Mother's search continues
By Andy Powell, Times Staff Writer
Published September 20, 2007
Daughter, 26, last seen leaving Mississippi home
A Gadsden woman whose 26-year-old daughter has been missing from her south Mississippi home is holding out hope she will be found.Brandi Rene Hawkins Laurent, 29, has been missing since Aug. 3, when she left her Kiln, Miss., home about midnight after an argument with her husband, according to a report filed Aug. 4 with the Hancock County (Miss.) Sheriff's Department. She was last seen in the Fenton-Dedeaux community of Hancock County.Laurent's mother, Anita Moody of Gadsden, said her daughter left the home, walking, without her cell phone and left her two daughters, 12 and 2.Moody said while her daughter's husband said his wife of almost 10 years had left like that in the past, Moody is certain she would have at least called her children."It's just not like my daughter to do this, something that's very, very wrong," Moody said.There have been reports of Laurent being seen in Texas, but they have been discounted.Moody said there is a chance Laurent might be coming this way to see family members. Laurent is the granddaughter of the late Howard E. Moody.Moody said Laurent lived in Gadsden for a time as a child and has relatives in the area.Laurent and her husband lost everything because of Hurricane Katrina and were living in a FEMA trailer.A spokeswoman for the Hancock County Sheriff's Department said Wednesday there are no new leads concerning her disappearance.There have been a number of news articles about Laurent's disappearance, and Moody said she went to Mississippi for a month handling out fliers and talking to anyone who might know anything about her daughter's disappearance.A billfold Laurent's husband said she had taken with her was found in the house of a friend suspected of drug activity.According to the police report, Laurent's husband, Leo, said she had been doing drugs for several days, but Moody said Laurent had called a friend earlier in the day and told her she was sick and came home from work.A candlelight vigil was Sunday night at the high school in Mississippi that Laurent attended.Moody has established a Web site, www.myspace.com/missingbrandi, that has pictures of her daughter and information about her.She also has distributed fliers in this area.Laurent is described as being about 5 feet 5 inches tall, weighing 150 pounds, with reddish hair, green eyes and fair skin.She has a large red rose tattoo on her right calf and a small black dragon tattoo on her left calf.She has the word "Bailee" tattooed on her back just below her neck and a fairy tattooed on her lower back. She has a small mole on her left cheek below her eye.There was a posting to Laurent's MySpace Web page after she disappeared, but Moody said she did not believe her daughter posted it.People with information should call the Hancock County Sheriff's Department at 228-255-9191 or Moody at 547-8503.
http://www.gadsdentimes.com/article/20070920/NEWS/709200307
Sep 20, 2007
'Search ongoing for missing Hancock County woman' 09.16.07
The Clarion-Ledger
Search ongoing for missing Hancock County woman
The Associated Press
KILN, Miss. — An investigation into the disappearance of a missing Hancock County woman has turned up few solid leads, authorities say.Brandi Hawkins Laurent, a 29-year-old mother of two, vanished in the middle of the night from her home on Aug. 3.Hancock County Sheriff’s Department investigators Kenny Hurt and Rita Blaize-Watson said as many as 100 leads have poured in from people calling, sending e-mail or stopping by the Sheriff’s Department.“We’ve had lots of people swear they’ve seen her,” said Hurt, the chief investigator.So far, however, those sightings apparently have been cases of mistaken identity.Laurent reportedly left on foot, without her car, identification, keys, cell phone or cash. Her husband, Leo Laurent, reported his wife missing at 11 a.m. Aug. 4, saying he had been unsuccessfully searching for her.Family and friends describe Laurent as a devoted mother to her daughters, ages 2 and 12. They maintain she would never leave without at least calling home later to check on them.Andrea Dominach, who has known Laurent since grammar school, doesn’t believe her longtime friend would leave her children willingly.“I don’t think she’s anywhere by choice,” Dominach said.As the Sheriff’s Department investigates, friends and family have conducted their own campaign to find Laurent, knocking on doors, keeping up a flurry of Internet postings and handing out fliers.Last week investigators received a tip Laurent was alive and planning to attend services at a church in Harrison County. That fell through.In another lead, a jail inmate claimed to have seen Laurent in Beaumont, Texas. His information was rejected as unreliable.Hancock County Sheriff Steve Garber said such dead ends are typical in cases like this.“It’s hard to decide, what do you put in the left stack and what do you put in the right stack?” he said.
