The Disappearance of Bethany Markowski
Last updated: June 2026
Current Status
What is the latest update on Bethany Markowski?
As of 2026, Bethany Markowski’s case remains open and active. The Bethany Markowski Foundation, Inc. — founded by her mother Jonnie Carter — continues to work on the case and advocate for missing children across Tennessee. Anyone with information is asked to call 1-800-TBI-FIND or submit a tip at findbethany.org/tips.
Bethany Leanne Markowski is 36 years old and has been missing since March 4, 2001 — 25 years. Her case is classified as Endangered Missing by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the FBI. It has never been closed. No one has ever been charged in connection with her disappearance.
If you have information about Bethany, please contact us directly — her family. Every tip reaches us personally and will be acted on.
Submit a Tip →
📞 TBI Tip Line: 1-800-TBI-FIND
📞 NCMEC: 1-800-THE-LOST
Who Is Bethany Markowski?
How old would Bethany Markowski be today?
Bethany Markowski is 36 years old. She was born on February 1, 1990 and disappeared on March 4, 2001 at age 11.
Bethany Leanne Markowski was born on February 1, 1990 in Tennessee. She was a fifth-grader — sweet, sassy, and full of personality. Her mother, Jonnie Carter, describes her as a girl who loved to sing, lit up every room she walked into, and thought about other people constantly.
At the time she disappeared, Bethany was 4’8″, weighed 95 pounds, and had brown hair and bright blue eyes. She had freckles across her cheeks and nose, a mole on her left breast, and a habit of biting her nails and twirling her hair when she was nervous.
She is 36 years old today. Her family has never stopped looking for her.
What Happened to Bethany Markowski?
What happened to Bethany Markowski?
Bethany Leanne Markowski, age 11, disappeared on March 4, 2001 during a court-ordered visitation weekend with her father Larry Markowski in Jackson, Tennessee. She was last seen with Larry and was never captured on any mall security footage despite his claim that she entered Old Hickory Mall alone. Her case remains open and classified as Endangered Missing by the TBI and FBI.
In early 2001, Bethany’s parents — Jonnie Carter and Larry Markowski — were going through a contentious divorce. Jonnie had left the family home in Gleason, Tennessee in late January 2001 after escalating abuse, taking Bethany with her to stay near Nashville. A court order granted Larry unsupervised visitation every second weekend.
March 2–4, 2001 was only his second court-ordered visit with Bethany.
On Friday, March 2, Jonnie’s sister Lori Jackson dropped Bethany off at the Waverly exit on I-40 — the neutral exchange point halfway between Nashville and Gleason — for her weekend with her father.
Bethany never came home.
Larry later told police he and Bethany stopped at Old Hickory Mall in Jackson, Tennessee on Sunday afternoon. He claimed he let her go inside alone while he napped in his van. When he woke up, he said, she was gone. He reported her missing to mall security at 5:15 p.m. — the exact time she was supposed to be returned to her family.
Bethany does not appear on any mall security footage. Not entering. Not inside. Not leaving. There is no evidence she was ever at Old Hickory Mall that day.
Why Is This Case Suspicious?
Was Bethany Markowski ever found?
No. Bethany Markowski has never been found. She is 36 years old today and her case remains open. No one has ever been charged in connection with her disappearance.
Larry Markowski’s account of that Sunday has never held up to scrutiny:
- A witness placed Larry alone at a gas station 25 miles from the mall at 2:30 p.m. — contradicting his claim of arriving at the mall between 1:30 and 2:00 p.m. The witness said Larry told him he had “just dropped his daughter off.”
- Larry gave at least four different times for when he woke from his nap — ranging from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- He told two people Bethany had entered the mall with a childhood friend named Hillary, then denied ever saying it.
- His cell phone showed no activity for five and a half hours during the afternoon.
- Before TBI forensic examiners arrived, the van had been cleaned. Despite the cleaning, blood droplets were found on a pillow and a blanket inside. Larry’s explanation: Bethany had sat on a thorn.
- The van was deregistered April 30, 2001, sold at auction in Jacksonville, Florida on May 18, and shipped to Puerto Rico on June 22 — the only one of over 40 vehicles Larry is known to have owned that ever left the United States.
