The Mysterious Disappearance of Bethanie Dougherty From Upstate New York

Imagine seeing your mom before going to bed and then waking up the next day and discovering that she completely vanished. Literally gone without a trace. As much as they wish this was a sick game of imagination or the plot of a dramatic television show, it's not. This is reality for the family of Bethanie Dougherty who hasn't been seen or heard from since April 1, 2008.

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Sunday, April 1, 2023, marked 15 years since Bethanie Dougherty of Killawog, Broome County went missing. Sadly, her family is still no closer to knowing what happened or where she is today.

The last person to see Bethanie was her son who said he saw his mom between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. on April 1, 2008, at her home at 554 Jennings Creek Road in Killawog (which is near Whitney Point). Bethanie was last seen wearing purple pajamas, and an investigation in the days following her disappearance found that no other clothing or personal belongings were missing from her house. It was at 6 a.m. the next day that her son noticed that she was missing. Bethanie's car and all of her personal belongings were left behind and her clothing was laid out for work on her bed.

Neighbors reported that they heard a woman screaming in the area between 3 a.m. and 3:30 a.m. ( which is when Bethanie would have been getting ready to go to work at the Xtra Mart convenience store in Freeville) and called 911, but when police arrived, they didn’t find anything suspicious. Bethanie’s son was in the house with her that night and told police that he didn’t hear or see anything unusual either.

According to the Charlie Project, Bethanie isn’t the only person in her family to have gone missing. Her cousin, Marla Greene-Ware, was reported missing in 1998, and two weeks later, Marla's body was found in her own apartment. She’d been dead for months and while her death is considered suspicious, no one has ever been charged. What's more, is that authorities say that there's absolutely no evidence that Bethanie’s disappearance is related to her cousin’s death.

At the time of her disappearance, Bethanie had three teenage kids and was separated from her husband. Bethanie and her husband were planning to divorce, however, her relatives say there was no sign of abuse in her marriage.

Bethanie has three tattoos: a vine with flowers on her left ankle; a purple butterfly over tribal markings on her lower back and three Chinese scroll-type symbols on her upper back between her shoulder blades.  Bethanie also has three piercings in her right ear and five piercings in her left ear.

Someone knows something- they have to.  If you’re that someone, please do the right thing and let the authorities know.  Bethanie’s children and family haven't given up hope that she's still alive and they deserve to know what’s happened to her.