Where is Brittney Wood? Alabama Teen Missing Since May of 2012

June 10, 2012 07:01 AM EDT
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Nineteen-year old Brittney Wood was reported missing by her family on June 2nd, but the young woman had actually been missing for a few days prior, so where is she? Her family was among the anxious family members of missing women when the dismembered, stabbed torso of a woman washed ashore in Mississippi. The torso has was also believed to be Mickey Shunick by some, but it has been confirmed as belonging to missing woman Jaren Lockhart who vanished from New Orleans just a few days ago.

When Britney Wood was last seen, in Mobile, Alabama, she was allegedly heading to a house near the Styx River to visit Donnie Wood, her uncle. Tragically, Donnie Wood shot himself on Friday—so if that doesn't reek of a sort of "confession" then what does?

Police do not believe that the missing woman is anywhere in Baldwin County, seeing as though Donnie had traveled all the way to Fairhope to shoot himself. It takes one helluva coward to do something to a young beautiful woman and then blow his brains out before even leaving so much as a confession or suicide note. How will Brittney be found and will she ever receive justice?

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Mobile police continue search for missing 19-year-old Brittney Wood
Published: Saturday, June 09, 2012, 4:29 AM Updated: Saturday, June 09, 2012, 12:02 PM
By Rhoda A. Pickett, Press-Register
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MOBILE, Alabama -- Mobile police were searching Friday for a 19-year-old woman whose family recently reported her missing, said Cpl. Christopher Levy, a department spokesman.

The family of Brittney Wood filed a missing person report on June 2, Levy said. Wood’s family told police that the last time they saw her was May 30.

According to reports from WKRG-TV5, Wood told family members she was headed to a house near Styx River to visit her uncle, Donnie Wood. The family told the station that Donnie Wood returned home near Fairhope on Friday and shot himself. Brittney Wood has not been seen since, the station reported.

According to a narrative on a social network Facebook missing persons section, the last cell phone transmission indicated that Wood was in the Styx River area.

Maj. Anthony Lowery, spokesman for the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office, said Friday that deputies checked the area around Waterworld Road on Wednesday and Thursday, but found nothing.
“The road runs parallel to Interstate 10 and is a few hundred yards, at best, off the interstate,” he said. “We don’t know if she was with her cell phone or if she passing through on the interstate.”

Lowery said that deputies have not found any witnesses who recall seeing Wood in Baldwin County.
“We don’t have anything to lead us to believe that she’s in Baldwin County,” Lowery said.

Anyone with any information about Wood is asked to call Mobile police at 251-208-7211

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Wonder how this guy was an uncle to her? Brother of one of her parents or an uncle by marriage? Wonder what happened to her and what he had to do with it...Don't know if we'll ever know now.

When Britney Wood was last seen, in Mobile, Alabama, she was allegedly heading to a house near the Styx River to visit Donnie Wood, her uncle. Tragically, Donnie Wood shot himself on Friday—so if that doesn't reek of a sort of "confession" then what does?

well that speak volumes.

Candlelight vigil held for missing teen
Updated: Tuesday, 12 Jun 2012, 9:14 AM CDT
Published : Monday, 11 Jun 2012, 9:35 PM CDT

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - Family and friends lit candles at Travis Road Baptist Church Monday night as a sign of unity in prayer asking God to bring Brittney Wood home.

The family said the last they heard, Brittney was going to visit her uncle near the Styx River area. When she didn't show up, the family became worried.

KlaasKIDS foundation is helping the family look for Brittney. They will visit various residences Brittney could have visited in the last six months. The family said they have not heard any new information and are asking for help from the public.

“I would just like anybody out there with any information about Brittney, anything, no matter how small they might think it is, to please get in touch with the Klaas foundation or police,” said Wood’s father, Wallace Hanke.

He says his emotions are raw right now.

“It’s hard to explain multiple emotions sadness, worry, I can’t explain it. We haven’t heard anything from anywhere and we need somebody out there that knows something no matter how minor it is,” Hanke said.

Wood’s mother said she was very close to her daughter but is getting through the pain with the help of family and friends.

“I’m hurting. I just want my baby to come home. Please, if anybody knows where Brittney is, please let me know. Knowing something is better than nothing,” said Wood’s mother, Chessie Wood.

Wood has a two year old daughter named Payton who family members say needs her mother.

