Brittanee Drexel

MISSING April 25, 2009 Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Brittanee Drexel, 17

1 of 4 billboards put up by CUE Center For Missing Persons just days after Brittanee’s disappearance. Official Tip Lines -Myrtle Beach Police Department(843) 918-1963 or CUE Center For Missing Persons 24 Hour Confidential Tip Line 910-232-1687


Brittanee Marie Drexel

Missing: 04/25/09
Missing from: Myrtle Beach, SC
Classification: Missing Endangered
Age at disappearance: 17
Date of Birth:10/07/91
White Female
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Blue
Height:5’0″
Weight:103 lbs

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 below. Brittanee was also wearing white flip flops.


Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Myrtle Beach Police Department
(843) 918-1963

or CUE Center For Missing Persons 24 Hour Tip Line 910-232-1687

Note From Brittanee Drexel’s Mother


Please READ! Concerning my daughter Brittanee Drexel’s Case
by Dawn Drexel on Saturday, December 11, 2010 at 10:39am

I am Dawn Drexel, the mother of Brittanee Drexel and the only person who speaks on the behalf of my daughter other than her father Chad. I am addressing publicly the concerns of donations and accusations/lies regarding my daughter’s case. I assure you that all funds that have been raised for my daughter’s searches have been donated to the CUE Center for Missing Persons and have been used for that purpose only.

I assure you their are no other organizations working on my daughter’s case other than those working in collaboration with the CUE Center for Missing Persons,

I hope this provides a final clarity to all. Any distant individuals DO NOT have knowledge of the facts and activity that surrounds my daughter’s case, nor does they speak for or represent her case.

. If you have any questions or concerns in this matter please contact me directly.

_________________
To Whom it may concern!
™ This is the only official web site for Brittanee Drexel and endorsed by both of her parents; all tips are sent to the proper authorities for her case.
Sites have and will pop up so we wanted to let everyone know, as no other site is approved.©

http://helpfindbrittaneedrexel.com/note-from-brittanee-drexels-mother/

by Mola Lenghi
Posted: 04.26.2009 at 12:49 AM



A teenager from New York on spring break to the Grand Strand is missing, and police need your help finding her.

Myrtle Beach police say 17 year old Brittanee Drexel was staying at the the Bar Harbor Motel in Myrtle Beach with several friends when she disappeared Saturday night around 8:00 pm.

If you have any information, call the Myrtle Beach Police Dept . at 843-915-1382.

by Graeme Moore
Posted: 04.27.2009 at 11:06 PM



A New York teen on spring break in Myrtle Beach is missing.

Monday her family helped in the search.

17-year-old Brittanee Drexel was last seen Saturday night.

She was staying at the Bar Harbor Motel with friends from New York.

Myrtle Beach Police say Drexel left alone and went for a walk.


Her mother arrived Monday morning and says she thinks one of the boys her daughter was with is hiding something, and says he keeps changing his story about the last time he saw Brittanee.

The mom says all of Brittanee's belongings were left in the hotel, and her cell phone is dead.

She's optimistic but says she fears Brittanee may not be alive.

"I'm planning on staying here until I've exhausted everything. I mean, I want to find my daughter. I mean, I'm going to do what I need to do here."

"I'm very scared. I'm very stressed. I'm very afraid that my daughter may not be alive," she continued.

Police are looking for Brittanee but at this point don't think she was a victim of a crime though they aren't ruling anything out.

If you have any info about Drexel, call the Myrtle Beach Police Department call (843) 918-1382.

Posted: 04.28.2009 at 5:40 PM

The National Center for Missing and Exploited children is now getting the word out about a Rochester, New York teenager who disappeared while on spring break in Myrtle Beach.

17-year-old Brittanee Drexel was last seen Saturday night.

She was staying at the Bar Harbor Motel with friends, when police say she left alone to go for a walk.

She hasn't been seen since.

Her mother arrived Monday morning to join in the search.

She says her daughter's belongings were left in the hotel, and her cell phone is dead.