http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200770916002
Search ongoing for missing Hancock County woman
The Associated Press
KILN, Miss. — An investigation into the disappearance of a missing Hancock County woman has turned up few solid leads, authorities say.Brandi Hawkins Laurent, a 29-year-old mother of two, vanished in the middle of the night from her home on Aug. 3.Hancock County Sheriff’s Department investigators Kenny Hurt and Rita Blaize-Watson said as many as 100 leads have poured in from people calling, sending e-mail or stopping by the Sheriff’s Department.“We’ve had lots of people swear they’ve seen her,” said Hurt, the chief investigator.So far, however, those sightings apparently have been cases of mistaken identity.Laurent reportedly left on foot, without her car, identification, keys, cell phone or cash. Her husband, Leo Laurent, reported his wife missing at 11 a.m. Aug. 4, saying he had been unsuccessfully searching for her.Family and friends describe Laurent as a devoted mother to her daughters, ages 2 and 12. They maintain she would never leave without at least calling home later to check on them.Andrea Dominach, who has known Laurent since grammar school, doesn’t believe her longtime friend would leave her children willingly.“I don’t think she’s anywhere by choice,” Dominach said.As the Sheriff’s Department investigates, friends and family have conducted their own campaign to find Laurent, knocking on doors, keeping up a flurry of Internet postings and handing out fliers.Last week investigators received a tip Laurent was alive and planning to attend services at a church in Harrison County. That fell through.In another lead, a jail inmate claimed to have seen Laurent in Beaumont, Texas. His information was rejected as unreliable.Hancock County Sheriff Steve Garber said such dead ends are typical in cases like this.“It’s hard to decide, what do you put in the left stack and what do you put in the right stack?” he said.
http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200770916002
'God, please bring Brandi back home' 09.19.07
‘God, please bring Brandi back home'
By Dwayne Bremer
Sep 18, 2007, 16:08
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Email this article
Brandi LaurentThere was hardly a dry eye Sunday evening when friends, family, and loved-ones of missing mother Brandi Hawkins Laurent prayed for her well-being during a candle-light vigil at Hancock High School.About 50 people attended the event that was complete with prayers, songs, and testimonies from friends and family."A lot of people are just not aware," Brandi's friend Andrea Dominach said. "We want to let people know there is a mother out there that is missing."Laurent, a mother of two girls has not been seen since she apparently vanished without a trace from her Kiln home on Aug. 3. She allegedly left on foot taking none of her personal items with her.Soon after Brandi disappeared, Dominach set up a web page on myspace.com dedicated to her life-long friend. Dominach and a group of Brandi's friends have spent the last six weeks, passing out flyers, contacting media, and spreading the word in hopes of finding their friend."We will continue to search for her until we have solid proof of what happened to her," friend Krasinda Green said.Authorities said there have been several reported sightings of Brandi, but unfortunately they have no concrete evidence that the reports are true, because there appears to be another female who looks like Brandi in the county. Because of the lack of evidence, sheriff's investigators have not ruled out anything, including foul play. "We are going to put this in God's hands," Troy Collins said. "We hope wherever she is that he (God) will bring her back safely."
Leo Laurent, Brandi's husband holds the couple's daughter Payton, 2, and Brandi's daughter Bailee, 12.Brandi's mother, Anita Moody, and her brother and sister, all live out of state and were unable to attend the vigil.All three sent messages to be read."I want everyone to know how grateful I am for everyone's concern," Moody said.Brandi's husband, Leo Laurent was present, along with Brandi's two girls, Payton ,2, and Bailee, 12.Leo Laurent did not speak at the services.Others praised search efforts and voiced concerns about Brandi."Although Brandi is missing, she has brought so many lives together and that is a blessing," Green said.The service was concluded when all of the people attending formed a circle and joined in prayer."God, please bring her home," Dominach said.Anyone with any information on the disappearance of Brandi Hawkins Laurent is urged to call the Hancock County Sheriff's Department at 228-466-6900 or 228-467-5101.
© Copyright 2007 Bay St. Louis Newspapers, Inc.