“She is a loving mama and she loves her baby. She (Brittney) has brothers and sisters that she loves. We were really close,” Wood said.

The KlaasKIDS search team will begin looking for Brittney with K9 units starting in Pensacola on Wednesday.

Contact the Mobile Police Department 251-208-7211 or KlassKIDS at 855-733-5567 with any information.

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Wood has a two year old daughter named Payton who family members say needs her mother.

“She is a loving mama and she loves her baby. She (Brittney) has brothers and sisters that she loves. We were really close,” Wood said.

CBS/WKRG) ROBERTSDALE, Ala. - Two weeks ago 19-year-old Brittney Wood, single mother of one, left home in Tillmans Corner, in southwest Alabama. She hasn't been heard from since.

Family and friends traveled from the small town to search the woods near Styx River, where they believe she may have been, CBS affiliate WKRG reported.

"This was the last place her phone was 'pinged'," says her father Wallace Hanke. "They found the signal bouncing off one of these towers...We need some help finding her."

"You know your child's routine. She has done nothing routine. She always calls me and she ain't called me," her mother Chessie Wood told the station.

On Thursday, May 31, Brittney Wood told family members she was headed to a house near Styx River, Ala. to see her uncle Donnie. Then Donnie Wood returned home near Fairhope the next day, and he committed suicide, shooting himself, heightening concern for Brittney.

"Her uncle has committed suicide and supposedly he was the last one she was with and so we're worried about that," says Hanke. "I'm hoping to God and I really don't think he would hurt my baby," says Brittney's mother.

In yet another strange twist, when Brittney left her Tillmans Corner home she left on foot for the 40 mile trip to Styx River, WKRG reported. Her family is sure someone gave her a ride there and they'd like to talk to that person as well.

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I still haven't read or heard how this uncle was actually related to her? Does anybody know if he was a brother of one of her parents or someone related by marriage? It seems strange to me that more info is not coming out about him. It just came to me that he must be her father's brother since his name was Donnie Wood?

"This was the last place her phone was 'pinged'," says her father Wallace Hanke.

Well, her father's name wasn't Wood, so...

(GRAND BAY, Ala.) The search for missing teen mom Brittney Wood has now moved to the Grand Bay area. Mobile Police have told the family evidence points to Mobile County as the best place to search.

This after nearly three days of intense search efforts in Baldwin County. Mobile Police aren't saying what evidence they have, but they've told the family that evidence points to Grand Bay.

Efforts in Baldwin County were suspended early on Friday once the family discovered Brittney's cell phone was turned on six days after she was reported missing.

"When you deal with so many cases like we do that don't always end up very favorably. Every single one that ends favorably we are very happy about," said Brad Dennis who organized the Baldwin County search teams this week.

Searchers say Brittney could be in trouble, scared, or simply hiding. The hope is that she's alive.

"It gives me some hope but we still believe even though she has not contacted us that she's still missing. That possibility is still out there," said Chessie Wood, Brittney's Mother.

"I don't care about the circumstances if she is out there on her own or she is hiding in fear, I would want her to know that doesn't have anything to be in fear about," said Dennis.

Mobile Police say Brittney is in no way in trouble with the law.

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Lisette, no clue how the uncle is related to which side of the family or if he is in fact her biological uncle. Many people call close family friends aunt or uncle so who really knows?

Updated: Wednesday, 20 Jun 2012, 10:19 PM CDT
Published : Wednesday, 20 Jun 2012, 10:03 PM CDT

BALDWIN COUNTY, Ala. (WALA) - Family and friends have been searching for 19-year-old Brittney Wood for nearly a month.

Family members said the teen was last seen on May 30.

Tony Dickey with Disaster and Victim Services said Wood was last seen heading to her uncle's home near Styx River.

That same uncle he said mysteriously committed suicide the day she went missing.

Now, deputies tell us two of Wood's relatives have been arrested on a number of sex crimes stemming from an ongoing investigation.

Deputies said the crimes involve a female juvenile who alerted authorities.

Officials described the case as horrific.

“We don't know if there is any involvement with her as far as her being missing at this point. We’re looking into aspects of that,” said Cpt. Steve Arthur with the BCSO.

On Tuesday, deputies arrested Brittney’s uncle Randall Scott Wood for sex abuse, sodomy, and incest.