If you have any info about Drexel, call the Myrtle Beach Police Department at (843) 918-1382.

by Graeme Moore
Posted: 04.29.2009 at 2:02 AM

A New York teenager on spring break in Myrtle Beach has vanished, and police are intensifying efforts to find her.

The 17-year-old and three friends from Rochester, NY, checked into the Bar Harbor Hotel last Wednesday.

Those three friends checked out, but Brittanee Drexel never did.

Last Wednesday, Brittanee Drexel made the trip with friends to Myrtle Beach without her mother -- Dawn Drexel's -- permission.

"I'm just getting really nervous. I just want my daughter. I just want her to be with me," Dawn Drexel told NewsChannel 15.

Dawn talked with Brittanee everyday until Saturday and thought she was with friends in New York. Up until Saturday night Dawn didn't know Brittanee was in Myrtle Beach until she got a call from Brittanee's boyfriend, John Grieco.

"He said, 'Yeah they can't find her.' What do you mean? I said, are you serious? He said "Yeah,'" said Dawn.

According to police, Brittanee left the Bar Harbor Hotel and went to visit a friend named Peter Broswick. Broswick is also from Rochester and was staying at the Blue Water Resort with a different group.

Police reports say Brittanee left Broswick's room when one of her friends at the Bar Harbor called and said she needed back her pair of shorts.

Police are operating on the assumption that Broswick was the last to see Brittanee who never made it back to the Bar Harbor hotel -- about a 20-block walk along the beach from the Blue Water Resort.

When a missing persons report was filed on Sunday, Brittanee's friends told police they had not seen her since the night before.

Police found Brittanee's belongings (except her cell phone) still in the Bar Harbor hotel room.

Police also discovered that Broswick checked out a few hours after last seeing Brittanee -- around 1:00 a.m. Sunday and drove back to Rochester.

Brittanee's family said a private investigator told them Broswick did not collect his security deposit before leaving, though NewsChannel 15 has not been able to confirm that.

Brittanee's mom finds Broswick's quick departure fishy.

"He's like 'OK, we had to check out.' I'm not stupid. You don't check out at one or two in the morning," said Dawn Drexel.

Since then, no one's heard from Brittanee.

Her mother, family, and boyfriend John came to Myrtle Beach Sunday to hang fliers.

"I'm not going home until she's found," said John Grieco. "I'm hoping she came and enjoyed the weather and needs a couple more days. Then hopefully she'll come back," Griece said, adding he was more optimistic after hearing of possible, but not confirmed, sightings of Brittanee on Tuesday.

Brittanee's mother is also holding out hope, though she still fears the worst.

"The worst thoughts are either somebody took her, somebody may be holding her against her will or she may not be alive, " Dawn said.

Calls to Peter Broswick on Tuesday went unreturned, though NewsChannel 15's affiliate station, WHAM, in Rochester reports that Broswick has hired an attorney and isn't talking.

Myrtle Beach Police say they're working with SLED and other agencies on several leads, but they aren't speculating. NewsChannel 15 confirmed the Georgetown County Sheriff's Department assisted Myrtle Beach in investigating one lead on Tuesday, though they wouldn't elaborate.

Cpt. David Knipes with Myrtle Beach Police Department couldn't answer many specifics on Tuesday but said they aren't ruling anything out.

"Until you actually have a person and know they're OK, you can't rule anything out. You know, it could be anything from being a runaway to an abduction. We just don't know right now," said Knipes.

Knipes said several investigators are tracking down all leads including reviewing cell phone records and surveillance video and tracking down interviews.

When asked what he thought of Broswick's leaving just hours after last seeing Brittanee, Knipes said he's sure eyebrows would be raised.

"I have not had the chance to interview him to find out why. Obviously going back to Rochester is a 16-17-hour drive. I don't know what his plans were. So it's hard to speculate without talking to him directly," Knipes said.

