GASTONIA, N.C.: SERIAL KILLER, PATRICK BURRIS, SCARY, WEIRD, SHOT

41-year-old Patrick Tracy Burris, described as unpredictable, scary, weird. Died in shootout with police in Gastonia, North Carolina.

Police sketch of alleged serial killer of five people in Gaffney, South Carolina. Now identified as Patrick Tracy Burris, 41, has been slain by police in Gastonia, North Carolina.

SC cops ID serial killer suspect slain in NC
By MITCH WEISS / July 7, 2009

GAFFNEY, S.C. (AP) — Law enforcement officials have identified the man they think is the serial killer who shot five people to death in South Carolina in recent days.

Authorities identified the suspect Monday night as 41-year-old Patrick Tracy Burris. They say bullets in the gun found on Burris after he was killed by police in Gastonia, N.C., matched those used to kill residents in and around Gaffney some 30 miles away.

Authorities did not immediately say where Burris was from.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

GAFFNEY, S.C. (AP) — A man suspected of killing five people and terrorizing a South Carolina community was shot to death Monday by police investigating a burglary complaint at a home 30 miles away.

Ballistics tests on a gun and bullets found with the man in Gastonia, N.C., match those used in a weeklong killing spree in and around Gaffney, said State Law Enforcement Deputy Director Neil Dolan.

"We have him. He's our serial killer," Dolan said Monday night.

Authorities did not release the man's name, but said he has had several encounters with law enforcement over the years.

Dolan said the physical evidence leaves no doubt the slain suspect was the person who shot five people to death over six days. But investigators still have no idea why he started the killing spree June 27.

"He was unpredictable. He was scary. He was weird," Dolan said.

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BRITTANEE DREXEL: STILL MISSING FROM MYRTLE BEACH, S.C.

Three officers in Myrtle Beach are continuing to monitor the case

and follow up any potential leads they receive

Anyone with information is asked to call

the Myrtle Beach Police Department at 918-1382 or 918-1952.

Crime Stoppers is also offering a reward for anyone with information leading to finding Brittanee Drexel.

Call 888-274-6372.

Brittanee Marie Drexel: New York teenager who disappeared during spring break to Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Missing Brittanee Drexel's family still hunting for answers
By Kurt Knapek - kknapek@thesunnews.com
The Sun News.com / June 23, 2009

In the hours following her daughter's disappearance, Dawn Drexel said she wanted answers to several questions, most importantly "Where is Brittanee?" and "Who is searching for her?"

When 17-year-old Brittanee Marie Drexel disappeared April 25, many of her family members and friends made the 800-mile trip from Rochester, N.Y., to Myrtle Beach to learn those answers from police.

"They were working on tips and leads," Dawn Drexel said. "They were doing what their protocol follows."

While the search for Brittanee Drexel was widely publicized, even drawing national media attention, her disappearance is just one of the 141 cases of missing persons between the ages of 15 and 25 reported so far this year in Horry County. Thirty-nine cases have been reported this year in Georgetown County and 55 in Brunswick County N.C., according to the FBI National Crime Information Center.

(snip)

"It's not like the old days when you had to wait for 24 hours before police would go looking," Knipes said. "Those first 48 hours are a crucial time to get out there before the case goes cold."

When a case is considered suspicious, the subject's name immediately is placed into an FBI missing persons database.

Family members or police officials can also notify the CUE Center for Missing Persons in Wilmington, N.C., which has 1,852 open cases across the country as of June 17.

"With Brittanee, we hit the ground running because there was hope, and there still is, that she could be alive," said Monica Caison, founder of CUE. "Finding her was vital immediately."

DON'T LET BRITTANEE DREXEL DISAPPEAR FOREVER. CAN YOU HELP FIND HER?
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