Mother hopes for news of her 17-year-old daughter
Off-road search
By Prentiss Findlay
Brittanee Drexel
The Post and Courier
Myrtle Beach volunteers J.D. Neece (from left), Lewis Orlando and Earon Johnson ride along U.S. Highway 17 near the Georgetown-Charleston County line as part of the search Friday.
The Post and Courier
To offer tips
To provide information about the Brittanee Marie Drexel case, call the Myrtle Beach Police Department tip line at (843) 918-1963.
MCCLELLANVILLE — Brittanee Marie Drexel would have gone to her junior prom tonight in Rochester, N.Y.
Instead, her family held out hope Friday that searchers scouring a swath of dense, forested wetlands in Charleston County would find some trace of her.
"I'm just really hoping Brittanee is out there," her mom Dawn Drexel said Friday. "It's starting to wear on me. It's very difficult. Torture. It's been horrible not to know where your kid is. It's the most horrible feeling, it really is."
Brittanee, 17, was last seen wearing a white, black, teal and gray top, black shorts and white flip-flops. She is 4 feet, 11 inches tall, weighs 103 pounds and has blue eyes and blond hair with highlights. Her ears and nose are pierced.
Police also are looking for a pink cell phone related to the case, according to a banner at
Healing Farm Ministries where family and searchers gathered. Her phone last gave off a signal in the area where the search continued Friday just north of here, family members said.
A helicopter from the Charleston County Sheriff's Office searched the area. The Myrtle Beach Police Department continued to follow leads from around the country, including a tip that she could have been seen at a truck stop in Tucson, Ariz. Nothing credible has emerged since Brittanee vanished more than a week ago during a trip to Myrtle Beach with friends. "We're chasing a lot of ghosts," said Capt. David Knipes.
Brittanee wanted to go on the Myrtle Beach trip with friends. Her mother said no. She went anyway but told her mother she was spending a weekend with friends in Rochester. Her mother didn't learn the truth until a phone call April 25 from one of the teens who went on the trip. Brittanee was missing, her mother learned.
"She didn't run away. There's no way she would hurt everybody like that," her mother said.
On Friday, law enforcement searched difficult terrain that is home to snakes, alligators and wild hogs from 11 miles south of the North Santee River bridge to six miles above the bridge, said Monica Caison, founder of Community United Effort Center for Missing Persons. Two horse teams worked the area. Cadaver dogs were on standby if needed, she said.
Brittanee's father, John Kahyaoglu, of Tampa, Fla., said he and Brittanee had reunited just 18 months ago. "It was love at first sight," he said. "Now she's gone again. It breaks my heart." He said Brittanee planned to visit him in Florida this summer.
Kahyaoglu said Brittanee made the trip with two girls and three guys, all from Rochester. She left behind her clothes, makeup and luggage at the Myrtle Beach hotel where she and her friends were staying when she disappeared. Brittanee was described by family as a good student, socially active and a soccer player.
"She never wandered off. She had people with her constantly," said Carol Wagner, her grandmother. "It's not like her to meet someone and go with them."
Brittanee's grandfather, Al Wagner, said the situation doesn't add up. "It just doesn't make sense. Somebody knows something that they don't want to say," Wagner said. "I don't know how to comfort my wife and my daughter and my niece anymore. We're not leaving until me and my wife do find out what happened to Brittanee. Some kook might have grabbed her, I don't know."
Reach Prentiss Findlay at 937-5711 or pfindlay@postandcourier.com.
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Comments
metallic (anonymous) says...
>>Brittanee made the trip with two girls and three guys, all from Rochester<<
So what do these five say happened? Where were they when Brittanee disappeared? Have police "tracked" their whereabouts (through their cell phone records) and found it consistent with their descriptions about where they were?
May 9, 2009 at 1:28 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
eds777 (anonymous) says...
I think there's a lot more going on here, than what has been reported.
May 9, 2009 at 6:36 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
yird (anonymous) says...
" There's no way she would hurt everybody like that," her mother said.
