Riley Berryhill, a 12-year-old South Carolina seventh-grader, was found safe in Independence County, Arkansas, on Wednesday — about 24 hours after she was reported missing from Woodruff, South Carolina. Authorities say 31-year-old Brandon Britten of Arkansas had been communicating with and grooming the girl online before traveling to South Carolina to take her. He has been charged with kidnapping, and his wife, Sierra Britten, has also been taken into custody.
A 12-year-old South Carolina girl is safe tonight after a rapid, multi-state investigation traced her more than 500 miles from home in under 24 hours — a case authorities say began with online grooming and ended with her safe recovery inside an Arkansas home.
How the Case Began
Riley Berryhill was last seen around 4 p.m. Tuesday, September 8, at a McDonald’s in Woodruff, South Carolina. She was reported missing at approximately 5:47 p.m. that evening. Authorities initially believed she might have run away, but investigators quickly began working through the night to determine where she had gone and who she might have been with.
According to the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office, investigators came to believe Riley had been groomed online prior to her disappearance. Sheriff Chuck Wright explained the term for the public during a Wednesday news conference: grooming generally refers to an adult building a child’s trust in order to manipulate or exploit them.
“This is a child,” Wright said. “These predators prey on our children.”
Tracking the Vehicle
Investigators obtained surveillance footage showing Riley in a Woodruff-area parking lot shortly after 4 p.m. Tuesday, and a second recording showing her entering a dark-colored Chevrolet Malibu around 4:25 p.m. The vehicle was then seen heading north on South Carolina Highway 101.
Between 10 and 15 deputies and investigators went door to door and contacted local businesses along the highway, searching for any footage that might help identify the car and its license plate.
The investigation hit a setback early on: a Flock license-plate reader camera positioned along a road leading out of Woodruff had been damaged. Wright said investigators believe that camera could have captured an earlier image of the suspect’s vehicle and potentially led them to Riley much sooner — possibly by midnight Tuesday. That claim, and the extent to which the damaged camera delayed the search, could not be independently verified.
Despite the setback, investigators pieced together surveillance footage, license-plate data, and cooperation from law enforcement across multiple states to keep tracking the vehicle. The Flock camera system recorded the car near Cullman and Hoover, Alabama, as it continued traveling west, including one image captured around 1 a.m. Wednesday near Cullman.
The Breakthrough
At approximately 3:20 p.m. Wednesday, investigators located an image of the Malibu through the Flock Safety camera network, which photographs vehicles and license plates. That image gave investigators the car’s license plate number, which they used to identify the registered owner and trace an address in Independence County, Arkansas — roughly an 11-hour drive from Spartanburg County.
Spartanburg County investigators immediately contacted the Independence County Sheriff’s Office in Arkansas and asked deputies to check the address. When deputies arrived at the home around 4:30 p.m. Wednesday — less than two hours after investigators confirmed the vehicle information — they found Riley inside and placed her into protective custody.
“She is safe,” Wright said. “That’s the most important thing to recognize here.”
The Suspect
Authorities identified the registered owner of the vehicle as 31-year-old Brandon Lee Britten. He was taken into custody at the Arkansas residence where Riley was found. A kidnapping warrant against Britten was signed in Spartanburg County at approximately 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, and additional charges are possible in both South Carolina and Arkansas as the investigation continues, according to Wright.
Britten’s wife, Sierra Britten, has also been taken into custody in Arkansas. Authorities say she could face charges connected to the case, though the specific allegations against her have not yet been fully released.
Authorities have not publicly disclosed whether Riley was physically harmed during the ordeal. Investigators are continuing to determine exactly what happened after she left the McDonald’s, how long she had been communicating with Britten, and whether anyone else assisted him.
What’s Next
Riley remained in protective custody in Independence County as of Wednesday evening. Authorities said she would undergo physical and mental health evaluations before being returned to South Carolina.
Sheriff Wright also addressed criticism the Flock camera system has faced over privacy concerns, describing it as one investigative tool among many rather than a system that identifies suspects on its own. He noted that even after the camera provided a photograph and license plate, investigators still had to identify the registered owner, trace the vehicle’s path, and coordinate directly with Arkansas authorities to bring Riley home safely.
