Search Continues For Brittany's Killer

By Lori Fullbright, The News On 6

TULSA, OK -- The fourth anniversary of the murder of a Tulsa teenager was a few days ago.  Tulsa Police found Brittany Phillips' body in her apartment on September 30th, 2004.

She could've been anyone's daughter.  She was pretty, popular, smart, going to college, living a normal life, not a fast life, not one filled with parties or risky behavior.  Yet, she was brutally and viciously murdered.  Her killer has never been caught.

Brittany's murder has been well documented through her mother, Maggie Zingman.

Maggie has posted the story on You Tube, MySpace and America's Most Wanted.  She hands out flyers, drives her car, wrapped with her murdered daughter's face, all over the country.  She talks to anyone who will listen, about a life lost, killer on the loose and backlogged DNA database.

There is another person who has also been focused on Brittany's murder.  Detective Jeff Felton with the Tulsa Police Major Crimes Squad feels the responsibility for capturing the killer squarely on his shoulders.

"It's frustrating and something I take home with me every day. I think about her mom and all her mom's doing. I would love to make that phone call that says we know who did this," said TPD Detective Jeff Felton.

When Brittany's friends hadn't seen her in a few days, they called police, who found her, raped and strangled in her apartment near 71^st and Mingo.  There was no forced entry, so investigators wonder did Brittany let her killer in or did he come in through an unlocked window or door?

Did she know him or did he see her at the complex or on campus?

Police do know the killer went through Brittany's things.

They have released some photos of the crime scene that show Brittany's purse on the kitchen table.  There is also a photo taken of her closet.  Police say the killer ransacked her things, perhaps looking for a souvenir.

"We talked to family and friends and Brittany had some modeling pictures and we couldn't find those, so maybe he's the type of person who'd take something from the crime scene," said TPD Detective Jeff Felton.

The suspect may have also left something at the scene.  Police have kept it sealed in an evidence bag, in the evidence room since the murder.

"This is a pillow case found at the crime scene; it doesn't match any of the other linens, so it may have been something he took to the crime scene," said TPD Detective Jeff Felton.

Police want to talk to anyone who was living or working around 71st and Mingo in the fall of 2004 who maybe started drinking heavily or using drugs or became withdrawn or depressed after Brittany's murder.

They're interested in someone who might've seemed obsessed or infatuated with the case.  They'd also look at men known to break into homes, peep in windows or commit sex crimes.

 If you someone who might fit this criteria, even remotely, please contact the police.