Really? Mom is already defending the gross disobedience of her daughter and absolving herself of any blame at the same time.
Brittanee lied to her mother and went off with five other children who were most likely equally "socially active". Not exactly sterling behavior!
"Brittanee's father, John Kahyaoglu, of Tampa, Fla., said he and Brittanee had reunited just 18 months ago. "It was love at first sight,"
She's a Drexel, Moms a Drexel, dad's name is Kahyaoglu, why are they not searching for Brittanee Kahyaoglu?
Dawn's a single mom, Drexel is Kahyaoglu's replacement who adopted Brittanee and her name was changed, mom was unwed when Brittanee was born, never married, and Drexel is the last name "she" was born with?
Of course the inconsistencies with names, who's doing who, and so on, are of secondary importance when it comes to locating this young child, but this is a very strange story.
She'll either be found with someone she went with voluntarily and doesn't want to be found or she has been abducted.
If the former she ought to be severely punished.
If the latter we can only hope she is found alive and unharmed.
It seems as though more and more young woman and girls are being abducted, raped and murdered these days. Couldn't be because of a breakdown in morals caused by an ever increasingly permissive society now could it?
No, that's just right wing nut cake talk. It's commonly accepted that pedophiles, and often rapists, can be "cured" if the right treatment is made available to them.
They are not sick, they just want sexual experiences outside the norm and don't give a rat's butt who suffers as long as they get what makes them feel good.
If is is discovered that Brittanee was abducted and she has been violated or worse her misfortune will be eclipsed by the pouring out of sympathy for the perpetrator.
I'm sorry folks but this is a sick damn society we live in and it started with the sixties "revolution".
May 9, 2009 at 7:56 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
MontessoriMom (anonymous) says...
Please just pray this young girl is found whether she left on her own accord or not. She needs to be found and be safe. I pray Brittanee you are found safe and sound.
May 9, 2009 at 8:02 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ThinkAboutThis (anonymous) says...
What happened to the day when friends stuck together like glue? When we were in our teens and had our beach trips to MB, we would watch each other when we went out barring, makesure no guy was being harassing, and for sure would leave together in groups.
This friend went with 2 other girls and 3 other guys, there would be no need to seperate.
Parents, teach your kids early about the dangers of strangers, parents teach your teens watch their drinks, never take a drink from someone ever, always stay with friends, protect each other.
And for some quit being your kids best friend and be a parent. Looking back the some of the best advice I rec'd was lay low while doing so BUT always keep that open line of communication with your kids- start while they are little and stay with it through college years, know their friends, know where they are, keep an open line.
We don't know the facts of this case per lack of reporting but my hope for this family is that this young lady is located, is safe, and can return home with her family soon.
May 9, 2009 at 8:03 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Tulane75 (anonymous) says...
It is (probably) wrong to conclude that disobedience is limited to dysfunctional families, whatever the degree.
The musical philosopher John Michael Montgomery suggested some years ago that life is a dance and we learn as we go. We hope life's tough lessons don't cost lives.
Read The Gift of Fear by Gavin DeBecker. Better yet, give it to your children to read themselves.
We all miss some of life's warning signs. Most people live to learn from their mistakes.
May 9, 2009 at 8:23 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
blah_blah_blah (anonymous) says...
it doesn't matter how great of a person you are, if you meet the wrong bad one, then trouble happens.
yird, you're rant was hysterical! thanks.
May 9, 2009 at 8:53 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
coolfreaknbeans (anonymous) says...
I hope and pray this young girl is found safe and sound. I can't help but be angry though. Her mother on the news was quoted as saying something to the effect of - "Well, I didn't want her to go, but she did, you know how kids are." Well, excuse me ma'am. I am the parent in my household and I'm the boss. I'd be damned if my teen daughter would go away like that. If she ran away and did it...I'd go get her butt and bring her back home. Not say oh well.
May 9, 2009 at 8:59 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
RTC (anonymous) says...
