An 11-year-old girl goes missing from a mall in Jackson, TN. Bethany Markowski’s dad says she went in alone and disappeared. But she isn’t seen on mall security cameras. Then, witnesses claimed to see her with a strange woman. Now, 16 years have passed. Where is she now?

Details About Bethany Markowski

• Missing Since: 03/04/2001
• Missing From: Jackson, Tennessee
• Classification: Endangered Missing
• Sex: Female
• Race: White
• Date of Birth: 02/01/1990 (32)
• Age: 11 years old
• Height and Weight: 5’0, 100 pounds
• Clothing/Jewelry Description: A green t-shirt, black jeans and black slip on shoes.
• Distinguishing Characteristics: a female Caucasian. Green eyes and brown hair. When she vanished in 2001, Bethany was missing her top and bottom baby molars. When she is anxious, she bites her fingernails. LeAnne is how some organizations may spell Bethany’s middle name. When she vanished, her hair was styled with bangs and was shoulder length. Bethany has freckles on her cheeks and nose, as well as a mole on her left breast.

Details of Case

Larry and Johnie Jo (sometimes spelled “Jonnie Jo”) Markowski divorced in January 2001. According to reports, the couple’s divorce was acrimonious. Bethany later moved to Nashville, Tennessee, to live with her mother. In early March 2001, she spent several days with her father at his home in Gleason, Tennessee.

On March 4, 2001, Bethany and Larry were supposed to meet Johnie Jo at the Waverly, Tennessee exit off Interstate 40 in the afternoon. Bethany and Larry spent the day in Little Rock, Arkansas, before driving back to Tennessee. They arrived at Old Hickory Mall in Jackson, Tennessee, around 3:30 p.m.

Larry told authorities that Bethany went into the shopping centre by herself while he slept in the car. He awoke about an hour later and went to the mall to look for his daughter. When he couldn’t find Bethany, he called police at 5:15 p.m. She’s never been seen or heard from again.

According to investigators, Bethany is not visible on security camera videotapes taken at Old Hickory Mall on March 4. There is no evidence that she ever entered the establishment. Larry has stated that he is not responsible for his daughter’s disappearance, but authorities have called his version of events into question. Johnie Jo stated that all she wanted was for Bethany to return home.

Several witnesses saw Bethany with an unidentified Caucasian female shortly after she vanished. This case summary includes a sketch of the woman. She is described as being 42 to 44 years old, 5’4 to 5’5 tall, and 185 pounds.

The woman had dark circles under her brown eyes, and her blonde hair was clean but frizzy and damaged, according to witnesses. She appeared unkempt, as if she hadn’t bathed, and her shoes were torn and improperly tied. The woman could have had a hangover.

Authorities said the unidentified woman tried to enrol Bethany in a school in southeastern Tennessee in April 2001, one month after she went missing. Later, the woman was seen boarding a bus with Bethany. They may have travelled to Moline, Illinois, according to investigators.

Authorities have not ruled out either of Bethany’s parents as possible suspects in her disappearance. Investigators have also stated that Bethany could have been abducted by a stranger. Her case is still unsolved.

Investigating Agency

• Jackson Police Department 731-425-8400
• Tennessee Bureau of Investigation 800-824-3463