East Texas

By KENNETH DEAN
Staff Writer

Ellen Tant has lived a “nightmare” of not knowing what happened to her daughter, and information about another case released Monday has her asking the question — is my daughter dead?

Ms. Tant contacted the Tyler Paper Tuesday in reference to an article detailing new information in the Gregg County case of an unidentified woman whose burned body was found two months after her daughter went missing.

Gregg County Sheriff Lt. Mike Claxton identified 30-year-old Joseph Wayne Burnette as a “person of interest” in the sexual homicide of the burned woman, and said he could possibly be responsible for the disappearance of Tant’s daughter, Brandi Wells, 23, of Brownsboro who has been missing for several years, and the death of Deena Cedillo aka Deena Garcia of Longview.

“I’m just hearing about this today, and I haven’t heard anything on my daughter for at least eight months,” Ms. Tant said in a phone interview.

Claxton, during a press conference Monday, said that Burnette, a convicted sex offender with a violent criminal history, is believed to have been with the unidentified woman when she died. While he did not call Burnette a suspect in the other crimes, he did say the man fits certain characteristics, and that he found it odd that since Burnette was incarcerated in 2007, there have been no further reports of missing women in Longview.

It was during a time period after he was paroled from prison on aggravated sexual assault charges that the bodies were found and Brandi turned up missing.

Asked if Burnette is suspected of being a serial killer, Claxton said, “I can’t say that, but I can say he is a sexual predator with a very violent temper, who under certain circumstances could escalate that violence.”

Ms. Tant said her daughter fit a certain type also, petite and trusting — the type of young woman who could get into a situation “over her head” because of her trusting nature.

“That is the first and foremost thought in my mind from the get-go on this whole ordeal. I know Brandi didn’t run off. I feel as though she met up with the wrong person unfortunately and that that person did something to her,” she said.

Brandi was last seen Aug. 3, 2006 leaving Graham Central Station club in Longview. She has not been heard from since.

Ms. Tant said the last she heard in the case was from the FBI in Winston-Salem, N.C., which contacted her in regard to her daughter’s identity being used on a job application. She said, however, that an investigation was ruled as just a theft.

As Gregg County Sheriff officials ask for information to identify the burned woman, Ms. Tant wonders if the end is near in the search for her daughter.

“Maybe this will end a nightmare or wondering, but then the real nightmare might begin,” she said.

Anyone with information about Ms. Wells or Ms. Cedillo is asked to contact their local law enforcement agency. Anyone with information related to Burnette is asked to call the Gregg County Sheriff’s Office at 903-236-8400 or toll free at 800-765-2189.

Ellen Tant sits with photos of her daughter Brandi Wells, who went missing on Aug. 3, 2006 from a Longview nightclub.
(Staff file photo by Tom Turner)