Police search for NY teen, possible sighting in MB



by Victoria Spechko
Posted: 04.29.2009 at 11:13 AM
Read more: Local, Brittanee Drexel, Missing, Rochester, Teen, Spring Break, Sighting, Myrtle Beach

Myrtle Beach police are conducting an intensive search of the Ocean Boulevard area near the Bar Harbor Hotel after a report this morning that Brittanee Drexel, the Rochester, NY teen missing on spring break, was seen on a transit bus.

Capt. David Knipes says a girl fitting Drexel's description got off the transit bus, which carries hospitality workers from Williamsburg and Georgetown counties to Myrtle Beach, around 8:30 Wednesday morning.

Witnesses said the girl was wearing light blue jeans, Crocs, a pink hoodie with Myrtle Beach on the left front area, and a dark blue shirt underneath. They said she had brown hair with blonde highlights and looked "clean and showered."

Witnesses told police she got off the bus and headed south.

Police are going through beach accesses in the area and visiting businesses to pass out fliers with Drexel's picture. Police in cars, on motorycles, on bicycles and on foot are involved in the search.

Cpt. Knipes says detectives are interviewing people on the bus and have contacted the bus company to find out where it stopped this morning on the way to Myrtle Beach. Stay with NewsChannel 15 and www.CarolinaLive.com for the very latest on this developing story.

Search for missing NY teen continues in MB


by Mola Lenghi
Posted: 04.29.2009 at 11:05 PM

(Updated: 11:45pm Wednesday)

Myrtle Beach Police stepped up their search Wednesday for a missing teenager from New York state - after a possible sighting on Ocean Boulevard.

Police say 17-year-old Brittanee Drexel disappeared Saturday night while here on spring break with friends.

There was a possible sighting of Drexel Wednesday morning, when someone reported seeing a girl matching Drexel's description getting off a bus in Myrtle Beach that came from Georgetown.

Brittanee's mother, Dawn Drexel, who came down to Myrtle Beach from New York after learning her daughter disappeared, says she's wary about Wednesday possible sighting.

"I kind of was a little excited," said Dawn Drexel, "but I don't want to have false hope. Everything is speculation right now, that's all I'm hoping for is that they find her. I just don't want to get all excited and it not be her."

The sighting sparked the search that, not only included police, but Brittanee Drexel's family.

Police began the morning on Ocean Boulevard, in and out of beach access parking, in and out of local shops and businesses, asking any and everyone if they've seen the 17-year-old.

Meanwhile, Brittanee's mother and family were conducting their own search. They left no ground unchecked, no wall, store window or post without a "missing person" flier that included a picture of Brittanee.

They also questioned everyone they could on Ocean Boulevard, asking if they knew anything, or had possibly seen Brittanee.

While they received few leads, Dawn Drexel received sympathy and encouragement from strangers she encountered all day, many of whom had already heard about the disappearance of her daughter through the news coverage since Brittanee's disappearance.

Brittanee and some friends were staying at the Bar Harbor Hotel on Ocean Boulevard. According to police reports, on Saturday she visited several male friends staying at nearby Blue Water Resort, including a teenager named Peter Brozowitz.

Those boys say Brittanee left their hotel around 8 pm. Later that night, that group of boys left Myrtle Beach and headed back to New York.

That raised the eyebrows of some of Brittanee's family, including her father - Chad Drexel - who has been suspicious of Brozowitz's story. He also says it's concerning that Brozowitz has never come to him offering any help.

According to Brozowitz's attorney, Brozowitz interviewed with authorities in New York as well as Myrtle Beach police in a conference call.

The attorney says that Brozowitz cleared up questions about where he was and why he left Myrtle Beach in the middle of the night with his friends, saying they were planning to leave the next morning but decided to leave early.

The attorney says Brozowitz has even offered any help to authorities, including a willingness to undergo DNA tests.

Captain David Knipes with the Myrtle Beach Police Department told NewsChannel 15 that they do not consider Brozowitz a suspect or person of interest in the case, but they obviously do continue to look for Brittanee Drexel and to follow all leads.

Brittanee's mother says that she didn't know her daughter was in Myrtle Beach, but that she was supposed to be staying with a friend back in New York.

