One of these days there is going to be a break in the case of Beth Bentley, missing from Woodstock, Ill. since May 2010.
Much has been written on this blog about her disappearance. She was reported as having gone to Mt. Vernon, Ill. on Thursday night, May 20, 2010, with friend Jennifer Wyatt. They were to stay with two brothers there. Jenn says that on Sunday afternoon she drove Beth to Centralia, Ill. and let her out near the Amtrak station.
Beth hasn't been seen since Jenn says she let her out of the car. The car was a rental car, used while Beth's car remained parked in Jenn's garage in Woodstock.
In response to last week's article, one person wrote a strongly-worded comment that said Beth never left Woodstock on Thursday night.
The Woodstock Police continue to hold the missing-person file confidentially and have denied FOIA requests, citing interference with an on-going investigation. I don't know anyone in Woodstock who thinks there is any on-going investigation. In fact, months ago the Woodstock Police stopped updating the City Manager and the City Council in the monthly reports from the police department.
Those "updates" were boiler-plate, anyway, and told the City Manager nothing. And apparently no member of the City Council or the Mayor ever asked for more information.
Some think it is inexcusable that a 41-year-old woman could vanish and no police agency continues to publicize her disappearance.
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8 comments:
I'm sure the City Council would have found her by now if the updates had kept coming.
Here's what I think. (You've been waiting for this; right?)
The City Manager should have told the police department to stop copying-and-pasting the boiler-plate summary into its report month after month. That is, if he read it each month and noticed it was the same as in the previous month(s).
And members of the City Council should have red-lined that boiler-plate portion of the report and told the City Manager to jump on the Police Chief and get a meaningful report from him about just what they were doing, if anything.
Of course, with the electronic packet from the City Manager to the City Council and Mayor, who knows if anyone even reads it.
Why would the City Manager and/or Council tell the police that? They probably know even less about law enforcement operations than you do.
On some planets, bosses tell subordinates what to do.
The City Manager and the City Council, including the Mayor, don't have to know about law enforcement operations, but they are responsible for hiring people who do.
Mark Spitz' swim coach didn't know how to swim, but he knew how to coach.
@yagottabekidding You ARE kidding, right? Why would the City Mgr/Council tell police that?! Because Council answers to the people and the people should demand it. I've demanded it but I'm not a citizen there - my vote doesn't count there. If a lot of citizens put on pressure, you might see some action taken. Where I live, the police have treated EVERY missing person case in a different way than Beth's case has been handled there - requesting help from the public and being accountable to the public. We currently have one ongoing case and the police have never stopped putting as much as they can and are willing, out there. They've been very clear about the facts that they are willing to share. In other words, our P.D. hasn't allowed false stories to just float out there, like the B.S. on the Woodstock P.D.'s own press release that still adds confusion to this case.
As always Gus, thank you for caring enough to write about Beth's case each week!
Still praying for Beth to be found!
Hey Christine don't worry. That's his thing. He only comes in to troll the Beth Bentley stories, as far as I can tell. What a nice guy.
Gus, I typically agree with you on everything on a national level and disagree with you on much on a local level. However, you deserve a huge thumbs up for sticking to this story. I don't always agree with your commentary on it but much kudos for keeping Beth's name and story out there.
Many thanks to Christine, Joseph and Curious1. I appreciate your words. Thanks!
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