Murder With My Husband — Episode 284

"Hunted and Kidnapped: What Happened to Brittanee Drexel"

Release Date: September 1, 2025
Hosts: Peyton Moreland (true crime enthusiast, the "wife"), Garrett Moreland ("the husband" and crime show skeptic)

Episode Overview

This episode explores the notorious case of Brittanee Drexel, a 17-year-old from upstate New York who vanished from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina during a 2009 Spring Break trip. The hosts detail the circumstances leading up to Brittanee’s disappearance, the investigation that spanned over a decade, the eventual break in the case, and the shocking confessions that finally brought closure—while also raising unresolved questions about complicity and the depths of human depravity. The episode’s tone balances Peyton’s impassioned storytelling with Garrett’s skeptical, emotional commentary.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Setting the Scene: Teenage Boundaries and Rebellion

• Peyton contextualizes Brittanee’s story as a cautionary tale about teenage independence and parental intuition:

  • "We never consider that they're actually trying to protect us from all of the scary things out there in the real world." (07:22)

• Brittanee Drexel is introduced: ambitious, feisty, a soccer star with a close-knit family, but recent family turmoil leaves her pushing boundaries.

The Spring Break Trip: Concealment, Conflict, Disappearance

• Brittanee’s mother, Dawn, forbids Myrtle Beach trip with older friends (11:00). Brittanee lies, claiming a local beach trip, and instead travels to South Carolina with friends (approx. 13:00).

• Brittanee’s last day: After days of fun, she feels guilty about arguing with her mother, calls home, and says she’ll see them the next day—this is the last conversation she’ll have with her mom.

Memorable Quote:

"Before she hung up the phone, Brittanee told her mother she loved her and that she would see her the following day. Unfortunately, though, that would be the last conversation the two of them would ever have."
— Peyton Moreland (14:38)

• That night, Brittanee leaves her hotel alone to return a borrowed pair of shorts, seen on security cameras, stays at friend Peter Brozewitz’s hotel for about 10 minutes, and leaves to walk back alone (15:00-16:00).

• Texts stop at 9:15pm. Her boyfriend John Greco panics, then informs Brittanee’s mother both that Brittanee is missing and that she's actually in Myrtle Beach (16:43).

The Investigation: Early Theories & Frantic Search

• Brittanee’s family rushes to Myrtle Beach, contacts local police, and begins searching (16:53).

• Security footage: Shows Brittanee leaving but never returning via Ocean Boulevard camera. Police realize she vanished mid-way in her solo walk (18:20).

• Cell phone tracking reveals her phone leaves Myrtle Beach by car, pinging 15 miles and then 50 miles south near a rural, swampy area on the Georgetown-Charleston county line (22:01).

“Her phone traveled 15 miles south... obviously in a car because you're not going to be walking 15 miles.”
— Peyton Moreland (22:09)

• Massive searches yield nothing; hundreds of tips prove unhelpful. Police focus briefly on Peter Brozewitz (last seen with Brittanee), but his only “suspicious” behavior is lawyering up (24:32).

Suspects & Dead Ends

Focus on Raymond Moody

• In 2011, the case turns with a tip about Raymond Moody, a registered sex offender living near where Brittanee's phone last pinged (28:00). His history includes 20 years for seven sexual assaults, including on children.

Garrett’s reaction:

“If this ends up being the guy, look what happened... the amount of people who reoffend when they get out of prison, the percentage is absolutely astonishing.” (29:34)

• Evidence against Moody is initially circumstantial but compelling: claw marks on his face after Brittanee vanishes, a proven lie about his alibi, and a parking ticket in Myrtle Beach from the day after she disappeared (32:17).

• After a search of his residence yields no hard evidence, the case again stalls. In 2016, the FBI publicly acknowledges Brittanee is presumed murdered, based on phone data and an unreliable jailhouse informant tip (34:55-35:50).

Breakthroughs & Modern Forensics

• In 2019, new technology enables police to better analyze old cell phone and traffic camera data, pinpointing the route and timing of the vehicle Brittanee was in after abduction (39:20-40:27).

“They study and look up every single vehicle that goes by in this time frame and cross-reference them with any vehicles in connection to any of their people.”
— Peyton Moreland (40:27)

• They identify a rare Ford Explorer (Eddie Bauer edition) owned by Moody’s girlfriend at the time, Angel (42:32). Angel denies involvement, but wiretap evidence and inconsistencies in her story lead police to believe she’s hiding something (43:42-44:35).

