Answers to what happened to Brittanee Drexel after she disappeared in 2009 during her trip to Myrtle Beach were made public by the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office during a press conference on Monday.
Drexel, a Rochester, New York native, has been on the hearts and minds of not only those in her hometown, but on those in the Myrtle Beach area as well.
Her memorial now inundated with flowers and loving mementos located near Grand Lake at Market Common has seen numerous visitors over the past few days, some leaving more flowers and gifts, others walking by while motioning the sign of the cross.
“They have answers, thank God,” said Craig Carlson, a Myrtle Beach area local, while looking at the memorial. “I’ve been following this for a while. ... I saw this one day and then I looked it up and found out what happened. Poor little thing.”
Many locals followed the news closely on Monday, hoping to see the Drexel family receive a sense of closure. For others, the memorial at Market Common is what drew them to learn about Drexel.
“I’ve been walking out here for probably 11 or 12 years. This was not here when I started walking,” Jean Crosby, another Myrtle Beach area local, said. “I’m grateful to God there is a closure for her parents. ... But you know what, having closure doesn’t mean you don’t miss her forever. She’s just a thought away and I’m really grateful that there’s closure for the parents.”
Even people just visiting the area are likely to have heard of Drexel and her story.
“I was familiar and I knew it was in Myrtle Beach. And I’d actually asked my sister-in-law. She said, coincidentally, there’s a memorial just in her neighborhood,” said Greg Maynard who is visiting from Oakland, California. “I’ve been coming down here the last couple of days and saying a prayer.”
While having some answers surrounding Drexel’s disappearance has brought some comfort to her family and some locals, others have felt uneasy while strolling certain areas of the Grand Strand.
20-year-old Lara Stivala from Myrtle Beach and 19-year-old Maddie Allen from New Jersey said that in light of Drexel’s story, they have remembered the importance of young women choosing to travel in groups.
Drexel traveled to South Carolina with friends but was last seen alone leaving the Blue Water Resort, on Ocean Boulevard.
“Don’t go to the strip alone,” Stivala said.
The strip is the area of Ocean Boulevard between the site of the old Pavilion on 9th Avenue North and the Family Kingdom Amusement Park at 4th Avenue South, said USA Today.
Monday’s press conference brought some much-needed answers to many around the country. Drexel’s mother, Dawn, said there will be a “celebration of life” in both Myrtle Beach and in their hometown in New York. The dates and times of these celebrations has yet to be announced.
Becky Beckstead, another Myrtle Beach local, said she has been following the Drexel case since the beginning. She said her and her grandchildren were overjoyed to hear that the Drexel parents now have answers.
Beckstead left a bouquet at the Market Common memorial while speaking about how Drexel’s story had touched her heart.
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