GEORGETOWN COUNTY, S.C. — Law enforcement officials have confirmed the remains found during a search near the South Carolina coast last week are the remains of 17-year-old Brittanee Drexel, who mysteriously disappeared in 2009.
The remains were found in the woods in Georgetown County during the search on Wednesday and Thursday, according to WCIV.
Georgetown County Sheriff Carter Weaver confirmed the discovery during a press conference on Monday afternoon from the Georgetown County Judicial Center.
Raymond Moody, a resident of Georgetown County and a convicted sex offender, was arrested last week and charged with obstruction of justice in Georgetown County, according to WSOC-TV.
Investigators said Moody is now accused of burying Drexel. His charges include rape, murder and kidnapping, according to officials.
Drexel, from Rochester, New York, disappeared in April 2009 while visiting family members on a trip to Myrtle Beach. She was last seen leaving the Blue Water Resort on Ocean Boulevard on April 25, 2009.
Moody was identified as a person of interest early on in the investigation into her disappearance, but law enforcement did not have enough evidence to mark him as a definitive suspect.