Brentwood Woman Accused Of Selling Drugs To Previously Missing Teen Makes Plea Under Seal: Report

RIVERSIDE, NY — A Brentwood woman, who was reportedly accused of selling drugs to a teenage girl while she was missing last year, pleaded guilty to a range of charges in plea agreements made under seal, her attorney told Newsday on Wednesday.

Rebecca Browell, 48, pleaded guilty to endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor charge, in November in connection with her involvement with the girl while she was missing, online court records show.

Browell admitted her guilt in a separate drug-related case involving an undercover officer during a closed-door court proceeding on Wednesday, her defense attorney, Pierre Bazile of Huntington, told the outlet.

"I can't really go into the details of it because it's going to be a sealed plea at this time," Bazile said.

Patch has reached out to Bazile for comment.

For more in Newsday, click here.

After Browell's arrest early last year, Bazile told Patch that she maintained her innocence and that prosecutors are looking to paint her with the same broad brush as other defendants who have been arrested in connection with the girl's case.

Browell and her domestic partner, Ralph Knowles, 63, were reportedly arrested in connection with the missing girl. Browell was charged with misdemeanor child endangerment, and Knowles, is part of a group of nine people, including six other men, as well as two women, who have been indicted in connection with the case.

Knowles was charged with rape, among other charges, online court records show.

The teen went missing in December 2024, sparking a massive hunt for her that was highly publicized on social media, before she was found on a boat in early January.

Bazile previously described Browell as not working due to a disability.

"There's been a real effort by the district attorney's office to portray my client as being involved in the matter of the trafficking," he said. "Frankly, the district attorney's office is just painting her with a broad brush, trying to lump her in with the other defendants, trying to make her guilty by association."

Browell's child endangerment charge stems from an incident on Dec. 13, which was within the week of the teen's disappearance, online court records show. In that case, prosecutors are alleging that Browell gave a narcotic to a minor, though it is not clear whether the missing girl is the same minor, Bazile previously said.

She was arrested on Feb. 6, 2025, online court records show.

Editor's note: The teen's name is being withheld to protect her identity as a minor.