Do you know who murdered Brittany? Brittany Phillips, an 18-year-old female college student, was found murdered in her Tulsa, Oklahoma, apartment in the fall of 2004. The last time her mother spoke to her was on the evening of September 27, 2004. Three days later, on September 30, a concerned friend who had not heard from her alerted the authorities. Police conducted a welfare check at her second-floor apartment and discovered her body. She had been sexually assaulted and strangled.
An autopsy later determined the cause of death to be asphyxia. She was buried on what would have been her 19th birthday, October 4, 2004.
Investigators found signs of a struggle within the apartment and were able to collect DNA evidence, including blood and semen. Despite the presence of this evidence, no arrests have ever been made in the case, and there are no publicly identified suspects. The DNA profile initially believed to belong to the killer was later found to belong to an individual who had a plausible reason for their DNA to be at the scene, which was a significant setback in the investigation. Over the years, numerous individuals, including ex-boyfriends and registered sex offenders, have been questioned and had their DNA tested, but none have been a match to the evidence that is believed to be from the perpetrator.
The case has remained an open and active investigation, though it is considered a cold case. In 2023, a new piece of information emerged that could potentially alter the established timeline of Brittany's death. A birthday card she had sent to her grandfather was discovered, bearing a post office stamp dated September 29, 2004, two days after police believe she was killed. This has raised questions about whether she was alive later than initially thought. Brittany's mother has been a tireless advocate for her daughter, traveling across the country in a specially marked car to bring awareness to the case and to campaign for changes in DNA laws in the hope of finding the person responsible for her daughter's murder.
