Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Beth Bentley investigation - who's on first?


What department is leading the investigation into the disappearance of Beth Bentley, 41, on May 23? The news finally hit the Northwest Herald today, more than a week after she was reported missing to the Woodstock Police Department. (Click on the Missing poster to enlarge it; then click on the Back button on your browser to come back here.)

There is still nothing on the PD's webpage for Crime Stopper Alerts/Press Releases/Crime Alerts. Is that because it is believed that she didn't disappear from here?

There is a Facebook page for Beth that now has over 3,000 members.
What department is leading the investigation? Centralia, Ill.? Mount Vernon, Ill.? Chicago? There seems to be some uncertainty as to whether she boarded the northbound Amtrak shortly after 6:00PM on Sunday, May 23. A Chicago paper reported that she was dropped off at the station prior to train time; the poster seems to read that she boarded the train.
Who is making sure that someone is investigating this disappearance? How common is it for some departments to take a wait-and-see-if-she-shows-up position? The more time that passes, the harder it is to trace a person.
Was someone at the train station at 5:30PM last Sunday with posters and pictures? Since it was a holiday week-end, maybe someone should have been there Monday afternoon, looking for a regular commuter who might recall having seen her.
No friends or family should "assume" that anything is being done to find her. They should be in constant contact with the lead investigating agency, and they might have to press firmly to find out who is the lead law enforcement agency. And stay in contact with the local police in southern Illinois, the Amtrak police, the Chicago police who work the train station in Chicago where that train arrives.

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