When NewsChannel 15 asked Dawn Drexel where she thought her daughter might be, she told us she thinks Brittanee just wanted some alone time to clear her head.

While Dawn hopes it's that simple, she says the toughest part is that she just doesn't know.

If you have any information, no matter how small you think it could be, you're asked to call the Myrtle Beach Police Department at (843) 918 1382.

Police locate woman reported in sighting of missing teen


Posted: 04.30.2009 at 1:08 PM



Police say 17-year-old Brittanee Drexel disappeared Saturday night while here on spring break with friends.

There was a possible sighting of Drexel Wednesday morning, when someone reported seeing a girl matching Drexel's description getting off a bus in Myrtle Beach that came from Georgetown.

The Myrtle Beach Police Department has located the young woman, who witnesses reported was possibly Ms. Drexel. (Wednesday 4-29-09).

Myrtle Beach Police can confirm that this woman is NOT Ms. Drexel.

Even though this lead did not pan out, the Myrtle Beach Police Department says it remains hopeful they'll locate Drexel safe and sound.

If you have any information, call the Myrtle Beach Police Department at (843) 918-1952 or (843) 918-1382.

Surveillance photos released of when missing teen was last seen


by Mola Lenghi
Posted: 04.30.2009 at 9:40 PM

Surveillance photos have been released of a missing New York teenager who hasn't been seen in five days.


Police now say what was thought to be a sighting of the girl Wednesday, turned out to be a false alarm.

Brittanee Drexel was last seen on Saturday night on Ocean Boulevard while on spring break with friends in Myrtle Beach.

The search continues, but police say there's a lack of information making things difficult.


They say they haven't been able to trace a cell phone signal since early in their investigation and there has been no ATM or debit card activity in the 17 year olds account, meanwhile other leads have come up short.

Surveillance photos were released by police of Brittannee Drexel Saturday night - the last night she was seen - entering and leaving the Blue Water Resort. She left there about 8:45 that night.


Wednesday, someone saw a girl fitting Brittanee's description getting off a bus in Myrtle Beach - that transit bus came from Georgetown County.

The Myrtle Beach Police Department has since located the young woman who witnesses saw getting off the bus and authorities say it was NOT Brittanee Drexel.

Myrtle Beach police say between their department, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children as well as Brittanee's family - police say they should find the 17 year old.

"There's people all up and down the boulevard. So if she's here, she should be seen by someone. I don't know if it's something where she's laying low and just coming out at night, or not coming out at all, but she's certainly not popping her head out there where we can see her," said Captain David Knipes, with Myrtle Beach Police.


Police say even though Wednesday's lead did not pan out, they remain hopeful they'll find Drexel safe and they say the dead end should not discourage people from calling in any information.

If you have any information, Myrtle Beach Police department has released a new tip line number. It's (843) 918 - 1363.

Search for missing teen leads to Georgetown County


Posted: 05.01.2009 at 6:46 PM



Myrtle Beach Police are still searching for Brittanee Drexel, a missing teen from Rochester, New York. Friday afternoon police followed a lead to Georgetown County.

Police searched the area around the North Santee River looking for Drexel who has not been seen since Saturday night.

Drexel was last seen leaving the Blue Water Resort on Ocean Boulevard after visiting friends.

There was a reported sighting of a girl fitting her description on Wednesday, but that lead proved to be false.

MB Police step up search for missing NY teen


by Mola Lenghi
Posted: 05.01.2009 at 12:47 AM

The search for a missing 17-year-old from New York is being stepped up a notch. Myrtle Beach Police are expanding and intensifying the search for Brittanee Drexel, the New York teenager who vanished the night of Saturday, April 25th while on spring break with friends in Myrtle Beach.

Myrtle Beach Police say they're following leads into Georgetown County and soliciting the help of other state and county agencies.

Myrtle Beach Police have saturated the Ocean Boulevard area of Myrtle Beach over the last several days - along with Brittanee Drexel's mother, who has been posting fliers up and down the Boulevard.

