MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) It’s been three years since New York teen Brittanee Drexel disappeared on a walk from the Blue Water Resort, but search volunteers and area law enforcement officials say they’re working to keep her memory alive.

“We’re trying to keep her memory in the spotlight,” said Tom Raschiatore of Hyatt Motors. The car dealership still keeps a poster of the young girl in their window. “Anything we can do to help, that’s what we’re trying to do.”

People who work near the Blue Water Resort say they’re constantly reminded of the search for the teen and the efforts her family took to raise awareness about her disappearance. But they wonder why there haven’t been more results in the search efforts.

“I can’t help but relive Brittanee’s steps coming out of the Blue Water,” said Donald Hulme, who works across the street from the hotel. “With that extensive searching, I wonder why they haven’t found more.”

But missing persons experts say in cases like this, time passed doesn’t mean the case is going cold, instead new developments and search techniques may even help get results after several years.

“With technology today and the awareness campaigns available, it almost becomes a marketing tool,” said Monica Caison with the CUE Center for Missing Persons. “We lacked these, and we lacked these tools.”

WMBF News has been following ever lead in the search for Brittanee Drexel, missing from Myrtle Beach since April 25, 2009. Review the timeline of the search on WMBFNews.com.

Chili, N.Y. – Wednesday marks three years since Brittanee Drexel disappeared in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

The Chili teen was last seen while on spring break.

Three years later, no charges have been filed in her disappearance.

Brittanee’s parents have raised money for searches and posted billboards to keep the case in the spotlight.

Her mom believes someone will eventually be held responsible and explain what happened to her daughter.

“I think that people know what happened to Brittanee and I think that they need to come forward because what’s going to happen it’s going to be like a domino effect that everyone that has…knows about Brittanee’s disappearance, they’re all going to go down with this person that actually took Brittanee,” Dawn Drexel told 13WHAM by phone Wednesday.

It’s an unsolved mystery — what happened to Brittanee Drexel? It’s been three years and still no sign of the Chili teenager who went missing on spring break.

04/25/2012

Drexel was last seen on this date in 2009 leaving a hotel in Myrtle Beach. Since then, investigators and Dexel’s family have been working tirelessly to find her.

Brittanee’s friends and some relatives who cannot make it down to Myrtle Beach this weekend marked the anniversary with a balloon launch and prayer at Ontario Beach Park. Click here to watch balloon launch.

We talked to her mom Dawn Drexel today. Click here to listen to our interview.

Her friends

“We still have hope that she’s out there and can still be found,” Jessica Nice said. Nice and Katelyn Stein first met Brittanee Drexel in grade school. They’ve been friends ever since.

“Well I grew up with Brittanee so it’s really hard to go through this,” Stein said. “I can’t imagine what other people are going through.”

Security camera video of Brittanee shows her leaving her Myrtle Beach hotel three years ago. Jessica says she talked with Brittannee on the phone 20 minutes before Brittanee was captured on the video tape. They are the last images of Brittanee anyone has seen.

“When it first happened I thought that she met somebody down there and maybe lost her phone or it went dead or something and it would be maybe a day. So three years is crazy,” Nice said.

Brittanee’s mom is going to Myrtle Beach this weekend. We reached Dawn Drexel by phone in Florida today where she says this anniversary is no different than last year.

“No. It’s the same. You know I’m always thinking about her. I want to bring her home. I’m never going to stop looking for her,” she said.

Our strange call to police

We did just call the Myrtle Beach Police Department.

“Hello Rochester!” answered Capt. David Knipes.
“What?” I responded.
“Hello Rochester!”
“How did you know?” I asked.
“It’s the third anniversary of Brittanee Drexel going missing. Who else is going to call me?”

Introductions over, I asked the captain if there was anything new to report.

“We have no new information,” Capt. Knipes said. “It is an active investigation and there are detectives assigned to the case. We realize it is the third anniversary. Hopefully we can bring it to a resolution.”

Tree of Hope planting

According to our affiliate in Myrtle Beach, the teen’s family will dedicate part of a park in her honor. There will be a tree-planting ceremony at 9 a.m. on Saturday.

News10NBC is told a section of Market Common Park in Myrtle Beach will be a place where people can go and pray for Drexel.

