FFK Blog Fehmeeda Farid Khan Blog for Unsolved Miseries
Brittany Stykes, the expectant mother, and her tender young daughter were subjected to a malevolent act while embarking on a familial visit in the year 2013, a crime that, to this day, eludes resolution.
On the evening of Wednesday, August 28, 2013, Brittany Stykes found herself engrossed in a virtual job interview. Necessitating the finalization of the interview, she chose to avail herself of the computer facilities within the domicile of her mother-in-law, nestled in the hamlet of Bethel, Ohio. With that decision made, she and her fourteen-month-old daughter, Aubree, embarked on a journey spanning a distance of thirty miles from their abode in Ripley.
Brittany, having bid adieu to her employment at Walmart several months prior due to her impending second offspring, was brimming with elation upon receiving a response from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) subsequent to her application for a temporary position within the agency. Following the culmination of her online interview, a glimmer of hope emerged within her, hinting that her performance had been commendable. Post an evening repast in the company of her mother-in-law, Brittany intimated her intention to pay a visit to her parents’ domicile en route to her own abode.
As twilight settled around 7:00 p.m., Brittany departed her in-laws’ residence, a plate laden with Shawn’s preferred leftovers – a delectable ensemble of chicken, mashed potatoes, and macaroni and cheese – accompanying her. She secured her daughter Aubree in the confines of a car seat, assumed the driver’s position within the family’s sun-kissed Jeep Wrangler, and embarked on a voyage towards Ripley, the dwelling of her parents. This journey would prove to be fateful, for that was the day she encountered the tragic turn of fate that separated her from her spouse and child forever.
At approximately 8 o’clock that evening, a motorist journeying westbound on US 68 beheld an astonishing sight – a radiant luminosity emanating from the encompassing woods. Driven by curiosity, he executed a maneuver to alter his trajectory, halting to ascertain the nature of the spectacle. It was within the confines of a still-running, yellow-hued Jeep that his gaze fell upon a woman, ensconced within, bearing the unmistakable signs of grievous injury. The hue of her lips had waned to a somber shade of blue, and her posture, hunched over the steering wheel, conveyed an eerie stillness that insinuated an absence of breath.
At 8:11 p.m., a call was placed to the emergency number, an urgent plea uttered: “There’s a Jeep within the verdant confines of the woods.” As the moments stretched, the motorist observed a small child ensconced in the rear of the vehicle, her presence a poignant testament to the tragedy that had unfolded. The child, bedecked in crimson, was conscious but wounded, her voice ringing out in plaintive supplication for her mother. This unexpected encounter was none other than the dire intersection of Brittany and Aubree with a benevolent stranger, an intersection that would forever change their lives.
Around 8:20 p.m., the scene bore witness to the arrival of law enforcement and emergency medical technicians. Swiftly, it became apparent that this incident was anything but an ordinary vehicular mishap; Brittany and Aubree had been subjected to a sinister act of violence. Regrettably, no effort could rescue Brittany, for her fate had been irrevocably sealed. Both mother and the unborn child she carried had succumbed to the malevolence that had befallen them. In a desperate bid to preserve Aubree’s fragile thread of existence, paramedics undertook her conveyance to the nearest medical facility, in Georgetown, Ohio, and from there, to the venerable precincts of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.
The exterior of Brittany’s Jeep bore testimony to a nefarious event, five perforations on the driver’s side door, scars inflicted from afar. Brittany herself bore testament to this ominous barrage, as two of the projectiles found their mark on her neck and chest, searing a tragic path through her flesh. Aubree, too, suffered an agonizing wound, a single gunshot perforating her brow, then traversing her scalp in a grievous journey. Against the odds, her young life persevered, fortified by a swift succession of surgical interventions, her prognosis transformed from despair to promise.
Under the shadow of darkness, at 11:30 p.m., a solemn knock resonated upon Shane’s threshold, two deputies from the Brown County Sheriff’s Office stood before him, bearers of harrowing tidings – his beloved wife Brittany had been stolen from this world. Bereft of solace, he was beckoned to accompany them to the sheriff’s precinct, a realm now entwined with tragedy. The vehicular sanctuary that had once cradled Brittany’s dreams and her maternal love had now transformed into a vehicle of haunting memories, forever seared into the annals of time.
