The Murder of Brittany Phillips

Brittany Phillips was only 18 years old when she was raped and murdered at her apartment on September 27th, 2004. Prior to her death, Brittany was a college student living in Tulsa, Oklahoma. On the night of September 27th, Brittany spoke with her mother on the phone at about 9pm. Everything appeared fine during their conversation—Brittany complained about having bad allergies, but there was no indication that she sensed any sort of danger.

Unfortunately, Brittany was in danger. Sometime after that phone call, an unidentified person raped and strangled Brittany inside her own home. It is still unknown if her killer broke in late at night or if he was already in the apartment. It was 3 days before anyone knew Brittany had been killed. She was ultimately discovered on October 1st, 2004, after police conducted a welfare check and found her body on her bedroom floor.

Investigators found DNA at the scene that has been compared to approximately 1 million people in CODIS and no matches have been found. DNA was collected from people in the local area as well, which also returned no matches. Only two people from the area refused to submit their DNA, but when a court order was issued, their samples did not match either.

Brittany’s family and friends were unable to name anyone who they thought might hurt her. She apparently did not have a boyfriend or any enemies. She also did not have a history of drug use.  While it seems likely that Brittany’s killer is somebody she knew, the known people in her life have been questioned and ruled out.

Years have passed since Brittany’s murder and it still remains unsolved. Brittany’s mother is determined to find justice for her daughter and has created a website dedicated to the investigation. You can view it here. Additionally, if you have any information that may lead to Brittany’s killer, please contact submit a tip with the Tulsa Police Department here.