Private investigator agency discusses Brittanee Drexel search

AMBER READY partnered with an outside contractor to further investigate the case. Del Vecchio says Mark Benson, who is based out of North Carolina, is solely dedicated to handling any information or leads that come in concerning the Drexel search.

By: Rebekah Carter | SCNow
Published: February 09, 2010

CHARLESTON -- After missing for ten months, private investigators are now joining the search for Brittanee Drexel.

Drexel was reported missing after leaving the Bar Harbor Hotel in Myrtle Beach April 15, 2009. Since then, hundreds of people searched numerous times and places for any trace of the Rochester, NY teenager, but no solid leads have formed.

Frank del Vecchio, CEO of AMBER READY emergency response network based out of Rockaway, NJ, met Brittanee’s mother, Dawn, in August and began assisting with the search.

Del Vecchio traveled to South Carolina for searches that took place in Horry and Georgetown Counties in December and committed to doing more to find Drexel.

Since then, AMBER READY partnered with an outside contractor to further investigate the case. Del Vecchio says Mark Benson, who is based out of North Carolina, is solely dedicated to handling any information or leads that come in concerning the Drexel search. Benson works closely with CUE Center for Missing Persons, an organization that has been very involved with searching for Brittanee since the beginning.

Del Vecchio says hiring a private investigator helps the CUE Center and Myrtle Beach police with the search, in particular by handling leads that come from other states. He also says, while those two organizations are doing a great job handling the Drexel search, it should help to have a fresh set of eyes on the case.

AMBER READY is not officially associated with the national AMBER Alert program, but the two do work closely together. Del Vecchio says AMBER READY’s main priority is providing the families of missing children with the most information as quickly as possible.

Investigators are not giving any specific details as to what the enhanced search for Brittanee will entail, but say they are working hard to get her home safe and sound.

For more information on the AMBER READY program and its involvement with the Brittanee Drexel case, visit its website at http://www.amberready.com/ .