Having concluded a laborious day at Star Manufacturing in West Chester Township, Shane’s subsequent trajectory led him to Decatur, Ohio, where the weight of iron and sweat merged in a gymnasium. Upon his return to their shared abode, tranquility enveloped him, safe in the knowledge that Brittany was engrossed in familial festivities to mark her father’s natal day. As the embrace of slumber enfolded him, oblivious to the tides of destiny, a rousing summons heralded the arrival of law enforcement, shattering the tranquility he had known.
The mantle of suspicion now cast its shadow upon Shane, the scrutiny of investigators compelling him to partake in a test to ascertain the spectral presence of gunshot residue upon his person. The process culminated in an affirmation of his innocence, the slate clean of firearm association. Dispelling the interrogative haze, he was released from the clutches of interrogation, his steps guided by the inexorable pull of a heart burdened with anguish. A sorrowful pilgrimage ensued, a somber journey to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, a realm where tender hope waged an unyielding battle against the encroaching darkness.
In the annals of detective inquiry, a tapestry of perplexity unfurled as a motive for the merciless act targeting a pregnant woman and her innocent progeny eluded their grasp. Brittany, a paragon of amicability, cast no shadow of enmity. She was a paragon untouched by the seductive allure of intoxicants, an existence untainted by the sinister embrace of criminality. The enigma grew, a conundrum with no clear contours, a puzzle unresolved.
Within the familial embrace of David and Mary Dodson, Brittany occupied a cherished place among their progeny, a quintet nurtured upon the verdant tapestry of a Ripley farmstead. Nights were bound by familial ties, weekends enlivened by the communion of shared board games. Yet, beyond the familial cocoon, Brittany kindled a fervor for the pastoral, gracing the annual Brown County Fair with her family’s pygmy goats, a testament to her connection with the Future Farmers of America.
From her academic pursuits at Ripley High School, Brittany segued into the realm of employment at the local Subway, where her path entwined with that of Shane Stykes, an encounter that, despite their age disparity and disparate life paths, burgeoned into romance during the early tapestry of 2011. Parenthood’s embrace beckoned, Aubree’s advent serving as a testament to their shared affection, the strands of love intertwining their lives. They wove the tapestry of matrimony in February of 2012, sealing their love within the sacred covenant.
Motherhood graced Brittany, her blossoming role within the cradle of life a testament to her fortitude. The alchemy of circumstance unveiled Shane’s two sons, entwining them within the familial mosaic, bound by a love that transcended blood. Brittany, a tireless pilgrim upon the terrain of devotion, cultivated this love as if it were her own, nurturing the blooms of familial affection.
Her heart tethered to her parents, Brittany graced their doorstep, an almost daily presence, as the canvas of her life was brushed with the hues of love and filial piety. Each dawn, her voice emerged through the embrace of a phone call, an abiding devotion marking the cadence of mornings. Tragically, her final words, delivered through the ephemeral realm of text messages, bore the weight of her impending fate, a farewell woven within the confines of mundane communication.
The tapestry of destiny unraveled with the onrushing tide of evening, as Brittany embarked on her journey homeward. The woods bore witness to a blaze of light, a beacon signaling a narrative that would entwine Brittany and Aubree with an unforeseen destiny, a destiny fraught with tragedy. Law enforcement and medical responders coalesced around the scene, their arrival heralding the realization that a dark malevolence had cast its shadow upon this tableau.
Beneath the canopy of night, the truth emerged, a revelation that shattered the semblance of vehicular calamity. Brittany and Aubree, victims of a merciless fusillade, succumbed to wounds inflicted by another’s hand. The life of the mother, pregnant with the promise of new life, was extinguished in the throes of violence. The unborn child, a vessel of hope, met a fate cruel and untimely.
In the shadow of this grim tableau, the saga of Aubree’s survival unfolded. Felled by a single gunshot, the young life that teetered on the precipice of existence would, through a confluence of medical artistry, emerge from the chrysalis of despair. In the corridors of a medical sanctuary, the frail thread of life was meticulously woven back, affirming the resilience of a young soul.
