfriend. He was in Rochester when she disappeared and is back in Rochester for a day to take care of some business and he's headed back as soon as he can get a flight out. Grieco has put college and his job on hold. “Even though every instinct is telling me she's not in Myrtle anymore. It's still a lot easier to walk the beach and hand out flyers than to sit at home and talk about it.” Grieco was possibly the last person to communicate with Brittanee. Grieco sent her a text and she never responded. He broke the news to her family that she was in Myrtle Beach and missing. “Once I talked to her friends I found out that she walked back to her hotel alone and that was the last contact I had with her and that's when I knew something was wrong.” Grieco says about eight people, mostly family members from Rochester, are in Myrtle Beach searching for the Gates-Chili High School junior. He says they hand out flyers and talk to people everyday. Grieco is convinced Brittanee has been abducted and is no longer in Myrtle Beach. “My gut is telling me she's out there, she's alive and somebody has her and is doing horrible things to her.” No matter what, Grieco says he won't give up. “Everything's been devoted to Brit, so I'm hoping this pays off.” Grieco will be headed back to South Carolina with his father. He says Drexel's family is coping as best as possible. He says the support from Rochester is helping tremendously. http://www.whec.com/news/stories/S912873.shtml?cat=572

Monday, May. 04, 2009 National group joins search for missing N.Y. girl Kurt Knapek - kknapek@thesunnews.com Officers, family members and a national organization are continuing to look for a New York girl who went missing April 27 in Myrtle Beach. Carol Wagner said Monday her granddaughter, Brittanee Drexel, 17, has been dealing with depression for about the past year because her parents are divorcing, the family house is being sold and the teen learned she may have to switch high schools before her senior year. ``It has just been one thing after the other,'' said Wagner, who came to Myrtle Beach with her husband soon after learning of the disappearance. ``Brittanee keeps it all bottled up inside. Between the fights with her parents and school and a boyfriend, it probably just ate her up inside. Laidlaw is with S.C. Search Dogs from the Charleston area. The search dispersed from Pole Yard Landing at the Santee River in southern Georgetown County on Saturday. Brittanee Drexel is from Rochester, N.Y. She was last seen at the Blue Water Resort on Ocean Boulevard on April 25. ``She said, `I have to get away for a while.' We didn't know she was going to come down here. We thought she was at a friend's house back home. ... She's never done anything like this before.'' Police did not receive any new leads to the girl's whereabouts Monday, according to Capt. David Knipes, spokesman for the Myrtle Beach Police Department. ``We're still looking for her,'' Knipes said. ``She could be a runaway, a missing person or an abduction. We don't have a label on it.'' Also Monday, two representatives from the Laura Recovery Center for Missing Children arrived in Myrtle Beach to assist in the search, according to Bob Walcutt, executive director. The Texas-based group's mission statement is to ``prevent abductions and runaways and to recover missing children by fostering a Triangle of Trust among law enforcement, community and a missing child's family.'' Read more in Tuesday's edition of The Sun News. http://www.thesunnews.com/142/story/886345.html

Search Brittanee Drexel into 2nd month Posted: May 25, 2009 11:29 PM Updated: May 26, 2009 08:14 AM HORRY COUNTY, SC (WMBF) - The search for a missing New York teenager is heading into its second month, after 30 days of searches throughout the South Carolina coast. Even with no new leads, according to Myrtle Beach Police, 17-year-old Brittanee Drexel's mother and grandparents say they're still keeping their hopes up for the girl's safe return. "We can't lose hope," said Carol Wagner, Drexel's grandmother. "She's got to be out there somewhere. Somebody has to know where she is. I can't lose hope. She's our pride and joy." The family of the missing girl say they will return to Charleston to pass out more fliers and inform more people of Brittanee's story. The Rochester, NY teeen disappeared from Myrtle Beach on Saturday April 25. She was vacationing with friends and was last seen leaving the Bluewater Hotel off of Ocean Boulevard in Myrtle Beach. http://www.live5news.com/Global/story.asp?S=10420704