'The Web watches case of missing mother' 09.16.07
The Web watches case of missing mother
By J.R. WELSH
baybureau@aol.com
KILN -- Six weeks ago, Brandi Hawkins Laurent was scarcely known to the world outside this small community, where she worked at the dollar store on Mississippi 603. Now she is all over the Internet.
People across the country are viewing photographs of Laurent, reading her story and offering message-board comments on the 29-year-old mother of two, who vanished in the middle of the night from her home in the Mississippi countryside. That was at midnight Aug. 3. She hasn't been heard from since.
"We've had lots of people swear they've seen her," said Kenny Hurt, chief investigator at the Hancock County Sheriff's Department. So far, however, those sightings apparently have been cases of mistaken identity. Laurent remains missing from the home she reportedly left on foot, without the things many people would never leave behind: car, identification, keys, cell phone or cash.
Family and friends describe Laurent as a devoted mother to her daughters, ages 2 and 12.
They maintain she would never leave without at least calling home later to check on them.
Her husband, Leo Laurent, reported his wife missing at 11 a.m. Aug. 4, saying he had been unsuccessfully searching for her. He told police when Brandi disappeared into the night, she was wearing only tan shorts, a green tank top and flip-flops.
In another twist, a posting appeared on Brandi Laurent's own myspace.com page Aug. 5. Allegedly written by her, it said she had left for Missouri with an unnamed man. The legitimacy of that posting is in doubt, and authorities have since seized several computers from the Laurent home on Road 528 in the Fenton-Dedeaux community.
Meanwhile, Hurt and investigator Rita Blaize-Watson continue to unravel a mystery involving disappearance, strong fears of foul play and allegations of drug use. The investigators say they are not discounting any possibilities.
As the weeks have worn on, friends and family have come to fear the worst. Laurent's mother, Alabama resident Anita Moody, has started a myspace.com Web page on her daughter's case. She posts regularly to the page, called myspace.com/missingbrandi and to her own page, myspace.com/redirishdiamond.
"This behavior, I assure you, is not the character of my daughter, leading me to fear foul play," Moody wrote in a recent post.
Andrea Dominach, who has known Laurent since grammar school, doesn't believe her longtime friend would leave her children willingly. "I don't think she's anywhere by choice," Dominach said.
Several other Myspace pages are devoted to the case, and a long string of messages on the Laurent case has been posted at the "Amber Alerts and Missing People" blog at courttv.com.
As the Sheriff's Department investigates, friends and family have conducted their own campaign to find Laurent, knocking on doors, keeping up a flurry of Internet postings and handing out fliers.
Hurt and Watson said as many as 100 leads have poured in from people calling, sending e-mail or stopping by the Sheriff's Department. The investigators say they dare not overlook a one.
Watson said one problem is Laurent's physical appearance is strikingly similar to a number of other women in the region. She is about 5 feet, 4 inches tall with long, reddish-blonde hair and green eyes - "a common description," Watson said.
There have been reports a woman matching the description has been seen in Pearlington, and investigators say another woman living in the county apparently looks almost identical to Laurent.
Watson said Anita Moody recently spotted that woman, and briefly believed it might be Laurent. "Even her mother thought it was her," the investigator said.
However, even in a county where many young women may closely resemble her, Laurent's most distinguishing physical characteristics are at least four tattoos - one below the back of her neck, another at the base of her back and one on each leg.
Circumstances leading to Laurent's disappearance go hand-in-hand with allegations of drug use and apparent marital problems. Deputies say when he first reported that his wife of nearly 10 years was missing, Leo Laurent told them she had been using drugs heavily for several days, then left their home that night after they had argued.
In Web postings, both members of the couple have candidly written about marital and other family problems.
Laurent's mother has also publicly expressed deep concern about her daughter's personal problems and presumed drug use, although she says even that would not prompt her to leave her children. Investigators at one point looked closely at an acquaintance of the Laurents who is a reputed drug dealer.
Leo Laurent initially agreed to meet in person with a Sun Herald reporter and grant an interview for this story, but that never materialized.
Watson said various interviews with people who know Laurent involved reports she occasionally experienced binges of extended methaphetamine and crack cocaine use. "But that doesn't make her somebody we want to help any less," she said. "We want to make sure she's all right."
