Brittany Locklear was born October 14, 1992, in Raeford, North Carolina, and lived with her mother, Connie Locklear-Chavis. Small and independent as a child, she was known at West Hoke Elementary as little-Brittany and loved Pocahontas.

In the early morning of January 7, 1998, Connie got Brittany ready for school and walked her to the bus stop at the end of their driveway wearing a green and white softball t-shirt, green denim coveralls, green and pink tennis shoes, white socks, a green hair tie, and a little red riding hood winter coat. While her mother briefly went inside, a neighbor later reported seeing a truck stop, pick something up, then speed away. When Brittany did not board the bus, police were called and a large search followed. By 9 AM officers found her clothes on a dirt road about two miles from home; the next day, January 8, Brittany’s body was found in a roadside ditch. The autopsy noted possible sexual assault and drowning.

Investigators later developed a DNA profile from forensic evidence, though the case remains unsolved. A firefighter named Keith Londree was once investigated because a photo of Brittany was found in his locker, but his DNA did not match samples from the victim and he was cleared. Anyone with information about Brittany’s case is asked to contact the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation at 1–800–334–3000.