In 2006, This 23-Year-Old Texas Woman Vanished After Leaving A Club And Her Damaged Car Was Found On The Highway 5 Days Later With Her Personal Things Inside
In 2006, twenty-three-year-old Brandi Wells of Longview, Texas, was starting fresh. She had previously graduated from Chapel Hill High School and, in August, planned to begin classes at Trinity Valley Community College.
Brandi’s ultimate goal was to become a kindergarten or first-grade teacher. And in the meantime, she started a new job at Walmart to support her dream.
Just before Brandi could begin working toward her career, though, the unthinkable happened.
It all began on August 3, 2006, when Brandi visited her mother, Ellen, at about 8:00 p.m. in Tyler, Texas. Following the visit, Ellen believed her daughter was headed to a club in town.
Instead, Brandi drove to a different joint known as Graham Central Station, located on McCann Road in Longview. She was unfamiliar with the area and reportedly called the club numerous times along the way for directions.
But Brandi was eventually seen arriving at the club at about 10:30 p.m. By the time she got there, though, her car was running out of gas. So, Brandi reportedly began to ask customers for help. Although, it remains unclear if anyone assisted her.
Then, Brandi left the club just after midnight by herself. She was reportedly not intoxicated, and exactly what happened after she walked out of Graham Central Station’s doors remains unknown.
All the Wells family knows is that they never saw or heard from Brandi again.
Facebook; pictured above is Brandi
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Five days after Brandi disappeared, her car– a black four-door 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix with license plate J50ZTD– was discovered parked on Interstate 20 at Texas Highway 21.
The car had initially vanished along with Brandi. And after being found, authorities noticed that the car had suffered damage above the passenger side’s front wheel.
Some of Brandi’s personal belongings– including her purse, wallet, and ex-boyfriend’s cell phone– were also left inside.
Investigators did not find any evidence of Brandi being at the scene and did not identify any signs of a struggle within the car.
Strangely, though, the driver’s seat had been pushed back– as if someone much taller than Brandi had been the last one to drive the vehicle.
In the weeks following Brandi’s disappearance, her cell phone– which vanished with her– also had some activity. Three people found the phone and used it at one point or another.
The police tracked down these individuals and subjected them all to a polygraph test. Two of the men passed; meanwhile, one failed.
Still, that man was never publicly identified by police. And despite interviewing him numerous times, the man was never named an official suspect in Brandi’s disappearance.
Unfortunately, no other leads have ever proved fruitful, either– so Brandi has remained missing for over sixteen years.
The Wells family has still held onto hope, despite the frustration of not knowing what happened to Brandi.
“You know, people don’t realize what they do to not only the victim of the crime, but the family,” Brandi’s mother, Ellen, said in an interview with Longview News-Journal.
“The loved ones that are left behind with so many questions that are not answered because somebody is too chicken to come forward with it now.”
Her family also created a Facebook group entitled Brandi Wells Still Missing in hopes of raising awareness and generating leads.
Investigators believe that Brandi may have been taken against her will and suspect that foul play was involved.
If you have any information regarding Brandi’s disappearance or whereabouts, you are urged to contact the Longview Police Department at (903) 237-1199.
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