Brooke Leigh Henson

July 18, 2009

The tiny mountain town of Travelers Rest, South Carolina, population hovering around 1,000, has only one unsolved missing person case. It is the case of Brooke Leigh Henson, or “Brookey”, as her friends know her. July 4, 2009, is the tenth year Brooke has remained missing.

Brooke’s friends describe her as being a carefree person who enjoys fresh air and sunshine. She is comfortable hiking the mountain trials and hanging out at Bald Rock with her friends. She is a natural beauty seldom wearing makeup. Her friends describe her personality as easy going. Brooke also enjoyed spending time with her mother and going on shopping trips. Brooke is a homebody. They tell us Brooke Henson enjoys the waterfalls in Northern Greenville County. Some have surmised it would be accurate to describe her as a beautiful free spirited young woman. She is a sweet person, and by any one’s account, well loved in her community. She was only 20 years old when she disappeared.

On July 3, 1999, Brooke’s parents attended an Allman Brothers concert in Charlotte, N. C. The then 20 year old Brooke had scheduled her first party, at home, without her parents. She invited her friends. Most of Brooke’s friends left the party, or were leaving, before 2:00 in the early morning hours of July 4. As they left, Brooke told some of them she was going to sit on the porch with her boyfriend while waiting for her parents to get home.

Brooke’s parents, Martin and Cathy Henson, arrived home from the concert in Charlotte, about 2:00 a.m. Shaun Shirley, Brooke’s 30 year old boyfriend, was on the porch with Brooke. Cathy Henson, Brooke’s mother, overheard Brooke and Shaun arguing and overheard her say she was leaving the area. Shaun left. Brooke told her mother she did not intend to go anywhere and had only said that to get attention from Shaun Shirley. Another account has her parents returning home to find Brooke alone on the porch crying because she had broken up with her boyfriend. According to her Aunt, at some point, Brooke told her father, Martin Henson, that she was going to leave town for 5 years to get away from Shaun.

After the argument and after Shaun Shirely left, Brooke told her mother, Cathy, she was going to take a walk down to the local convenience store, W. E. Willis, to purchase cigarettes. The W. E. Willis store is approximately a block and a half from their home. The 5′4″ Brooke Leigh Henson was last seen walking down tree lined Henderson Drive. Brooke disappeared between 2:30 a.m. and 2:43 a.m.

U.S. Highway 25 begins in Brunswick, Ga., goes through Travelers Rest, S. C., and ends in Ashville, N.C..

U.S. Highway 276 traverses northwest from Travelers Rest to smaller mountain towns, as well as southeast from Travelers Rest into the center of the city of Greenville, S.C., where it becomes part of U.S. Highway 25.

Some notes on the location:

Travelers Rest is a beautiful small town. The skyline silhouettes the Blue Ridge Mountains and it has spectacular views, waterfalls, parks, and numerous hiking trails. It is a peaceful community, loving its children and its heritage. Most of the portion of Greenville County, where Travelers Rest is located, is full of wooded areas.

Three weeks passed before Travelers Rest Police took steps to find Brooke Henson. By then it had rained, and the search dogs could not catch the scent. According to Brookes Aunt Christie Metcalf, the police thought she was off on her own and would come back. When they did begin to look for Brooke, patrol officers were initially following up leads and questioning individuals and friends.

Detective Jon Campbell, said this delay, along with patrol officers taking statements, were mistakes. There seems to be a mistake in the handling of the paperwork. Detective Campbell says the lieutenant should have turned the case over to the Sheriff’s Office. The Sheriff’s Office would have placed the case in the trained hands of the Homicide detectives, and they would have conducted the initial interviews in the investigation, not patrol officers. Current officers deeply regret the previous departments’ handing of the case.

Eventually, the case landed on the desk of Detective Jon Campbell. Many theories presented themselves, as does happen in missing person cases. One theory was Brooke simply went away of her own free will. Another theory held that Brooke had planned to renew a relationship with a previous boyfriend. Detective Campbell wanted to follow up on this, but was not able to because the person was, by that time, deceased. He had overdosed and died. There was some speculation, by the public, that his death could have been a suicide, accident, or murder. Another theory held that Brooke was abducted. And lastly, a theory that Brooke was deceased, a murder victim. Detective Campbell believed she was deceased and was murdered in the area of River Falls, a popular hang out and party place for young people.

Shaun Shirley, the handsome 30 year old boyfriend of Brooke Henson, was someone Detective Jon Campbell very much wanted to interview. The records show, Shaun Shirley, a local contractor, arrested on the weekend following Brooke’s disappearance. His arrest was for assaulting two minors. When he realized Detective Campbell wanted to speak with him, he quickly called an attorney. That put an end to any candid interviews. Shaun Shirley had a rap sheet with a history of violent episodes leading to arrests. He has since moved to a more remote area in the mountains.

