Beth Bentley - gone 149 weeks

People from near and far are still contacting me about Beth Bentley. Most of them never knew Beth, just as I didn't.

But the missing mother, from Woodstock when we went missing at age 41 on May 23, 2010, has not been forgotten.

And those who have knowledge of what happened to her have not been forgotten. There are at least three with knowledge of the events of that fateful week-end. There may be others, because of Beth's wide range of acquaintances in McHenry County.

How many times did the police interview the three with whom Beth is thought to have spent the week-end in Mount Vernon, Illinois? According to one story, Beth and friend Jennifer Wyatt-Paplham drove from Woodstock to Mount Vernon on Thursday night, May 20, 2010. leaving Beth's car in Jennifer's garage and using a rental car. The car had to be rented by Beth, because Jennifer's California driver's license was expired.

It's 335 miles from the house that Jennifer was renting in Woodstock to the house in Mount Vernon that Ryan Ridge was rehabbing. Who drove? How far? Did both drive? Assuming that Beth and Jennifer left Woodstock between 9-10PM, they would have gotten to Mt. Vernon about 3-4AM.

When (if?) Jennifer dropped Beth off in Centralia, Ill. near the Amtrak Station on Sunday about 6:00PM, is there anyone on the planet who believes that Jennifer doesn't know what Beth's plans were? They were supposed to meet up in northern Illinois on Monday afternoon, so that Beth could retrieve her car from Jennifer's garage and get home by the time her husband, Scott, got home from work that Monday afternoon. At least, that was Jennifer's story on June 10.

But what is some riff had happened over the week-end? What if Beth left in a huff? But if she did, why didn't she take the rental car and leave Jennifer there?

The train story falls apart fast. According to Jennifer on June 10, Beth never intended to take the train to Chicago that Sunday. So, what did Beth intend to do? Hitchhike out of Centralia? Ride the rails? Walk off the edge of the Earth?

Did Beth die in the Mt. Vernon area that week-end? If she did die there, who was she with? Did those with her panic? Did they make her disappear?

Beth Bentley - Week 127!

Week 127! Beth Bentley, of Woodstock, Ill., has been missing since about May 23, 2010!!!

Who is involved in finding her?

Woodstock (Ill.) Police Department
Mount Vernon (Ill.) Police Department
Centralia (Ill.) Police Department
Jefferson County (Ill.) Sheriff's Department
Illinois State Police, Investigations (Zone 7? Zone 1?)

Did any of them interview Nathan Ridge and Ryan Ridge, brothers that Jenn Wyatt and Beth purported visited in Mount Vernon on the fateful week-end in May 2010? Did Ryan or Nathan tell police whether or not they saw Beth early Friday morning, May 21, 2010, after Jenn and Beth supposedly drove all night from Woodstock to Mount Vernon?

It's 330 miles from Woodstock to Mount Vernon. What time did they leave Woodstock? What route did they take? Where did they stop? What tolls were paid? Where did they buy gas? Who drove and how far? Did both drive? How many miles were put on the rental car? Was there a rental car? What time did they arrive in Mount Vernon?

Beth's car was parked inside Jenn's garage that week-end. Did investigators inventory her car after taking the missing-person report on the evening of May 24, 2010? Did investigators even go through Jenn's rental house at 749 Tara Drive, Woodstock? Ever take a specially-trained sniffer dog into the house? Down into the basement?

This case continues to be classified as a Missing Person case by the Woodstock Police Department.

I say "classified", not "treated". If you are treating a case as a Missing Person case, don't you ask the public for help? Don't you remind the public that the Person is still missing? The November 11, 2010 flier is still posted on the PD's website, but with no further information than was originally posted. The expiration date for the flier is now May 11, 2013, which is 2 1/2 years after the flier was put on the PD's website.

Now that's optimistic, isn't it?

The flier states that rewards of $2,000 are offered by the Woodstock and McHenry County CRIMESTOPPERS (sic), but there may no longer be a Woodstock Area Crime Stoppers group.

Earlier this year I was told it had folded and that the remaining funds had been transferred to Crime Stoppers for McHenry County. I guess that trims the reward to $1,000. At one time there was a total of $5,000 offered as a reward.

In checking the Illinois Secretary of State's website today, the Woodstock Area Crime Stoppers, Inc. is still listed as Active. The next Annual Report Filing Date is December 15. Maybe they are just going to let it dissolve involuntarily, which would make it harder (impossible?) and more expensive to resurrect, if interested parties showed up in the future.

Friend of Beth Bentley arrested in Woodstock

On September 12, 2010, Woodstock Police charged Nathan Ridge, 20, with under-age consumption of alcohol and aggravated assault on a police officer (or fireman). Nathan Ridge is linked to the Beth Bentley case because his brother and he reportedly had dinner and beverages with Beth Bentley and Jennifer Wyatt at the Frosty Mug in Mount Vernon, Ill. on Friday, May 21, 2010. A waitress has told others that she refused to serve alcohol to Nathan, because he could not show ID to indicate being of legal age to purchase or consume alcohol.

The information about Nathan's arrest appeared in a comment on Susan Murphy Milano's blog, dated January 28.

On October 19, 2010, Ridge was convicted of the Woodstock assault charge, and his total fines, fees and costs amounted to $454.00. He was granted conditional discharge with special conditions and, if he keeps his nose clean for six months, this conviction goes away.

He must also submit a written essay to the court.

Ridge was represented by Ray Flavin, a Woodstock attorney.

Ridge has other offenses in the McHenry County court system:

1/7/2006 Illegal consumption of alcohol by a minor (age 16)
3/3/2007 Possession/sale/use of fireworks. $275.00 fine, fees, costs. A second charge, illegal consumption of alcohol by a minor (age 17) was nolle prossed.
10/1/2007 Truancy. $130 fine, fees, costs (age 17). A second truancy charge was nolle prossed.
10/22/2007 Battery. $205 fine, fees, costs; one-year supervision. (age 17) An action to expunge the record was begun on May 5, 2010, but then terminated.