So the case continues, hitting one brick wall after another. Last weekend investigators received a tip Laurent was alive and planning to attend services at a church in Harrison County. That fell through.
In another lead, a jail inmate claimed to have seen Laurent in Beaumont, Texas. His information was rejected as unreliable.
Hancock County Sheriff Steve Garber said such dead ends are typical in cases like this. "It's hard to decide, what do you put in the left stack and what do you put in the right stack?" he said.
"We'll think we're on the right track, and then... no," Watson said.
Dominach, Laurent's friend from childhood, now lives in Louisiana but has spent time and money helping in the Mississippi search. She and others are staging a Sunday-night candlelight vigil for the missing woman.
Dominach said she has worked over many possible scenarios in her mind about the fate of her friend. "I keep thinking, what could possibly be wrong? But something is wrong."
Have you seen her?
Brandi Rene Hawkins Laurent
Age: 29. Born June 23, 1978.
Description: 5 feet, 4 or 5 inches tall. Medium build, white, with reddish blonde hair and green eyes. Small mole on left cheek below eye. Scar above right eyebrow.
Tattoos: Large red rose on her right leg. Black dragon on her left leg. The word "Bailee" inscribed on her back just below the neck. A fairy on her lower back.
Last seen: Midnight, Aug. 3, 2007 in the Fenton-Dedeaux community of Hancock County.
Vigil: Friends will begin staging a candlelight vigil for Brandi Laurent at 7 p.m. Sunday at Hancock County High School, 7084 Stennis Airport Drive in Kiln, just north of Interstate 10.
http://www.sunherald.com/278/v-print/story/143266.html
By J.R. WELSH
baybureau@aol.com
KILN -- Six weeks ago, Brandi Hawkins Laurent was scarcely known to the world outside this small community, where she worked at the dollar store on Mississippi 603. Now she is all over the Internet.
People across the country are viewing photographs of Laurent, reading her story and offering message-board comments on the 29-year-old mother of two, who vanished in the middle of the night from her home in the Mississippi countryside. That was at midnight Aug. 3. She hasn't been heard from since.
"We've had lots of people swear they've seen her," said Kenny Hurt, chief investigator at the Hancock County Sheriff's Department. So far, however, those sightings apparently have been cases of mistaken identity. Laurent remains missing from the home she reportedly left on foot, without the things many people would never leave behind: car, identification, keys, cell phone or cash.
Family and friends describe Laurent as a devoted mother to her daughters, ages 2 and 12.
They maintain she would never leave without at least calling home later to check on them.
Her husband, Leo Laurent, reported his wife missing at 11 a.m. Aug. 4, saying he had been unsuccessfully searching for her. He told police when Brandi disappeared into the night, she was wearing only tan shorts, a green tank top and flip-flops.
In another twist, a posting appeared on Brandi Laurent's own myspace.com page Aug. 5. Allegedly written by her, it said she had left for Missouri with an unnamed man. The legitimacy of that posting is in doubt, and authorities have since seized several computers from the Laurent home on Road 528 in the Fenton-Dedeaux community.
Meanwhile, Hurt and investigator Rita Blaize-Watson continue to unravel a mystery involving disappearance, strong fears of foul play and allegations of drug use. The investigators say they are not discounting any possibilities.
As the weeks have worn on, friends and family have come to fear the worst. Laurent's mother, Alabama resident Anita Moody, has started a myspace.com Web page on her daughter's case. She posts regularly to the page, called myspace.com/missingbrandi and to her own page, myspace.com/redirishdiamond.
"This behavior, I assure you, is not the character of my daughter, leading me to fear foul play," Moody wrote in a recent post.
Andrea Dominach, who has known Laurent since grammar school, doesn't believe her longtime friend would leave her children willingly. "I don't think she's anywhere by choice," Dominach said.
Several other Myspace pages are devoted to the case, and a long string of messages on the Laurent case has been posted at the "Amber Alerts and Missing People" blog at courttv.com.
As the Sheriff's Department investigates, friends and family have conducted their own campaign to find Laurent, knocking on doors, keeping up a flurry of Internet postings and handing out fliers.
