For 25 years, "is there anything new?" has been the question we hear the most — after every anniversary, every headline about someone else's case, every quiet month where nothing changes. Starting this month, that question finally has one clear answer: a page we'll update monthly, plain and simple, so nobody has to dig through old posts to find out.

This month's answer is honest and a little anticlimactic: nothing new to report. The investigation remains open, TBI Agent Cathy Ferguson is still assigned to it, and a forensic review of case evidence is still underway. We'd rather tell you that plainly than manufacture drama.

We do have real news, though: in August, our board approved building a searchable database of Tennessee's long-term missing children cases directly into this site. Both are below. Thank you for still being here.

Bethany Leanne Markowski was reported missing on March 4, 2001, near Jackson, Tennessee. She was 11 years old. She has never been found.

TBI Agent Cathy Ferguson remains the assigned investigator.

The last thing she said to her mama was "I love you."

Read this month's full case update →

"Is there anything new?" is the question we hear more than any other. So this month we launched a permanent answer: a Case Updates page, reviewed and republished once a month, no matter what.

September's update: the investigation remains open and active, Agent Cathy Ferguson remains assigned, and a forensic review of case evidence remains underway. Nothing new to report today — but we'll say that plainly every month it's true, instead of staying quiet and letting people wonder.

We're growing: Jeff and Sean are joining our board, and Rikki Finch, Meagan Anderson, and Rachel Espy are joining as new volunteers alongside Eric Witt, all onboarding this month. Our board recruitment goal is officially filled — thank you to everyone who raised a hand.

Behind the scenes: the board approved building that new Tennessee long-term missing children database directly into this site — more on that above.

Filming began in August on the first video in our free child safety course — still on track, still free, for every family in Tennessee regardless of income.

Know a documentary filmmaker, a grant we should apply for, or a Tennessee case that belongs in our new database? Send it to the same address. Every lead matters.

Bethany has been missing for 25 years. This month didn't bring news, but it brought a new habit — one honest update, every single month, whether or not there's anything new to say. We think that matters too.

If this issue moved you, share it. There is someone in your circle who needs to read it.

The Bethany Markowski Foundation Team