Day 33: Where's Brittanee Marie Drexel?

May 27, 2009

Thirty-three days have passed, and there still has been no sign of Brittanee Marie Drexel, a 17-year-old girl from Rochester, N.Y., who disappeared after a spring break trip to Myrtle Beach last month.

"At this point in the investigation, we continue to devote our utmost attention to this case in hopes of a timely conclusion," reads a recent statement released to the "Dr. Phil" show by Myrtle Beach police. "While we have not named any persons of interest or suspects, we have not ruled anyone out. It would not be feasible on our part to do this, because we don't know what happened."

Despite the fact that police say there have been no new leads, Brittanee's family is not yet ready to give up. Brittanee's mother, Dawn Drexel, along with several other friends and family members continue to search for Brittanee in both the Myrtle Beach and Charleston areas.

"We can't lose hope," Brittanee's grandmother, Carol Wagner, said in an interview with wmbfnews.com. "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."

A series of fundraisers that have been held in Brittanee's hometown of Rochester have helped cover the search expenses. The most recent event, a dinner held on May 22, raised more than three thousand dollars.

"Dawn will not give up," family friend, Jennifer DiMaggio, said in an interview with whec.com. "Dawn will stay down there until they find Brittanee."

Meanwhile, members of 3 View Search Services, an Indiana-based search and recovery group, continue to digitally enhance and filter thousands of aerial photos that were taken earlier this month, in an effort to identify anything that looks out of place, such as shapes that might be a body or a new dig site.

Aerial imaging has been successful in other missing person cases, including the search for 36-year-old Charles Rickey -- a man who went missing in Carmel, Ind., two years ago. In that case, the search team knew that Rickey was wearing a blue jacket and blue jeans, so they were able to use a computerized photo imaging system to make the color blue in the pictures show up as red. As a result, they were able to locate Rickey's remains in a quarry near 96th St. and the Hazel Dell Pkwy.

It remains unknown whether the same technology can be used to locate Brittanee; however, the fact that people are still looking should bring some comfort to her family.

Brittanee Marie Drexel was last seen on the night of April 25, when she left the Bluewater Resort to return an item of clothing to a friend at the Bar Harbor Hotel. What happened to her after that remains a mystery.

Brittanee is described as a white female, five 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.

Related Links:
Help find Brittanee Marie Drexel
Where is Brittanee Marie Drexel?
Brittanee Drexel's Mother Fears Daughter Not Alive

Photo Credits: Contributed

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Comments

[FoolsGold]

Where is Drexel?
Start looking at the location of the last known cell phone ping!

[Sarah Teague]

I am praying for Brittanee to be found. This is the most unmerciful crime that there could ever be. To not know if your child is hungry or scared or cold or in pain is a nightmare. There really aren't any words to adequately describe the pain of not knowing. I KNOW! My Heather has been missing since August 26, 1995. www.WhereIsHeatherTeague.com
If only the people that know where Brittanee and Heather and all of the other missing people are, would realize all we want is to know. All we need is the truth. The truth cannot be as horrible as the what-if's. Matthew 10:26 says that there will be nothing hidden that won't be revealed. I am praying and believing this for all of us that lie down tonight with this ache in our hearts from missing someone we love so much it hurts.

[Tea]

Why is the timeline still very sketchy in this case? Do you know if she ever made it back to return the shorts to the friend?

[Concerned Citizen]

What bothers me the most is that I am almost positive I saw her on May 11th in Virginia.. No one seems to even care. I didn't know at the time that she was missing, but a young girl got my attention in a restaurant that she was worried about what she thought was a police car outside.. Upon my return to my residence and after discussing what I observed with a family member (they advised of missing teen on news), I performed a search of missing teens on the internet, that is when I saw her pictures.. It seems to me no photo, no used to follow thru... I notified the missing and exploited organization hoping they would notify the local police. Much to my dismay the next day. They didn't have a clue about Brittanne.. What a shame.. Someone needs to start thinking about the strong possibility of her moving north. What I regret the most is that if I had known about her before I saw her,. things could have been different... Those who I reported the details to, kept saying to me "How did you know" Well I didn't for sure until I did a search on the internet. A family member told me when I mentioned a young girl with suspicious behavior. Its not like I had seen her picture on the news and thought. "Oh every teenage female with highlighted hair was her." I wasn't even looking.. So there.. Hopefully, I have planted a good seed that someone will take seriously. I agree with the first comment.. Do a ping of cell phones in Virgina east coast area..The young lady I saw did have a cell phone and was talking on it outside.
I wish her a safe return for her and her family. I will not respond to post here asking any questions, regarding my comments.. I am just trying to bring awareness to the fact, that maybe someone needs to start looking north instead of south.

[FoolsGold]

My understanding is that hotel surveillance videos fail to show her as ever having returned to the hotel where the shorts-owner was staying.

I would think that whoever abducted her had both a vehicle and a knowledge of local roads. Would a van or a group of boys have been needed? I don't know.

[FoolsGold]

I have long been an advocate for the use of aerial photography in SAR operations. I do however have serious doubts as to its usefulness in the Low Country of South Carolina. There are just too many swamps, lakes and rivers. Would you dig a grave or abandon a body on the surface when it is so easy to dump a corpse into a nearby swamp?

[anotherconcerned citizen]

I also am from Virginia and reported seeing a young girl who exactly fit this girl's description via email to the National missing website. I thought the child I saw looked so much like this missing one that I turned around in my car to get a closer look. She was walking with a male who looked to be in his 20's and carrying only a bottle of water. When I got no response to my email i resent it as a read receipt but still got no response. It is highly possible she could be in any state at this point in time. Could have even gone voluntarily to just "get away".

[brittney]

I was just wondering, they say that she sent a txt to a friend saying she was on her way...they have the technology to track her phone via satellite signal. Why hasn't anyone tried this? Maybe the last known location of the phones signal is where she is. I think someone should do this to see what surfaces...

[Concerned Citizen]

To "Another concerned citizen in Virginia
Where in Virginia? Please respond.. I have spoken with the girl's mother.. Any information would be helpful. If you need my email address. Just let me know..