On the news last night they said that the other teens didn't notify the police until they were back in Rochester.
What kind of friends would drive all that way before notifying authorities?
Were they afraid they would get tied up in SC answering questions? Probably. I guess the prom was WAY more important than their friend's whereabouts.
These kids aren't telling all that they know.
May 9, 2009 at 9 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
yird (anonymous) says...
blah_blah_blah, Your welcome. Glad you enjoyed it.
May 9, 2009 at 9:04 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
meme3 (anonymous) says...
TO: COOLFREAKNBEANS,
You dont know what you will do until your daughter pulls a stunt like that so dont judge people, because you havent been put in that situation yet. Your name fits you perfect.
May 9, 2009 at 9:22 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Surfcaster (anonymous) says...
Waterboard all those "friends" and get to the truth.
May 9, 2009 at 9:24 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
reality_woman (anonymous) says...
This is a totally messed up situation. Starting with the fact the the girl went some where she was not to go. She disobeyed here mother. The idea that 16 & 17 yr olds go off on their own just doesn't make sense. I'm sorry, but at that age they are not capable of making the right decisions.
Those other teens she was with obviously don't care about her either, it is just terrible that they waited till they got back to NY to report her missing? That is messed up.
I hope she turns up some where alive, but I don't feel that will be the case. She has not contacted anyone and that is not a good sign. But I pray she will be found safe.
May 9, 2009 at 9:29 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
moonpie (anonymous) says...
Yird not too far fetched my friend. These other kids know something and maybe the police just aren't letting that out so not to hurt their investigation. These other kids know if she met someone and was going to meet that someone. The hotel security cameras showed her leaving alone so their no help. But the phone signal from up the coast proves either her cell phone was stolen or she went to this area.
No matter what most kids do some stupid, crazy stuff but they all deserve a second chance and none deserve this. Hope and pray she is found.
May 9, 2009 at 9:30 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
IronWoman (anonymous) says...
In a 'perfect' family, this teen would have never lied to her Mother and taken such a radical step without permission. I know (yes, I do KNOW) that my teens would NOT do this. They might do something small like watch a movie they were told not to watch, ... but drive over 800 miles for a 'secret' vacation, ... NEVER! This Mother lost hold of this daughter a long time ago, and it's sad, because these are the consequences. People are giving way too much freedom to their kids today at too young an age. Why? Peer pressure I guess. There are more parents who lack the ability to parent than there are responsible parents, so the ones trying to do things right, get pressured into what everyone else is doing. The family unit needs to hold strong. We need to get control over our own responsibilities, and that includes our children. We're letting them grow up way too fast, and they're not ready for it. They're immmature, weak, vulnerable, and should still be learning the ways of the world. Not experiencing them first hand like poor Brittannee did. This Mom is pretty naive to think that the weekend she wanted to leave for a MB trip, she decided to spend the weekend with friends. C'mon Mom, ... ALL the friends were going to SC!!! And like everyone else has said, ... her friends know more, much more. They're scared, they know everything that transpired is wrong, and that they're actions too led to the disappearance of Brittannee. I hope the police put the pressure on these kids, and don't give up until they break. The truth will come out. We can only pray that Brittannee is alive, and found soon.
May 9, 2009 at 10:22 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ysillyme (anonymous) says...
This board should be united in one wish: May Brittannee be found alive and unharmed, returned to her family, and LEARNED her lesson.
May 9, 2009 at 10:47 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
tj (anonymous) says...
What was this young lady thinking? I fear that what started out as an act of disobediance could have cost her, her life. I am scared for her family and having a teenage daughter of my own, this is a HUGE lesson.
I hope that this young lady is found alive and well, I wonder if she met up with someone in Myrtle Beach? This whole thing doesnt add up, why wouldnt her friends say anything?
May 9, 2009 at 11:04 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
MMitchum (anonymous) says...
This is a Mother's worst nightmare. I as a single Mom who has gotten my 26, & 29 year old daughters this far... NEVER loses the fear. Yes it is hard.. and you are judged differently than a single Father. But as they say, they don't come with instructions.
