Discovery of sunglasses heats up search for missing NY teen

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Picture similar to the one featuring Drexel wearing sunglasses (Source: CUE Center)

Surveillance photo of Drexel at MB hotel before disappearance

By Meghan Miller - bio | email

MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) - A pair of knock-off Prada sunglasses discovered near a body of water in Georgetown could provide a crucial clue into the disappearance of 17-year-old Brittanee Drexel.

Monica Caison with the CUE Center for Missing Persons says the sunglasses were located by a group of people collecting wood for a fire on Monday. Officials say the sunglasses match those worn by the teen in a photo taken with friends in Myrtle Beach before her disappearance.

Drexel, of New York, was last seen in the area of 11th Avenue South and 20th Avenue South in Myrtle Beach on April 25 after meeting up with friends from her hometown. Drexel, who was 17 at the time, was in Myrtle Beach on spring break against the will of her mother.

Contact was lost with Drexel and family members in New York on Saturday evening, the same night authorities say she disappeared.

Since her disappearance, multiple search efforts have been executed by law enforcement agencies in Horry, Georgetown and Charleston counties. While investigators have searched throughout all three counties, each search effort has left police with insufficient leads.

Throughout the week, a search group of approximately 70 people combed through an unidentified area of Georgetown County for more clues into the teen's disappearance. The search occurred from Dec. 3-10.

Members of the CUE Center, in coordination with investigators from the Georgetown County Sheriff's Office, Charleston County Sheriff's Office and the Myrtle Beach Police Department used search dogs, multiple boats, divers and a remote-controlled robotic camera to search the immediate area where the Prada sunglasses were found.

Despite using a variety of search tactics, Caison says investigators exhausted their search without any additional leads.

The WMBF News Network has spoken with Chad Drexel, the father of the teen, who says the family has no plans to return to Myrtle Beach unless warranted by further DNA testing.

CrimeStoppers of the Lowcountry continues to offer a reward for any information on Drexel's whereabouts. Anyone with information regarding the disappearance of Drexel is urged to contact the agency at 1-888-CRIME-SC.

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