Deputies said another relative, Dustin Alton Kent was also charged.

While the details were limited, officials said they believe this is just the tip of the iceberg and expect to make more arrests.

“I think that once our investigation is completed and all the individuals that are implicated in this investigation are brought to arrest, I can give you more details; and you'll understand how serious the crime is,” said Cpt. Arthur.

“The family is devastated just as any family would be to learn that some of their relatives have actually been arrested on charges of this magnitude,” said Tony Dickey.

As for the ongoing search, crews will be going door-to-door Thursday in the Irvington and Grand Bay area to pass out flyers.

Investigators said Wood’s cell phone was last activated in that area.

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good video above

by Chelsea Hoffman

Did Brittney Wood's Uncle Contribute to Disappearance?

June 25, 2012 05:50 AM EDT

Nineteen-year-old Brittney Wood was last seen on May 30 leaving her mother's home in the direction of her uncle's residence. Donnie Holland, the uncle, committed suicide just two days later by shooting himself. This chain of events has long been target of speculation as the young single mother remains missing with no evidence leading to a positive conclusion. There are now shocking updates in the case that cast a darker shadow over the speculation regarding his potential involvement in the Alabama woman's disappearance.

It's being reported that Donnie Holland was being investigated for sexual abuse at the time of Brittney Wood's disappearance. That's not all; apparently two more of the missing woman's relatives have been charged and arrested with sexual abuse crimes. Her other uncle Randall Scott Wood was arrested for incest, sodomy and other sexual crimes. Another relative by the name of Dustin Alton Kent was arrested on similar charges. Authorities referred to the case as "horrific," and announced that they do not know if the missing Alabama teen had any involvement in the crimes committed.

What's sad is that this is an even deeper investigation with more arrests to come. Police call it the "tip of the iceberg." The brother of Wood claims the belief that she could be scared and in hiding. Is there a possibility that she's either involved with the actual sex crimes or somehow involved with turning in her own family members? If so, it's unlikely a woman of her age, with this being such a high-profile case, is still alive in hiding somewhere. Who knows, though?

Another theory is that the missing Alabama woman was on her way to see her uncle, who murdered her and then disposed of her remains near the Styx River or other location. Her cellular phone was last pinged in this direction, indicating that it was turned off completely. Now, what 19-year-old woman would know to disconnect her phone to avoid triangulation? It's highly unlikely.

This is just a sickening case that paints a stereotypical picture of the backwoods culture in parts of Alabama, and a young woman's disappearance is apparently taking a back-burner.

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OMG what a screwed up family!!!!!!!

Six weeks after a teen mother vanished without trace, her brother has been arrested over unspecified abuse claims.
Derek Wood, 21, was charged with abuse on Friday, according to the Baldwin County Sheriff's Office.
His 19-year-old sister Brittney has not been seen since May 30, when she disappeared during a trip to visit her uncle about 45 miles from her home in Theodore, Alabama.
It is not yet known whether the two events have any connection.

The uncle, Donald Holland, was found dead of an apparent suicide the next day - before he could be questioned by investigators.
The case of Brittney Wood, who has a two-year-old daughter, has baffled investigators who have not yet found any trace of the teen.
The sheriff’s office would not comment when asked whether Derek Wood's arrest is linked to his sister’s disappearance.
Brittney’ mother, Chessie Wood, told WKRG that Derek and Brittney were extremely close.

he told the network: 'They have the same friends, run the same places, I mean they're like this. He is Brittney's protector and he feels like he wasn't there when he should've been.'
In a statement posted on The Hometown Search for Brittney Wood Facebook page her father and stepmother, Wallace & Stephanie Hanke said: 'In the wake of the recent arrest our focus is still the same as it's been from the beginning (sic).
'Our goal is to bring Brittney home. Thanks for the continued support of family & friends.'

Derek Wood, who is listed on the office’s website as homeless, is being held on $25,000 bond.
Also in the weeks since Ms Wood vanished, two more of her uncles were arrested, but the arrests are not believed to be connected to the teen's case.
Both of the uncles, Dustin Kent, 32, and Randall Wood, 42, have since been released on bond.
Brittney Wood is described as 5'1" and 105 pounds, with dirty blonde hair and blue eyes.


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She is a beautiful girl! So sad that she was mixed up in this crazy family! I'm sure the uncle that committed suicide had something to do with her disappearance.