Brittanee’s friends still hold out hope.

“What do you think about when you think of Brittanee these days?” I asked.
“To come home, because there’s a lot of people here that miss her and want her here,” Stein said. “I’m nothing without her.”

Our questions to you?

Here are the questions we posed on Twitter and Facebook today.

- What would you say to Brittanee if you saw her today?

- What do you think happened to her?

Person of Interest

Police have named convicted child rapist Raymond Moody a person of interest in the case. They say Drexel’s cell phone last pinged in the area where Moody was staying.

He is also a person of interest in the disappearance of another girl in South Carolina.

For more Rochester, N.Y. news go to our website www.whec.com.

By: Mason Snyder | SCNOW
Published: April 24, 2012

SURFSIDE BEACH – A traffic ticket shows that a person of interest in the case of missingNew Yorkteenager Brittanee Drexel was near the location the teen was last seen the day after she disappeared.

Raymond Moody,Georgetown, was pulled over by Surfside Beach Police Officer Steve Brode at 3:21pm April 26, 2009, according to the ticket obtained by News 13.

The ticket shows Moody was traveling 45 miles per hour in a 30 miles per hour section of 16th Avenue North andCherry Drive inSurfsideBeach.

It also shows Moody was driving a Harley Davidson motorcycle when he was pulled over.

The ticket indicates Moody paid a $133 fine and therefore did not need to show up to the set May 20, 2009 court date.

Back in August 2011 Georgetown County Sheriff’s deputies and South Carolina Law Enforcement division agents conducted a search for clues in the Drexel case at the Sunset Lodge Apartments in Georgetown.

Authorities searchedApartment22which SLED confirmed to News 13 Moody lived in “at or around the time Drexel disappeared”.

SLED also confirmed Moody lived in Georgetown at that time and had previously been arrested and convicted on numerous charges including committing a lewd act with a minor under the age of 14, sodomy with a child under the 14, rape, and kidnapping to commit rape in California.

A woman who claimed to be Moody’s girlfriend told News 13 in August that she was with Moody on the night Drexel disappeared in 2009 and that she and Moody were no where nearMyrtle Beachat that time.

Back in August Moody told News 13 that he knew nothing about the missing teen’s disappearance.

Moody is a registered sex offender, according to records.

Brittanee Drexel went missing while on a spring break trip to Myrtle Beach

http://www2.scnow.com/news/grand-strand/2012/apr/24/traffic-ticket-shows-person-interest-near-drexels–ar-3664487/

03/29/2012

It’s a pain that can’t be put into words.

“It didn’t turn out to be the best like I wanted it to be,” said Karen Snipes.

For five days, Karen Snipes begged police to find her daughter. On Thursday, they did.

Larie’s Family Devastated

The search for 17-year-old Larie Butler came to an end in a swimming pool in Irondequoit. Now that she knows what happened to her daughter, Karen wants to know why.

“You took away a beautiful girl, a beautiful girl for no reason at all.”

Karen last saw her daughter Saturday before she went to work. Larie called that afternoon to tell her mom she was going to a Henrietta mall.

“If I had known this was going to be the last time I saw my baby, I would have never let her go.”

Karen will never forget the way the conversation ended.

“That was the last word. Mommy, I love you, and that’s what I keep playing over and over again in my head. She told she loved me.”

Dawn Drexel knows what Karen is going through. It’s been almost three years since her daughter Brittanee went missing. Now a state director for the Cue Center for Missing Persons, Dawn came to help with the search. She and a team of volunteers are staying to provide comfort.

“We’re going to be there through the fight. She needs justice. Her daughter needs justice,” said Drexel.

Justice for Karen means getting some answers. Answers that could come from one of Larie’s friends: that male acquaintance who took her to the mall and told police he dropped her off near East High School.

“You knew. You knew all along when I asked you and you lied to my face and I hope they catch you,” said Karen.

Larie would have graduated high school next year. She wanted to be a nurse. A life with so much promise cut short.

“Larie, I love you baby. You’re in better hands now.”

Karen thanked the Rochester Police Department, the Cue Center, and the community who she says rallied around her during a difficult time. A candlelight vigil is tentatively planned for Saturday to honor Larie’s memory.

Larie Butler

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