And spare the rod and spoil the child doesn't work either...that passage was thrown out with DSS....
So my heart goes out to this Mother. From one to another...I hope and pray your child is found. Forget the age/what she was doing... she is missing and that is the tradegy parents can only know. Wishing they would have listened, and this doesn't just happen today...some of us did stupid things 40 years ago like this. Yes, it was different then, but teens and young adults still think as we did.
All you can do is teach them to be aware of their surroundings and people. Not every nice person is your friend.
Looking at your child and saying... "I said NO! Doesn't mean that was the end of the conversation and they are not going to still do it. She probably figured... I'm going with my friends..Mom is just being difficult and I am old enough...or I have met a guy on the Internet(maybe)...went to Myrtle Beach and think I can get away with this, meet him with friends and all okay, and I can talk with Mom on the cell....yea...thats it.. and she'll think I am at a friends.
Come back by Sunday Evening and all is ok. You never know....
Hopefully.. she is hideing somewhere now, and knowing it is time to come out because everyone is looking for her. And maybe she was more scared at the time thinking..what her Mom was gonna do when she finds out she is ok, and caused all this...you never know.
I hope for this. Then you can reprimand, and breath again, and not have heart failure, and thank God your child is safe. Then.. cry out the stress and frustration you just went through.
May 9, 2009 at 11:09 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jca (anonymous) says...
time to hack this kids email texts phone calls made leading up to the phone being dumped and hey why not pick up her five friends and interrogate them alone.
she went all that way to meet someone. i was a teen not to long ago. she met them and took off.
teen girls think they know it all and actually know the people they talk to online. they dont. where was mom when she disobeyed her and left. mom had to see the luggage go out. mom is too busy with her own life to care
i pray this girl is found alive and well but fear she wont be because of the neglect in reporting sooner
the first 48 hours are crucial in a case like this
May 9, 2009 at 11:10 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
SeaSaw (anonymous) says...
The Myrtle Beach blogs about this girl have been getting pretty heated. One sicko has even posted a confession on his website:http://www.michael-crook.com/2009/05/05/another-day-no-body/
Beware this Michael Crook fella is way out there!
May 9, 2009 at 11:58 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Confuzzled (anonymous) says...
We can only hope and pray that Brittanee is found safe. I do, however, wonder about an internet connection. There are so many kids nowadays who network online.
Another thought is that Brittanee may be scared to go back home. For one, she left without her mothers permission. Since then, cable news has picked up her story and its gone nationwide.
I just cannot understand why any girl, regardless of her age, would walk alone at night - especially in a strange town. I am always familiar with my surroundings but teenagers these days have this 'me' mentality and think they are invincible. Most think they are above the law because parents have been stripped of their rights to discipline ... thanks to DSS. Human nature never changes but society does. This is the sad part about raising kids in todays society.
Brittanee, if you are alive, please contact someone you know and let them know you are okay.
May 9, 2009 at 12:36 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jca (anonymous) says...
sea saw that blog thing is scary
that5 guy claims he killed her because she refused to have sex with him
hes a real piece of scum even if he didnt kill her
my thought is she went with friends with the intent of meeting someone she thought she knew off the internet and he or she wasnt who they claimed they were and they have hurt or killed her
again i am praying for her safe return
there are 2 myspace pages posting all new info on this case
May 9, 2009 at 1:01 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
iceman1978 (anonymous) says...
SeaSaw, I saw Michael Crook on Sean Hannity one day. He's a real nutcase. In come countries he would be arrested for the comments he makes about our soldiers. People like Michael Crook and Fred Phelps test the limits of free speech.
I don't think this girl ran away from home. Leaving her belongings in the hotel room before she vanished isn't something you would do if you were planning on running away. Maybe she did run away though. There have been cases on Unsolved Mysteries where someone develops amnesia and goes missing.
Maybe now would be a good time to issue an Amber Alert?
