Brittanee Drexel was just like any other student on spring break– excited to leave school behind, have fun, and party with her friends. Brittanee was a junior at Gates-Chili High School, living with her mother and stepfather in upstate New York. She had a good home life, was popular in high school, and a star player on the soccer team.
In April of 2009, as spring break rolled around, she, her boyfriend, and her friends planned a trip to Myrtle Beach, SC, but upon asking her mother’s permission, she was promptly shot down. Brittanee, being the spiteful young teenager she was, would not take no for an answer. Instead, she resolved to ask for permission to stay at her good friend’s house, and from there, she decided to sneak away with her friends to go on their trip.
After Brittanne arrived in South Carolina, her mother still had no clue. They had spoken on the phone multiple times, and it seemed as if all was well. The last time Brittanee was seen was by her friends at the Bar Harbor Hotel in Myrtle Beach around 8:00 p.m. From there, she walked nearly a mile to her other friends at the Blue Water Resort, and was caught on surveillance footage leaving the resort after 8:30. At 9:15, her friend received a text message saying she was going to meet up with another friend. This was the last piece of communication Brittanee ever sent, leaving behind all of her clothes and taking with her her purse and cell phone, which has since been turned off.
In 2016, Myrtle Beach investigators told the public that they believe they may know what happened to Brittanee, however, due to lack of evidence, no charges have been brought to the suspect. Timothy Da’Shaun Taylor is the police’s main suspect, and they believe that he kidnapped Brittanee with the intention of forcing her into prostitution. However, once the case gained national attention, they surmise that he had no choice but to kill her.
Their main reasoning for this is the witness account of Taquan Brown. He claims that, while at a drug house in McClellanville, SC, he witnessed Taylor and multiple other men sexually assaulting Brittanee. He claims he saw Brittanee attempt to escape, only to be hit on the head and forced back inside. Brown claims to have later heard gunshots and saw her body being carried from the house, to be dumped in an alligator pit nearby.
With little evidence, searches turning up nothing, and no other witnesses coming forward, there is no possible way to convict Taylor. He is already serving a sentence for acting as a getaway driving during a robbery, while his accuser, Brown, serves 25 years in prison for involuntary manslaughter. It’s doubtful whether the story is actually substantiated, and, sadly, it is likely we will never see anyone brought to justice for Brittanee’s disappearance. To many, her case is still unsolved.
This case was very interesting and tragic to read. I had never heard of it before your post. My only hope is that eventually, her family gets proper closure. Thank you for bringing more attention to Brittanee’s case.
Onyx, I love true crime blogs! it’s so interesting to learn about new cases as often as possible, and bring awareness to them. I for one, have never heard of this case, and as awful as it is, I’m grateful you wrote about it and “spread awareness”, even if it was only to a samll group of individuals. You’re writing style is really easy to follow, and I like the incorporation of photos! Can’t wait to read about the next case!