Hurt and Watson said as many as 100 leads have poured in from people calling, sending e-mail or stopping by the Sheriff's Department. The investigators say they dare not overlook a one.
Watson said one problem is Laurent's physical appearance is strikingly similar to a number of other women in the region. She is about 5 feet, 4 inches tall with long, reddish-blonde hair and green eyes - "a common description," Watson said.
There have been reports a woman matching the description has been seen in Pearlington, and investigators say another woman living in the county apparently looks almost identical to Laurent.
Watson said Anita Moody recently spotted that woman, and briefly believed it might be Laurent. "Even her mother thought it was her," the investigator said.
However, even in a county where many young women may closely resemble her, Laurent's most distinguishing physical characteristics are at least four tattoos - one below the back of her neck, another at the base of her back and one on each leg.
Circumstances leading to Laurent's disappearance go hand-in-hand with allegations of drug use and apparent marital problems. Deputies say when he first reported that his wife of nearly 10 years was missing, Leo Laurent told them she had been using drugs heavily for several days, then left their home that night after they had argued.
In Web postings, both members of the couple have candidly written about marital and other family problems.
Laurent's mother has also publicly expressed deep concern about her daughter's personal problems and presumed drug use, although she says even that would not prompt her to leave her children. Investigators at one point looked closely at an acquaintance of the Laurents who is a reputed drug dealer.
Leo Laurent initially agreed to meet in person with a Sun Herald reporter and grant an interview for this story, but that never materialized.
Watson said various interviews with people who know Laurent involved reports she occasionally experienced binges of extended methaphetamine and crack cocaine use. "But that doesn't make her somebody we want to help any less," she said. "We want to make sure she's all right."
So the case continues, hitting one brick wall after another. Last weekend investigators received a tip Laurent was alive and planning to attend services at a church in Harrison County. That fell through.
In another lead, a jail inmate claimed to have seen Laurent in Beaumont, Texas. His information was rejected as unreliable.
Hancock County Sheriff Steve Garber said such dead ends are typical in cases like this. "It's hard to decide, what do you put in the left stack and what do you put in the right stack?" he said.
"We'll think we're on the right track, and then... no," Watson said.
Dominach, Laurent's friend from childhood, now lives in Louisiana but has spent time and money helping in the Mississippi search. She and others are staging a Sunday-night candlelight vigil for the missing woman.
Dominach said she has worked over many possible scenarios in her mind about the fate of her friend. "I keep thinking, what could possibly be wrong? But something is wrong."
Have you seen her?
Brandi Rene Hawkins Laurent
Age: 29. Born June 23, 1978.
Description: 5 feet, 4 or 5 inches tall. Medium build, white, with reddish blonde hair and green eyes. Small mole on left cheek below eye. Scar above right eyebrow.
Tattoos: Large red rose on her right leg. Black dragon on her left leg. The word "Bailee" inscribed on her back just below the neck. A fairy on her lower back.
Last seen: Midnight, Aug. 3, 2007 in the Fenton-Dedeaux community of Hancock County.
Vigil: Friends will begin staging a candlelight vigil for Brandi Laurent at 7 p.m. Sunday at Hancock County High School, 7084 Stennis Airport Drive in Kiln, just north of Interstate 10.