May 9, 2009 at 1:01 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
SeaSaw (anonymous) says...
jca - It's funny that angry parents have not demanded his site be cleaned up. Yet they were successful in having the following article pulled:
Missing teen Brittanee Drexel running up huge tab in her absence
May 3, 7:00 PM
It could be costing at least $5,000 a day for efforts to find Brittanee Drexel, the New York teen now missing in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, who has not been seen since April 25.
Brittanee's mother Dawn Drexel, who is currently in South Carolina to help, fears the worst. Dawn has stated publicly that information about her daughter doesn't add up and that she fears her daughter may be dead. That's a reasonable yet difficult assumption for someone like her to make, but it makes sense. It's been over a week and she hasn't heard from her daughter, and no one seems to have any idea as to where Brittanee may be, alive or dead. Most experts will tell you that the situation does not look good, but until you have a dead body, you don't have a death. Currently, Brittanee Drexel is considered a 'missing person', and as such, she is being afforded the time and efforts of law enforcement and others in the hopes of finding her alive.
May 9, 2009 at 1:32 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
SeaSaw (anonymous) says...
That means that costs are being expending to help find her. When you factor in police officer time, police staff time, supplies, paper, utilities, gasoline for patrol cars, overtime for some officers, news conferences, staff relations with the media and other miscellaneous costs, it's not unreasonable to see how Myrtle Beach police could be spending upwards of $5,000 a day on this case. Some PR professionals will tell you that's an extremely conservative figure. Throw in Dawn Drexel's time and lost wages and you have a ballooning tab with no end in sight. Yes, all that money is being spent as it should be, but in today's society, we all have to realize that everything has a cost, and when something like this happens, it costs money to address it. If Brittanee had not disobeyed her mother, all this would not be happening right now.
May 9, 2009 at 1:34 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
SeaSaw (anonymous) says...
I'm not going to get into what Dawn Drexel could or could not have done to prevent this. Instead, I want to focus on one particular part of this drama: Dawn told Brittanee specifically not to go to Myrtle Beach but still the young girl intentionally disobeyed her mother. Disobeying your parents is not a crime, but it should be taken as seriously and treated just as harshly. When children disobey their parents, terrible things can happen, as in this case. I get tired of hearing excuses made by children and parents for their lack of respect for those in authority. Respect does not mean you have to agree, but it does mean you need to realize who's in charge and who's not. Brittanee clearly felt she knew better than her mother. Unfortunately, she's finding out the hard way that her mother in fact knew better.
May 9, 2009 at 1:35 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
SeaSaw (anonymous) says...
I can't imagine anyone out there who does not hope that police or whoever will find Brittanee alive, all so that she can be returned to her mother and be punished as she should be. The best punishment in this case would be to make Brittanee repay all the costs associated with searching for her and finding her, and depending on how long this lasts, that number will soon go into six-figures. In exchange for the repayment of those costs, which could take her another ten years or more to repay, Brittanee would face no criminal or civil charges and have a clean record, something currently not guaranteed just because a missing person is found. By doing this, Brittanee learns a tough lesson that will cost her dearly, but she gets the incident wiped from her record and she gets a fresh start.
May 9, 2009 at 1:36 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
SeaSaw (anonymous) says...
More and more, kids who get into trouble aren't getting compassion but instead facing criminal charges and jail time, all with the permanent consequence of having the incident forever stain their record. The boy who had topless photos of his 16-year-old girlfriend on his cell phone is now a convicted felon - for life. The girl who shoplifted a dress becomes a convicted felon - for life. The kids who make a cake with Ex-Lax and serve it to their teacher, unknowing of the dangers of Ex-lax, become convicted felons - for life. These kids' careers are effectively ruined, all because they were being children. I am not saying crimes should go unpunished, but must people pay - for the rest of their lives - for screw-ups that arose from bad but not vicious judgment?
May 9, 2009 at 1:37 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
SeaSaw (anonymous) says...
