Brittany Locklear

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2:00purposes. Listener discretion is advised. My name is Sarah Turney and this is Voices for Justice.

2:13Today, I'm discussing the case of Brittany Locklear. In January 1998, five-year-old Brittany was abducted from her bus stop in Hoke County, North Carolina. This sparked a massive effort from authorities, her family, and the entire community to solve her case. And even 27 years later, that spark has never dwindled. This is the case of Brittany Locklear. The morning of January 7th, 1998 began like any other for Connie Locklear Chavez. She's a mom to two beautiful little girls, Brianna, who was 18 months old, and five-year-old Brittany, who needed to get ready to catch the bus for kindergarten. Connie gets up at 6.30 and she and Brittany pick out her outfit together.

3:04A green and white softball style shirt, green denim overalls, green and pink tennis shoes, white socks, and a matching green hair tie. The only part of Brittany's outfit that isn't color-coded in pink, white, and green is her little red riding hood coat. But with Brittany dressed and bundled, they head into the darkness of the cold Wednesday morning. They walk the about 500 feet to where the bus came to pick Brittany up each morning, near the end of her driveway. It's right around 7 a.m. now, and the bus is due any second. And Connie realizes that she needs to use the restroom. So she tells Brittany that she's gonna go inside real quick, but Brittany needs to stay there in case the bus comes.

3:47She'll be right back. So Connie runs inside, uses the restroom, and when she opens up her front door, She sees that Brittany is gone. Naturally, she assumes that the bus picked her up, but not long after, she gets a very urgent knock on her door. It's her neighbor, Rose Johnson. Now, it's important to note that Connie and her family live in a pretty rural area of Hoke County, North Carolina. She lives on a two-lane road that mostly goes through tobacco and soybean fields, but she does have a few neighbors nearby, including Rose, whose children also attend West Oak Elementary. That morning, Rose and her husband were also watching their kids wait for the school bus, and she says she saw a truck fly around the curve, then slow down quickly to a complete stop.

4:36Then she sees a man exit the truck, bend down like he was picking something up, get back in the truck, and speed away. Rose doesn't really think much of this until her kids get picked up by the school bus, and she realizes that the bus never stops at Brittany's house like it did every other morning. That's when she put two and two together and ran to Connie's house to tell her that she thinks she saw a man abduct Brittany. At this point, Connie rushes to the school to make sure that there wasn't some type of mistake, but when she gets there, school officials do confirm that Brittany was never on her bus.

5:15From here, Connie calls 911, and the operator tells her that they've already gotten calls about Brittany. It's not clear if it was Rose that called or other neighbors, but they tell the same story with some added detail. They saw a man who was either white or light-skinned in a brown truck with a rack of overhead lights. He slammed on his brakes, grabbed Brittany, and sped away. They also say that Brittany did not resist her kidnapper. It's really just every parent's worst nightmare, being away from your kids for just a matter of seconds or minutes and they're taken. But from here on out, it's all hands on deck.

5:57Hundreds of people flock to the area to begin searching for Brittany, including many members of their family from the Lumbee tribe. Luckily, they're also joined by basically every officer from the Hoke County Sheriff's Office. Sheriff Wayne Byrd even borrows a small plane from a nearby airport so he can help search alongside the state police in their helicopter. And there are officers on the ground who hand out flyers with Brittany's photo and information on them. Like I said, it's all hands on deck. But then, at around 9 a.m., just two hours after Brittany was abducted, deputies from the sheriff's office discover something that just makes their hearts drop.

6:38stop. About two miles from Brittany's home, they find her overalls, backpack, and shoes lying on the dirt road. It doesn't appear that these items were found neatly together or thoughtfully placed there, because Sheriff's Detective David Newton told the Observer that the items looked as if someone was driving and had thrown them out the window. It's a terrifying situation, and it grabs not only the attention of Brittany's loved ones, community, and neighbors, but also the local media. They're really all over this just hours after she's reported missing. And after spending most of the day helping with the search efforts, Connie and Brittany's stepfather, Charles Chavez, are told to go home and wait to see if Brittany shows up.

7:27Or maybe if someone calls for some type of ransom. And when they get home, they not only speak with the media, but invite them into their home saying the more help the better. Connie is giving interviews, showing them the path from their home to the bus stop. She's making pots of coffee for everyone. And there are just some heart-wrenching quotes from this time. They say Brittany will never walk down their street alone ever again. And of course that they hope she's found safe. But it's getting harder with each minute that goes by. Connie admits to the Fayetteville Observer that she's terrified someone killed her, saying, quote, you always hear it in the news, and you never think it'll hit home, but it has, end quote.

