Girlfriend of Brittanee Drexel’s killer arrested for role in years-long FBI investigation
A federal grand jury has indicted a Georgetown woman for lying to investigators during the investigation into the murder and disappearance of Brittanee Drexel.
Angel Cooper Vause, 56, was indicted on three counts of allegedly lying to investigators with the FBI during the 2009 Drexel investigation. She was arrested Wednesday morning, according to a press release.
Vause was the girlfriend at the time of Raymond Moody, who was convicted in Drexel’s death after admitting in May 2022 to killing Drexel and then leading investigators to where he dumped her body, The Sun News reported. Her remains were found in Georgetown County.
The indictment states that Vause falsely told investigators on April 25, 2009, that Drexel had joined Vause and Moody to consume cocaine and marijuana. She also falsely stated that she had traveled to a residence to get keys while Drexel was being assaulted and killed by Moody. In addition, Vause said that Drexel had possession of her cell phone, when in fact, Vause had taken Drexel’s phone and drove away with it, disposing of it between Georgetown and Charleston, the indictment states.
Investigators had tracked the pings from Drexel’s cell phone which led to the Georgetown County area.
Drexel went missing from Myrtle Beach in April 2009 while visiting the Myrtle Beach area for spring break with some of her friends. Drexel’s family searched for 13 years for the missing teen. Her case gained national attention and became the subject of TV documentaries and numerous stories.
A South Carolina man who was wrongfully linked to the case filed a federal lawsuit against the FBI this week.
Moody told investigators that he and his girlfriend at the time, Angel Vause, had went to Myrtle Beach to party when they saw Drexel walking by herself down the street. Moody alleges Brittanee Drexel willingly got in the car with them to smoke marijuana, and that’s when they headed to Moody’s campground in Georgetown.
Moody said he had hoped under the influence of marijuana, Drexel would have consensual sex with him. But, when that didn’t happen, he forced her to take off her clothes and proceeded to rape her before strangling her and wrapping up her body in a blanket. Vause wasn’t around when the crimes were committed, officials said.
In 2022, Moody plead guilty to murder, kidnapping and criminal sexual conduct. He was sentenced to life in prison plus 60 years, according to The Sun News.
This story was originally published March 27, 2024 at 11:54 AM.