As a teenage, Brittanee, when and if she surfaces, could face some charges for her behavior, depending on the circumstances of her disappearance. Is it worth punishing her and marking her for life for what amounts to a simple yet serious teenage screw-up? I think the best way for kids to learn is make them pay - with cash. There is no better education than cutting off the credit and taking their hard earned money from them to pay for the damage they've caused. In the end, Brittanee's record would be clean and (truly) all would be forgiven, and she can go on to lead a productive life that makes all of society better.
I do indeed hope they find her alive so that her mother can beat the crap out of her for her disobedience - and then go on to live another 60 or 70 years as a productive member of society. Things don't look good right now, and trust me, someone is keeping track of the costs associated with this teenager's disobedience. If Brittanee is found alive, she should be presented with a bill for all services related to her rescue shortly before she goes back to New York. They do it for stranded hikers, so they can do it for missing teens.
As a society, we have to start getting tough again with our children. Sure, it hurts to be the heavy, but that's how everyone stays safe. When kids begin to believe that can disobey their parents and get away with it, the temptation to do bigger and wilder things is only natural. Often, those temptations go awry and someone gets hurt. When children survive, let's make them pay for that hurt. It's tough love alright, but remember, 'love' is part of that phrase.
It would be a real life lesson that does some real good. Too bad many large companies in the United States were never forced to learn that lesson.
Posted by SeaSaw on May 4, 2009 at 1:20 p.m
I can now see what is wrong with our society. Parents are angry that the author of the article above is recommending that teens need rules and consequences for those rules if broken. To many parents want to be a best friends instead of giving guidance and discipline. And yes, teens need consequences when they break the rules. A good parent is not afraid to set boundaries, by doing so you are showing them how things work in the adult world. When parents don't teach lifes rules and consequences then the world will, and often with heartbreaking results.
May 9, 2009 at 1:37 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
SeaSaw (anonymous) says...
iceman1978 - I think I read somewhere that they tried to issue an Amber Alert, but since she is over 16 they couldn't.
May 9, 2009 at 1:43 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jca (anonymous) says...
im not really angry with the mom other than she did nothing when she knew her kid split after was told not to. i would have called the cops the second i knew she disobeyed me and told them she was in south carolina
her passiveness pisses me off. you tell your kid no they still go and you dont report them missing.
she doesnt deserve to be a mother.
i am angry at this girl she disobeyed her mother got in over her head and look what happened
have they hacked her email her cell phone records instant messenger lists
someone knows something
check facebook twitter shes not on myspace
May 9, 2009 at 2 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
coolfreaknbeans (anonymous) says...
Someone with the screen named "meme3" is talking crap about my screen name. Your name fits you perfectly. You think about "me me" and are probably the age of 3. Ha. I DO know what I'd do if my child did this. I'm not saying I am a saint nor are my kids. But once I knew she had disobeyed me and left, I would call the police in MB and go get her. I would NOT sit by idly saying " Awww shucks, darn kids." She is legally a CHILD. You are responsible for your children. I'm not name calling the mother or trying to be mean. I agree with jca's post though. This mother's passive attitude is EXACTLY why this child knew she could get away with doing it. Let's please remember, this was not the equivalent of a teen from Charleston going to MB. This was a long trip, far away from home.
May 9, 2009 at 2:13 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
geekboy (anonymous) says...
Posted by meme3 on May 9, 2009 at 9:22 a.m. (Suggest removal)
TO: COOLFREAKNBEANS,
You dont know what you will do until your daughter pulls a stunt like that so dont judge people, because you havent been put in that situation yet. Your name fits you perfect.
***********************************************************
Yeah... about that "don't judge people" thing...
May 9, 2009 at 2:56 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
datadiva (anonymous) says...
I completely understand what people are saying about the mom not reporting, BUT... if I remember correctly, the mom thought she was staying the weekend with friends in Rochester.
