Person of interest in SC missing person’s case served time for rape, other sex crimes against children

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - The Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office arrested a man last week on a charge of obstruction of justice that reportedly occurred the same day a New York teen disappeared from South Carolina.

On May 4, Georgetown County deputies arrested Raymond Moody on the obstruction charge. A State Law Enforcement Division background check indicated the date of the obstruction incident was April 25, 2009. That is the same day 17-year-old Brittanee Drexel went missing while on spring break in Myrtle Beach.

The background check from SLED does not provide any details on the nature of the obstruction of justice incident.

Law enforcement has declined to provide any further details on the case.

The sheriff’s office has also called a press conference to discuss recent law enforcement activity in the area for this Monday.

Information from the National Sex Offender Registry shows Moody, 62, was serving time for rape, kidnapping, lewd or lascivious acts with a child under the age of 14, and sodomy with a person under the age of 14 or force in the California state prison system.

He was convicted in December of 1983 and released on parole in 2004.

According to a SLED criminal background check, he also failed to register in 2009 and was convicted in 2010.

He was also arrested for indecent exposure in 2008.

In 2012, the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office named Moody a person of interest in both Drexel’s 2009 disappearance and Crystal Soles’ 2005 disappearance.

He is currently being held at the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office on a $100,000 bond.