Brittany Willis

Wilson police say they believe more than one person is responsible for the death of a 17-year-old girl.

On Tuesday, the body of Brittany Willis was found in a construction area about a mile from where she was last seen.

One Wilson mom is keeping her 11-year-old daughter close, knowing Willis disappeared from the same shopping center they visited on Wednesday.

“There's not going to be any unsupervised shopping trips for her right now,” Michelle Cox said.

Police said Willis was last seen between 4:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Monday afternoon. She was exchanging graduation gifts at Brentwood Shopping Center on Ward Boulevard.

On Tuesday, police found her body about a mile away in a construction area. That has many people concerned for their safety and the safety of loved ones.

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“When she [Lindsey] goes outside, I need to know where she is,” Cox added. “She calls me from wherever she's going, even if it's the neighbor across the street. And I think now, probably a little bit stricter on that, maybe walking her over to her friend’s house."

“It's just kinda scary being by yourself,” Lindsey Cox said. “Like before this happened, I wanted to go bike riding with my friends and everything. But now, it's like 'will you go with me Mom'? I just don't want to be by myself."

Police said Willis's white Lexus SUV led them to her body. It was discovered a couple miles away in Wilson Woods Townhomes, covered in clues.

“When we recovered the car, there was some loose soil, not a clay soil, not a heavy topsoil, but loose sandy soil, which is typical of construction areas,” Sgt. Donald Garris of the Wilson Police Department said.

Police have ruled out robbery for Willis' disappearance but they say until the autopsy reports come back, they can't say if her death was just an accident caused by someone else or if it was murder.

Police have worked around-the-clock interviewing neighbors and passers-by. They've also followed up dozens of phone leads.

“Those kinds of tips are the one we're looking for because that's going to be the ones that put us in the right direction and putting us on somebody,” Sgt. Garris said.

Police believe more than one suspect is involved in Willis' death. Michelle Cox has a simple message for them.

“You know what you’ve done was wrong,” Cox said. “You've got to come forward. You’ve got to give her family and this community piece of mind. We need to know this is not going to happen again."

Funeral arrangements are set for Friday morning at 11 a.m. It will be held at the First United Methodist Church. The family will receive friends from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday at Joyner Funeral Home in Wilson.