Friday, authorities moved their search to Georgetown County around the Santee River, and they expect to intensify that search Saturday.

We're told several agencies will assist Myrtle Beach Police in their investigation - including the Georgetown County Sheriff's Office, SLED, and CUE, the Center for Missing Persons based out of Wilmington, NC - all looking for Drexel. She was last seen leaving the Blue Water Resort on Ocean Boulevard around 8:45 pm on Saturday, April 25th.

There was a reported sighting of a girl fitting Drexel's description getting off a bus on Wednesday, but that lead did not pan out.

NewsChannel 15 will be out with search crews Saturday in Georgetown County, and we'll have the latest developments on the search for Brittanee Drexel on NewsChannel 15, at 6 and 11.


If you have any information, call the Myrtle Beach tip line number at (843) 918 - 1363.

Dozens search Santee River area for missing spring breaker


by Graeme Moore
Posted: 05.02.2009 at 8:01 PM

The search for a missing 17-year-old spring breaker intensified Saturday as almost 50 men and women combed an area for clues in southern Georgetown County.

Searchers gathered at Pole Yard Landing on the North Santee River around 10:00 a.m. and were dispatched to look for any signs of 17-year-old Brittanee Drexel of Rochester, N.Y., who went missing Saturday, April 25, from Ocean Boulevard in Myrtle Beach.

By 6:00 p.m., however, crews wrapped up the search without any evidence, Lt. Chuck Capp with the Myrtle Beach Police Department said.

Investigators said earlier in the week that a cell phone signal from Drexel's phone was traced to a cell tower in the North Santee River area.

Capp said the cell phone was active Saturday night into Sunday, but that there has been no activity on it since.

Myrtle Beach investigators were assisted by the Georgetown County Sheriff's Office, S.C. Department of Natural Resources, Charleston County Sheriff's Office, CUE Center for Missing Persons and other volunteer agencies.

Crews used about a dozen search dogs, several ATVs and a boat to search along the river and Highway 17 and in areas surrounding Pole Yard Landing.

"We have to exhaust all leads, and we are going to do everything we can to answer our questions here, and the leads are still being conducted and investigated up at the beach," said Lt. Capp.

Capp said Drexel is still being treated as a missing person but that as more time passes, the less optimistic he becomes.

"You don't draw conclusions, but you worry with time," he said.

Drexel arrived in Myrtle Beach with a few friends from Rochester last Wednesday without her mother's permission. They were staying at the Bar Harbor Resort on Ocean Boulevard.

By Friday, she had met up with a male friend, Peter Brozowitz also from Rochester, at Club Kryptonite, according to police.

Drexel met up with Brozowitz and a few other guys again on Saturday and went back to their hotel room at the Blue Water Resort that night, police said.

But around 8:15 p.m., Drexel got a call from one of her girlfriends at the Bar Harbor Resort. That friend wanted Drexel to return a pair of shorts, so Drexel left Blue Water and was heading to Bar Harbor, but according to police she never made it.

Lt. Capp said Saturday that police have other leads that they are actively pursuing, and he said the search in Georgetown County may be scaled back on Sunday.

For additional reporting on the Brittanee Drexel case, see links below.

http://www.carolinalive.com/news/news_story.aspx?id=293217

Questions outnumber answers in search for missing teen

by Graeme Moore

Brittanee Drexel

Sunday marked the eighth day since a New York teenager vanished while on spring break in Myrtle Beach, and the questions into her disappearance are mounting.

On Sunday, Myrtle Beach detectives again scoured an area in Georgetown County near the North Santee River after learning the missing teen's cell phone gave off a signal there the night she went missing.

But as has been the case since searching began there early last week, investigators did not find anything helpful.

Brittanee Drexel, 17, of Rochester, N.Y., was last seen leaving the Blue Water Resort around 8:45 p.m. on April 25, but no one has heard from her since.

The teen was leaving the hotel room of a Rochester friend and was heading back to her hotel, the Bar Harbor Hotel, according to police.

