Last week-end a $5,000 reward notice was published in a Centralia, Ill. newspaper.
Today an article appears on the front page of our own local daily newspaper, the Northwest Herald, to inform readers of the $5,000 reward, up from the original Crime Stoppers $2,000 reward.
Does money really "help" people come forward with information? Many are scratching their heads, trying to come up with timelines and sense out of the gaps in the information that has reached the public. On Facebook there is a "Beth Bentley ... Missing Woodstock, IL Woman" page that now has 6,167 followers.
Could organized searchers in Mt. Vernon, Centralia and Jefferson County develop more information and new leads? A lot of individuals are interested and taking action, but there is appears to be no coordination. Viewers of the Facebook pages and of the website, www.bethismissing.com, are printing copies from the online posters and putting them up throughout southern Illinois and beyond State boundaries.
This is no time to back off in the search. A "wait and see" position is not acceptable, but the law enforcement agencies have only so much in the way of manpower and resources.
What about setting up a "civilian command post" in Mt. Vernon or at Rend Lake? Various camping facilities are available, from "primitive" camping at $6.00/night to $20.00/night if you want an electrical hook-up. One central location for a "clearinghouse" of information would be essential. There should probably be a check-in and check-out, so that a searcher doesn't get lost or go missing.
Liaison with law enforcement should be established, so that any search or recovery "mission" has a single point-of-contact for law enforcement. Because the search would be concentrated in Jefferson County, liaison with the Mt. Vernon P.D. or the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office might be preferable.
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