Key facts
- Name: Bethany Leanne Markowski
- Born: February 1, 1990
- Age at disappearance: 11
- Last seen: March 4, 2001, ~2:30 p.m.
- Location: Parking lot of Old Hickory Mall, Jackson, Tennessee
- Height / build: 4’8″, 95 lbs, brown hair, blue-green eyes, freckles across cheeks and nose; mole on left breast; nervous habit of biting her nails
- Status: Still missing — open and active with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and FBI; classified endangered missing
- Case numbers: TBI 01-4723; NCMEC 906662; NamUs 4238
- Investigating agency: TBI — 1-800-TBI-FIND; Jackson Police Department — (731) 425-8400; NCMEC 1-800-843-5678
The nap in the parking lot
On Sunday, March 4, 2001, eleven-year-old Bethany Markowski was supposed to be going home. She’d spent several days with her father, Larry Markowski, at his new home in Gleason, Tennessee — a visit near the end of her parents’ separation, two months in. Her mother, Jonnie Carter, had temporary custody and expected Bethany back by 5 p.m., with the handoff planned for the Waverly exit off I-40, where her aunt and uncle would collect her.
After an overnight trip from Little Rock, Arkansas — where Larry and a friend, Harold, had taken Bethany — they were driving back to Tennessee. Around 2:30, Larry stopped in the parking lot of Old Hickory Mall in Jackson. His account: Bethany wanted to go inside — Claire’s, the game room — so he let her, and took a nap in the car.
He woke up around 3:45. Bethany wasn’t back. He said he searched the mall. At 5:15 p.m., he told mall security he couldn’t find his daughter. By 6:00, the Jackson Police Department was involved. Eleven-year-old Bethany Markowski was gone.
Investigators did what investigators do: they pulled the mall’s surveillance footage. Bethany was not on any of it. There is no proof she ever entered the building at all.
Who Bethany was
Bethany Leanne Markowski was eleven — brown hair, freckles, blue-green eyes, a nervous habit of biting her nails. A girl in the middle of her parents’ separation, spending a few days with her dad. That afternoon she was a passenger in his car, expecting to be handed back to her mother by evening.
Her mother, Jonnie Carter, has spent a quarter-century refusing to let the case die. She helped establish Tennessee Missing Children’s Day, observed every year on March 4 — the anniversary of the day Bethany disappeared — and has kept speaking publicly, visiting schools, and working with organizations like the Bethany Markowski Foundation (findbethany.org), which maintains the most comprehensive public account of the case, last updated in June 2026. Bethany would be 36 today. The FBI has released an age-progressed image of her as an adult in her thirties.
The investigation
Larry Markowski’s account has never satisfied investigators. It evolved in the early days — he reportedly told mall security and family that Bethany had entered the mall with a “little friend Hillary,” a claim he later denied ever making; the friend has never been identified. Surveillance showed nothing. His friend Harold told police Larry had talked about taking Bethany to Mexico; Larry denied it. Larry pointed the finger at Jonnie Carter — but Jonnie passed a lie detector test, and Larry did not. He has been described as uncooperative with the investigation.
Law enforcement has identified Larry Markowski as a person of interest and has not ruled him out as a suspect. He denies any involvement in her disappearance. No charges have ever been filed, and he is presumed innocent.
A few witnesses came forward in the weeks after March 4 saying they’d seen Bethany with an unidentified, unkempt woman — a lead that was pursued but never produced a confirmed identification. The TBI joined the investigation on March 6, 2001. More than 25 years later, the case is classified by both the TBI and the FBI as an endangered missing-person case — still open, still active.
Theories: what might have happened
Foul play by the last person with her. The absence of any camera footage of Bethany in the mall, the shifting story, the failed polygraph, the person-of-interest designation — investigators’ suspicion has centered here for 25 years. But suspicion is not evidence, and there is not enough to charge anyone.
Stranger abduction at the mall. Detectives have said they cannot completely rule out a stranger taking her from the parking lot. What undercuts it: no witness, no footage, no evidence she was in the mall at all.
She ran — or was taken elsewhere before the mall. One account has Bethany spending time in Little Rock before the return trip. Whatever happened in the hours before the mall stop is part of the mystery the cameras can’t resolve.
Have information?
Contact the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation: 1-800-TBI-FIND; Jackson Police Department: (731) 425-8400; NCMEC: 1-800-843-5678. Tips can also be submitted to the family’s foundation at findbethany.org/tips. In an emergency, dial 911.
Timeline
- February 1, 1990 — Bethany Leanne Markowski is born.
- January 2001 — Parents separate; mother Jonnie Carter gets temporary custody.
- March 4, 2001, ~2:30 p.m. — Larry Markowski stops at Old Hickory Mall, Jackson; says Bethany goes inside while he naps.
- March 4, 2001, ~3:45 p.m. — Larry wakes; Bethany is gone.
- March 4, 2001, 5:15 p.m. — Mall security notified; 6:00 p.m. — Jackson PD involved.
- March 6, 2001 — TBI joins the investigation.
- 2001 — Surveillance shows no evidence Bethany entered the mall; Larry named person of interest; sightings of Bethany with an unknown woman pursued, unconfirmed.
- Since 2001 — Jonnie Carter founds advocacy; Tennessee Missing Children’s Day observed every March 4; FBI age-progression released.
- June 2026 — Bethany Markowski Foundation updates its case account; investigation still active.
- Today — Still missing.
FAQ
Is Bethany Markowski still missing?
Yes. As of October 2026, Bethany Markowski has been missing for more than 25 years. Her case remains open and active with the TBI and FBI.
Was Bethany Markowski ever found?
No. Despite investigations, sightings, and decades of advocacy, Bethany has never been found and no one has been charged.
Why is Bethany Markowski’s father a person of interest?
Larry Markowski was the last person known to be with her, his account of the mall stop shifted (including the “little friend Hillary” claim he later denied), mall cameras never showed Bethany inside, he failed a polygraph his ex-wife passed, and investigators describe him as uncooperative. He denies involvement and is presumed innocent.
Did Bethany Markowski enter the mall?
There is no evidence she did. Surveillance footage reviewed by investigators showed no sign of her, and no witness has confirmed seeing her inside.
How old would Bethany Markowski be today?
Born February 1, 1990, she would be 36 in 2026.
How can I help?
Share this case file. Anyone who was at Old Hickory Mall in Jackson, TN on March 4, 2001, or has any information, should contact the TBI at 1-800-TBI-FIND or Jackson PD at (731) 425-8400.
Sources
- Official / law enforcement: Tennessee Bureau of Investigation — 1-800-TBI-FIND (case 01-4723); Jackson Police Department (731) 425-8400; NCMEC (906662) — 1-800-843-5678; FBI endangered missing-person classification.
- News: The Jackson Sun clippings, March 6–11, 2001 (via Bethany Markowski Foundation).
- Reference: Bethany Markowski Foundation (findbethany.org/bethany-markowski-case/, updated Jun 28, 2026); Stories of the Unsolved, “Bethany Leanne Markowski” (Aug 2024); NamUs #4238.
Found an error? Tell us via the About page and we will fix it promptly and note the change here. Last verified October 2026.