Found Deceased SC - Brittanee Drexel, 17, Myrtle Beach, 25 April 2009 - #9

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**Krista** (or any local)) have you search any info on this place? This first area they really started searching from

** (members of that search party were at Thornhill Farm off Highway 17 in McClellanville. The farm is serving as the staging area for the expanded search for Brittanee Drexel. Law enforcement officers from across the Lowcountry and the Grand Strand are planning to meet there Friday morning. )
 
Krista,
Great information and links. I don't think the public dock is the one that was searched.
http://www.carolinalive.com/news/photos.aspx?id=386560
The first pic on this link shows the searched dock in the background. It is covered with pine straw (pic 1 & 3). I don't see any pine trees in the public dock photo. Also, in pic 1, you can see past the dock to the other side of the water. The water in that area looks muddy and dark and not as wide as the public dock pic. The dock of interest appears to be in an isolated location, not on the main river. It possibly could belong to someone who only comes down occasionally to fish and doesn't live there. Local kids know which places they can party at when the owner is absent.
Thanks for all your efforts!
 
krista said:
Can you do me a favor? Can you rewatch that video that you posted yesterday of the officer who is leading the investigation....the one where the reporter quotes his horrible English? ETA: video: http://www2.counton2.com/cbd/news/l...news_police_have_leads_in_drexel_case/128176/
Watching that video, listening to exactly what he said, IMHO he seems to be saying that the POI's WERE involved in the crime...that THESE people are the ones responsible for her abduction and presumed murder. He also seems to heavily imply that Brittanee or evidence of Brittanee's last wherabouts ARE IN the Santee River area....but that the POI's are 'FROM SOUTH CAROLINA'....not necessarily from N Santee. Just wondering if you got anything or *felt* like anything different or more specific was being said in that video.
Click to expand...

I agree with your assessment of the video. It sounded like the POI's are the suspects. He said they needed the "key piece of evidence to establish probably cause.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Probable_cause
The most well-known definition of probable cause is "a reasonable belief that a person has committed a crime".[1] Another common definition is "a reasonable amount of suspicion, supported by circumstances sufficiently strong to justify a prudent and cautious person's belief that certain facts are probably true".[2]

In the context of warrants, the Oxford Companion to American Law defines probable cause as "information sufficient to warrant a prudent person's belief that the wanted individual had committed a crime (for an arrest warrant) or that evidence of a crime or contraband would be found in a search (for a search warrant)". "Probable cause" is a stronger standard of evidence than a reasonable suspicion, but weaker than what is required to secure a criminal conviction. Even hearsay can supply probable cause if it is from a reliable source or supported by other evidence, according to the Aguilar-Spinelli test.
 
RoseC said:
Heres a link to the video of dock and where they searched,not sure you seen it hope it helps :)
http://www.carolinalive.com/news/photos.aspx?id=386560
click on photo of BD and video play in few secs
Click to expand...

Wondering if anyone on WS has seen cadaver/search dogs work and knows if they lay down at a spot where they detect something. The dog in this video seems to follow a possible hit out to the end of this dock and even at one points looks like he is finding something and lays down briefly to signal this. Anyone know if this is how they act when they think they have found something? TIA.

Oh yes RoseC....great find. I thought it was interesting how poor Dawn happened to be down in MB for something else when this tip came in.
 
Strawberry Fields said:
Wondering if anyone on WS has seen cadaver/search does work and knows if they lay down at a spot where they detect something. The dog in this video seems to follow a possible hit out to the end of this dock and even at one points looks like he is finding something and lays down briefly to signal this. Anyone know if this is how they act when they think they have found something? TIA.

Oh yes RoseC....great find. I thought it was interesting how poor Dawn happened to be down in MB for something else when this tip came in.
Click to expand...

I have asked sarx to answer as she is verified in animal search and rescue.


Professional and Local Posters - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community
 
RoseC said:
**Krista** (or any local)) have you search any info on this place? This first area they really started searching from

** (members of that search party were at Thornhill Farm off Highway 17 in McClellanville. The farm is serving as the staging area for the expanded search for Brittanee Drexel. Law enforcement officers from across the Lowcountry and the Grand Strand are planning to meet there Friday morning. )
Click to expand...

Wow, ROSE!!