Investigators learned Brittanee's cell phone was beaming a signal to a cell tower in southern Georgetown County the night she went missing and into early Sunday morning. However, there has been no activity from it since then.

Myrtle Beach police say they continue to follow other leads and are reiterating their needs for the help of the public.

In a release Sunday morning, police urged anyone to come forward who may have seen Brittanee talking to anyone on Ocean Boulevard or getting into a car Saturday night.

Brittanee is described as a 4'11" white female with blonde hair.

Cell phone technology used in search for missing teen

by Joel Allen



No new developments Monday, in the search for a missing teenager from upstate New York. Searchers have focused on an area near the North Santee River, because that's where her cell phone last gave out a signal.

17-year-old Brittanee Drexel from Rochester, NY was last seen Saturday, April 25th leaving the Blue Water Resort in Myrtle Beach.

Investigators say her cell phone gave a signal to a cell tower in southern Georgetown County the night she went missing.

The search has recently focused on the area along Highway 17 around the Santee River on the Charleston - Georgetown county line.

Crews scoured the area this weekend, but came up short.

A search that originates with a cell phone signal isn't always successful, but at least it gives searchers a starting point.

Whether or not you're using it to make a call, whenever your cell phone is turned on, it's constantly sending a signal to towers near its location.

If police know a missing person's cell phone number, they can have the phone company track down which tower most recently received a signal from that number.

"It's not a very specific area, it's a very vague area. Those cell phone towers can go for miles and pick up a signal so we have a general area to start searching at least."

Every signal that a cell phone sends to a tower has a time stamp attached to it.

By calculating the amount of time in milliseconds that it takes for the signal to get from the cell phone to the tower, the phone company can calculate how close the cell phone is to the tower.

Keep in mind, the cell phone is sending a signal to many towers at the same time, and HTC engineer Ryan Graham says, for tracking purposes, the more towers the phone can communicate with, the better.


"Depending on how far away it is from tower A to tower B, it will triangulate that position of that phone, depending on how many sites. Obviously, the more sites it can communicate with, the better or tighter that triangulation can come," said Graham.

Unfortunately, there aren't many cell phone towers in remote, rural areas like the Santee River where police searched for Brittanee Drexel.

That means the searchers have a much bigger area to work with.

"It can be anywhere from right near the cell site, within a half a mile to 5,6,7 miles away, radius around the cell site," said Graham.

Still, it's better than nothing. Graham says about the only thing that could have helped police narrow their search would have been more towers in that area.

The process of calculating a cell phone location, is called "time difference of arrival."

Anyone with information about Brittanee Drexel is asked to call the Myrtle Beach tipline at 843-918-1963.

http://www.carolinalive.com/news/story.aspx?id=295450

CUE Center joins search for Brittanee Drexel


by Graeme Moore


Ten days have passed since a New York teen vanished on spring break in Myrtle Beach, and while the leads grow colder each day, the efforts to find 17-year-old Brittanee Drexel intensify.

Tuesday, a new search crew out of Texas arrived in town. They've met up with the CUE Center for Missing Persons out of Wilmington, NC.

They, along with family and police, are developing a game plan on where to go from here.

The directors of those search groups met in Georgetown County on the Santee River Tuesday afternoon. They also took a trip to the Georgetown County Sheriff's Office for a closed-door meeting with Drexel's mother and father.

Police had focused on this area all last week and weekend because it's the last place they picked up a cell signal from Drexel's cell phone, on the night she went missing, Saturday, April 25th.

The news search crews are going to give it one more shot and scour the area again in the coming days. They'll be going door to door trying to develop new leads and bring more attention to Drexel case in that area. They want to shift focus of the search from Myrtle Beach to Georgetown County.

Drexel was last seen leaving the Blue Water Resort around 8:45 Saturday night. Surveillance video shows her leaving alone. Police are still treating this as a missing person's case, but as more time passes the tougher it is for the family to stay positive.

Brittanee's father has printed hundreds of new missing posters, which family will hang throughout the area. They've also set up a web site, and you can find a link below.