MOBILE, Alabama -- The family of missing teen Brittney Wood is offering a $1,500 reward for "information leading to her recovery."

According to her mother, Wood left her parent's home on foot on May 30 around 7:30 p.m. saying she was going to visit her uncle in Baldwin County. Her mother has not seen or heard from her since, she said.

Four members of Wood's family have been arrested in Baldwin County within the past month, all on sexual abuse charges.

Two of Wood's uncles, Randall Wood and Dustin Kent were arrested June 19 on charges of incest, sodomy and sexual abuse; her brother, Derek Wood, was arrested July 13 on charges of rape and sodomy, and her cousin, Donald Holland, was arrested Tuesday and charged with second-degree rape, sexual abuse and incest.

When she went missing, Wood had reportedly told her family that she was going to visit her uncle Donnie Holland, father of Donald Holland. Before he could be questioned about his missing niece, Holland killed himself according to Fairhope police.
Law enforcement officials have said that they do not believe Wood's disappearance is linked to the arrests of her family members.
Mobile police are asking the public to send any tips or information regarding Brittney Wood by way of the following telephone numbers: Mobile police, 251-208-7211; CrimeStoppers, 251-208-7000, or by text to 274637 with the keyword CRIME 411.http://blog.al.com/live/2012/07/brittney_woods_family_offers_r.html

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Family members feel arrests are related to missing teen
Updated: Wednesday, 18 Jul 2012, 6:18 PM CDT
Published : Wednesday, 18 Jul 2012, 3:41 PM CDT

Renee Dials
BALDWIN COUNTY, Ala. (WALA) - The family of missing teen Brittney Wood is offering a $1,500 reward for information that will help find her.

Some family members believe the teen's disappearance and the arrests of several relatives are somehow linked.

Kim Aikin says the family is clinging to hope that 19-year-old Brittney Wood is alive and will be found and that the reward will encourage someone to come forward with information to help find her.

Aikin, who is the sister of Brittney's father, says her family has been following the sex crimes investigation in Baldwin County.

"It just seems to go on and on and get deeper and deeper," Aikin said.

Baldwin County Sheriff's investigators say their sex abuse investigation is not linked to Brittney's disappearance.

Some family members don't believe that.

"Personally, I think it's a good possibility. More things come out about Donnie Holland since he's committed suicide," Aikin said.

Donald Holland committed suicide two days after Wood disappeared on May 30.

"I know that I've heard he was supposed to be arrested the day that he shot his self," Aikin said.

Two other uncles Randall Wood and Dustin Kent were arrested for rape, sodomy and incest last month. Kent was arrested on additional sex charges again July 16.

Brittney's bother Derek Wood was arrested on the same charges on July 13 but his incest charge was later dropped.

On Tuesday, deputies arrested Wood's cousin Donald Holland, Jr. on the same charges.

"You have to wonder whose next. Things are heating up. I've been praying that the truth will come out," Aikin said.

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Wood has been missing since May 30, 2012

Updated: Saturday, 21 Jul 2012, 8:49 AM CDT
Published : Friday, 20 Jul 2012, 5:38 PM CDT

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - FOX10 News has uncovered new information in the case of missing teenager Brittney wood.

Wood was last seen May 30 heading to Baldwin County and the Styx River area with her uncle, Donald Holland.

Deputies said Holland was found two days later with a self-inflicted gunshot wound on June 1. He died in the hospital June 4.

Investigators confirm the Raven .25-caliber handgun Holland used in the suicide belonged to Wood.

We spoke with Wood’s mother about the discovery.

Chessie Wood said she felt her daughter's disappearance was mysterious since the beginning. However, she is unsure how Holland may have gotten Brittney’s gun.

"We believe we have missed something that is hollering our name, and maybe it was so obvious,” said Chessie.

At first, some relatives thought Brittney may have skipped town.

"We as a family do not see how she had the means to run,” said Chessie. “We’ve covered every friend, every one of them are accounted for. I mean if she had to run because she's that scared, I would really believe that she would have [taken] her daughter with her.

“It just really does not look good that she went missing May 30 and two days later he commits suicide.”

Just a few weeks after her daughter vanished, four family members were arrested and charged with sex crimes, including incest.

A source close to the investigation said Holland was a suspect in that same family sex abuse case and was expected to meet with authorities June 1, about half an hour after he shot himself.

