A 5 year old is abducted and murdered while waiting for the school bus Brittany Locklear was born on October 14, 1992, in Raeford, North Carolina, and was living with her mother, Connie Locklear-Chavis at the time of her death. Connie described her as a very unique child, although she was small, she was very independent. Brittany was nicknamed little-Brittany at West Hoke Elementary School because she was the school's youngest and smallest kindergartener.
Others described Brittany as a beautiful little girl who was always smiling, gave the best hugs, and loved Pocahontas.
In the early morning hours on January 7th, 1998, Brittany’s mother, Connie Locklear Chavis got Brittany ready for school. They picked out a green and white softball t-shirt, green denim coveralls, green and pink tennis shoes, white socks, and a green tie for her hair. She was also wearing her little red riding hood winter coat before heading to the bus stop. By 7 AM, Brittany was at the bus stop which was at the end of her driveway. Her mother went inside to use the bathroom. During this time, Brittany was kidnapped. Her mother had assumed that the bus picked up Brittany. However, a neighbor saw a truck stop, pick something up, and sped off. This neighbor altered Locklear-Chavis of what she witnessed and quickly called the school to confirm that Brittany was not on the bus that morning. It resulted in police being called immediately, and a large search party took place.
By 9 AM that same morning, law enforcement would find Brittany’s clothes on a dirt road approximately two miles away from her home. This led police to believe that it was unlikely that Brittany would be found alive. The very next day on January 8th, 1998 around 2 PM, Brittany Locklear’s body was discovered in a roadside ditch. Her autopsy would later reveal that possible sexual assault and drowning as the cause of her death.
Fast forward to August 2002, a firefighter, Keith Londree, was arrested for bank robbery and serving time is considered a suspect. Early in the investigation, Londree was considered a suspect because law enforcement found a photo of Brittany in his locker at the firehouse. However, his DNA was tested against samples taken from Brittany’s body and he was cleared of the suspicion.
The Hoke County Sheriff, Wayne Byrd said that the State Bureau of Investigation has enough forensic evidence to create a profile of the killer’s DNA. However, it is unclear what type of evidence was recovered. Currently, Brittany’s case remains unsolved. If you have any information regarding Brittany’s case, please contact the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation at 1–800–334–3000.