8:15Of course, while Brittany's loved ones are now mostly gathered at her home, authorities are still out searching. An investigator finds Brittany's biological father who was never really involved in her life, and he is quickly cleared. Helicopters with heat sensors search the nearby woods, but are eventually grounded due to the wind. By the end of the night, the temperatures are dropping, and there's a rainstorm on the horizon, but there's still no Brittany. Connie and Charles stay up all night worried sick. This message is sponsored by Greenlight. Money is this invisible thread that ties us all together.

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10:24more than 140 beverage ingredients. Visit goodtoknowfacts.org. Josie, it's your new nanny, Polly. The hand that rocks the cradle, a Hulu original. What do you know about her? Now streaming. You think if you try hard enough, you can stop bad things from happening, but you can't. Good help. Get out! Is hard to find. You need me to do this. A Hulu original, the hand that rocks the cradle. Reddit R, now streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney Plus. For bundled subscribers, terms apply. By the morning, there are already rumors swirling around town about what may have happened to Brittany or where she may be.

11:09There are reported sightings of her at a local store and in a neighboring town. And as Brittany's classmates wait for the school bus, they're taking in this entire scene. Brittany's abduction really just stops this entire town in their tracks They are laser focused on finding Brittany And are holding out hope that she'll be recovered alive But at approximately 2pm Their worst fears are confirmed when Brittany's body is found She was found approximately 3 miles from her home Submerged in water in a drainage ditch Whoever did this crudely tried to hide her inside the drainage pipe Deputies who were at that exact location the previous day Say that rain and rising water hid her until it began to recede When you read their statements in the media You can just feel their guilt that Brittany was there overnight While there were some rumblings that she'd been found And a news helicopter circled overhead Sheriff Byrd doesn't make the announcement quite yet Immediately after, he addresses the volunteers and says new evidence has been found, and they're in need of a tarp to cover up evidence that was to be fingerprinted.

12:27Then, he tells Brittany's parents what they'd found. The reports I found say they immediately collapsed to the ground, wailing. And by 4 p.m., Sheriff Byrd tells the public that Brittany has been found deceased. While this part isn't immediately announced to the public, Brittany's autopsy was performed the following day, and the medical examiner determined that she was sexually assaulted and had been drowned. From here, the FBI and SBI are brought in to assist the sheriff's office. They create a command post and a dedicated tip line that at one point was getting flooded with calls. According to Jay Tilly, an agent for the SBI, they were getting hundreds of calls a day and just didn't have the manpower or equipment to handle them.

13:20At this time in 1998, they were taking down notes by hand and then transferring them into a spreadsheet. But Tilly admits that some tips slipped through their system. It wouldn't be until three months later that the FBI provided a computer program designed to manage all these tips. But by the time that they got it, the tips had slowed down immensely. In reporting by Laura Arsenshield for News & Record, Tilly said, quote, We know there was info that came in that we didn't follow up on. We were not prepared. End quote. But they did question all registered sex offenders within a 50-mile radius. Now, like we've seen in a lot of cases, and honestly, justifiably, this community is terrified.

14:09Sheriff Byrd issues a warning that anyone with a brown truck will be stopped and questioned, and people driving brown trucks are being reported and pulled over left and right, but none of them appear to be the person who killed Brittany. A week after Brittany was found, the sheriff actually had to go calm down a group of armed community members who were walking the streets looking for a man who appeared to be suspicious. Like I said, people were terrified, and they were mad. They were determined to find whoever did this and bring Brittany's killer to justice. Brittany was only five when she was killed, but it's apparent how much she was loved.

14:51She was the smallest and youngest child at her school, and was given the nickname Little Brittany. Her teachers say that she was that kid who stopped to hug everyone, including every single teacher she saw every single day. One teacher said that Brittany didn't know fear. She dreamed of being a pilot one day. According to Connie, Brittany said, quote, I'm going to be driving one of them, riding in the sky, end quote. 4 ,000 people attended Brittany's wake on Sunday and her funeral on Monday. Everyone wanted answers, but the list of potential suspects or even persons of interest just wasn't very robust.

15:40Brittany's parents volunteer to be polygraphed and have their DNA taken. They are fully those parents who did everything they could so authorities could clear them and find whoever did this. And at this point, there's really no suspicion on them. And while there were a lot of men with brown trucks being investigated, there aren't any huge revelations here. The only other person that is really discussed as a possible suspect during this time is Brittany's school principal. Rumors began to swirl that maybe he did this due to some statements he gave in the media early on. It seems that he drove by Brittany's house every morning on his way to the school.