Relatives said they are back to square one and hope a $1,500 reward will lead to more information about the case.

“I mean, I just want an answer. That’s all I want. I want to bring her home whether it be tragically or a happy ending,” said Wood.

Brittney’s relatives told deputies that the teen normally only had two bullets in her gun. FOX10 confirmed the weapon did have just one bullet left, after Holland shot himself..

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Published: Sunday, July 22, 2012, 9:23 PM
Updated: Sunday, July 22, 2012, 10:10 PM
By Mark R. Kent, Press-Register
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William Brownlee

BAY MINETTE, Alabama -- Deputies Sunday made a fifth arrest in connection with an ongoing sex crimes investigation of relatives of missing teen Brittany Wood.

According to records at the Baldwin County Corrections Center, 48-year-old William Bonny Brownlee of Mobile was booked just after 4 p.m., charged with second-degree sexual abuse and second-degree sodomy. He was in jail with bail totaling $15,400, including for an outstanding traffic warrant, the records show.

According to a report by WALA Fox10 television, Brownlee is a friend of Donald Holland Sr., the deceased uncle of Wood. Holland shot himself to death on June 1, two days after Wood disappeared. The WALA report also said that Holland used a gun that belongs to Wood to take his life.

Four relatives of Wood have been arrested on sex-related charges in recent weeks. Deputies have emphasized that Wood, a 19-year-old mother from southwest Mobile County, is not believed to be directly tied to the sex allegations against Brownlee or the four relatives.

Anyone who knows Wood's whereabouts should call Mobile police at 251-208-7211 or the Mobile County Sheriff's Office at 251-574-8633.

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FGS what is going on with that family??? OMG it's horrible!

Updated: Monday, 23 Jul 2012, 2:24 PM CDT
Published : Monday, 23 Jul 2012, 11:04 AM CDT

April Douglas
Photojournalist: Marcus Powe
MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - The search for missing teen mom Brittney Wood continues.

Monday morning, FOX10 News spoke to Brad Dennis with KLAASKids Foundation , a non profit organization dedicated to finding missing children.

Dennis said the recent arrest of five people, including Wood’s family members, for sex crimes has raised questions but not halted the search.

“The challenge that we face is trying to determine what took place that night and where,” said Dennis. “We all still believe someone knows something that took place that evening of May 30 or the 31. We believe there are still people out there that saw Brittany during that time frame. We need them to come forward.”

FOX10 News asked Dennis how this case compared to others, considering the turn of events.

The last person known to see Brittney Wood before she vanished was her uncle, Donald Holland, Sr. Authorities have said Holland committed suicide days after her disappearance.

Other family members have been arrested, too including Donald Holland, Jr. He was charged with incest, rape and sodomy.

Wood’s brother, Derek Wood was arrested and charged with similar sex crimes.

Two relatives were arrested before Derek, Dustin Kent and Randall Wood for sex crimes. Randall wood was charged with incest, too.

The latest arrest came over the weekend. William Bonny Brownlee was arrested by Baldwin County Deputies and charged with sodomy, sex abuse and failing to appear.

“This case obviously has become so much larger than when it first started, but missing children cases often do that,” said Dennis. “This is a perfect example of that. It started out as a young woman who possibly ran off could very well be a lot different thing at this point.”

FOX10 News asked where does the search stand and if the family members arrested who participated in the search could have hindered the process.

“Definitely a possibility and some of those areas have already been searched again, by our team. Our team is actively searching different areas and locations,” added Dennis.

Baldwin County Authorities have said the arrest of five people, including some of Brittany Wood’s family members, is not related to her disappearance.

FOX10 News will have more on this story beginning at 4 p.m.

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The facebook page has some very interesting posts. The family is being accused of tampering with evidence.

(MOBILE, Ala.) - The stepmother of a missing Mobile teen said Monday that recent sex abuse arrests in Baldwin County are connected to her stepdaughter's disappearance.

19-year-old Brittney Wood was last seen May 30th, and since then four of her relatives, and a family-friend, have been charged with child sex crimes. Investigators are not releasing many details about the case, other than that Wood is not involved in these cases.

Stephanie Hanke, the stepmother of Brittney Wood, told Local 15 News those cases, as well as the suicide of Wood's uncle, are all connected.

Hanke said she wants the missing persons case to become a criminal investigation.

