Bethanie Dougherty -- Missing 4/1/08

Missing NY Mom's Family Desperate for Answers

January 29, 2010



Bethanie Dougherty, 40, was last seen inside her Killowog, New York home on the evening of April, 1 2008. Whatever happened to her after that remains a mystery.

"Bethanie's oldest son said good night to her at about 10:30 p.m., and went to sleep on the couch," Bethanie's father, Terry Curtis, said in an interview with Investigation Discovery. "When her son woke up in the morning, Bethanie was not there. Her purse, wallet, cell phone, car keys, cigarettes, lighter were on the dining room table and her car was in the driveway."

Assuming his mother was visiting a neighbor, Bethanie's son went to school, expecting to see her when he got home later that day. However, when he returned, his mother was still missing and everything in the house was as he had left it that morning.

"Shortly after her son returned from school, Bethanie's cell phone rang," Terry said. "Her son answered it, and it was Bethanie's brother. Her son explained that he didn't know where his mother was, so his uncle told him to hang up and make some phone calls to try and find her. When her brother called back again later, he found out her son was still unable to locate her, so he told him to call the police and report her missing."

When investigators looked into the case, they learned that a New York State Police patrol unit had been dispatched to Bethanie's neighborhood at about 3:30 a.m. in response to two callers who reported hearing "loud, terrified" screams.

"They spoke with people next door to the callers and did a quick look around, but found nothing, and left the area," said Terry, adding, "They did not go to Bethanie's house. Her son was asleep on the couch; he heard nothing."

Were the screams related to Bethanie's disappearance? No one knows, and by the time she was reported missing, roughly 14 hours had passed since her neighbors had reported hearing them. Investigators found no sign of a struggle in or near Bethanie's residence. The only possible clue was the sighting of a mid-to-late 1990s Chevy S-10 style pick-up truck that was reported seen in the area at the time she went missing.

"A community search involving numerous agencies and hundreds of volunteers was conducted during the first two days, but it was scaled back when no evidence was found indicating of which direction to go with the search," Terry Said. "Since that time, we have held several vigils, and the CUE Center for Missing Persons helped us hold an awareness day. The New York State Police, The FBI, Project Jason and others have also helped get the word out. Fliers were widely distributed, not just locally, but around the state and the country. We also created a Web site, www.findbethaniedougherty.com. In addition, Bethanie was included in a program that distributes playing cards to jail inmates with pictures and information about unsolved cases on the cards."

Authorities have yet to name a person of interest in the case; however Terry says that several people are on their radar.

"They tell me that no one has been eliminated as a suspect," he said.

As the investigation continues, Terry says he will continue to hold out hope that, some day, he will find out what happened to his daughter.

"I want to find my daughter, no matter her circumstances," he said. "One of the worst emotions I have experienced since this began is a feeling of helplessness. I have been trying to do whatever I can, whenever I can, and it seems that trying to get more publicity for my daughter's situation is one of the few things available to me. The hope is that the right person will see this story and come forward with information leading to a resolution. "

Bethanie L. Dougherty is described as a white female, 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighing 160 pounds, with light brown hair (dyed red at the time of her disappearance) and blue eyes. Bethanie has three piercings in her right ear and five piercings in her left ear. She also has three tattoos: a "vine" with flowers on her left ankle, a purple butterfly over tribal markings on her lower back and three Chinese scroll-type symbols on her upper back between her shoulder blades. She was last seen wearing a solid purple pajama top and purple pajama bottoms with designs on them. Anyone with information in this case is asked to contact the Broome County Sheriff's Office's at 607-778-2446 or Detective Sergeant Jason Ellis, at 607-778-1189.

http://blogs.discovery.com/criminal_report/2010/01/bethanie-dougherty.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+InvestigationDiscovery-theCriminalReportDaily+%28Investigation+Discovery-The+Criminal+Report+Daily%29

Latest up-date I could find. STILL MISSING.
6/13/15
http://www.findbethaniedougherty.com./