Trail Grows Cold, Search Continues for Missing Teen 08/29/09 10:32 pm Myrtle Beach, SC - Myrtle Beach Police begin a renewed effort to find Brittanee Drexel, a missing teen from New York. Officials say they are working several new leads to find the teenager, but they still need help in the investigation. Family, friends and strangers gathered at a park in Myrtle Beach Saturday morning to release balloons for Brittanee Drexel. It is a sign of faith in a time when hope is hard to come by. “It’s not knowing where she is. I want to get her back; I want to hold her and touch her,” Brittanee’s mother, Dawn Drexel said. Today was a chance to remember the 17 year old and remind the public that she is still missing. “We are beside ourselves and we miss her so much,” Dawn Drexel added. Brittanee disappeared from Myrtle Beach on April 25. Police say she was last seen at the Blue Water Resort. “She was pretty much in plain sight when she went missing,” Monica Caison, Founder of CUE Center for Missing Persons, said Saturday. Since her disappearance, authorities have searched from the Grand Strand to Georgetown. Police say Brittanee’s cell phone gave off a final signal in Georgetown shortly after she vanished. Clues led police to search in McClellanville, but they came back empty-handed. “It’s like she vanished and all we have is the trail of a possible cell phone,” Caison added. “If someone has picked up that phone and they’re scared to turn it in, please call someone and let them know you have it because it is vital. We need to know where that phone was found if it was found.” Officials say it is not enough to retrace Brittanee’s steps. They say four months into the investigation they now need someone who saw anything the day Brittanee disappeared will come forward. “The challenges are we get less and less people that show interest and less and less information comes in,” Joe Graham with the Myrtle Beach Police Department explained. “It makes it harder to follow up on the information.” “She didn’t disappear off the face of the earth,” Dawn Drexel said. “Someone has to know something.” Until the next lead comes, the push to find Brittanee will continue. Authorities are planning another full scale search for the missing teen this fall. If you have any information about Drexel’s whereabouts, call the Myrtle Beach Police Department at 843-918-1300 or 843-918-1382. http://www.wciv.com/news/stories/0809/654487.html

Poker run to raise search money Brittanee Drexel Posted: Sep 11, 2009 12:08 PM EDT Updated: Sep 16, 2009 12:39 PM EDT BRADENTON - The Bradenton family of a missing girl is hoping to get the word out again this weekend. 17-year-old Brittanee Drexel disappeared on a spring break trip to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina back in April. She is from New York State, but has many family members in Bradenton. This weekend, they are having a poker run. They will make several stops throughout Manatee County and Lakewood Ranch. Poker Run: Registration statrs at 10 am at Budweiser and the last bike out at 11am. Tickets are $10 and you can register at any of the 5 bars. September 13 5 stops from 10am till 3ppm 1. Budweiser (Gold Coast Eagle Dist. - 10am 2. Banana Factory on US 41 - 11am - 12pm 3. Clancy's on Cortez - 12pm - 1 pm 4. Ace's Bar on Cortez Roaad - 1pm - 2pm 5. Peggy's Corral - 2pm till For more info contact Keri Drexel at 941-713-3387 http://www.mysuncoast.com/Global/story.asp?S=11114264

Searchers to Comb South Carolina for Missing New York Teen This Weekend Saturday, October 17, 2009 MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — Searchers are planning to comb parts of two South Carolina counties this weekend for a New York teen missing for six months. The Sun News of Myrtle Beach reports that people on horseback and all-terrain vehicles are also using dogs to search parts of Georgetown and Charleston counties Saturday and Sunday for signs of Brittanee Drexel. Drexel was reported missing April 26. She was last seen leaving a group of friends who had traveled with her from Rochester, N.Y., to visit people at another hotel in Myrtle Beach. This weekend's search is not the first for clues in Drexel's disappearance. Officials and volunteers spent more than a week earlier this year searching the area where the teen's cell phone last sent a signal but did not find her. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,568082,00.html?loomia_ow=t0:s0:a4:g4:r1:c0.000000:b0:z5