"Your looking at three cases and all these arrests, and they all seem to intertwine around Brittney," Hanke said, "But everybody says there's no connection. But if there's no connection, where's Brittney? Bring us Brittney."

Hanke said, so far, the family has been frustrated with the efforts of law enforcement in locating Wood, and she, herself, is losing hope.

"We're at 55 days today," Hanke said. "She would have reached out to somebody."

Hanke said the family's continued plea to the public to find Brittney Wood is being overshadowed by heinous crimes across the bay.

"I feel bad for the victims," Hanke said. "They've said there's multiple victims, and we know this because one person was arrested more than once."

48-year-old William Brownlee was arrested on Sunday for sodomy and sex abuse charges. Brownlee is the latest in a slew of related arrests since June.

Brittney Wood's uncle Dustin Kent, was arrested arrested last week on sodomy and rape charges for the second time since June. A Baldwin County Sheriff's Office spokesperson said that is because there are two different victims involved.

Brittney Wood's uncle, Randall Wood, faces sodomy, sex abuse, and incest charges. Her brother, Derek Wood, remains in jail facing sodomy and rape charges too.

Brittney's cousin Donald Holland Jr. faces similar charges, along with one count of incest. Authorities said Holland's father committed suicide at his home near Styx River two days after Brittney disappeared on May 30th.

Stephanie Hanke said William Brownlee was friends with Brittney Wood's uncle Donald Holland Sr.

"He is a longtime friend of Donnie," Hanke said. "I've actually seen him with Donnie on numerous occasions."

Hanke said Holland is the last person to see Wood, and that Holland even gave Wood a ride to his home near the Styx River in Baldwin County, where the search for the missing teen began last month.

"She gets picked up by her uncle," Hanke said. "It seems to be a secret that he picks her up, and then he shoots himself less than 40 hours from the time he picks her up."

Hanke said her stepson, and Brittney Wood's brother, Derek Wood, who faces sodomy and rape charges, is the only one of the five arrested she does not suspect is connected with Wood's disappearance. She said Derek Wood was already in jail charged with a different crime when Brittney disappeared.

In a desperate plea to find their missing daughter, Wood's family offered a $1,500 reward last week for information leading to Brittney's recovery.
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Video at link

"She gets picked up by her uncle," Hanke said. "It seems to be a secret that he picks her up, and then he shoots himself less than 40 hours from the time he picks her up."

That sure does speaks volumes, I agree. I worry we may never find Brittney because of that. I am pretty sure they are not going to find her alive.

By April Douglas

BALDWIN COUNTY, Ala. (WALA) - The mother of missing teenager Brittney Wood said she believes her daughter was the victim of sexual abuse.

The teen has been missing since May 30, but Chessie Wood said her daughter wouldn't have just walked off.

Chessie Wood believes her daughter Brittney knew arrests were coming in a sex crimes investigation before she disappeared.

She also believes her daughter was sexually abused by her now-dead uncle, Donald Holland, Sr.

"I was told by authorities that Brittney was one of his victims," said Chessie Wood.

She said she feels she is still being victimized by her uncle because he was the last person to have seen her. A source told FOX10 Holland was a suspect in a sex crimes ring but, before he could be questioned, he killed himself.

Chessie Wood says she asked her daughter Brittney if anyone had touched her or made her feel uncomfortable and she told her 'No.'

"A lot of rape victims do this. We don't know why they will protect the molester," said Chessie Wood.

Wood believes Holland held the key to her daughter's disappearance.

"I believe Brittney was trying to protect some people in the family she loved and she paid the ultimate price for it," Wood said.

Five people have been arrested and charged with sex crimes in the Baldwin County investigation.

Holland would have made six, except authorities said he used Brittney Wood's gun to kill himself.

"Why did Brittney carry a gun?" asked FOX10.

"For protection," answered Chessie Wood. "She had a lot of obsessive ex-boyfriends and look what was going on across the Bay... I guess she was scared."
But Chessie Wood said if her daughter did run out of fear, she would not have left her gun or cell phone behind.

If you have any information on the disappearance of 19-year-old Brittney Wood, please call KlaasKIDS at (855) 733-5567 or (251) 348-1562.


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By Letisha Bush


GRAND BAY, Ala. (WALA) - The great-grandmother of Brittney Wood's 2-year-old daughter, Payton Hamilton, said she does her best to protect the child from the details of her mother's missing person’s case.

