It was spring break 2009, and 17-year-old Brittanee Drexel was in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Brittanee was not supposed to be there; both of her parents had told her that she was too young to go to down for spring break. As far as they knew, she was with trusted friends at a beach on Lake Ontario -- just a few miles from their home, in Rochester, New York.
At first, Brittanee loved the lively town along the coast. It was full of fun things to do and stuff to eat.
But texts to her boyfriend soon revealed that Brittanee’s adventure had turned sour.
She started to feel excluded by the people she had traveled down there with.
By Saturday, April 25, she was definitely not having fun anymore.
She felt isolated. Annoyed. Angry, even.
Her boyfriend John had been texting her back, trying to encourage her to enjoy her time.
But Brittanee stopped answering.
John grew worried and contacted Brittanee’s best friend, Tarah.
Then, later that night John told Brittanee’s mother that she had gone to South Carolina and was no longer answering the phone.
Family and friends jumped in a car, almost immediately, and began the 14-hour drive to Myrtle Beach.
Their first stop was the Myrtle Beach Police Department.
Then they walked the boulevard with a photo of Brittanee, pleading with the public: “Have you seen Brittanee Drexel?”
Before long, the beach town was buzzing with talk about the missing girl from New York.
The C-U-E Center for Missing Persons assisted police with the search. Volunteers and officers went out on horses, with ATVs, drones and K9s.
Learn more about the C-U-E Center and their search efforts for Brittanee.
The search went on for weeks. Weeks stretched into months.
And then years went by with no sign of Brittanee.
It was 13 years before Brittanee’s family learned what happened to her.
It’s something that has haunted a legion: family, friends, investigators who tried – and sometimes failed – to see the truth.
Loved ones remember Brittanee as a loving sister, daughter and friend.
To find out what happened to Brittanee, watch the full episode, “The Last Walk” now.
You can also watch on Peacock TV or listen to the podcast.