The disappearance of Bethany Markowski on March 4, 2001, from Jackson, Tennessee, continues to generate media coverage and public interest more than two decades later. Below is a chronological collection of news articles and reports that have covered this unsolved missing persons case, highlighting the ongoing efforts to find answers about what happened to the 11-year-old girl who vanished from Old Hickory Mall during a weekend visit with her father.
2023
September 5, 2023
NewsBreak
Gone in Thin Air: The Shocking Story of Bethany Markowski’s Disappearance
In the year 2001, an unsettling case emerged that sent shockwaves through Tennessee. Bethany Markowski, an 11-year-old girl, seemingly vanished into thin air, leaving behind a trail of confusion, unanswered questions, and a heartbroken family desperate for answers…
April 12, 2023
NewsBreak
In 2001, a man said he lost his 11-year-old daughter at the mall. CCTV footage proved she was never even there.
Bethany Markowski was an 11-year-old girl who lived in Tennessee. She was born in 1990 to her parents, Jonnie Carter and Larry Markowski. One day while Larry was at work in 2001, Jonnie took Bethany and fled their Gleason, Tennessee home. Jonnie claimed that Larry was controlling and abusive…
2022
May 18, 2022
Jackson Sun
Mom of missing girl stresses importance of fingerprinting in Lexington High School visit
The mom of a missing girl visited Lexington High School last week to talk to students about the importance of getting fingerprinted…
October 4, 2022
USA Today
Some missing children cases get more attention online than others. Here are 5 to know about
USA TODAY examined the disparities in how audiences respond to social media posts about missing children and found not all cases get the same level of engagement…
2021
April 23, 2021
People Magazine
Tenn. Girl Vanished in 2001 — and Mom Hopes to Reunite with Daughter ‘Gone Longer than I Had Her’
The mystery of Bethany Markowski’s whereabouts has endured for 20 years. It starts with the day she was reported missing on March 4, 2001. Her father — separated from Bethany’s mother, Jonnie Carter, during a contentious divorce proceeding — told authorities he’d watched the 11-year-old go into Old Hickory Mall in Jackson, Tenn., while he stayed in a car and napped…
April 21, 2021
Medium
The Unsolved Disappearance of Bethany Markowski
Bethany Markowski called her mom, Jonnie, at 9:38 a.m. on Sunday morning March 4, 2001. She told her mom she’d see her later that afternoon, and after saying their I love you’s, they hung up the phone…
March 4, 2021
WBIR
Mother seeks answers after daughter missing for 20 years
Bethany Markowski was visiting her father, Larry Markowski, for the weekend when her mother, Jonnie Carter, got a call from her father saying Bethany was missing…
March 4, 2021
WREG
Mom responsible for Tennessee Missing Children’s Day still looking for her daughter 20 years later
The mother of a young girl who disappeared from Jackson, Tennessee two decades ago says she will never stop trying to find out what happened to her…
February 24, 2021
Medium
Missing in Tennessee: Where Is Bethany Markowski?
Bethany Markowski was a typical 11-year-old girl who loved to shop. She asked her father, Larry Markowski, if they could stop at a nearby shopping mall so she could go to an…
2020
March 15, 2020
Hometown Horrors
Missing: Bethany Markowski
Nineteen years ago, 11 year old Bethany Markowski went missing from the Old Hickory Mall in Jackson,TN. during her weekend visitation with her father, Larry Markowski. She has never been found and there has been very few leads….
March 3, 2020
Jackson Sun
Bethany Markowski missing child case to be profiled nationally on ‘In Pursuit with John Walsh’
Wednesday marks 19 years since Bethany Markowski disappeared, and her story is still resonating to a national audience…
2019
October 7, 2019
Middle Tennessee Mysteries
Madison County: Bethany Markowski
Lori Jackson was supposed to pick up her niece Bethany Markowski at 5 p.m. March 4, 2001, from her weekend visitation with her father. But as the minutes ticked by and Larry Markowski didn’t show up, Jackson knew something was wrong. Jackson tried to call Markowski, but he didn’t answer. When he called back, he had terrible news…
2018
May 18, 2018
WBBJTV
Missing girl’s father speaks out for first time in 17 years
Chances are if you’ve lived in Jackson for the last several years, you’ve heard of the missing case of Bethany Markowski…
May 18, 2018
True Crime Daily
What happened to Bethany Markowski? Girl goes missing from Tennessee mall (2/3)
Bethany Markowski, 11, was caught in the middle of a bitter divorce and custody war, and then one day she just disappeared…
2017
November 25, 2017
The Seattle Times
Podcaster takes on missing girl cold case: Bethany Markowski
Jackson native Brandon Barnett started podcasting about his own journey in the music industry a couple years ago and began a transition last year into a new genre of podcast. “I started listening to true crime podcasts and got hooked on content like ‘Serial’ and ‘Up and Vanished,’ and I saw those made a difference,” Barnett said…