Maxine Harris, 65, said her grandson, Andrew Hamilton, is Payton's father and has full custody of the 2-year-old. Harris said Payton spends a lot of her time with her and she is doing fine.

Harris said the last time Payton saw her mother was two days before she went missing. Since then, Harris said she has only seen her mother's picture on television.

"When the news comes on, they show the picture of Brittney. If she is standing close by she'll go to the TV and she'll point and say that's my mama,” said Harris

Continuing coverage: Brittney Wood

Harris said Payton is doing fine, but she notices her mother isn't around and has asked where she is.

“We figured when she gets old enough and asks us questions we can try to explain things to her, but right now all we can do is say she's gone somewhere,” said Harris.

Although hopeful Wood will turn up soon, Harris said she isn't sure if that will happen.

“She wouldn't be gone this long. Maybe a few days would go by that she wouldn't call my grandson which is the baby's daddy. But she would call. So we know something has happened or they got her where she cannot use a phone,” said Harris.

In the meantime, Harris is trying her best to help keep Payton busy and happy. And no matter what the outcome is in Wood’s case, Harris said she will make sure Payton grows up with a lot of love.

“Really become something. And as long as I’m living she will. I will do as much as I can do for her,” said Harris.

If you have any information on the disappearance of 19-year-old Brittney Wood, please call KlaasKIDS at (855) 733-5567 or (251) 348-1562.
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I agree with Brittney's step Mother. The situation does seem very grave. I think the Uncle that shot himself did something to Brittney.

I agree and I think LE needs to open their eyes re: this case.

lindamarie wrote:I agree with Brittney's step Mother. The situation does seem very grave. I think the Uncle that shot himself did something to Brittney.

I feel the same way LM!

Me too!

Brittney Wood: Questions keep piling up in case of missing teen

Published: Sunday, July 29, 2012, 10:15 AM Updated: Sunday, July 29, 2012, 1:57 PM
By Michael Dumas, Press-Register

MOBILE, Alabama -- Where is Brittney?

For 61 days, investigators, family members and friends have stared at silent cell phones, empty bedrooms and an inactive Facebook page as they await word of the whereabouts of Brittney Wood.

The 19-year-old mother of a 2-year-old daughter left her own mother’s house in Theodore where she was staying around 7 p.m. on May 30 and hasn’t been seen or heard from since.

According to family members, it wasn’t unusual for the thin brunette with a pierced lip to occasionally be gone for as many as three days at a time, so it wasn’t until the first week of June when they realized that something might be terribly amiss.

They say she had told her parents — her mother and father are both remarried — she was headed out to visit with a friend. But Brittney’s other friends say she was with her uncle, Donnie Holland, at a house where he was staying on Water World Road near Styx River in south Baldwin County.

Brittney’s stepmother, Stephanie Hanke, said it wouldn’t have been out of the ordinary for Brittney to spend time with Holland, and that he’d picked her up from their home several times.

Chessie Wood, Brittney’s mother, said she’d known Holland, her brother in law, for more than 30 years, since she was 6 years old.

But investigators were never able to question Holland about the missing Brittney. On June 1, he drove his black SUV to a secluded clearing overlooking Fish River in the Marlow community of south Baldwin and shot himself in the head.

The first medical responder to the scene that afternoon was Fish River/Marlow Fire Chief Gib Hixon. He said Holland was alive but struggling to breathe in the bloody SUV.

A Medstar EMS ambulance crew transported Holland to the yard of a nearby home where a medivac helicopter landed and ferried him to a hospital in Pensacola, Hixon said.

Holland died three days later, and many of those looking for Brittney believe that important clues about her case died with him.

Her family says it didn’t dawn on them that she was missing until they tried to call her after hearing that Holland had shot himself hours earlier.

"Friday we started trying to contact her to tell her what had happened, and when she didn’t respond we knew right then something was wrong," said Chessie Wood, whose sister Wendy was Holland’s wife. "So Saturday I reported her missing."

Brittney’s disappearance was just the beginning of a family saga that has only gotten deeper, darker and more mysterious with passing weeks.

Since mid-June, four of the men in Brittney’s family, and another man who was a family friend, have been accused of sex crimes for which investigators offer scant details, except for three: That the crimes span years, that the investigation is months old, and that the cases involve juveniles, ages 12 to 16.