Then in 2006, a phone call from the NYC Police Department offered hope. In fact, they called the Travelers Rest Police Department to report they had found Brooke Henson. The NYCPD said Brooke Henson was living in Manhattan as a student.

Detective Campbell asked the NYCPD to get a DNA test performed to prove it was Brooke. They set up an appointment for the test, and Detective Campbell notified Cathy Henson they would need a sample from her for a DNA comparison. Cathy Henson was very ill, by this time, suffering from terrible anxiety. They had to carry her to the car to get her to the facility.

The imposter failed to appear to give an agreed upon DNA sample. The NYCPD had to force their way into the apartment only to find nothing left behind that could provide a DNA comparison. She had taken her cat, her toothbrush, and hairbrushes, and fled.

Detective Campbell pursued the case of the imposter using Brooke’s identity. He played a major role in assimilating information, until his promotion to the State Law Enforcement Division. He felt confident they would find this person, and left the department saying he would make himself available as much as possible to assist in the case.

Two and one half years later, they captured the 30 year old, Ester Elizabeth Reed. Ester Reed was represented by Attorney Ann Marie Fitz. She awaited trial in the Greenville County jail. She faced charges of mail fraud, possession of false identity documents, and identity theft. In August 2008, she pled guilty to the Federal charges, and in February 2009, her sentence was to serve four years in prison, out of a possible 41 years. Ester Reed did not have any role in the disappearance of Brooke Henson.

Lisa Henson, Brooke’s Aunt, confronted Ester Reed letting her know she may have stolen Brooke’s identification, but she was nothing like the sweet person that is her niece.

The crimes of Ester Reed speak nothing to the pain of false hope the family suffered.

From Detective Jon Campbell’s work, we know that Ester Reed was able to get access to Brooke’s social security through a Law Enforcement computer in Vermont. He reasons Reed must have known someone there who had access to the computer. At that time, only criminals, on the most wanted list, had social security numbers set up to flag if someone accessed them. A missing person would not be flagged. It is possible Reed saw the website for Brooke Henson that her Aunt put up in 2002, and arrived at the idea of impersonating her.

In the aftermath of all this, Cathy and Martin Henson have divorced. After Brooke went missing, Cathy fell victim to debilitating anxiety, and could no longer remain employed. Martin Henson, a former brick mason, is a victim of multiple sclerosis. He keeps to himself and lives a solitary life. He clings to the hope that Brooke will return, as each year passes.

Brooke Leigh Henson is missing. Her parents, Cathy and Martin miss their daughter. Her Aunts, Lisa Henson, Cathy Henson, and Christy Metcalf miss their neice. Her many friends, neighbors and people of her community miss this lovely person with each passing day.

Each year, Brooke’s family and friends hold a vigil at the Travelers Rest Police Department, on the anniversary of the day she disappeared, July 4. This year marks the tenth year since they last saw Brookey, but they have not given up hope. They will not give up hope that Brooke is out there.

Brooke Leigh Henson

Female

White

Disappeared: age 20

Age today: 30

Height: 5′4″

Weight: 104 lbs.

Hair: Brown, straight

Eyes: Brown

If you have seen Brooke Leigh Henson, or have any information about the case, please contact, Clark Brazier. He is the investigator on the case. There is a $7,000.00 reward associated with the case.

Clark Brazier, Investigator

(864) 834-9029

JusticeForBrooke@trpolice.com

For more information on this case:

http://www.helpfindthemissing.org/forum/showthread.php?t=39&highlight=brooke+henson

References:

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/h/henson_brooke.html

http://www.myspace.com/justiceforbrookehenson

http://www.amw.com/missing_persons/case.cfm?id=42966

http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/ohio-news/id-theif-mothers-death-led-to-identity=thefts-112723.html

http://foxnews.com/wires/2009Feb11/0,3670,IdentityTheftIvyLeague,00.html

http://www.wyff4.com/news/16791196/detail.html

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/399933_conartist13.html

http://www.angelfire.com/mi3/mpccn/bhenson.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/vicky-ward/esther-reed-how-an-ordina_b_166188.html

Written by Linda Johnson · Filed Under Brooke Henson, Cold Cases, Missing Women 

Comments

One Response to “Brooke Leigh Henson”

  1. Mary C. on August 27th, 2009 10:40 am

    This is so haunting! I hope that Brooke will be found, and there will be closure for her family!

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