Search for missing teen yields no clues

A team of searchers scoured woodlands near McClellanville over the weekend seeking clues in the disappearance of Brittanee Marie Drexel but came up empty-handed.

"There was nothing related to the case located," said Lt. Mark Fields of the Charleston County Sheriff's Office.

Searchers were hoping to find her cell phone, clothing or anything else that would be helpful in solving the case, Fields said.

Drexel, 17, of Rochester, N.Y., last was seen in Myrtle Beach in April 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.

The searchers revisited a wooded area near Healing Farm Ministries where her cell phone gave off a signal in May, Fields said.

The Sheriff's Office, the Myrtle Beach Police Department and the Centers For Missing Persons participated in the search. In all, 85 people hunted for clues to Drexel's disappearance, including 26 on horseback and five canine teams. Officials from Missouri, Florida and North Carolina participated, along with sheriff's officers from Richland, Kershaw, Darlington and Georgetown counties, Fields said.

The search was a continuation of previous searches. There was no new information on Drexel's disappearance that prompted the new searches, Fields said.

Reach Prentiss Findlay at 937-5711 or pfindlay@postandcourier.com.