Her mother was gone for two minutes. That was long enough.
On the morning of January 7, 1998, five-year-old Brittany Locklear was waiting for her school bus outside her family's mobile home in Hoke County, North Carolina, while her mother, Connie Chavis, stepped inside to use the bathroom. When Connie came back out, Brittany was gone.
The Abduction
A neighbor, Rose Johnson, witnessed what happened. She described a full-size brown or tan pickup truck speeding around a curve toward Brittany. “It slowed down quickly, and someone hopped out of the truck real fast,” Johnson said. “He bent over like he was picking something up, hopped back in the truck, and drove out of there real fast.”
More than 500 volunteers joined the search. Brittany's clothing and backpack were found the same day she disappeared. The next day, her body was found in a drainage ditch off a farm road roughly three miles from her home. She had been raped and drowned. Her parents were cleared as suspects almost immediately.
Investigators fielded more than 1,600 tips and questioned every known child sex offender within 50 miles. Their strongest lead remained the same: a white man in a brown pickup truck, described by multiple witnesses but never identified.
The Londeree Lead
In 2003, authorities named Keith Douglas Londeree, then 44, as a suspect after his arrest on an unrelated bank robbery charge. When his employer, the Fort Bragg Fire Department, cleaned out his work locker, they found a photo of Brittany — a newspaper clipping from coverage of her kidnapping, kept for roughly five years after her death. Investigators never explained why he had it. A DNA sample was taken from Londeree, but it didn't match evidence from the crime scene, and he was cleared.
A Genetic Profile, No Name
In 2015, the Hoke County Sheriff's Office announced a real breakthrough: they had enough DNA evidence from the crime scene to generate a full genetic profile of the killer. It was a significant development — proof the case could theoretically be solved the moment the right person's DNA is compared against it. As of the most recent reporting, that comparison still hasn't produced a match.
A Disputed Chapter
The case has also been shadowed by controversy within the investigation itself. Years after the murder, Brittany's family publicly accused a later Hoke County sheriff of pressuring her step-grandfather, James Stevens, into falsely confessing to her murder — an allegation the family has cited as evidence the case was, at points, treated more as a political matter than a pursuit of the truth. No charges resulted from that episode, and it remains a disputed part of the case's history rather than a resolved fact.
Where the Case Stands Now
The murder remains unsolved. Hoke County Sheriff Hubert Peterkin said in 2019, “This case is still ongoing. It doesn't feel cold to me because of what we've been doing... I don't like the word 'cold.'” A $20,000 reward remains on offer for information leading to an arrest.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Hoke County Sheriff's Office at 910-875-5111 or the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation at 1-800-334-3000. Tips can remain anonymous.
Frequently Asked Questions
Has anyone been arrested for Brittany Locklear's murder?
No. Despite a genetic profile of the killer existing since 2015, no arrest has been made.
Was Keith Londeree ever charged?
No. His DNA didn't match crime scene evidence, and he was cleared as a suspect, despite the unexplained newspaper clipping found in his locker.
Is there still a reward for information?
Yes, $20,000 is currently offered for information leading to an arrest.
Is the case still being actively investigated?
Yes. As of recent statements from the Hoke County Sheriff's Office, the case remains open and is not considered closed or abandoned.
Sources
Cold Case Files: The Murder of Brittany Locklear — WNCT
https://www.wnct.com/on-your-side/crime-tracker/cold-case-files/cold-case-files-the-murder-of-brittany-locklear/
Unsolved Murder of Brittany Locklear Investigated on Crime Junkie — Daily Crime
https://www.dailycrime.com/unsolved-murder-of-brittany-locklear-investigated-on-crime-junkie/
Brittany Locklear's Murder in 1998 Remains Unsolved in 2025, Case Still Open in Hoke County — The News-Journal
https://www.hokenews.com/index.php/2025/01/08/its-sad-news-that-i-bring/