Larry Markowski has not been ruled out as a suspect. He has consistently denied any involvement in Bethany’s disappearance.
Sightings After Bethany Disappeared
Who is Larry Markowski?
Larry Markowski is Bethany Markowski’s father and the last known person to have been with her before her disappearance. He is identified by law enforcement as a person of interest and has not been ruled out as a suspect. He has consistently denied involvement in Bethany’s disappearance.
In the weeks following Bethany’s disappearance, a series of sightings in East Tennessee raised significant questions.
Early April 2001 — Sweetwater, Tennessee: A woman attempted to enroll a young girl matching Bethany’s description at a private Catholic school. She said she was the girl’s aunt and that the father had custody and would bring the paperwork. She left without completing enrollment and was never seen there again. A composite sketch was created from this encounter.
Late April 2001 — Cleveland, Tennessee: Over three consecutive days, a disheveled woman and a young girl were seen at a local café approximately 20 miles north of Chattanooga. Three independent witnesses — a waitress, a cab driver, and a bus station ticket agent — each identified the young girl as Bethany Markowski. The girl bit her nails and twirled her hair. The woman used a payphone repeatedly, appeared increasingly agitated, and on the third day purchased a bus ticket to Moline, Illinois.
Law enforcement traveled to Moline when the bus arrived. The woman and girl were not on it. Investigators told Jonnie Carter they believed the girl was Bethany and that they would have her home within 24 hours. That did not happen.
At the time of the Cleveland sightings, Larry Markowski — a truck driver — was scheduled to make a delivery in Cleveland, Tennessee. His truck had broken down on the first two days. On the third day — the day the bus tickets were purchased — he completed his delivery in Cleveland.
2016 — A Girl Claimed to Be Bethany
What was Bethany Markowski wearing when she disappeared?
On the day she disappeared, Bethany Markowski was wearing a green short-sleeve t-shirt, blue jeans, and black shoes. She was 4 feet 8 inches tall, weighed 95 pounds, and had brown hair and blue eyes. She had freckles on her cheeks and nose and a mole on her left breast.
In August 2016, TBI Agent Cathy Ferguson called Jonnie Carter to say a young woman had been found in the Knoxville area who claimed to be Bethany Markowski. She knew Bethany’s full name. She knew her exact birthdate. She identified Jonnie from a photograph. She had a mole in the same location as Bethany’s.
DNA testing was conducted three times. Each time, according to Jonnie Carter, the results came back negative.
Bethany’s family was never shown documentation of the results and was told by TBI it was not their right to know the woman’s identity. The questions of how she knew what she knew have never been answered.
The Foundation — Jonnie Has Never Stopped
Bethany’s mother, Jonnie Carter, has devoted the past 25 years to searching for her daughter and fighting for other families of missing children.
In 2017, Jonnie helped establish Tennessee Missing Children’s Day — observed every March 4, the anniversary of Bethany’s disappearance — through legislation passed with the help of Rep. Darren Jernigan.
In 2025, Jonnie founded The Bethany Markowski Foundation, Inc., a Tennessee 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to supporting families of missing children and providing free child safety education across the state.
On the 25th anniversary of Bethany’s disappearance in March 2026, the Foundation held its first Tennessee Missing Children’s Day event at the Capitol Theatre in Lebanon, Tennessee, bringing together law enforcement, families, and community members in Bethany’s honor.
Go Deeper
This page is an overview. For the full case breakdown — detailed timeline, evidence analysis, sourced witness accounts, and everything the Foundation has documented — visit the complete case page:
Other resources:
If You Know Anything
How can I submit a tip about Bethany Markowski?
You can submit a tip — anonymously if you prefer — at findbethany.org/tips. You can also call the TBI tip line at 1-800-TBI-FIND or NCMEC at 1-800-THE-LOST.
Someone knows something. It might be you.
If you remember anything from March 2001 — from the mall, from Gleason, from Cleveland, from anywhere — please reach out. No detail is too small. Tips can be submitted anonymously.
📞 TBI: 1-800-TBI-FIND
📞 NCMEC: 1-800-THE-LOST
✉️ Email: team@findbethany.org
The Bethany Markowski Foundation, Inc. is a Tennessee 501(c)(3) nonprofit. EIN: 41-2321010