The Disappearance of Bethany Markowski

EARLY LIFE:

Bethany Markowski was calved connected February 1, 1990, to Johnie Jo Carter and Larry Markowski. The brace each had 2 children from erstwhile relationships, meaning Bethany was their 5th and youngest child. By each accounts, she was a sweet, yet sassy miss who was known for her loving nature.

In January 2001, Larry and Johnie separated, arsenic the erstwhile was abusive and controlling. He’d allegedly abused Bethany and her siblings, and 2 household members had accused him of sexually assaulting them. A classmate of Bethany’s claimed she’d alleged the aforesaid thing, saying she’d confided successful them that her dada had touched her inappropriately.

Knowing she had to fly the situation, Johnie took Bethany portion Larry was astatine enactment and moved successful which her sister, Lori, her hubby and their 3 children successful Hermitage, Tennessee. Upset, Larry abducted Bethany from her caller school, prompting Johnie to get a extortion bid against him.

As portion of their custody agreement, Larry was allowed unsupervised play visits with Bethany. He was besides allowed to telephone her connected Tuesday and Thursday evenings, betwixt 7:00 PM and 8:00 PM.

DISAPPEARANCE:

In aboriginal March 2001, Bethany spent respective days with her begetter astatine his location successful Gleason, Tennessee. On March 3, she called Johnie and told her she and Larry were readying to spell crystal skating the adjacent day.

At 9:38 AM connected March 4, Bethany called Johnie again, asking if she’d beryllium picking her up aboriginal that time and letting her cognize that Larry knew she had a caller boyfriend. Given the extortion order, Johnie wasn’t capable to prime up her daughter, but she assured Bethany that her aunt and uncle would beryllium gathering her astatine 5:00 PM that evening successful Waverly, Tennessee.

According to Larry’s friend, Harold, helium and Bethany spent clip astatine his residence successful Little Rock, Arkansas, aft which they deed the roadworthy to instrumentality to Tennessee. Sometime betwixt 1:30 PM and 3:30 PM, they stopped astatine Old Hickory Mall successful Jackson, with Larry telling the authorities that Bethany had wanted to sojourn Claire’s and spell to the buying centre’s crippled room. While she did this, helium allegedly took a nap successful the car.

Waking up astir 30 minutes-to-one hr later, Larry recovered Bethany hadn’t returned and entered the promenade to look for his daughter. When 5:00 PM came and went, Lori called him, and it took respective attempts for him to reply the telephone and pass her that her niece was missing.

At 5:15 PM, Larry informed promenade information that helium couldn’t find Bethany, prompting them to get progressive successful the search. By 6:00 PM, they’d interaction the Jackson Police Department to study the 11-year-old missing.

INVESTIGATION:

Immediately, investigators looked astatine surveillance footage from Old Hickory Mall, but they were incapable to find Bethany, meaning there’s nary impervious she really entered the buying centre connected the time she went missing. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) was brought successful to assistance successful the probe connected March 6, 2001.

Larry has stated helium wasn’t progressive successful his daughter’s disappearance, contempt investigators questioning his mentation of events. When they spoke to Harold, they learned Larry had said he’d wanted to instrumentality Bethany to Mexico, allegations the second denies. Larry pointed the digit astatine Johnie, but there’s nary grounds she was involved. Both parents haven’t been ruled out, but Johnie did walk a prevarication detector test, portion Larry did not. He’s besides not been precise cooperative with the investigation.

Several witnesses came guardant to accidental they saw Bethany with an unidentified pistillate successful the weeks pursuing her disappearance. The woman, who looked unkempt and dishevelled, was described arsenic such:

• White
• Between 42 and 44 years of age
• 5’4″ to 5’5″
• 185 pounds
•  Brown eyes with acheronian circles underneath
• Frizzy blonde hairsbreadth that appeared clean, but had noticeable damage.

Given her state, it’s believed she whitethorn person been recovering from a hangover astatine the clip the witnesses saw her.

According to authorities, the unidentified pistillate whitethorn person attempted to enrol Bethany successful a backstage schoolhouse successful Sweetwater, Tennessee, successful April 2001, without immoderate records. She’d allegedly claimed to beryllium the 11-year-old’s aunt and had said her begetter would bring successful the indispensable documentation. However, schoolhouse officials ne'er saw her aft this archetypal encounter.

While unconfirmed to beryllium the aforesaid pair, witnesses claimed to person seen the pistillate and a miss resembling Bethany astatine a café successful Cleveland, Tennessee. They were astatine the constitution crossed respective days, with the former, who was noticeably irritable, utilizing a payphone to telephone idiosyncratic aggregate times a day. Investigators person revealed Larry was expected to present merchandise to that aforesaid café, but his motortruck had breached down, meaning helium arrived 3 days late.

The past reported sighting of the brace was astatine a autobus depot, with the 1 they boarded bound for Moline, Illinois. Investigators searched the depot successful Moline, but they were incapable to find the woman, nor the young miss who was reportedly with her.

In 2016-17, Johnie received a telephone from the TBI astir a miss recovered passed retired connected the beforehand structure of a residence successful Knoxville, Tennessee. When recovered by the home’s owner, she’d claimed to beryllium Bethany Markowski. While she had akin identifying marks to the missing girl, DNA yet proved she wasn’t her.

Over the 2 decades Bethany has been missing, thousands of tips person been called into investigators. As of April 2024, 1 had been called successful that’s presently being looked into by the FBI.

DETAILS:

Bethany Leanne Markowski allegedly went missing from Old Hickory Mall successful Jackson, Madison County, Tennessee, connected March 4, 2001, but she was past seen successful Little Rock, Arkansas. She was 11 years aged erstwhile she went missing.

At the clip of her disappearance, Bethany had shoulder-length brownish hairsbreadth with bangs and either bluish oregon greenish eyes. She stood betwixt 4’8″ and 5’0″ and weighed astir 95-100 pounds. She has a mole connected her near bosom and freckles connected her cheeks and nose. She was inactive losing her babe teeth astatine the clip she went missing, with her apical and bottommost molars absent.

On the time she was past seen, Bethany was wearing a greenish t-shirt, bluish oregon achromatic jeans, and achromatic slip-on shoes.

CASE CONTACT INFORMATION:

Bethany’s lawsuit is presently classified arsenic Endangered Missing.

Anyone with accusation regarding the lawsuit is asked to interaction the Jackson Police Department astatine (731) 425-8400. Tips tin besides beryllium called into the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation astatine +1 (800) 824-3463 oregon the Memphis Field Office of the FBI astatine (901) 747-4300.

Image Credit: Polly Klaas Foundation/International Missing Persons Wiki

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