It wasn't until one of the so called "friends" she took off with called her mother that the mom knew anything about it. Now, that said... I did not have the types of freedoms these kids have nowadays, and I'm only 35 - heck if my parents would have let me stay with friends for the weekend when I was 16 (ok so yeah I was sheltered)
but... at least I'm alive today, right??? I probably would have done some stupid things too... and in fact DID do stupid things the minute I was 18!!! LOL
Anyway, I'm hoping Brittanee just ran away but it doesn't look like that's the case... so sad.
May 9, 2009 at 3:03 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
SeaSaw (anonymous) says...
My heart goes out to all her family and friends, I'm so sorry for the hurt and pain they are going through. I know Brittanee wasn't where she was supposed to be, and in the beginning that had me believing that it was all a teenage stunt, but now I truly believe otherwise. Sadly, I think she has gone the way of Alice Donavan.
May 9, 2009 at 3:20 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
SeaSaw (anonymous) says...
PS.. Her father is going to be on Dr.Phil this coming Monday. Titled " Behind The Headlines ". I'm not sure it's going to be her real Dad or Stepdad.
May 9, 2009 at 3:48 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
sardis12 (anonymous) says...
What ever became of the boy on the trip who left MB in the middle of the night to return home, not even bothering to reclaim the cash deposit he had paid the hotel? He was supposedly the last person to see the missing girl, so you won't convince me he doesn't know something about this...
May 9, 2009 at 4:53 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
iceman1978 (anonymous) says...
Posted by SeaSaw on May 9, 2009 at 1:37 p.m. (Suggest removal)
More and more, kids who get into trouble aren't getting compassion but instead facing criminal charges and jail time, all with the permanent consequence of having the incident forever stain their record. The boy who had topless photos of his 16-year-old girlfriend on his cell phone is now a convicted felon - for life. The girl who shoplifted a dress becomes a convicted felon - for life. The kids who make a cake with Ex-Lax and serve it to their teacher, unknowing of the dangers of Ex-lax, become convicted felons - for life. These kids' careers are effectively ruined, all because they were being children. I am not saying crimes should go unpunished, but must people pay - for the rest of their lives - for screw-ups that arose from bad but not vicious judgment?
-----------------
Very well said. We can thank the zero-tolerance nutbags for bringing this to us.
-The 16 year-old should have been put into counseling (if it's a first offense) rather than face felony charges.
-The shoplifter should be made to pay for the cost of the dress, give a written apology to the store manager, and ordered to perform community service rather than jail. If it's not the first time, it would be a different story.
-Cake with Ex-Lax? Haven't heard of that one before.
I've never been a believer in the zero-tolerance mentality. When I was in school I would often carry Ibuprofen and/or cough drops in my back pack during the cold/flu season. My English teacher even asked me for one when she had a headache during class. Today I'd be brought up on drug charges and my teacher would probably lose her job.
We used to play Wolfenstein on the libraries computers in our down time. It was never a big deal, just so long as we kept the volume to a minimum. The librarian even installed the software for us. Today we'd be placed into counseling and the librarian arrested for child endangerment.
How times have changed.
May 9, 2009 at 5:15 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
blackandproud (anonymous) says...
I can only imagine this mother's pain. Not knowing what has happened is torture to her. As parents we have to take control of our kids. Like a previous poster stated, "we have to be parents to our kids, and not their friends." Thanks to DSS, they have taken alot of discipline rights away from parents. Which here, I don't think is the case. This teenager was being a teenager and disobeyed her mom. I just hope for the best, and that she is ok.
May 9, 2009 at 5:26 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
yird (anonymous) says...
Shades of Natalie Holloway!
May 9, 2009 at 5:41 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
RTC (anonymous) says...
What really scares me is that this young girl could have been abducted and sold into a slave ring.
This is a growing problem internationally, and not enough attention is being focused on this horrible crime.
I truly hope and pray that she is okay, but after all this time, I do fear the worse.
My thoughts and prayers are with her family and with all of the people who are working so hard to locate her.
May 9, 2009 at 9:57 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
cjwtacoma (anonymous) says...
