Teen Unknowingly Takes SELFIE With Her KIL.LER

On March 9, 2020, the Elko County Sheriff’s Office in Nevada received a missing person report involving 16-year-old Gabrielle “Britney” Ulicki after she failed to return home the previous day.

Her mother, Alicia, contacted authorities after learning from friends that Britney had last been seen leaving with an unidentified man after being dropped off near Spring Creek High School.

According to Alicia, Britney had never disappeared before and normally kept in close contact with her family, even when she was in minor trouble.

Concerned by the unusual circumstances, deputies immediately began gathering information from family members and friends while search efforts got underway.

One of the first people investigators interviewed was 18-year-old Bryce Dicki, a close friend of Britney’s who admitted he had spent several hours with her on March 8 before, according to his account, dropping her off at the high school to meet what she described as a “new friend.”

Bryce claimed the man arrived in a dark green Ford F-150 pickup truck and was wearing a cowboy hat.

He said he knew very little about the individual and did not think the meeting seemed unusual at the time.

After dropping Britney off, Bryce said he returned home and later became concerned when she stopped responding to messages.

He joined friends and family in searching for her once she was reported missing. Investigators interviewed Britney’s family to better understand her recent activities and relationships.

Alicia described her daughter as outgoing but acknowledged that she had experienced conflicts with other teenagers, including an earlier incident in which she had reportedly been assaulted by several girls.

Britney had also expressed concerns about certain individuals in her life, leading investigators to examine numerous potential leads.

Deputies quickly realized, however, that they had very little concrete evidence beyond Bryce’s description of the mysterious pickup truck.

Search efforts continued through the night and into the following day, involving deputies, volunteers, and members of the community.

Investigators also began reviewing surveillance footage from businesses and traffic cameras in hopes of locating either Britney or the truck Bryce had described.

At the same time, detectives continued interviewing people who had spoken with Britney during the days leading up to her disappearance.

On March 11, trained search volunteers combing an isolated basin several miles from Spring Creek High School made a significant discovery.

While searching the area, one volunteer noticed a blue tarp partially concealed among the rocks.

Upon closer inspection, they realized a body had been wrapped inside. Investigators responded immediately and secured the scene while forensic specialists documented evidence.

Before the victim had been formally identified, detectives met with Alicia to inform her that a body had been discovered during the search.

They emphasized that identification had not yet been confirmed. The news caused an emotional reaction as the family struggled with the possibility that the search for Britney might be ending in the worst possible way.

Two days later, authorities confirmed that the body recovered from the basin was Gabrielle “Britney” Ulicki.

According to the medical examiner, she had suffered injuries consistent with both strangulation and a stab wound to the neck.

Detectives carefully processed the crime scene, collecting numerous pieces of physical evidence. They recovered Britney’s keys attached to a personalized lanyard, samples of chewing tobacco spit found nearby, and documented tire tracks in the area, although the rocky terrain limited investigators’ ability to obtain usable impressions.

Fingernail clippings were also collected in hopes of identifying any DNA belonging to a possible attacker.

Despite the discovery of Britney’s body, one important piece of evidence remained missing: her cell phone.

Detectives returned to the basin the following day to conduct a more extensive search. During that search, they located her broken phone as well as a used condom discarded nearby.

Both items were submitted for forensic testing, including DNA analysis, which would later become central to the investigation.

Meanwhile, detectives continued interviewing Bryce Dicki. He maintained that he had simply dropped Britney off to meet an unknown man driving the green Ford pickup.

He described Britney as one of his closest friends since middle school and insisted they viewed each other as siblings.

When asked whether investigators would find his DNA on Britney, he denied any intimate relationship beyond normal friendship and voluntarily agreed to provide a DNA sample.

As investigators reviewed surveillance footage collected from around the community, they noticed inconsistencies in Bryce’s timeline.

Cameras captured Bryce picking Britney up from Angel Park, but instead of turning toward Spring Creek High School as he claimed, his truck continued in a different direction.

No surveillance footage supported the existence of the mysterious green pickup truck or the unidentified man Bryce described.

Detectives confronted Bryce with the surveillance evidence during another interview. Initially, he admitted only that he had lied about dropping Britney off at the school.

He explained that he became frightened after deputies questioned whether he might be responsible for Britney’s disappearance and said he invented the story about the green truck because he feared becoming the primary suspect.

Investigators, however, had accumulated far more evidence than surveillance footage alone. DNA testing linked Bryce to multiple pieces of evidence recovered from the crime scene.

According to court documents, his DNA matched samples collected from chewing tobacco spit near Britney’s body, DNA recovered from Britney’s neck and beneath her fingernails, and biological evidence found inside the condom discovered in the basin.

Digital evidence further challenged Bryce’s account. Snapchat location records showed that Bryce and Britney traveled together to the remote basin rather than to Spring Creek High School.

The data indicated they arrived in the area during the afternoon, where Britney took two selfies.

Location information showed Bryce leaving the basin around 5:25 p.m., after which he returned home.

Less than an hour later, Bryce sent Britney several unanswered Snapchat messages. Investigators concluded that Britney’s final known location remained the basin where she was ultimately found.

Presented with the forensic evidence, Bryce changed his account once again. He acknowledged that he and Britney had kissed that day and claimed they had engaged in consensual intimate activity using a condom.

However, he continued denying any involvement in her killing. He also attempted to suggest that another unidentified teenager was responsible, insisting that someone else had arrived after he left.

Investigators challenged Bryce’s evolving explanations, pointing out that his story had repeatedly changed as new evidence was presented.

They questioned why he had concealed his true movements, fabricated the story about the green pickup truck, and failed to disclose the intimate encounter if he truly had nothing to hide.

Detectives concluded that the combination of surveillance footage, digital location records, forensic evidence, and Bryce’s inconsistent statements contradicted his version of events.

According to court records, prosecutors charged 18-year-old Bryce Edward Dicki with first-degree murder and sexual assault involving the use of a deadly weapon.

During trial, the prosecution presented surveillance footage, Snapchat location data, DNA evidence, and Bryce’s recorded interviews to demonstrate how his account changed repeatedly throughout the investigation.

The defense challenged portions of the evidence, but jurors ultimately found the prosecution’s case persuasive.

Following the trial, Bryce Dicki was convicted on all counts. On August 10, 2022, he was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after serving 46 years.

During sentencing, Britney’s family delivered victim impact statements describing the lasting impact of the crime and the loss they experienced.

Her mother stated that she believed the conviction would prevent Bryce from harming anyone else in the future.

Bryce later appealed his conviction, arguing that errors occurred during the investigation and trial. In 2024, the Nevada Supreme Court reviewed the case and rejected his appeal, allowing the convictions and sentence to stand.

The investigation into Gabrielle “Britney” Ulicki’s disappearance demonstrated how modern forensic science, digital evidence, surveillance footage, and detailed interviews can work together to reconstruct a victim’s final movements.

While the case initially centered on the search for an unknown man driving a green pickup truck, investigators eventually determined that the story had been fabricated.

Through DNA analysis, location records, physical evidence, and repeated interviews, detectives pieced together a timeline that contradicted Bryce Dicki’s original account and ultimately formed the foundation of the successful prosecution.

The case remains one of Nevada’s most closely followed homicide investigations from 2020, illustrating the critical role that forensic evidence and digital technology now play in modern criminal investigations.