If you have any information on Drexel's whereabouts, you're asked to call Myrtle Beach police at 843-918-1963

Link to family's website www.helpfindbrittanee.com

http://www.carolinalive.com/news/story.aspx?id=296034

Search resumes Wed for missing spring breaker; reward offered



by Graeme Moore

Search crews on Wednesday will go door to door in Georgetown County trying to develop new leads in the case of the teenager who vanished while on spring break in Myrtle Beach.

Volunteers with out-of-state missing persons agencies will work with local law enforcement to re-canvass the area where the teen's cell phone last gave a signal.

It will be the 11th day since 17-year-old Brittanee Marie Drexel was seen leaving the Blue Water Resort on Ocean Boulevard.

Drexel disappeared around 8:45 p.m. on Saturday, April 25th, and according to Myrtle Beach Police, a signal from Drexel's phone was beamed to a tower near the Santee rivers in Georgetown County a few hours later. There was an additional signal beamed to the same tower on Sunday, but there has been no activity since.

For the better part of last week and weekend, crews searched a seven-mile radius around that tower but came up empty-handed.

Since then The Laura Recovery Center has joined forces with the CUE Center for Missing Persons, Myrtle Beach Police and Georgetown County Sheriff's Office.

In addition to knocking on doors in the area, volunteers from all of those agencies will research the areas and communities surrounding the Santee Rivers.

"We're just going to continue to scout the area for other possibilities," Monica Caison with the CUE Center in Wilmington said.

Meanwhile, Drexel's mother, Dawn, continues her efforts in Myrtle Beach to find her daughter.

"My heart is broken, I want my daughter to come home."

Dawn arrived in Myrtle Beach two days after her daughter was reported missing, and she hasn't stopped since.

"Day in and day out we look for Brittanee. Either we're passing out fliers or going to meetings or talking to the media. It's very exhausting. It's very tiring," Dawn said.

Despite the restless nights and long days, Dawn isn't giving in to her mental and physical exhaustion.

"We need to get that information out there. We need to find my baby, so we can bring her back home."

Police continue to investigate Brittanee's case as a missing person, and they are not ruling anything out -- including the possibility that Brittanee may have run away.

Dawn, however, says she knows better.

"The amount of pain it would cause ... she would not put anyone through this. ... I don't believe she ran away. I believe someone took her."

The Myrtle Beach Police Department has a tip line set up and asks anyone with information to call 843-918-1963.

Crimestoppers of the Lowcountry announced Tuesday night it's offering a reward of up to $1,000. Here's some information the organization released through a press release:

"The public is encouraged to contact Crime Stoppers if they, or someone they know, have any information regarding the disappearance of Brittanee Drexel, or of any other crimes, by phone at 1-888-274-6372 (1-888-CRIME-SC), or on the web at www.5541111.com."

http://www.carolinalive.com/news/story.aspx?id=296160

Search for Brittanee goes door to door in Georgetown Co.



by Graeme Moore


Brittanee Drexel was last seen leaving the Blue Water Resort on Ocean Boulevard on Saturday, April 25th.

Search crews hope their efforts Wednesday will develop new leads in the case of missing 17-year-old Brittanee Drexel.

Volunteers from out-of-state search agencies, as well as family and law enforcement went door to door handing out fliers. They scoured the neighborhoods surrounding the Santee River in Georgetown County. That's the area Brittanee Drexel's cell phone last gave a signal.

She was last seen leaving the Blue Water Resort on Ocean Boulevard on Saturday, April 25th. She was here from Rochester, NY on spring break.

Most of her family has arrived on the Grand Strand, and time is taking its toll. Alan Wagener is Brittanee's grandfather. We caught up with him as he helped with the search effort. "I just hope they find her. I just, Sunday morning I broke down. I held it in all week, and I'm just hoping they find her."

A candlelit vigil is scheduled for 7:00 Friday on the beach behind the Blue Water Resort at 2001 South Ocean Boulevard, Myrtle Beach.