Investagators, you are damn not doing a good job. Your first step was to interrogate the other friends, and it is not too damn late to do this. What stands out as far as the friends goes, one of the friend took his sorry butt back to NY the minute she was reported missing? get the picture? Those friends has to step up and tell the truth, because it is written, what you do in the dark, it comes to light...I am going to just sit down in the bleechers and watch this game, because that is all thos other friends are doing and wasting tax payers money trying to find her when they know what the uck happen to that little beautiful girl, my hearts goes out to her family, friends, and relatives. I will pray she is alive and will return to her love ones unharm.
May 9, 2009 at 9:57 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
june (anonymous) says...
Let us all hope that 17 year old girl is found safe. Until as a parent you walk
in these shoes you hardly know how to express yourself. From experience
we had 17 year old son that pull this stunt on us,for days we did not know where he went,he was sleeping over at so called friends house,he was so
rebelling at every thing he was asked not to do. Police told us he is seventeen
and they can not force them home. we went through hell wondering if he was
dead or alive. So pray for this family that all will end well. only a Mother knows
what it is like to have a child missing.
May 10, 2009 at midnight ( permalink | suggest removal )
Cid95 (anonymous) says...
RTC - International Slavery? Really? There are dozens of bad things that could have happened to this girl, and I hope none of them did, but that isn't one of them fortunately.
May 10, 2009 at 4:32 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
wonderdog (anonymous) says...
"She didn't run away. There's no way she would hurt everybody like that," her mother said.
But she WOULD take off to MB after you told her she couldn't go.....
And no, it's not just something all the kids do, as stated by one of her family members in an earlier article. I had too much respect for my parents to pull a stunt like that (I was certainly not a perfect child), and I told my own kids that if they do anything crazy or illegal, the police may be the least of their problems. I raised my two by myself after divorce, and I told them that I would always be there to listen, but they had better not use my marital status as an excuse to misbehave. They are responsible adults in their twenties now, and we have had no problems and are extremely close.
I share in others' hopes that she is found safe, but come on, Mom, quit making excuses for your kid's bad behavior. I think it all started when you hung a moniker on your child with trendy spelling. Be serious!
May 10, 2009 at 1:43 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Grinder (anonymous) says...
At least they can't blame THIS on Bike Week, like authorities and the media did the fatal shooting of a college student last year, an incident which DID NOT INVOLVE BIKERS!
May 11, 2009 at 11:09 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
katrenavantassle (anonymous) says...
Human Trafficing is a big problem in the world today and not very many people actually believe it happens. The Red Cross has part of their donations used to fight this problem. Not to forget the underground world of Internet Pornography...if she did meet someone online and plan to meet them in Myrtle Beach,they could have planned this out to abduct her when she was there. She may have told the boy about her plans to go with someone, and he got mad and went back home. HE left the deposit because "someone" may have either paid him to leave or scared him to make him leave. He DOES KNOW SOMETHING!!! He may be involved directly but not willing to speak. Make him tell the story.
I only hope that this very young woman is alive and will call someone, so that everyone can stop searching places that can endanger someone elses life.
BTW, I live in Summerville, and back in the 90's one of my daughters left with a friend and went to Myrtle Beach for the night, (Friday) and came back the next day. I had no idea she did it, as she was supposed to be at the friends house. I later found out the friends mother took them and then left them alone for the whole time when they got there so she could go party all night. Thank god they just stayed in the hotel all night ordering room service. I would have pressed charges on the mother when they got home, but since my daughter came home fine, I instead just refused to let my daughter have anything to do with that family again. Time went by and they eventually stopped being friends and my daughter understands why I did what I did. But what gets me is that ALOT OF PARENTS DON'T THINK ANYTHING IS WRONG WITH THAT. What ever happened to calling and say "HEY is it okay for me to take your kid with us to Myrtle Beach for the night? This is so messed up but happens all the time.Sorry but I do now and always will.
It is totally irresponsible from the other parent and asking for trouble.
May 11, 2009 at 2:18 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
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