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Myrtle Beach Mystery: The Disappearance of Brittanee Drexel
Spring break is a time for teenagers to enjoy fun in the sun, and for many, it’s their first real taste of adulthood and freedom. But the innocence and inexperience of youth means that spring break is often wrought with peril.
In April 2009, Brittanee Drexel was a 17-year-old high school junior from Rochester, New York, who was excitedly preparing to embark on a spring break trip to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. [1] Her mother, Dawn Drexel, was dead-set against her going. She felt in her gut that something bad would happen.
Dawn’s gut feeling was right, and almost 12 years later, exactly what happened to her daughter is still a mystery.
Craving Independence
Brittanee Drexel was a typical teenage girl in 2009. She was born in 1991 to mother Dawn and a man of Turkish descent. [2] Shortly after Brittanee’s birth, Dawn married Chad Drexel, who adopted Brittanee.
She had two younger siblings, sister Myrissa and brother Camdyn, who was just five years old the last time he saw Brittanee.
Growing up, Brittanee was particularly fond of playing soccer. She was physically fit, beautiful, and because of her heritage, she had a striking “European look.”
Brittanee suffered from a condition called hyperplastic primary vitreous (PHPV), which left her blind in one eye. She underwent numerous surgeries to correct the problem, with the most recent procedure occurring about a year before she vanished. Because the affected eye tended to wander, Brittanee used specialized contact lenses to make both eyes appear the same.
Brittanee was a cosmetology student at the time of her disappearance and dreamed of becoming a model.
