18-year-old Brittany Phillips is last seen on September 27, 2004. Just before 10 p.m., she dropped the friend off at home and then drove to her own apartment on 65th Street. The following day, Tulsa Police find Brittany raped and murdered in her Tulsa apartment. In 2019, DNA led to a possible suspect. That person was cleared.

In this episode of Zone 7, Crime Scene Investigator, Sheryl McCollum, talks with Dr. Maggie Zingman, the mother of Brittany Phillips. They discuss what Brittany was like as a young adult, what events led up to the night of the gruesome murder, the benefits and setbacks of DNA involvement, and ultimately the reasons why this case needs to be started over completely.    

Show Notes:

• [0:00] Welcome back to Zone 7 with Crime Scene Investigator, Sheryl McCollum. Sheryl introduces Brittany’s case to the listeners
• [3:09] This case took place in Tulsa, Oklahoma on September 27, 2004. Brittany was 18 years old when police found her in her apartment dead 
• [4:18] The little doorway connected Britt's apartment with other apartments
• [7:05] Sheryl introduces guest, Dr. Maggie Zingman, the mother of Brittany to Zone 7 
• [8:08] Question: Can you tell us about when you got the knock at the door from the police?
• [10:46] Parabon explained 
• [12:04] Question: You know, he's a white guy with blue eyes and blonde hair, and a few freckles. What do you do with that composite? 
• [13:36] Dr. Maggie Zingman’s Vehicle
• [15:52] Question: What does your local law enforcement think about your caravan and justice?
• [20:57] “We got a direct hit, and he is not our killer.”
• [26:25] Let’s walk through the crime… Step by step 
• [30:34] Question: How many interviews do you think you’ve done with media?
• [34:24] Suspects in the case
• [40:29] Question: Can you tell the listeners what happened to you between Montana and Wyoming? 
• [44:59] If you have any information about Sept. 27-Sept. 30th, 2004, murder of Brittany Phillips, contact the Tulsa Police Department Homicide Unit at 918-596-9135
• [45:23] “Work on things that keep you up at night. be the change every single day. Never give up and know that one day your work will be the answer in the change in someone else's life.” -Dr. Christine Middleman 
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Sheryl “Mac” McCollum is an Emmy Award-winning CSI, a writer for CrimeOnLine, Forensic and Crime Scene Expert for Crime Stories with Nancy Grace, and a CSI for a metro Atlanta Police Department. She is the co-author of the textbook., Cold Case: Pathways to Justice. Sheryl is also the founder and director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, a collaboration between universities and colleges that brings researchers, practitioners, students and the criminal justice community together to advance techniques in solving cold cases and assist families and law enforcement with solvability factors for unsolved homicides, missing persons, and kidnapping cases.  

You can connect and learn more about Sheryl’s work by visiting the CCIRI website https://coldcasecrimes.org

Social Links:

• Email: [email protected]
• Twitter: @ColdCaseTips
• Facebook: @sheryl.mccollum

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