Crews begin aerial mapping in Brittanee search


by Graeme Moore
Read more: Local, Laura Recovery Center for Missing Children, CUE Center for Missing Persons, Brittanee Drexel, Missing, Rochester, New York, Myrtle Beach, Spring Break, Georgetown County, Santee River, Horses, Search

Updated: 5:09pm Thursday. Thursday afternoon crews prepared to go up in a helicopter from the Charleston County Sheriff's Office to begin aerial mapping in the search for 17-year-old Brittanee Drexel.

They will be mapping search zones around the cell tower where Brittanee's cell phone last gave a signal Saturday, April 25th.

As part of the renewed search, mounted horse search teams began arriving in Georgetown County to help in the search.

The Laura Recovery Center for Missing Children out of Texas and the CUE Center for Missing Persons sent out alerts to volunteer horse units on Wednesday, and they expect as many as 100 teams could be on the ground by Saturday.

The Darlington County Sheriff's office sent its Mounted Patrol Unit with two horses and three officers. River View Farms out of Little River has four horses, and two volunteers from Loris have arrived.

The searchers are scouring areas around the North Santee River community in southern Georgetown County for any signs of Drexel. The Rochester, NY, native was on Spring Break in Myrtle Beach when she vanished around 8:45 p.m. Saturday, April 25, after leaving the Blue Water Resort on Ocean Boulevard.

Myrtle Beach Police were able to pick up a signal that Drexel's cell phone beamed to a tower a few hours later near the Santee Rivers in Georgetown County. The cell phone communicated with the tower the following day, on Sunday, but there has been no activity from it since.

That's been the strongest lead according to detectives, and it led searchers to begin combing the area by Tuesday of that week, but an exhaustive search by foot, on boat and on ATVs for the better part of the week turned up nothing.

The next step will be using the horses which searchers say provides a better viewpoint.

"Right now they are our best resource, and we are going to continue utilizing them through Saturday," said Monica Caison with the CUE center.

Caison is asking for more horse patrols and asks anyone interested in volunteering to call the CUE Center at 910-232-1687.

http://www.carolinalive.com/news/story.aspx?id=297026

Candlelight vigil held for missing teen, dozens of strangers turn out


by Mola Lenghi

Sunday morning, the largest search in 13 days will take place for a missing New York teen who was last seen in the heart of Myrtle Beach.


People have been searching by foot, door to door, endlessly looking for any leads, but no sign of Brittanee.

Friday night, with searching still going on, family, friends and even those who've never even met the teen gathered to just pray for Brittanee's safe return.

There were all sorts of emotions at Friday's candlelight vigil. Sad emotions - considering Brittanee is still missing - but there were also good emotions in the form of appreciation for the dozens of strangers who turned out to support the family.

Perfect strangers were singing crying and praying with the Drexel family. People came out with shirts and signs with messages for Brittanee and for a mother and father who are left to wonder about their daughter.

"I'm so overwhelmed," said Brittanee's great aunt, "By the outpouring of kindness in the community here, between Myrtle Beach and Georgetown. It truly shows you there's good people out there."

A teary eyed Dawn Drexel agreed. "People are wonderful," said Brittanee's mother, "They care about what happens, they care about what goes on in the world."

Louis D'Emilil, who had never met the Drexel family until Friday night but wanted to show her support, looked to a higher power.

"With the power of prayer, we feel that anything can happen, and that anything is possible," said D'Emilil.

Brittanee's father told NewsChannel 15 that giving up is not an option. He had a message for his daughter: "We love you Brittanee, we miss you, and we'll never stop looking for you," he said.

The vigil was held at The Blue Water Resort, which was the last place that Brittanee Drexel was seen nearly 2 weeks ago.


She visited a few friends there on Saturday night, April 25th, and has not been seen since.

If you know anything about where Brittanee Drexel is call Myrtle Beach Police at (843) 918 -1963.

http://www.carolinalive.com/news/story.aspx?id=297686

Photos of Candle light vigil