Brandy Hanna disappeared on May 20, 2005, from her apartment located in the vicinity of the 3300 block of Florida Avenue in Charleston, South Carolina. She left work at around 3:00 p.m. on the day she vanished, and an acquaintance gave her a ride home. Later that day, Hanna texted some people at 8:00 and 10:19 p.m., but when a friend arrived at her apartment for a pre-planned shopping trip at 10:30 p.m., Hanna did not answer the door. She has never been seen or heard from since.

Hanna's mother, Donna Parent, spoke to her daughter at 5:50 p.m. that day. When Parent tried to contact her daughter over the weekend, Hanna's phone was turned off, which was uncharacteristic of her. Hanna's boyfriend and mother went to her apartment the following day, after she missed work, but did not find her there. There were no signs of struggle, and all of Hanna's personal belongings, except for her cell phone, were left behind.

Initially, police refused to take a missing person report, but they began investigating the case on May 27. In June of the same year, at the request of Hanna's landlord, Parent packed up her daughter's belongings and returned the apartment key. Hanna is described as a shy and quiet person with a small circle of friends and a close relationship with her family. On the day she disappeared while working at Alex's Restaurant on Dorchester Road, she received a phone call that left her frightened. She later confided in a customer that she was afraid of someone but did not reveal who.

In December 2016, Garland Eugene "Zeke" Lankford, Hanna's ex-boyfriend, was charged with obstruction of justice in connection with her disappearance. The statements Lankford made to the police in 2005 were in conflict with those he made in 2016, including his admission that he "may have" spent time with her at her apartment the night she vanished. According to Lankford's time sheets, he clocked out of work at 4:00 p.m. on the night in question. Investigators are exploring a theory that Hanna was sold to cover a drug debt.

Hanna's friends and family do not believe that she left of her own accord. Her parents stated that her daughter's apartment appeared as if she had voluntarily planned to be back soon, but something prevented her from returning. Hanna was declared legally dead in 2013, and the case remains unsolved and is being investigated as a homicide. The North Charleston Police Department is in charge of the investigation and can be reached at 843-745-1015.