Keen Pursuit: Brittany Tee

This past Wednesday night, I drove an hour and change down to Brookfield, MA to attend a candlelight vigil for Brittany Tee. I stood well back, having never met Brittany, hiding my head in the hood of my winter jacket. I felt like an interloper, like I was an imposter at this intimate event, to pronounce the fervent hope that this beautiful person return home.

And then, things started. When Brittany's sister Bethany began speaking, it felt immediately like I was in the right place... and welcomed there by this community of people who know and love Brittany. A man handed me a battery-powered tea lite, and I knew I was not an imposter. This event was for anyone hoping for Brittany's safe return home. A man named Sam James sang two of Brittany's favorite songs during the vigil: Walls, and Wildflowers; both songs by Tom Petty. Both are favorite songs of mine; which only strengthened my resolve.

Bethany Tee's speech during the vigil was a powerful, emotional statement of unequivocal hope. She speaks so highly of her sister and loves and defends her fiercely. It was a bittersweet but beautiful thing to see. There is a short clip from the news segment on Wednesday night: https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/brittany-tee-disappearance-brookfield-missing-one-year/

After being a part of this outpouring of hope and love, I wanted so badly to be able to help the Tee family; even in a small way. I know I don't have a large reach, but I am hoping that this small act, delivering the facts as they are available, via my tiny blog and a live show on my YouTube channel, will be something. It's my small way of doing something for them.

Brittany lived in the tiny Massachusetts town of Brookfield (not to be confused with nearby East Brookfield.. or West Brookfield... or North Brookfield) with her boyfriend on Main Street in (the OG) Brookfield at the time of her disappearance. Now, before I get to the details of Brittany's disappearance (scarce as they are), I need to familiarize you with the setting: Brookfield is quintessential small town New England. Nestled in the middle of the other Brookfields, the town of less than 3500 residents lies just east of Warren, in the south west area of Massachusetts. You read that right. According to the 2020 census, there are only 3,440 residents in the town. That is important. Anyone who has lived in a small town knows the vibe; everyone knows everyone (or at least one of your parents). It's likely the police had no shortage of locals familiar with Brittany, as she worked in town, and is well known in Brookfield as a caring, loving, hard-working, kind, happy woman with a smile for everyone she meets. According to her friends, she has 'made an impact on every life she's touched.'

On the morning of January 10, 2023, Brittany and Bethany spoke, setting up a time for Bethany to administer Brittany's psoriasis medication later on that day. Nothing seemed amiss at that point.

That evening, Brittany called her mother, Susan Tee, from her boyfriend's cell phone. Hers had abruptly stopped working at some point during the day of January 10th. When they spoke, Susan says something was bothering Brittany, but she did not want to discuss it. According to Brittany's boyfriend, around 8:30PM (after speaking to Susan), Brittany left the house, carrying her (broken) phone and wallet. Her boyfriend's brother and a roommate were also present in the house, and they corroborated the boyfriend's account of the events of that evening.

Brittany's boyfriend has been cooperative with police.

Here's a map of the area of Brookfield where Brittany lived at the time of her disappearance:

Here it is zoomed in a bit:

It is important to note that this road is DARK at 8:30 PM in January. When I say dark, I mean REALLY dark. I drove the area last week while I was in town for the vigil, and I had to do this twice to pick out what I was actually looking at. The drive from the house to Lewis Field takes about a minute, travelling at the speed limit. The walk from the house to Lewis Field would take about 3 minutes, according to Google Maps. From the street view and the satellite images, there does appear to be a narrow sidewalk running that length of the road. I couldn't see it driving that route in the dark, and I'm skeptical that someone walking that way in the dark wearing a dark coat would be immediately spotted by traffic. There is a small stretch between the last house on the right and Lewis Field where there is nothing but a thick stand of trees to the right of one walking. It looked spooky to me, and I was safely ensconced in my car. It was difficult to drive that route on a dark, chilly January night while imagining Brittany walking on the shoulder. And I'm sure you're all asking why she wasn't driving away. Brittany does own a car, which was not in running condition that night.

