Area authorities and volunteers will conduct a large scale search this weekend for signs of a New York teen last seen in Myrtle Beach on spring break in 2009.
The search for Brittanee Drexel will continue this weekend in Charleston County, said Monica Caison, with the CUE Center for Missing Persons in Wilmington, N.C.
Volunteers with the CUE Center have organized several search groups since the teen was last seen leaving the Blue Water Hotel on Ocean Boulevard April 25, 2009, during a spring break visit.
Since then, dozens of searchers have scoured Myrtle Beach and wooded areas in Georgetown and Charleston counties looking for clues in the teen's disappearance.
More than 150 people have registered to participate in this weekend's search effort, Caison said Friday. That number could increase to about 200 people as more commit to help today, she said.
"I'm still getting confirmation of people," Caison said. "It's going to be about the size of when Brittanee was first missing."
Caison estimated that there will be 100-person ground support team, multiple all-terrain vehicle teams, about 40 horse teams and at least 11 canine units. Members of Drexel's family also plan to attend the search, Caison said.
"We've got a good crew going out," Caison said. "It's just such a large area."
Searches began in Georgetown and Charleston counties after officials learned Drexel's cell phone gave off its last known signal on April 26, 2009, around U.S. 17 Bypass and the South Santee River in Georgetown County.
Various rewards are available from law enforcement and a New York-based church for information about Drexel.
Earlier this month, a specialized team of law enforcement professionals spent a week at the Myrtle Beach Police Department reviewing the case.
Members of Project Alert, a group of retired law enforcement professionals who are trained by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, reviewed the case with Myrtle Beach police investigators, but authorities have not released any new information.
Drexel, whose 19th birthday was Oct. 5, was 17 when she came to Myrtle Beach with some friends and without the consent of her parents. Her case has been profiled on dozens of local and national television shows, billboards and websites.
Authorities say they will continue to profile her case with the hope that someone with information regarding her whereabouts will come forward with details.
Anyone with information regarding Drexel are asked to call Myrtle Beach police at 918-1382 or they can submit information online at helpfindbrittaneedrexel.com.
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