A young mother was killed in a car accident on the way to her father’s birthday party.

A bystander saw Brittany Stykes’ car in a ditch and immediately suspected murder. 

Brittany Dobson Stykes was 22 and pregnant. She was shot and killed in 2013. 

She was a sweet young lady. Brittany wanted to be the best mother in the world to her children.

The loss of her has devastated her family, and they want nothing more than to track down her killer. 

Her daughter Aubree has recovered from her injuries, but continues to press detectives for details of her mother’s death. 

In the house was her daughter, who was only 14 months old but managed to live.

Brittany’s murder and the family’s long wait for answers are explored in the concluding episode of Investigation Discovery’s ‘Still A Mystery: The Silent Witnesses.

If you’re curious about the outcome of this case, read on.

What happened to Brittany Stykes?

On Wednesday, August 28, 2013, Brittany Stykes participated in an electronic job interview.

She decided to finish the discussion on the Internet at her mother-in-law’s house. 

She was expecting her second child. Brittany left her work at Wal-Mart and stayed home with her family.

The 22-year-old woman was overjoyed to hear back from the Internal Revenue Service. 

When the online interview ended, she was optimistic it had gone well. 

After having a meal with her mother-in-law, she announced she would drop in on her parents later that evening.

At about 7:00 p.m., Brittany left her in-laws’ house with a plate laden with Shawn’s favorite leftovers. 

She buckled her daughter Aubree into the car seat.

Brittany entered the driver’s seat of the family’s yellow Jeep Wrangler and set off toward Ripley.

Her father’s 49th birthday was that day. She visited him and wished him well before returning to her husband.

Unfortunately, she never got to see her husband.

Who discovered Brittany Stykes body?

Just after 8:00, a man traveling down US 68 was astonished to see headlights emerging from the woods on the other side of the road.

Worried, he turned around and stopped to look into the situation.

He stumbled upon a yellow Jeep whose engine was still functioning.

Shockingly, he saw a woman inside injured in a vehicle crash from the amount of blood she was coated in. 

Her lips were bluish and she was slumped over the wheel. It was obvious she was not breathing.

In his call to 911, the man stated, “There’s a Jeep in the woods. Someone seemed to have fallen asleep while driving and crashed into the woods.”

As he waited for help, the man saw a toddler in the Jeep’s passenger seat.

The little girl was covered in blood but was awake and calling out for her mom.

Unbeknownst to him then, he had just stumbled across Brittany and Aubree.

Both Brittany and Aubree had been shot. So it was clear they were not dealing with a traffic accident. 

Brittany was dead on the spot and sadly, nothing could have been done to save her.

Both she and the baby she was carrying passed away. 

A medical team desperately worked to save Aubree’s life at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.

She was rushed there by ambulance.

The five bullet holes in the Jeep’s driver-side door indicated someone fired from a distance. 

Two bullets struck Brittany. The first pierced her neck and the second hit her chest and right arm. 

The bullet that hit Aubree went through her forehead and out the top of her skull. After two quick operations, her condition miraculously improved, and her survival was predicted.

Sheriff’s Office deputies knocked on Shane’s door to inform him that his wife was dead.

Shane was instructed to join the deputies at the sheriff’s office after being reported.

The bystander, police, and Shane discovered Brittany’s body in her Jeep.

Brittany Stykes: Who killed her?

In the show, police believes someone shot Brittany at point-blank range from outside the car.

After first questioning Shane, the authorities examined him for possible gun residue. 

He cooperated with authorities and passed all polygraph exams, so they let him go. 

However, the police have been skeptical regarding Shane. “I knew from the get-go that they suspected me,” he stated.

“To this day, there are still skeptics, and it bothers me that they exist. It hurts me so much.”

Shane claims he informed the police of the identity of the person he now suspects of murder.

According to him, he knew this person “not on a personal level.” 

He complained to the police because he believed they were not acting on the tips he would give them.

Since the investigators’ leads eventually dried up, they could not make much progress.

In 2014, Shane stated his conviction that he could identify the murderer.

Shane didn’t name names but implied it was someone he knew.

Authorities believe this was not an isolated violence incident and are currently questioning other people of interest.

However, after the murder, the police couldn’t identify any suspects.

In 2015, the show’s protagonist’s girlfriend alleged that her lover had murdered Brittany in front of her eyes.

It was unable to confirm the assertions. 

In May of 2021, Brittany’s dad said: “I know somebody out there knows what happened to my daughter. I hope the truth will emerge.”

He added, “Little Aubree keeps asking me about what happened to her mother and I hope I will have an answer for her one day.” 

She is frequently inquiring about her mother. She had just turned one when this occurred. 

Despite a prize being given for information that leads to an arrest, the Brittany Stykes case is yet to be solved.

Final words 

The police wouldn’t comment specifically on Shane’s tip but maintained that they hadn’t investigated further. 

Reporters were informed that more than 70 leads had been investigated and that detectives were working on a theory they hoped would soon solve the case.

Unfortunately, their confidence was unwarranted since the matter is still open.

A representative said they were putting in more workforce and resources to find the murderer.

Someone, somewhere, has to know something. 

They also disclosed an increase in the reward for information to $20,000.

The higher price and subsequent media boost did not result in significant new leads.

The police hasn’t been able to solve the case.

Detectives have been puzzling over whether the murderer had preplanned it all.

It was a terrible instance of mistaken identity or it was a random accident for the past nine years.

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