Since January 10th, 2023, there has been no sign of Brittany. It was like she'd just walked out the door and disappeared into thin air. Her boyfriend did not report Brittany missing that night, as he was under the impression that Susan had picked her up to spend the night at her parents house; however he never reached out to confirm whether this was true. Susan was under the impression that Brittany was safely home with her boyfriend. When Brittany failed to check in with her family, they discovered she hadn't been seen since January 10th. On January 12, Bethany and Susan reported Brittany missing to the Massachusetts State Police, and went to the Brookfield Police Department to report her missing on the 13th. The search began, and the media was informed quickly; news reports began on January 15th.

The police searched land, air and water for Brittany. K9 units were sent to track her. Joe Early, the district attorney for Worcester County, made a statement on January 16th, asking for any and all security camera footage from area homes and businesses, and also expanding the search to include the Maple Street area of Brookfield. A liquor store called Bay Path Spirits, located on Maple Street, is a former employer of Brittany's, and is allegedly one of the last (if not the last) places that her phone pinged.

The night I was in Brookfield for Brittany's vigil, I also drove the area of the home on Main Street, up Maple Street towards Bay Path Spirits. Take a look below:

The house and the liquor store are .3 miles apart. According to Google Maps, that's about a 6 minute walk. Again, in the dark. There is no sidewalk on Maple Street. There are no streetlights. There are quite a few homes along the street, but if there were no exterior lights on, I can see Maple being just as dark as Main St. Once you reach the liquor store, there is more light, but not much. Again, no one is sure of which way she headed, but I drove both areas, and both were incredibly dark even at 7pm on a January night.

On January 17th, the search was expanded again to include the woods along route 9/route 148. Again, helicopters, K9s and ATVs were used to search the area.

The police were confident in the early days that Brittany was still in the Brookfield area. They did not share what, if anything, they had found that lead in that direction. The K9s were able to track her scent in the woods near Lewis Field (around 1/16/23), and up Maple Street toward Bay Path Spirits, but the results were inconclusive there, since there is no real way to distinguish whether the scent is old or more recent.

On February 24th of last year, Joe Early spoke again, telling the press that kidnapping is unlikely. What led them to that conclusion is a mystery to everyone.

The police and DA say the search is very much ongoing, and the case is very much still active. Brittany's friends and family continue to distribute and post flyers in the area. They have not given up, nor will they, until Brittany is brought home. There is very little actual information about Brittany's disappearance, or the search for her, that is publicly available. The police and DA's office are keeping whatever clues they have close to the vest. This lack of public information gives way to a lot of speculation, and it runs rampant.

During the vigil, Bethany assured all present that Brittany, like all other human beings, has had her share of struggles. There are rumors out there that Brittany's family was planning an intervention to discuss issues with alcohol. This is not true. Bethany and I have talked about this; did Brittany historically have issues with alcohol dependence? Yes. She had struggled with it during the summer of 2022; however, according to Bethany, she'd been working hard to overcome it throughout the end of summer and into fall. By Christmas, she was in the best shape Bethany had seen her all year. There was no intervention planned; Brittany was already overcoming these issues on her own. To me, that speaks volumes about her strength and determination; it makes me wish I had the chance to meet her before her disappearance. Who wouldn't want someone that strong and incredible in their lives?

Brittany is, by all accounts, a lovely woman. Flawed, of course, just like any one of us, but truly caring and loving. And her family wants this loving presence back in their lives.

Spread the word. Print a flyer and put it up; you never know who will see it.

There will be more to come on Brittany's case. Stay tuned for a live show discussing the fine details of the information we do have. In the meantime, if you know ANYTHING about Brittany's disappearance, I urge you to call the tip line at: 508-453-7589.