As the day surrendered to night, Shane’s life was irrevocably altered, a knock upon his door marking the ingress of a tempest. Clad in the mantle of law, deputies brought the revelation of Brittany’s fate, a revelation that bore no solace, only unrelenting grief. Bereft of reprieve, he embarked upon a journey, one that led him from his abode to the corridors of a medical haven, where Aubree’s struggle for life was still fought.
Within the dimly lit corridors of investigation, a maelstrom of questions raged, motives eluding grasp, and suspects remaining elusive. A labyrinthine web of inquiry was spun, a tapestry that bore no distinct patterns. The canvas remained unmarred by the scars of enmity, the motives for malevolence elusive.
In the backdrop of familial harmony, Brittany’s life unfurled, a chapter woven within the rich tapestry of kinship. The embrace of her parents, the cadence of shared meals, and the resonance of board games painted a tableau of love and connection. Amid this familial dance, Brittany’s presence was felt, her devotion to her pygmy goats a testament to her connection to the pastoral rhythms of life.
From the classroom halls of Ripley High School, Brittany’s journey led her to the culinary sanctuary of the local Subway, where her path intertwined with that of Shane Stykes, a connection that defied the bounds of age. Their love bore fruit, a union that blossomed into parenthood, Aubree’s advent illuminating their shared path. Amid the serenity of their abode, love flourished, nurtured by Brittany’s embrace of Shane’s sons, the threads of kinship woven with care.
A tragic chapter emerged, one that cast Brittany upon a path intersecting with a malevolent force. A lone traveler amidst the twilight, her vehicle bore witness to a hail of bullets, her fate sealed in the throes of violence. As the investigation unfurled, shadows cast suspicion upon Shane, the tendrils of inquiry probing the depths of his connection. An alibi held firm, but the dance of suspicion persisted, a nebulous veil obscuring the truth.
Polygraph tests were woven into the investigative tapestry, their contours revealing the innocence of Shane. The web extended further, embracing another enigmatic figure, their identity cloaked in the shroud of anonymity. Yet, the truth remained elusive, the tendrils of investigation grasping at shadows.
Within the shrouded alleys of time, Shane’s revelation cast a pall upon the investigation, a name offered, a path unexplored. The wheels of investigation turned, their dance guided by the elusive tendrils of truth. The narrative unfolded, weaving an intricate web of pursuit, but the ultimate truth remained shrouded in mystery.
Though the investigation endeavored to fathom the depths of motive, the enigma persisted, veiled in obscurity. Road rage emerged as a phantom, an unbidden specter, a theory that dissolved into the ether. Surveillance footage offered no clarion call, its gaze bearing witness to Brittany’s passage but offering no insight into the shadows that followed.
As days turned to weeks, then months, the tapestry of Brittany’s fate unraveled, an inky void of unanswered questions. A family, grappling with sorrow, sought solace in the embrace of time, their quest for justice propelled by an indomitable spirit. Authorities turned to the grand stage of justice, testimony summoned before the grand jury, a tableau that would remain unilluminated.
The passage of time, relentless and unyielding, cast the case into the shadows, its memory receding but never forgotten. In the corridors of justice, whispers persisted, the investigation occasionally roused from slumber, yet the ultimate truth remained elusive.
In the arena of pursuit, a home was scoured, secrets sought, yet the enigma remained. The passage of time, as unerring as the march of destiny, yielded no new revelations, leaving the mystery untouched.
As the years waned, a resurgence of focus breathed new life into the pursuit, a clarion call for answers. The embers of hope glowed anew, their warmth kindling determination. In this fervent pursuit, a reward burgeoned, an invitation extended to those who bore the knowledge that could unlock the mystery.
Yet, despite the clarion call, the riddle remained unsolved, the enigma persisting through the years. Brittany Stykes, a radiant soul extinguished in the prime of life, her daughter left with unending queries, the answers a distant dream.
The tapestry of Brittany’s life and untimely demise, woven through a web of tragedy and enigma, stands as a testament to the inscrutable nature of fate. An expectant mother, a devoted daughter, and a cherished friend, her memory lives on, an echo of hope, love, and unyielding determination. The quest for answers endures, a beacon of light amidst the shadows, as the call for justice remains undimmed.
