Police say Friday's search of a nearby river sparked no new clues in the search for Brittanee Drexel, the teen from Chili who was last seen 9 days ago.
While friends back home pray for her safe return, they are also talking candidly about spring break, choices, and risk.
Nine days is a long time to Brittanee's closest friends who stay hopeful --and helpful by raising money to help her mom.
Her friend Jennifer Murray said, "We've been trying not to think, just hope..."
They're also hoping to raise awareness among their peers. Jennifer said, "We want girls to realize this is serious. You can't just go out with anyone. You need to be careful who you hang out with, and what you do."
"I want people to realize you cannot trust everyone,” said friend Casey Capo. “It’s not okay just to go out on your own."
Brittanee told her mom she was staying with a friend and then sneaked off to Myrtle Beach with a group her father describes as older and more like acquaintances than actual friends.
Security cameras show her leaving one hotel—alone--headed back to her own room 22 blocks away, but she never arrived.
Her friends are saying the kinds of choices teens sometimes make without thinking them through have potential for real danger.
From the Center for Missing & Exploited Children, Pam Weaver said, "It’s a good opportunity for parents to say, ‘Gee, have I had a conversation with my children?’ Even if they're teenagers, they need to make sure they're living their lives in the safest way possible."
It's a message Brittanee's friends are now talking about, even as they pray for her to come home.
'Brit, if you hear this, nobody is mad at you. We're not upset,” said Casey Capo. “We just want you home safe."
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children is taking new steps to generate national awareness in Brittanee’s case. Her photo and information is one of nine cases now featured on the national web site.
America's Most Wanted is also highlighting the case on its home page, though there are no plans to talk about it on Saturday's broadcast.
Maybe it is time for Spring Break as we know it to end. The world is a much more dangerous place, and there are too many bizarre new dangers for a parent to worry about.
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