The day after Brittanee Drexel vanished from South Carolina’s Myrtle Beach, police in a nearby town stopped a car being driven by the man who is now accused of abducting, sexually assaulting and killing the New York teen.
A copy of the arrest warrant charging Raymond Moody, 62, with Drexel’s 2009 killing was finally released.
Drexel’s body was found last week, buried in a South Carolina woods. Dental records were used to identify her remains.
According to authorities, Moody had been pulled over for speeding on April 26, 2009, in the town of Surfside, one day after the 17-year-old was last seen. However, it was unclear Tuesday if he was cited for the moving violation.
Detectives would not identify Moody as a potential person of interest in the case for another two years.
Moody was living an hour from Myrtle Beach, at a motel in Georgetown, S.C., in 2009 when Drexel was last seen, investigators said.
Drexel had traveled to Myrtle Beach in 2009 for spring break, and had plans to visit family. According to authorities, Moody kidnapped Drexel as she walked alone along the Myrtle Beach strip.
Investigators allege Moody held Drexel against her will, and sexually assaulted her before eventually strangling her. Police believe he buried her on April 26, 2009.
In addition to murder, Moody is further charged with kidnapping and criminal sexual misconduct.
Moody has been in custody since his May 4 arrest on an obstruction charge. He’s being held without bail.
Drexel was still a high school student when she left her hometown of Chili, N.Y., with friends for Myrtle Beach, where she planned to visit relatives. But her parents had no idea she was traveling so far.
“I didn’t know she was going,” her mother, Dawn said. “The day she left she was angry with me because she asked me if she could go and I told her no. I said, ‘There’s no adults going and I have no idea who these kids are and I don’t feel comfortable with it.’ “
“I told her I just felt something was going to happen to her,” Dawn said. “I just felt it.”
Drexel was last seen on surveillance video leaving a beachfront hotel in Myrtle Beach.
Moody is a registered sex offender who spent 21 years in prison following a 1983 abduction and rape case in California involving a 9-year-old girl.
Moody has not yet entered pleas to the charges.
Stop letting these evil beings out..there should be a life sentence for the first of a 9-year-old. U think he was going to change. I am sure there are many more he has done this to…so wrong. if it was a judge’s child he would throw the book at him.
I believe SC still has the death penalty. If so, this miscreant should be executed. And it shouldn’t take a decade or more to do so.
This is yet another case that could have been avoided if he had remained in prison over the case of the 9 year old. Sure placing them on the National Sex Registration list does help a very small amount. When these MONSTERS are released back into society, 99% of them return to what they were sent to prison for in the first place, only a whole lot worse than the original crime . So many lives have been stolen from innocent victims of the MONSTERS HUNGAR TO INCREASE THEIR COUNT OF VICTIMS. When are the court systems going to start giving them longer and stiffer sentences ? When are this countries law makers going to put stricter lengthy sentences, without ever being aloud to EVER GET PAROLE. I will finally start getting stricter when God forbid something horrible happens to a pollution’s child, just like it has been for hundreds of years. The poor victims that have to endure the horrible thing that happens to them before they die, plus the horrible things that the MONSERS do to their bodies after the victim has died. The poor families and friends who go through a living hell, every day and night wondering if their loved one is alive or dead, day after day, month after month and year after year, while horrible things go through their minds of what could have happened. Where their loved one could be. You see I can understand a little better than the average person because, I Am A SURVIVOR OF BEING RAPED BY MY FATHER FROM 4 YEARS OLD UNTIL I was 14 Years Old, Also BEING BEATEN MENTALLY, EMOTIONALLY AND PHYSICALLY ALL THROUGH MY CHILDHOOD. ALSO BEING BEATEN THAT LEFT MANY, MANY BROKEN BONES, MINUTELY AND PHYSICALLY FOR ALMOST 18 YEARS BY MY FIRST HUSBAND. A huge part of my healing process is to help others who have been, or are being abused by someone in the family, friends, people in an authority position, or complete stranger. I AM TRYING TO LET ANY AND ALL VICTIMS KNOW THAT I AM HERE FOR THEM IF THEY JUST NEED SOMEONE TO TALK TO, BECAUSE BEING ABLE TO TALK TO SOMEONE ABOUT IT IS YOUR FIRST STEP TO BECOMING A SURVIVOR AND NO LONGER A VICTOM.