You're really outdoing yourself!! I didn't hear that this is where they staged the search from!!
Turns out, it is RIGHT THERE at the entry of that same community!!
Here's a map of the area....thornhill farms is labeled as "C" and is just to the west of Hwy 17. You'd have to pass Thornhill to get to the area where I think the pictured dock is located. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&sou...152,-79.384589&spn=0.006499,0.018539&t=h&z=16
 
This may or may not help, just thought I would thow it out there in relation to all the places you guys are mapping...IIRC, Pole Yard Landing was the first place named that LE were concentrating and centering their efforts. From there, they moved the 'staging area', as it was called, to Thornhill Farms. Also, right in this time, there was a lot of interest in and a thorough search of the property of Hopsewee Plantation made.

krista, I am not positive, but 'C' on the Google maps looks like it is right across from Pole Yard Landing, then to the west of that is Hopsewee and I think Thornhill Farms is a little further south on 17, just past Seven Mile Road. RoseC may know for sure since she lives closer to that area. Seven Mile Road sticks in my memory too for some reason, but it could just be that I remember it from some mapping I did way back last spring.
 
Rose,

Based on these articles, it looks like Thornhill farms was just a staging area, not a potential site area. Thornhill serves the community with organic fruit and veggies...and they offer 'horticultural therapy' for disabled teens in the area.
While they don't appear to have any connection to this case, outside of having enough room and grounds to host all of the searchers, I do think it's interesting that this place works with teens from local high schools. While they are disabled, they are capable of doing farm work---which is seriously difficult work--so it seems possible that one or more of them COULD have driven a vehicle or harmed Brittanee. That being said, I really think this is just the staging area, and I sincerely hope this has NO connection to the teens working this farm.
It looks like THIS search was for the month following Brittanee's disappearance...in may, not december. I'm still looking for a later search and staging site for december...but I really believe this is the exact area they are focusing on!! Wish we could find that dock. During the first few searches, LE seemed split between the Frances Marion forest area and N Santee River. In December and again in January, they moved to a more specific area in and around the N Santee River....based on all of the new tips. Remember, Originally Brittanee's phone was pinged to the South Santee area, which would be very near Frances Marion Forest. I think her phone is in a different location than she is.
http://www.live5news.com/global/Story.asp?s=10325820
http://www.wmbfnews.com/global/Story.asp?s=10327696
 
SeaNymph said:
This may or may not help, just thought I would thow it out there in relation to all the places you guys are mapping...IIRC, Pole Yard Landing was the first place named that LE were concentrating and centering their efforts. From there, they moved the 'staging area', as it was called, to Thornhill Farms. Also, right in this time, there was a lot of interest in and a thorough search of the property of Hopsewee Plantation made.
Click to expand...

I'm just stunned at how many people already knew that THESE were the areas being searched!! IMHO, this is a fairly small area....lots of land, relatively few houses. I haven't ever heard LE mention any of these areas...and I really thought they were keeping everything out of the media.

I really feel like LE might be releasing tiny snippets....little crumbs of info here and there...to see how certain people react. IMHO.
 
RubyRed said:
I have asked sarx to answer as she is verified in animal search and rescue.


Professional and Local Posters - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community
Click to expand...

Hee Hee, sounds like I am verified in searching and rescuing animals doesn't it! Sorry, long night.

To answer the question regarding alerts for a HRD/cadaver dog. Different dogs take naturally to different alerts. Laying down absolutely would be one possible alert. If you were watching a video and the dog was in fact working and did this, I would say yes, it's a definite possibility. Just a side note, I always use caution when watching media clips though as I myself have had them show clips of me taking my dog outta the truck for a potty break and dubbed it as us "searching".
Hope that helps.
 
krista said:
Rose,

Based on these articles, it looks like Thornhill farms was just a staging area, not a potential site area. Thornhill serves the community with organic fruit and veggies...and they offer 'horticultural therapy' for disabled teens in the area.
While they don't appear to have any connection to this case, outside of having enough room and grounds to host all of the searchers, I do think it's interesting that this place works with teens from local high schools. While they are disabled, they are capable of doing farm work---which is seriously difficult work--so it seems possible that one or more of them COULD have driven a vehicle or harmed Brittanee. That being said, I really think this is just the staging area, and I sincerely hope this has NO connection to the teens working this farm.
It looks like THIS search was for the month following Brittanee's disappearance...in may, not december. I'm still looking for a later search and staging site for december...but I really believe this is the exact area they are focusing on!! Wish we could find that dock. During the first few searches, LE seemed split between the Frances Marion forest area and N Santee River. In December and again in January, they moved to a more specific area in and around the N Santee River....based on all of the new tips. Remember, Originally Brittanee's phone was pinged to the South Santee area, which would be very near Frances Marion Forest. I think her phone is in a different location than she is.
http://www.live5news.com/global/Story.asp?s=10325820
http://www.wmbfnews.com/global/Story.asp?s=10327696
Click to expand...

