Remains of New York Teen Found in South Carolina After 13 Years of Disappearance; Police Arrest Alleged Killer

A 17-year-old New York girl's body was discovered several miles from where she was last seen while on spring break in South Carolina more than a decade ago, and her suspected killer has been apprehended.

Brittanee Drexel was kidnapped, raped, and killed by Raymond Douglas Moody in April 2009 while visiting the tourist hub of Myrtle Beach, officials revealed Monday. Her corpse was discovered Wednesday near Georgetown, some 35 miles from where she went missing, according to Georgetown County Sheriff Carter Weaver, Fox News reported.=

Brittanee Drexel's Case

Moody is also accused of hindering justice by hiding and/or disposing of evidence related to his crime. Drexel's corpse was discovered last Wednesday in Georgetown County, some 35 miles south of where she went missing. Following a flurry of tips, the finding was made.

The FBI uncovered remains on May 11 that were definitively identified as Brittanee Drexel through DNA and dental data, according to Weaver. On April 26, 2009, investigators suspect she was buried there.

As per The Sun, Derrick Munoz testified in a 2016 court hearing concerning an unrelated robbery case, revealing that witnesses informed police that Brittanee's body was dumped in an alligator pit. However, cops and FBI officials searched up to 40 alligator ponds but found no corpses. According to Munoz, Brittanee Drexel may have been brought to 30 or 40 different locations.

Brittanee was last seen on April 25, 2009, when she departed the Blue Water Resort, according to surveillance footage. Her most recent text was to her lover in New York. He acknowledged receipt of the communication. But she did not respond, and her boyfriend phoned Brittanee's mother, Dawn Pleckan, who reported the crime to the police 10 minutes later.

A pair of sunglasses that looked like Brittanee's were discovered, but the item could not be traced to the adolescent. FBI authorities suspect Brittanee was held against her will and murdered years after she originally vanished. Munoz said in court that convicts Taquan Brown claimed to have seen Brittanee days after she vanished at a residence in McClellanville, some 60 miles from the motel.

Authorities Refuse To Add More Details

The next time Brown saw Brittanee, she was being wrapped up and hauled from the house, Dawn Drexel, the teen's mother, commendedthe law police for their diligent efforts and the media for putting her daughter's case in the spotlight. Chad Drexel, Brittanee's father, described the development as "bittersweet" and admitted that more effort was needed to bring his daughter's killer to justice.

Her parents stated that a memorial ceremony will be held in both Rochester and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, at some time. The finding was bittersweet because they were able to offer some closure to the Drexel family, but "it's not the last chapter we had hoped for," according to Myrtle Beach Police Chief Amy Prock.

At the news conference, officials refused to take questions that would reveal what information led them find Brittanee Drexel's body or what evidence they had to accuse Moody after 13 years, according to USA Today.