Dateline: Secrets Uncovered- How did Brittany Elridge die?

The Dateline: Secrets Uncovered episode 2 of season 7, titled Deadly Circumstances, chronicles the cold-blooded murder of 25-year-old Knoxville resident Brittany Elridge in 2011.

Brittany Elridge belonged to Tennessee and was eight and a half months pregnant when she was strangled and stabbed to death. What makes this particular episode all the more brutal is the passing of the unborn baby, Ezekiel “Zeke” Owen, due to intrauterine asphyxia after the mother's death. The official synopsis of the Dateline episode reads,

"The story of the brutal 2011 murder of a 25-year-old woman, who was nine months pregnant at the time of her death. Featuring an interview with the prime suspect."

The Dateline: Secrets Uncovered episode re-airs on November 7, 2023, on Oxygen at 7 pm, ET.

---

Who was Brittany Elridge and how did she die?

Brittany Elridge was born to parents Robin Owens and Jeff Sherwood on January 13, 1986, in Knoxville. Named Brittany Caroline Sherwood Eldridge at birth, she attended Austin East High School in Knoxville, Tennessee, and later pursued higher education at the University of Tennessee. She was a member of the Chilhowee Hills Baptist Church and was raised in a religious environment.

Brittany Elridge (Image via Knoxville News Sentinel)

Brittany was married to Tery Eldridge, but she separated from the marriage and relocated to her own residence at the Cross Creek apartment complex off Western Avenue in December 2011. This was also the time Elridge was eight and a half months pregnant and due in the same month itself.

Elridge was an employee at Vanderbilt Mortgage and Finance, and she had planned to continue working until the date she was due to conceive. However, her unannounced absence on December 13, 2011, raised some concern. Her former partner, Norman Eugene Clark, called Brittany's mother, Robin, to check in on Brittany.

Norman Clark (Image via Knoxville News Sentinel)

The phone made Robin suspicious, after which she wound up at her daughter's flat, which was left unlocked. Upon entering the apartment, she found the state of the room to be in disarray, leading her to believe that there may have been a robbery.

Once the police were informed, the officers arrived at the scene of the crime to find Brittany Elridge's body lying in a pool of blood on the bedroom floor. The naked body had two stab wounds on the neck, marks from strangulation, and multiple injuries spread across her chest, throat, and neck.

Brittany Elridge (Image via WBIR)

The body was sent for an autopsy, which identified asphyxiation as the cause of the mother's death. At the same time, the unborn baby died from intrauterine asphyxia twelve hours prior to the discovery of Elridge's body. An additional paternity test established Norman Clark as the baby's biological father.

More on the Elridge murder case

The crime scene was thoroughly checked for clues and evidence by the investigation team, which led to a failed attempt to establish the incident as a case of robbery. The officials found no sign of forced entry or stolen items, which led them to believe that the robbery was staged in an attempt to make the motive unclear. Brittany Elridge's room has two televisions lying on the floor while her drawers and purse were emptied. The credit card, which had the password attached to it, was recovered from the scene of the crime itself.

The murder case that is covered in the Dateline episode ran its legal course and remains unsolved after Brittany's ex-boyfriend, Norman, was declared a free man after two trials and a lack of DNA evidence.