http://www.sunherald.com/278/v-print/story/143266.html
'Vanished without a trace' 09.08.07
‘Vanished without a trace’
By Dwayne Bremer
Sep 10, 2007, 11:10
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Brandi LaurentWhy would a mother of two suddenly leave her home and her two young children in the middle of the night and not return or make contact with anyone for more than a month? That is the question sheriff's investigators and family members of 29-year-old Kiln resident Brandi Hawkins Laurent have been asking over the past five weeks, since she apparently vanished without a trace on Aug. 4.As more and more time goes by without any contact, friends and family members said this week their concerns are growing."This has just about got the best of me," Laurent's mother Anita Moody said Thursday. "I can't find my daughter, this is not like her. Something is definitely wrong here.""I know she would have called someone by now," life-long friend Andrea Dominach said Friday. "Its very alarming, we are all very concerned."Sheriff's investigator Rita Blaize-Watson said Brandi left her job at the Kiln Dollar Store on Friday Aug. 3, claiming she was sick.The next morning, Brandi's husband Leo first reported her missing to authorities at about 11 a.m., Watson said.Watson said Leo Laurent told officers he and Brandi had had a disagreement about midnight the previous evening, and a short time later, Brandi left the couple's home at the Pecan Park trailer park in Kiln.Leo Laurent told officers he drove around the trailer park and surrounding area, but Brandi was not to be found, Watson said.Brandi was last seen wearing a tank-top, tan pants or shorts, and a pair of flip-flops, Watson said. Watson said she apparently left on foot, leaving her vehicle, purse, cell phone, and clothes inside the trailer. Moody, who was living in Gadsden, Al., said she did not find out her daughter was missing until the next evening.Moody said she cannot believe her daughter would just up and leave her family and children."It is just not in her character to leave her children," Moody said. "Brandi is a very devoted mother to her children. She is always there for her kids no matter what."Watson said the disappearance is still being considered a missing persons case, and investigations are still on-going."We are not ruling anything out at this time, including foul play," Chief Investigator Kenny Hurt said Thursday. "We are following every angle of the case. Every time we get a tip, we investigate it."Hurt said several tips so far have led to dead ends.Dominach described Brandi as funny, smart, caring, nurturing, and an excellent mother."Brandi was someone that I admired as a mother," Dominach said. "She had children at a young age. Every choice and decision she made, she made in the best interest of her children.Watson said several people have said that Brandi had a substance abuse problem and that she was allegedly on a "binge" when she disappeared.Moody and Dominich said they were not aware of any major drug problem."If she had a drug problem, it must have been a new thing," Moody said. "I know she had some problems, but nothing serious."One of the biggest questions surrounding the disappearance centers around blog postings made on the internet.On Brandi's home page at myspace.com, Brandi apparently gives an extraordinary insight into her life on a blog entitled "An epiphany, if you please."The blog was posted on Aug. 3, the day before she went missing.In the blog, Brandi discusses problems in her life and comes to an apparent triumphant conclusion concerning her children."I am still here, just a little stronger," Brandi said in her blog. "I have my girls, my beautiful girls, who are going to be women and mothers one day, just like me and better, and I don't think that is a bad thing anymore."A second blog written on Aug. 5--the day after she went missing--may be the biggest clue in the disappearance.In that blog, Brandi claims she has run-off to Missouri with a "guy-friend.""I regret the decision I have made for my girls, but I have not been without kids my whole life and I believe it is my turn," Brandi said in the blog. "I want to apologize to my family for not contacting them sooner."Moody and Brandi's sister believe that Brandi did not write the second blog.Moody said that several misspelled words and grammatical mistakes in the blog are something Brandi would never do. Brandi's sister agreed in a blog posted on Aug. 6."You know, now that I start re-reading, it does not sound like my sister at all," she said. "I don't think she would have been so careless about that stuff (grammar). Why would she leave without her car? That does not make any sense. Something is not adding up."Watson said investigators are aware of the myspace postings and all of them are being looked at.Friends and love ones of Brandi have also set up separate myspace pages dedicated to finding Brandi."We are just trying to spread the word and get information," Dominach said.Brandi's husband Leo has also posted on the blogs, urging Brandi to contact her family."I am so worried and dying inside to have a chance to talk to you," Leo said. "Words cannot express the pain everyone is going through. I can't eat, I can't sleep, and the phone is constantly ringing. All I can tell them is I don't know."Watson urges anyone in the public with any information of Brandi Hawkins Laurent to call 228-466-6921.
© Copyright 2007 Bay St. Louis Newspapers, Inc.