It was thats area they setup camp and gather,then they moved on down the road,,but few searchs was done in MB at old air force base,and few other areas,Lord ive read to many news clippings for this nite,,,,good work keep it up :)
 
krista said:
I'm just stunned at how many people already knew that THESE were the areas being searched!! IMHO, this is a fairly small area....lots of land, relatively few houses. I haven't ever heard LE mention any of these areas...and I really thought they were keeping everything out of the media.

I really feel like LE might be releasing tiny snippets....little crumbs of info here and there...to see how certain people react. IMHO.
Click to expand...

all those areas was in first few months of searching it was in about every SC paper and few from NY,,
 
This may be a good source regarding the progressive searches. Looks like they have done a good job posting all news clips here:

http://www.helpfindbrittaneedrexel.com/News_Updates.html

I was trying to read a road sign on one of them, looked like from December, maybe "Caladonia", "Caldonna" or "Ladonna" on the road sign, not sure.

Look specifically at the clips, third down, just above the paragraph starting "Dawn Drexel of Rochester lays a wreath..." and then about three more below that, above the clip says "Search for missing teenager continues" from scnow.com, channel 13, 2:22 in length. If we could pin down that street sign we could get a much better idea of where this December search concentrated. I tried to stop the video at about 1:31-1:33, best I get looks more like "Ladonna".
 
krista said:
I'm just stunned at how many people already knew that THESE were the areas being searched!! IMHO, this is a fairly small area....lots of land, relatively few houses. I haven't ever heard LE mention any of these areas...and I really thought they were keeping everything out of the media.

I really feel like LE might be releasing tiny snippets....little crumbs of info here and there...to see how certain people react. IMHO.
Click to expand...

Oh yeah, local news early on gave very specific locations like that. It just seems now with so much time passed, it has more generalized in the media to a broader description as just North Santee/Lower GT county.
 
I'm not sure who to quote, so I'm just saying this as general info.

I'm going to rehash a rumor from January sparked by a local.

Some may remember. I took this with a grain of salt at the time and I still do.

A person suggested that searches were heavily focused in and around a farm/barn. One even suggested that B had been found in a barn. This area was located in McClellanville.

I'm unsure of the credibility here, and I do not believe B was found and we have heard nothing yet, but I just wanted to bring this rumor to the forefront again for new eyes. Especially since we have talks about a barn again.

Thanks for the hard work!
 
krista said:
Hey y'all,
I Love my southern friend, Krista!
Trying to figure out a more specific location for where those glasses were found. ]
Click to expand...

http://www.carolinalive.com/news/story.aspx?id=389366
"The Varns found the glasses on the western side of the Santee Delta, a state-protected wildlife refuge made up of thousands and thousands of acres."
^^That is a little misleading. The W and E Santee Delta WMAs make 1,722 acres, most of it being the Santee Delta East WMA.

The Santee-Delta WMA is located on U.S. Highway 17 between the North and South Santee Rivers, approximately 12 miles south of Georgetown.

I attached a couple pictures that might help shed some light as to the location of the sunglasses.
 

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SeaNymph said:
Seven Mile Road sticks in my memory too for some reason, but it could just be that I remember it from some mapping I did way back last spring.
Click to expand...

Seven Mile Road contains a rather large cellular tower. This is the one I believe Brittanee's cell phone pinged last.
 
LLLindsayy said:
I, too, feel like if she was put into the river that she will probably never be found :(
Click to expand...

It seems very likely...
FWIW, alternatively, Consider these two things:
1) If I recall from the pictures and video, the river searches were focused on the river banks and around bridges. Without a boat, these would be the places one would dispose of a body.
2) You got to have $ to have a boat. Also, a small degree of skill.. Unless you have your own dock on your property, you would have to load the boat onto a trailer, drive to a boat landing, unload, park -- point is, it's time consuming with a fair amount of public exposure... Also, it would leave another spot for some trace evidence to be left...

Just some thoughts :)
 
Questions for locals...

In this area where the search was conducted, what's the depth of the water in this area?

Would these waters be navigable with a canoe, raft or john boat (with or without trolling motor)?
 
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