Confession & Recovery

• Angel eventually admits Moody was using her car the night Brittanee vanished. Investigators bring Raymond Moody in for questioning in 2022.
• Faced with evidence, Moody confesses: He and Angel picked up Brittanee, who “willingly got in to party” (a claim both hosts and listeners doubt), drove her to a remote area, where Moody assaulted and strangled her. Angel, he claims, wasn’t involved, but inconsistencies abound (47:19-48:36).

Key Moment:

“Raymond, realizing his hands are tied, just randomly decides to confess.”
— Peyton Moreland (47:15)

• Moody leads police to Brittanee’s remains, finally unearthed after 13 years (48:38-48:53). Dental records and a blue contact lens confirm her identity.

Legal Aftermath & Lingering Questions

• Moody pleads guilty to murder, kidnapping, and sexual assault, sentenced to life without parole (49:47-50:00).

• Angel cooperates and avoids kidnapping/murder charges, but is later convicted of lying to federal agents and receives 18 years (52:36).

• The Drexel family wins a symbolic $700 million civil judgment against Moody and the hotel that allowed unsupervised minors to check in (51:14).

More Revelations: Complicity and Motive

• Two months after Angel’s sentencing, Moody claims Angel was an integral participant—helping to lure and restrain Brittanee, and even planning the crime by preparing a riverside tent. The new account suggests premeditation and shared culpability, though credibility is an issue (53:09).

Notable Quotes:

• “There was a tent pre set up in this heavily wooded… which just means that, yeah, they are telling the truth at the end that this was planned. They went out on the hunt for a girl who was alone that night. It's disgusting.”
  — Peyton Moreland (55:06)

• “I was a monster. I was a monster then and I was a monster when I took Brittany Drexel's life.”
  — Raymond Moody, in court, as quoted by Peyton (50:00)

Final Reflections

• The hosts grapple with disbelief at the evil and randomness of the crimes.
• Peyton points to the unanswered questions—Angel’s true role, Moody’s shifting stories, and the frightening reality that some predators plan and hunt for opportunities like this.
• The case leaves listeners with both resolution and deep unease about safety, trust, and the persistence of stranger abductions.

“It's just crazy to me that people… they just take people. Like people are just taken out of nowhere.”
— Garrett Moreland (54:56)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments with Timestamps

• Peyton: "Before she hung up the phone, Brittanee told her mother she loved her and that she would see her the following day. Unfortunately, though, that would be the last conversation the two of them would ever have." (14:38)
• Garrett: “The amount of people who reoffend when they get out of prison… for sex crimes, you guys would be mind blown.” (29:34-29:58)
• Peyton (about Angel): “She says Raymond was using her car the night Britney disappeared, and she can prove that she wasn't there when Britney was killed because she might actually still have her old cell phone...” (44:35)
• Raymond Moody (as quoted): “I was a monster then and I was a monster when I took Brittany Drexel's life.” (50:00)
• Garrett: “I just don't believe that she just got in that car willy nilly and was like, oh, yeah, let's go party. Nah... I just don't think that's what happened.” (52:04)
• Peyton: “There was a tent pre set up in this heavily wooded, which just means that, yeah, they are telling the truth at the end that this was planned. They went out on the hunt for a girl who was alone that night. It's disgusting.” (55:06)

Important Segment Timestamps

• Case Intro & Context: 07:22–13:00
• Spring Break & Disappearance: 13:00–16:43
• Initial Investigation: 16:53–18:20
• Cell Phone Data & Search: 22:01–23:23
• Suspects & Peter Brozewitz: 24:32–27:36
• Raymond Moody Focus: 28:00–34:24
• FBI Involvement & Jailhouse Informant: 34:55–36:02
• Modern Cell Phone Analysis: 39:20–40:47
• Surveillance Breakthrough: 42:32–44:19
• Moody Confession & Recovery: 47:15–48:53
• Legal Outcomes: 49:47–52:36
• Revelations of Planning: 53:09–55:06

Final Thoughts

The investigation into Brittanee Drexel’s murder highlights both advancements in forensic technology and gaps in early investigative work. Despite the case’s eventual “closure,” the episode underscores the horror of premeditated, stranger danger crimes, the failures of repeat-offender monitoring, and the fog of uncertainty shrouding Moody’s and Angel’s true roles.

The hosts end the episode with both a sense of tragic closure and frustration—especially at Angel’s likely deeper involvement and the chilling premeditation:

“They went out on the hunt for a girl who was alone that night. It's disgusting.”
— Peyton Moreland (55:06)

For Listeners

Even if familiar with the Drexel case, the episode stands out for its step-by-step narrative, personal family insight, and the emotional reactions from Garrett, making it both informative and impactful for new listeners and true crime veterans alike.