http://208.62.60.4/40/article_1501.shtml
________________________________________________________________
'Candle-light vigil scheduled for missing mother'
By Dwayne Bremer
Sep 12, 2007, 09:13
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Brandi LaurentFriends and family members of missing Kiln woman Brandi Hawkins Laurent will be keeping the home fires burning this Sunday as they plan to host a sunset candlelight vigil to raise awareness and offer prayers for their missing friend and loved one. Laurent, 29, was last seen on Aug. 3. She has been missing for nearly six weeks. As more and more time goes by, her friends and family the disappearance has been hard on them and they have become increasingly concerned about her safety."The first three weeks were nearly impossible," Brandi's husband Leo said Tuesday. Leo said he is hopeful the vigil will open more people's eyes and bring more attention to the situation.Brandi's friends agreed."We want to all pray together for Brandi," Andrea Dominach said Tuesday. "This vigil is to raise awareness about Brandi, and we hope something positive can come out of it."The ceremony will be held at the front parking lot of Hancock High School at 7 p.m. Sunday. The prayer and candlelight service will begin a short time later to coincide with the sunset."We are asking for continued prayers and efforts so we can come together as a community, and give us a better chance to find Brandi," Leo said.Brandi Laurent was a student at Hancock High School from 1992 to 1995.Her and Leo have been married for nearly 10 years, and she has two children, ages two and 12. Leo said the hardest part of the past five weeks has been getting the children through the ordeal.Dominach described Brandi as funny, smart, caring, nurturing, and a "devoted mother.""Brandi was someone that I admired as a mother," Dominach said. "She had children at a young age. Every choice and decision she made, she made in the best interest of her children.Brandi was last seen wearing a tank-top, tan pants or shorts, and a pair of flip-flops, police said. Investigators said there have been alleged sightings of Brandi in several parts of the county; however, as of Tuesday there had been no concrete evidence as to her whereabouts.Dominach, a life-long friend, has set up a web-site on myspace.com dedicated to Brandi. The site currently has more than 300 members.Dominach said her group will provide candles, but people who plan to attend may bring their own. Leo praised all of the work and efforts people have put into finding Brandi."A lot of friends and family have stepped up and helped me," he said.
© Copyright 2007 Bay St. Louis Newspapers, Inc.
http://208.62.60.4/40/article_1510.shtml
By Dwayne Bremer
Sep 10, 2007, 11:10
Email this article
Brandi LaurentWhy would a mother of two suddenly leave her home and her two young children in the middle of the night and not return or make contact with anyone for more than a month? That is the question sheriff's investigators and family members of 29-year-old Kiln resident Brandi Hawkins Laurent have been asking over the past five weeks, since she apparently vanished without a trace on Aug. 4.As more and more time goes by without any contact, friends and family members said this week their concerns are growing."This has just about got the best of me," Laurent's mother Anita Moody said Thursday. "I can't find my daughter, this is not like her. Something is definitely wrong here.""I know she would have called someone by now," life-long friend Andrea Dominach said Friday. "Its very alarming, we are all very concerned."Sheriff's investigator Rita Blaize-Watson said Brandi left her job at the Kiln Dollar Store on Friday Aug. 3, claiming she was sick.The next morning, Brandi's husband Leo first reported her missing to authorities at about 11 a.m., Watson said.Watson said Leo Laurent told officers he and Brandi had had a disagreement about midnight the previous evening, and a short time later, Brandi left the couple's home at the Pecan Park trailer park in Kiln.Leo Laurent told officers he drove around the trailer park and surrounding area, but Brandi was not to be found, Watson said.Brandi was last seen wearing a tank-top, tan pants or shorts, and a pair of flip-flops, Watson said. Watson said she apparently left on foot, leaving her vehicle, purse, cell phone, and clothes inside the trailer. Moody, who was living in Gadsden, Al., said she did not find out her daughter was missing until the next evening.Moody said she cannot believe her daughter would just up and leave her family and children."It is just not in her character to leave her children," Moody said. "Brandi is a very devoted mother to her children. She is always there for her kids no matter what."Watson said the disappearance is still being considered a missing persons case, and investigations are still on-going."We are not ruling anything out at this time, including foul play," Chief Investigator Kenny Hurt said Thursday. "We are following every angle of the case. Every time we get a tip, we investigate it."Hurt said several tips so far have led to dead ends.Dominach described Brandi as funny, smart, caring, nurturing, and an excellent mother."Brandi was someone that I admired as a mother," Dominach said. "She had children at a young age. Every choice and decision she made, she made in the best interest of her children.Watson