16:21She was just on his route, and he said that he'd often thought about picking her up, but due to school policy, he couldn't. Sheriff Byrd does address this and says that while at this point everyone is a suspect, Brittany's principal is not at the top of their list. But Sheriff Byrd soon gets himself in some hot water with Brittany's family and local residents, when after months of withholding her cause of death from the public, he decides to announce that Brittany died by drowning at one of his political rallies where he was seeking re-election. Most people saw this as just a very disrespectful move on his part, and ultimately he lost his election to a man named Jim Davis.

17:06But unfortunately, by most accounts, he's actually much worse than his predecessor. At this point in the investigation, over a year after Brittany was killed, they have worked thousands of leads and investigated a false confession. So from here, the SBI really takes over the case and kind of slams Sheriff Byrd. They say he likely scared off suspects or persons of interest. And they also tell the public to basically just disregard what they've heard about a white man in a brown truck, saying they can't confirm either of those things to be true. By 2001, the sheriff's office brings Brittany's parents back in for questioning, and outright accuses them of being involved in her murder.

17:52They also show Connie's father-in-law photos of Brittany's autopsy and asked if he molested her. But they deny any involvement, and ultimately, the DNA found at the scene and on Brittany isn't a match to anyone in her family, who have all been extremely cooperative with authorities. Really, it seems that Sheriff Davis is just hungry for this case to be solved as he is slowly approaching re-election. Unfortunately, this is not the first case or even likely the last case that we've seen where elected officials use unsolved crimes to help their political campaigns. And I do feel that I can say this confidently about Sheriff Davis, because in 2002, just months before the election, he holds another press conference, stating he's actually figured it all out.

18:43It was his former political opponent, Sheriff Byrd's son, who killed Brittany. And the former sheriff was covering it all up. We all love a legendary comeback, and Degree Original Cool Rush is back and better than ever. Cool Rush isn't just a scent, it's a movement, a fan favorite that delivers bold, fresh vibes and all-day sweat protection. Whether you have a man that spends hours in the gym, heads into the office early, or is just trying to stay fresh on a long day, Cool Rush has their back. Head to your local Walmart or Target and grab Degree Cool Rush, the fan favorite scent from the world's number one antiperspirant brand.

19:25According to reporting by Anna Griffin for the Charlotte Observer, at an August 2002 press conference, Hogue County Sheriff Jim Davis states that he has uncovered a massive conspiracy in Brittany Locklear's case, and that he wants the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate. He says that authorities who originally worked the case coerced one of the witnesses to lie about what they'd seen He says a man named jordash leach who was also a convicted armed robber Told investigators that he'd seen a white male driving a brown truck near britney's home when she was abducted But had recently changed his story Davis says leach is now telling him that the truck was blue But not only that, he says that the driver was actually Robin Byrd, the son of former Sheriff Wayne Byrd.

20:17But he never disclosed this information because he was told to lie. Davis said, quote, the original investigation was intentionally misdirected by law enforcement as a result of a wide-ranging political conspiracy, end quote. Now, Connie is actually at this press conference in person and cannot believe what she's hearing. She literally gets up and walks out. She told Griffin, quote, He's only bringing this back up because he's worried voters blame him for not solving it. Sheriff Davis is using my daughter's name to get re-elected. End quote. Now, if the idea of a massive cover-up involving potentially dozens of parties going off flawlessly for years, or Brittany's mom's feelings aren't enough to make you believe that this was politically motivated, it appears that Robin Byrd never owned a blue truck, and literally no other agency believed Sheriff Davis' accusations.

21:21Hoke County DA Christy Newton also said that the witness is not credible, and the SBI made a statement that they don't know anything about a witness changing their statement. I also think it's extremely worth noting that at this time, Robin Byrd was serving a 23-month sentence for trying to burn down the home of Davis' campaign manager. But while he's accusing Robin Byrd of this, Davis also writes a letter to the U.S. Department of Justice that puts suspicion back on Brittany's family. The letter said in part, quote,

22:04Davis outright says that he thinks Brittany's death was politically motivated due to Brittany being abducted two days before candidate filing opened for the 1998 elections. Most people believe that this entire press conference was a fabrication made up by Davis to enact revenge on the Byrd family and to get re-elected. And in the end, Davis did lose the election to a man named Hubert Peterkin. He becomes the third sheriff in three years to handle Brittany's case. But unlike his predecessors, he would stay in office for nearly two decades after. When Peterkin takes over the case, there's not much to it, unfortunately.

22:46They have her cause and manner of death, they have an FBI profile, and they have DNA. Everyone is considered a suspect. But no one really tops that list until 2003. On July 29th, about 30 minutes from Brittany's home, a Fort Bragg firefighter named Keith Laundrie gets arrested for robbing a bank. He obviously loses his job with the fire department, but as his locker is being cleaned out, multiple pictures of Brittany were found. The sheriff's office obviously interviews Laundrie, and they execute a search warrant looking for anything they can that may tie him to Brittany's murder, but they don't find anything other than the pictures.

