August 2026 Case Updates
As of August 2026, Bethany Markowski’s case remains open and active. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation continues to lead the investigation, with Agent Cathy Ferguson as the assigned case investigator, and a forensic review of case evidence remains underway.
There’s nothing new to report this month — but “no news” doesn’t mean no one is working. Case #01-4723 has never been closed, and it won’t be until Bethany comes home.
September 2026 Case Updates
Bethany Markowski’s case remains open and active. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation continues to lead the investigation, with Agent Cathy Ferguson as the assigned case investigator, and a forensic review of case evidence remains underway.
This month’s update is about process, not a breakthrough, but it’s real progress. The Foundation went through our entire backlog of community tips, well over hundreds, submitted over 25 years through everything from our anonymous tip line to Facebook messages, and sorted them by how reliable and verifiable each one is, so the strongest leads get in front of investigators clearly and quickly instead of sitting in a pile with everything else.
Help Us Search — Community Investigation Boards Are Back
We’ve rebuilt and relaunched the public spaces where you can dig into the case alongside us:
- Community Board (findbethany.org/community-board/) — our Padlet with verified facts, a timeline, sightings and locations, open questions, and a place to submit what you find.
- Theory Map (findbethany.org/theory-map/) — a visual board of the case’s timeline, locations, and open threads, currently being rebuilt.
- r/FindBethanyMarkowski on Reddit — for ongoing community discussion.
These boards are for exploring documented facts and genuinely open questions together, not for naming private individuals as suspects or posting anyone’s personal information. If you have specific information, especially anything involving a person you know, or someone you believe may have been a witness, please send it to us privately at tips@findbethany.org, through our anonymous tip form, or directly to TBI, rather than posting it publicly. Nothing on these boards reflects a confirmed finding by law enforcement, the courts, or the Foundation, and no one mentioned there has been charged with any crime.
A New Database, Built Right Into This Site
In August 2026, the Foundation’s board approved building a searchable database of Tennessee’s long-term missing children cases directly into this website. Once it’s live, it will let visitors search and filter Tennessee cases the way NCMEC’s national database does today — but focused specifically on the hundreds of Tennessee families still waiting for answers. We’ll share a launch update here as soon as it’s ready.
Want the Full Story?
Read Bethany’s complete case file for the full account of her disappearance, or explore the interactive timeline for a detailed, dated record of everything investigators have uncovered since 2001.
If You Know Something, Please Come Forward
Even something that feels small could matter. Call the TBI tip line at 1-800-TBI-FIND (1-800-824-3463), email tips@findbethany.org, or submit a tip anonymously through our tip form. You do not have to share your name.
This page is reviewed and updated every month.
Last updated: August 16, 2026.