Last Updated on 9/8/2010

Published on 11/15/2009

A girl who possibly vanished in rural Georgetown County looks off the cover of this month’s “People” magazine.
Although Brittanee Drexel’s cell phone last signaled in Georgetown County, she remains missing.
Drexel disappeared during last year’s spring break in Myrtle Beach, but her cell phone signal has led searchers repeatedly to wooded areas around the Santee River.
Since Drexel vanished, her 18th birthday has passed, the “People” article says.
The family, including Drexel’s siblings, shared a cake for Brittanee, according to the magazine.
“Nobody knows how this feels,’’ Dawn Drexel told the magazine. “They just don’t.’’
The article says that Dawn Drexel becomes sad when she smells her daughter’s perfume.
Dawn Drexel also looks at Brittanee’s baby pictures and cries, according to People.
“You wake up in the morning crying and you go to bed crying,’’ her mother said.
According to other news sources, Ed Smart, the father of kidnap victim Elizabeth Smart, is encouraging the family to keep looking.
Elizabeth Smart was gone for nine months before she was spotted with her kidnappers near her home in Utah.

Local searches

The latest search for Brittanee in Georgetown County involved at least 300 people from surrounding counties.
Although a wide variety of debris was found, nothing was discovered that was related to the case.
Officials with the Charleston County Sheriff's Office said searchers combing the area near the Georgetown-Charleston County Border found torn cloth and beer cans.
Brittanee’s cell phone was not found.
Cadaver dogs did not “alert” their handlers during the weekend search.
Searchers rode through parts of the Francis Marion Forest and on private land.
Also participating in the search were volunteers from the Center for United Effort in Wilmington, N.C.
Monica Caison, director of the center, has also helped other families in Georgetown County.
She has made repeated trips to Andrews to draw attention to missing person Crystal Gail Soles.
Soles vanished Jan. 24, 2005, while walking home from a store in Andrews.
Her father was unable to give her a ride home, since he was sick.
Soles said she would walk home, but has not been seen since.
The Andrews Police Department said recently they were investigating the possible use of her social security number.
Other tips provided about Soles’ possible whereabouts have been ruled out, according to the Andrews Police Department.