23:31Sheriff Peterkin does outright name him as a suspect at this point, but it's still unclear why he had these pictures of Brittany. We don't know if Laundrie just pleaded the fifth, or if it's never been released to the media. Some have speculated that he may have helped in the original searches for Brittany, and that maybe those photos were a reminder or inspiration for his work as a firefighter. But as far as I could find, there weren't photos of anyone else found in his locker, just Brittany. It's obviously just a very strange situation, but in May 2004, a DNA sample was taken from Laundrie, and it was not a match to the DNA found at the scene when Brittany was killed.

24:17However, I did find a statement from Peterkin in a 2009 article, five years after this, and he said that Laundrie was still a suspect, so take that for what you will. By 2006, law enforcement had received over 17 ,000 tips about Brittany's case, and the SBI estimated that 92 agents worked the case for over 9 ,000 hours. But unfortunately, there aren't really any major updates in Brittany's case after this. In 2015, the sheriff's office did announce that they had enough evidence to make a generic profile of Brittany's killer And they reiterated that her case is still a top priority In 2021, Sheriff Peterkin passed away, never knowing what happened to Brittany In the end, officials have stated that they believe Brittany was only alive for a matter of hours after she was taken One officer said that he thought it was no more than 30 minutes The general belief appears that her killer took her directly to the drainage ditch And that this man made no mistakes Some officials have gone on record saying that they believe it was a meticulously planned killing While others argue it was a crime of opportunity And his timing of driving around the corner may have just been perfect they saw Brittany alone grabbed her went right to the drainage ditch and left the scene quickly before they could get caught really at this point it seems that their best chance of catching Brittany's killer is through DNA or a new witness coming forward and just recently her younger sister Brianna said that she still has hope that her case will be solved she grew up without her sister.

26:14Her uncle taught her how to shoot her first gun when she was three years old, and she was never allowed to wait at a bus stop alone. Brittany's absence and her murder has changed her family and this community forever. Which brings me right to our call to action. Please share Brittany's case. Cases like hers with strong DNA evidence are being solved left and right. But you sharing her case might get them there even faster. 1998 wasn't that long ago. Your share might just reach someone who knows something and says something that finally solves this case.

27:02As a reminder, five-year-old Brittany Locklear was abducted from her home in Hope County, North Carolina, and later killed on January 7, 1998. She had brown hair and brown eyes and is described as being much smaller than a normal five-year-old. She was last seen wearing a green and white softball-style t-shirt, green denim overalls, green and pink tennis shoes, white socks, a green hair tie, and a little red riding hood coat. Anyone with information is asked to call the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation at 800-334-3000.

27:46But as always, thank you, I love you, and I'll talk to you next time.

27:56Voices for Justice is hosted and produced by me, Sarah Turney, and is a Voices for Justice media original. If you love what we do here, please don't forget to follow, rate, and review the show in your podcast player. It's an easy and free way to help us and help more people find these cases in need of justice.

29:02Welcome to the Secret After Show. The door to the studio is open and our emotional support puppies are in the room. Let's jump right into the case. The first thing I had on my list was to talk about how the 911 operator told Connie that other people had called. Now, I don't really know what the laws or protocol was at this time in this county, but I love that they did that, that they told Connie what they knew because she deserves to know. And I know it's a tricky situation because not all parents are innocent and in certain situations that may not be the best thing to happen. But in this situation, I think that it's pretty clear that Connie and her family have been cleared.

29:51And I think it was just a really great kindness for that 911 operator to tell her what she knew. I don't know. Let me know what you guys think. I would love to get your input on that. Was it appropriate? Was it not appropriate? If anyone out there is a 911 operator, let me know. I think in hindsight, when you know everything, I can just imagine wanting, I mean, I think I can more than imagine, you want to know everything you can as soon as you can. And as terrible as that entire situation was, I have to imagine that when Connie heard, they'd already gotten calls, they were already on it, that there was some relief there.

30:35I also wanted to touch on, um, oh, makes me emotional, um, Rihanna and, um, her growing up and just like, you know, there were a few statements from her, um, or about her too, and you can just tell, and you see in a lot of these cases how when something happens to one child, it just changes everything. A few years actually after Brittany was killed, Connie and her husband did get a divorce. And like I told you at the end of the episode, Brittany's younger sister grew up in a totally different world than it was when Brittany was around. I just think it's one of those things I like to point out that the ripple effect in these cases and throughout these families is just so intense.