Bethanie Dougherty, Missing, April 1, 2008 NY
Search For Missing Woman Story Updated: Apr 3, 2008 at 6:51 PM EDT On foot, by helicopters and boats, people are combing some rough terrain in Northern Broome County. They're looking for any sign of 40 year old Bethanie Dougherty from Lisle. Action News reporter Justin Moss tells us what happened the night she disappeared. Two days and still no sign of 40-year-old Bethanie Dougherty. Searchers are treking through miles of wooded terrain to find any clues. The Town of Lisle woman was last seen wearing her pajamas outside the home she shared with her 18-year-old son. He was the last person to see her around 10 p.m. Tuesday. Five hours later, neighbors on Jennings Creek Road heard what they called chilling screams in that area. "The State Police interviewed several people, some of them said they could hear it very loudly, some of them right like next door just a house away or so could hardly hear it, " said Broome County Sheriff David Harder. Harder says that's one reason Dougherty's disappearance is suspicious. She also left behind her clothing, cell phone and car. A search command post was set up here at the Killawog Fire Station, where Dougherty was involved with the auxiliary. "Around that fire station all through those flats, the cemetery area and the back hills all that has to be searched," said Harder. A helicopter helped from the sky this morning, and boats are continuing to look in area waters. Even these Sheriff's department recruits were called in to comb the miles and miles of rural land. Deputies say they're working with many leads, but so far nothing that's led them to any sign of Bethanie Dougherty. In the Town of Lisle, Justin Moss, WBNG-TV Action News. Dougherty was separated from her husband and had no history of mental illness. If you have any information that can help investigators, call the Broome County Sheriff's Office at 778-1911. http://www.wbng.com/news/local/17271159.html

Police: Broome County woman's disappearance is suspicious Associated Press - April 3, 2008 5:25 PM ET KILLAWOG, N.Y. (AP) - Police in Broome County are looking for a woman who they say went missing under suspicious circumstances this week. Broome County Sheriff David Harder says neighbors of 40-year-old Bethanie Dougherty called police early Wednesday morning to report a woman screaming. Harder says police responded to the neighborhood in Killawog, about 50 miles south of Syracuse, and interviewed neighbors, couldn't find anything. Dougherty was reported missing later that day. Harder says the woman - who manages a store and didn't show up for work - left her car, cell phone, purse and other belongings at her home. Dougherty, who's 5-feet 10-inches tall and 160 pounds with red hair and green eyes, was last seen Tuesday night. http://www.wcax.com/global/story.asp?s=8115243

Search resumes for Broome mother draws 84 volunteers KILLAWOG -- Three state police forensic teams have been in the house of a missing Broome County mother of three since early this morning. The search for a missing 40-year-old Bethanie L. Dougherty resumed this morning, after a daylong search turned up no sign of the woman Thursday. The search has drawn 84 volunteers, who have combed about 200 acres and 12 to 15 miles of road. Law enforcement vehicles are surrounding Dougherty's Jennings Creek Road home this morning, as teams are apparently searching the house for clues. State troopers and sheriff's deputies that are entering the home have been signing a log-in sheet before they enter. Dozens of neighbors in the tight-knit hamlet of Killawog, north of Whitney Point, joined search crews from across Broome County on Thursday in a massive search for Dougherty, who was reported missing Wednesday. Dougherty was last seen by her 18-year-old son around 10 p.m. Tuesday at her northern Broome County residence, Sheriff David Harder said. About five hours later, several neighbors reported hearing a woman's screams, Harder said. State police dispatched to the area could find no problem at the time, Harder said. Dougherty was reported missing later Wednesday. A search in the area of Dougherty's home on Jennings Creek Road was suspended around 6 p.m. Thursday. The search began again this morning, officials with the sheriff's office said. Harder said searchers found nothing to indicate foul play. But concerns were heightened because the woman, a usually reliable employee, failed to show up for work; her car was still in the driveway, her cell phone was still in the home, and she apparently was still wearing purple pajamas when she left. Dougherty usually wore pajamas when she was in the house, said Rochelle Hayes, 16, who is a friend of Dougherty's three teenage sons and has visited the home. But Dougherty would never leave the house without proper attire, Hayes said. "She always had to look beautiful," Hayes said. Dougherty is described as 5 feet, 10 inches tall, weighing 160 pounds with red hair and green eyes. The tiny, rural hamlet of Killawog, in the Town of Lisle, was buzzing with activity Thursday. Law enforcement personnel and worried friends and neighbors rode in off-road vehicles and in the back of trucks searching for Dougherty. A state police helicopter surveyed the scene from above and sheriff's deputies searched the Tioughnioga River in nearby Whitney Point by boat. About eight Broome County sheriff's deputies walked around the outside of Dougherty's white, two-story home Thursday afternoon while a police dog sniffed its way around the perimeter of the property. The Killawog fire station, which last August was the site of Dougherty's 40th birthday party, was the command post for the intense search for the missing woman. Dougherty was better known as "Buffy" to friends, many of whom joined in the search and planned to come back when it resumed. Hayes' father, Anthony Hayes, said he planned to take the day off from work to join the search. "It's a small community," said Scott Reilly, who lives across the street from Dougherty. "So everybody knows pretty much who everybody is." Billie Jo Loveless, 25, knew Dougherty from around town. She would sometimes see Dougherty at the local bowling alley. "She's an easygoing person," Loveless said. "Friendly." Dougherty's daughter and two sons attended classes at Marathon Junior-Senior High School on Thursday, but were distant, Rochelle Hayes said. The boys were staying with their father, who is separated from Dougherty, Hayes said. Word about the disappearance spread around the small community and among Marathon students Wednesday night, Hayes said. School on Thursday was "depressing," she said. "(She's) friends with everyone in this town," Hayes said. Anyone with information about the case is asked to call Broome County sheriff's detectives at 778-2466. http://www.pressconnects.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080404/NEWS01/804040348 Print a Poster: http://www.projectjason.org/aan/AAN_BethanieDougherty.pdf

Missing Woman's Father Pleads for Help Last Update: 8/10 10:11 am From Terry Curtis, father of Bethanie Dougherty: It has been sixteen long months and we still don’t know where Bethanie is or what has happened to her. This has been the worst time of my life and I know for a lot of other people as well. It has gotten more and more difficult over time to hold on to hope for her safety, but we still have some hope because we know so little about the circumstances of her disappearance. Bethanie will be 42 years old this year, on August 10th. I wish her a happy birthday and hope she is doing well where ever she is. It will not be a happy day for me unless I can hug her and give her a kiss on the cheek and I don’t think that’s going to happen. Somebody knows what happened and where she is. I ask this person or those people to please provide this information to the Broome County Sheriff’s or any police agency or to me or any other family member. Communicate any way possible. Do it anonymously. I can understand that if you are responsible, you don’t want to come forward, but please find a way to let us know where she is, if you have a conscience at all, so we can have some peace in our hearts and minds. If this sounds like I am begging. I guess I am. Nothing else we have tried so far has worked. It seems that whoever did this was extremely good at covering their trail. I have read some about life after death, especially since Bethane’s been gone. I certainly don’t claim to have any answers, but I have my own thoughts on the matter. If the person or persons responsible don’t pay for their crimes in this life, I am hoping they spend eternity in hell, if there is such a place. Maybe, just maybe you could redeem yourself somewhat by letting us know where she is. Maybe that works with God, I don’t know, but if it was me, I think it would be worth a try. http://www.newschannel34.com/content/developingnews/story/Missing-Womans-Father-Pleads-for-Help/yr52JCNWGke14iE-DO23Qw.cspx