Brittanee resided in Rochester, New York in 2009; she was a junior at Gates-Chili High School, where she was a star player on the soccer team. Her parents are legally separated and Brittanee lived with her mother, but saw her father frequently. In April 2009, Brittanee asked for her mother's permission to travel to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for spring break with her friends and longtime boyfriend.
Her mother said no, they argued about it, and Brittanee got permission to go to a friend's home. She went to Myrtle Beach in spite of what her mother said. Her mother was unaware of this; she thought Brittanee was staying with a friend locally.