Friend reacts to new information in Brittanee Drexel disappearance

At a news conference on Wednesday, FBI officials released new disturbing details in the disappearance of Brittanee Drexel.

Agents said they believe Drexel was south of Myrtle Beach for days and was being held against her will. They also say they believe she is dead.

Since her disappearance, loved ones in Rochester have kept hope alive. They’ve held vigils to mark her disappearance. We spoke to one of her closest friends. She tells us she’s shocked to hear the news. We also spoke to a few other childhood friends and they told us they were too upset to go on camera.

It’s been seven years since Brittanee has disappeared. That’s more than 2,600 days her friends have gone without any answers. Friends tell us they have been anxiously awaiting for the press conference and this was not the news they wanted to hear. One of those friends is Sammie Forte. She tells us she’s known Brittanee since elementary school. She says she’s not sure how to move on from this.

"I hold on, I’m sorry, I wish none of this happened, I wish she didn’t go down there at all," says Samantha. "I don’t think I can move forward from this. She was one of my good friends. I think about her all the time. I pray for her every day and it’s just horrible."

Samantha told News10NBC that despite the news on Wednesday, she still holds out hope that one day Brittanee will come home.