said several people have said that Brandi had a substance abuse problem and that she was allegedly on a "binge" when she disappeared.Moody and Dominich said they were not aware of any major drug problem."If she had a drug problem, it must have been a new thing," Moody said. "I know she had some problems, but nothing serious."One of the biggest questions surrounding the disappearance centers around blog postings made on the internet.On Brandi's home page at myspace.com, Brandi apparently gives an extraordinary insight into her life on a blog entitled "An epiphany, if you please."The blog was posted on Aug. 3, the day before she went missing.In the blog, Brandi discusses problems in her life and comes to an apparent triumphant conclusion concerning her children."I am still here, just a little stronger," Brandi said in her blog. "I have my girls, my beautiful girls, who are going to be women and mothers one day, just like me and better, and I don't think that is a bad thing anymore."A second blog written on Aug. 5--the day after she went missing--may be the biggest clue in the disappearance.In that blog, Brandi claims she has run-off to Missouri with a "guy-friend.""I regret the decision I have made for my girls, but I have not been without kids my whole life and I believe it is my turn," Brandi said in the blog. "I want to apologize to my family for not contacting them sooner."Moody and Brandi's sister believe that Brandi did not write the second blog.Moody said that several misspelled words and grammatical mistakes in the blog are something Brandi would never do. Brandi's sister agreed in a blog posted on Aug. 6."You know, now that I start re-reading, it does not sound like my sister at all," she said. "I don't think she would have been so careless about that stuff (grammar). Why would she leave without her car? That does not make any sense. Something is not adding up."Watson said investigators are aware of the myspace postings and all of them are being looked at.Friends and love ones of Brandi have also set up separate myspace pages dedicated to finding Brandi."We are just trying to spread the word and get information," Dominach said.Brandi's husband Leo has also posted on the blogs, urging Brandi to contact her family."I am so worried and dying inside to have a chance to talk to you," Leo said. "Words cannot express the pain everyone is going through. I can't eat, I can't sleep, and the phone is constantly ringing. All I can tell them is I don't know."Watson urges anyone in the public with any information of Brandi Hawkins Laurent to call 228-466-6921.
© Copyright 2007 Bay St. Louis Newspapers, Inc.
http://208.62.60.4/40/article_1501.shtml
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'Candle-light vigil scheduled for missing mother'
By Dwayne Bremer
Sep 12, 2007, 09:13
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Brandi LaurentFriends and family members of missing Kiln woman Brandi Hawkins Laurent will be keeping the home fires burning this Sunday as they plan to host a sunset candlelight vigil to raise awareness and offer prayers for their missing friend and loved one. Laurent, 29, was last seen on Aug. 3. She has been missing for nearly six weeks. As more and more time goes by, her friends and family the disappearance has been hard on them and they have become increasingly concerned about her safety."The first three weeks were nearly impossible," Brandi's husband Leo said Tuesday. Leo said he is hopeful the vigil will open more people's eyes and bring more attention to the situation.Brandi's friends agreed."We want to all pray together for Brandi," Andrea Dominach said Tuesday. "This vigil is to raise awareness about Brandi, and we hope something positive can come out of it."The ceremony will be held at the front parking lot of Hancock High School at 7 p.m. Sunday. The prayer and candlelight service will begin a short time later to coincide with the sunset."We are asking for continued prayers and efforts so we can come together as a community, and give us a better chance to find Brandi," Leo said.Brandi Laurent was a student at Hancock High School from 1992 to 1995.Her and Leo have been married for nearly 10 years, and she has two children, ages two and 12. Leo said the hardest part of the past five weeks has been getting the children through the ordeal.Dominach described Brandi as funny, smart, caring, nurturing, and a "devoted mother.""Brandi was someone that I admired as a mother," Dominach said. "She had children at a young age. Every choice and decision she made, she made in the best interest of her children.Brandi was last seen wearing a tank-top, tan pants or shorts, and a pair of flip-flops, police said. Investigators said there have been alleged sightings of Brandi in several parts of the county; however, as of Tuesday there had been no concrete evidence as to her whereabouts.Dominach, a life-long friend, has set up a web-site on myspace.com dedicated to Brandi. The site currently has more than 300 members.Dominach said her group will provide candles, but people who plan to attend may bring their own. Leo praised all of the work and efforts people have put into finding Brandi."A lot of friends and family have stepped up and helped me," he said.
© Copyright 2007 Bay St. Louis Newspapers, Inc.
http://208.62.60.4/40/article_1510.shtml
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