On June 19, Baldwin County deputies arrested two of Brittany’s uncles — Randall "Scott" Wood and Dustin Kent. Both were charged with sodomy and sexual abuse; Wood was also charged with incest.

Kent was arrested again in July, suspected of incest, rape and sexual abuse involving a second victim. Kent’s wife, Mendy, is another sister of Brittany’s mother, Chessie. She is the identical twin of Donnie Holland’s widow Wendy.

In mid-July, Baldwin deputies arrested Brittney’s brother, Derek Wood, and Holland’s son, Donald Holland Jr. Derek Wood is accused of rape and sodomy; the younger Holland is charged with rape, sexual abuse and incest.

One week ago, Baldwin deputies arrested William Brownlee, described by family members as a "close friend" of the older Holland. Similar to the others, he faces charges of sodomy and sexual abuse.

In fact, the older Holland might have also been on the verge of arrest at the time he shot himself. He, too, was a suspect in the ongoing sex-crimes investigation, according to a Baldwin sheriff’s spokesman.

The arrest of Brittney’s brother Derek might have been the biggest blow to their immediate family.

According to his mother, the 21-year-old Derek, like Brittney, had spent a lot of time with the older Holland — sometimes as many as three days at a time — often at the beach or at Holland family’s hunting camp near Stockton.

Derek Wood had emerged as a family leader of sorts in looking for Brittney, heading early searches for her in the Styx River area where her cell phone last pinged her possible location.

At the time of the searches, his mother described Derek as Brittney’s "protector."

Law-enforcement agencies on both sides of the bay officially maintain that the Brittney Wood missing person case and the child sex-abuse investigation are not linked, although they involve members of the same family.

But Brittney’s mother Chessie Wood and stepmother Stephanie Hanke aren’t shy about making the connection, as least as it pertains to Donnie Holland. They believe that he was with Brittney less than 48 hours before he shot himself, based on phone records.

Mobile police won’t comment about details of their investigation into Brittney’s disappearance, or if Holland might have had a role. And Baldwin sheriff’s spokesman Maj. Anthony Lowery said Friday, "We’ve said all we’re going to say about Donnie Holland."

But Chessie Wood has plenty to say.

"We don’t know if he took his life because he didn’t want to go to jail, or did he kill himself because he did something to my daughter, or both?" she said.

The family is offering a $1,500 reward for information. While everyone waits, Brittney’s daughter, 2-year-old Payton, wonders when her mother is coming home.

The little girl is living with her father Andy Hamilton and his grandmother.

"She asks for her every time she gets in the car with us," Hanke said. "We just keep telling her she’s bye-bye right now. We don’t know what else to tell her."

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Published: Thursday, August 02, 2012, 9:38 PM Updated: Thursday, August 02, 2012, 9:42 PM
By Mark R. Kent, Press-Register

MOBILE, Alabama -- A 36-year-old uncle of missing 19-year-old mother Brittney Wood was charged Thursday with sex-related crimes in addition to those he already faces in Baldwin County, authorities said.

Dustin Alton Kent was charged with first-degree rape and first-degree sodomy in a Mobile County case and was booked without bail in Mobile County Metro Jail, according to jail records. Kent had been previously charged in Baldwin County with sodomy and sexual abuse, according to Press-Register archives.

Kent is one of four relatives of the missing teen who have been charged in an ongoing sexual abuse investigation, and a family friend also faces charges connected to the investigation.

Wood, the mother of a 2-year-old girl, disappeared May 30 after saying that she planned to visit her uncle, Donnie Holland, in Baldwin County. Holland shot himself in the head June 1 and died, authorities said.

Anyone who knows Brittney Wood's whereabouts should call Mobile police at 251-208-7211.

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Offender Name: DUSTIN ALTON KENT

Arrested On: 07/16/2012 10:43:57

Alias1: Dustin Kent

Alias2: Dustin A Kent

Booking ID: BCSO12JBN004674

Charge:

RAPE SECOND DEGREE
INCEST
SODOMY SECOND DEGREE

Age: 36

Address: 7041 MARLE RD MOBILE AL 36619

Sex: MALE

Arrest Status: Released

Released? is right!
Seems like her entire family except for a few are all sex offenders. I feel for her poor little daughter!