Beth Bentley - now missing 38 weeks

Beth Bentley, a Woodstock resident and mother, went missing last May, probably in southern Illinois. She was 41, when she was last seen in the Mt. Vernon, Ill. area.

There are many rumors and much speculation about her life. Only the law enforcement agencies are believed to have assembled the data. Woodstock (Ill.), Mt. Vernon (Ill.) and Centralia (Ill.) Police Departments are involved, as was the Jefferson County (Ill.) Sheriff's Department. There is a rumor of involvement of the Illinois State Police. There appears to have been no serious private investigation into her disappearance.

This is, of course, benefiting anyone who may have been involved in her disappearance or who might have knowledge of just went on in and near Mt. Vernon on the weekend of May 21-23, 2010. At least two people seem to be mum on exactly what happened after Beth left the Frosty Mug on Friday night, where she made it back to the house where her woman friend and she may have been staying with two brothers with family connections in Woodstock.

Were there others at the house? Was there really a boat rental on Rend Lake on Saturday? Did she really get a ride to Centralia on Sunday afternoon? Was she really dropped off near the Amtrak station? Why was her cell phone used to order a pizza in Mt. Vernon so close to the travel time to Centralia?

Somebody knows. The longer they hold out, the worse it is going to be for them, when somebody finally can't stand the pressure any longer and admits to his or her knowledge. Or somebody is going to get caught for involvement for some other crime or offense and try to make a deal by spilling the beans.