Followers of the Beth Bentley missing person case often follow stories of other women who have gone missing. On Monday Amy Henslee, 30, disappeared from her home in Hartford Township, Michigan, which is in Van Buren County and northeast of Benton Harbor, which is along Lake Michigan.
Henslee went missing on Monday, and her husband reported her missing about 10:00PM. At the time I wondered why he waited so long, but perhaps people are reluctant to call the police and report a spouse missing, when they don't know where the person is.
Henslee was found Thursday, buried with a second woman. Both had been shot. A former boyfriend of the second woman has been arraigned on two counts of murder.
I cannot help but to wonder whether Beth Bentley could have been found, if similar aggressive police work had immediately been put into motion. Henslee was found because tracking dogs were used.
What if tracking dogs had immediately been used in the Mount Vernon area, where Beth was last reported to be. Supposedly she stayed at a house outside the town of Mt. Vernon. She was last seen by an impartial observer on Friday night at a local restaurant/bar. After that, there are no public reports by anyone not identified as a friend or acquaintance.
Beth has treated only as a "missing person" for far too long. Even now, she remains identified as a "missing person - endangered", although "endangered" has never been publicly clarified by the Woodstock (Ill.) Police Department or her husband. Too many people seem to be just hanging back, waiting for some news.
I suspect any possibility of using tracking animals is long past. Weather changes, moisture and time have resulted in any trail long going stale. If Beth did come to a bad end in Mt. Vernon, the only way she will be found now is boots on the ground or by an accidental discovery. Even now, eight months later, there has been no known thorough, organized search.
What's it going to take to find Beth Bentley?
You never know who is interested…
3 months ago
1 comment:
I think you are correct that based upon the times she has been gone, the prospects are grim.
I haven’t followed this Beth Bentley case very much but there are some things that are not indicated as being ruled out. I Googled her name and see she is on the Center for Missing Persons website. The website indicated that video surveillance could not verify if she was on the train of not. I wonder how deeply they investigated that angle and how much electronic media was reviewed. Is it a train station with a waiting area? Where are the cameras? Rental cars, taxi cabs, public transportation. How well have these people been interviewed? The cell phone records should show where she was prior to it being disconnected. In remote areas like Mt Vernon it will not triangulate, but will identify which cell site last communicated with the phone and which face of the cell tower giving a 120 Degree direction. Even if you do not talk on the phone, the cell system ‘tracks where the phone is to direct calls to it.
Historically, unless someone is in a witness protection program, they will come up for air in some fashion communicating with some data base. Cell records, credit cards, ATM’s etc. Her friends, relatives, coworkers all should have been contacted and all interviewed and interviewed again. It’s a wagon wheel. You begin at the hub, those closest to the person and work outward. Legwork, lots of legwork.
This trail is cold and since she was missing all summer does not bode well for any forensic evidence. If the worst occurred, nothing would be left except bone and any evidence is quickly destroyed.
I’ve been through that area many times on I-57 and there is not much there. This is a very remote area and I’m sure the locals do not have much expertise in investigations let alone possess the manpower to investigate adequately.
The case needs a jump start but apparently the family is not pressuring the news media. Out of sight, out of mind.
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