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Jonnie Carter told Dateline that her daughter Bethany Markowski had "a big heart – and a great personality, to go with that". Bethany also had "a little attitude," said her mother, but she was "very selfless and thought of people all the time. "
Jonnie would never see Bethany become an adult, or even a teenager. On Sunday, March 4, 2001, the 11-year-old athlete disappeared.
At the time of Bethany's disappearance, Jonnie announced that her father, Larry Markowski and his father were on the verge of divorce. She and Bethany had moved to Gleason, Tennessee, a few hours from the family home to live with Jonnie's sister in Nashville.
Bethany's father, Larry, had been granted access by the court, Jonnie said. He was allowed to receive visits on weekends and phone calls on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7pm to 8pm.
Jonnie said that because she had a restraining order against Larry, she could not leave Bethany on the weekends. On Friday, March 2, 2001, Jonnie stated that her sister, Bethany's aunt, had taken Bethany with her father for the weekend. According to Jonnie, Bethany and Larry spent the weekend in Gleason and a few hours drive to Little Rock, Arkansas. Jonnie said that she had spoken to her daughter on Sunday morning, March 4th.
"Around 9:38 am, Sunday morning, the phone rang," said Jonnie. It was Bethany. Jonnie told Dateline that she remembered that her daughter had asked, "I'll see you at 5 pm, is not it?" Jonnie said yes, because her sister had planned to pick up Bethany at 5pm at Larry. in Waverly, Tennessee and bring her home to Nashville.
Jonnie says that she told her daughter that she loved him and that she hung up.
But that night at 5 pm, according to Jonnie, her sister could not get in touch with Bethany or Larry. His sister tried to call Larry, but there was no answer. Jonnie says that Larry finally called back and told them that he and Bethany had stopped at Old Hickory Mall in Jackson, Tennessee around 2:30 pm this afternoon. According to Jonnie, Larry would have taken a nap in the car when Bethany would have entered the mall alone. Larry will later tell the authorities that when Bethany did not return, he would have gone inside the mall to pick her up. After hours of searching, Larry was unable to find Bethany.
Dateline could not reach Larry Markowski for his memory of the events in this report.
Larry reported the disappearance of his daughter to the security services of the mall, and at 18 hours. That night, the Jackson Police Service was notified. Constable Cathy Ferguson, of the Tennessee Investigation Bureau, who worked for the Jackson Police at the time of Bethany's disappearance, told Dateline that she remembered having searched the mall in search of Bethany.
"Myself and other investigators personally went to the mall to watch and collect each surveillance video in any store that owned it," said officer Ferguson.
Jonnie, her sister, and her brother-in-law went to the mall each night to accompany Larry in search of Bethany. Jonnie said that she hoped: "Maybe she's hiding. Maybe they had a fight, maybe she's just scared.
But Bethany was not found.
Officer Ferguson said that after conducting interviews and viewing videos on store security, investigators "were not able to corroborate the fact that Bethany was ever at the mall." ".
On March 6, two days after Bethany's disappearance, the Tennessee Investigation Bureau was involved in the case to expand the scope of the investigation and use more resources.
Officer Ferguson said that "everything had been checked and implemented in 2001," including advice, leads, or information that they had originally. The TBI could only confirm to Dateline that Larry and Bethany had actually spent part of the weekend in Arkansas visiting a friend of Larry.
Officer Ferguson stated that although Bethany's disappearance is an ongoing investigation, no suspects or persons of interest have been named in this case.
"Tipping is still coming in periodically," Ferguson told Dateline, adding that over the years, thousands of potential customers have been examined. "Someone is going to call and maybe he will have seen someone who looks like him now and will he pass on this information to us."
Yet Bethany's mother, Jonnie, never lost hope. She has tirelessly defended her daughter on social media and has placed Bethany on all missing lists she can find. Jonnie even worked with a state official to create Missing Children's Day in Tennessee, to raise awareness and support for children as her daughter. Tennessee's Missing Children's Day falls each year on the anniversary of Bethany's passing on March 4th.
"That day is still etched in my memory and I could never forget it," said Jonnie. "We are always looking for it. We do not give up. No mother ever wants to think that her child is not alive – especially without any proof. But there are days when I question myself.
Bethany Markowski would have been 29 years old today. At the time of her disappearance, Bethany was 4'8 "and weighed 95 pounds. with brown hair and blue eyes. If you have information about the Bethany case, please contact the Tennessee Investigations Office at 1-800-TBI-FIND or 1-800-824-3463. You can also email [email protected].
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