For decades, there has been no resolution to the missing person case involving Philadelphia’s Brenwanda Smith, known to her loved ones as “Brennie.” At the time of her disappearance in 1997, 24-year-old Brenwanda was working as a SEPTA (Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority) driver. It had been her occupation since 1994, and she worked on-call or as a “hold-down operator,” meaning she filled in for other drivers who called in sick or took vacation days.
According to reports, Brenwanda Smith worked as many hours as she could to help save money for her apartment at the Lynnewood Gardens in Cheltenham. She made her big move to her new home in January, but no one knew that just a month later, Brenwanda would go missing.
The Day Brenwanda Disappeared
On February 18, 1997, Brenwanda clocked in at work at 4:00 a.m. Eight hours later, it’s reported that she was driving the Route C bus when she was involved in a minor traffic accident on Broad Street near Girard Avenue in Philadelphia. Brenwanda did fill out an accident report in connection with the incident and departed work at approximately 1:30 p.m. Mysteriously, at 7:00 p.m., two of Brenwanda’s coworkers claimed that they saw her at the bus depot. They offered her a ride, but Brenwanda declined and said she already had one. She didn’t have a car of her own and would often get rides from her coworkers and her father or would take the bus.