Found Deceased IL - Benedetta 'Beth' Bentley, 41, Mount Vernon, 23 May 2010 #1

Cubby · Jun 5, 2010

eyes4crime said:
I live in Illinois and am not familiar with the town she was supposedly boarding the train. It sure is way out - and I'm wondering how many towers are out that way - maybe not many? That could be the reason for the words 'no conclusive results'. moo

I wasn't familiar with Centralia either... though a google map search shows it is a 'far east'? or a suburb direct east of St. Louis.

radiant · Jun 5, 2010

Calliope said:
She was going from Centralia to Woodstock.

The friend (FB and media-interviewed friend, not the one on the trip) said she went back to Centralia to post flyers, etc., and that a vendor saw Beth either at the station or get on the train (I can't recall which).

Friends went to Chicago to post flyers last Thursday, and a vendor at Union Station said she thought she had seen Beth somewhere around 10-10:30PM Sunday night. A rider on the Amtrak train Beth was supposedly on states the train did not arrive until nearly 11 PM that night. (Amtrak famously runs late in my experience). Between that information and the police interviewing the conductor and people aboard the train and not being able to find anyone who saw Beth at the train platform in Centralia or on the train, we believe she did not get on the train.

Calliope · Jun 5, 2010

radiant said:
Beth was married once before. Maiden name: Rogers, First marriage: Velmont (you will notice another error in one of the reports that lists her sons last name as Belmont, that is wrong), Second marriage: Bentley. The two older sons are Velmont, the youngest is Bentley

Welcome, and thanks.

One of the reports I saw didn't have youngest son's last name as Bentley.

Good Lord, can't they get anything right ???

radiant · Jun 5, 2010

Cubby said:
I wasn't familiar with Centralia either... though a google map search shows it is a 'far east'? or a suburb direct east of St. Louis.

I personally find it very odd, very very odd, that any woman over 40 would be willing to travel to a suburb of St. Louis for a home remodeling weekend via a rental car and is going to take a train back when she is married to an attorney? That activity sounds more like a college girl than a wife. Especially a wife with (step)kids.

Not saying it isn't odd, because I totally agree the whole thing is odd. But, Beth made trips with this friend, J, before. I spoke to Beth just before this trip, she did not mention she was going and I was surprised when messages from me to her were not being responded to from May 20 forward. It may have been a last minute decision for her to go, I really don't know. I could see "J" asking for a companion on a 500-ish mile trip downstate, and Beth is the kind of lady who would say yes to a friend's request in a heartbeat, she is a very sweet person. Btw, the three boys are hers, not step children.

Calliope · Jun 5, 2010

radiant said:
Friends went to Chicago to post flyers last Thursday, and a vendor at Union Station said she thought she had seen Beth somewhere around 10-10:30PM Sunday night. A rider on the Amtrak train Beth was supposedly on states the train did not arrive until nearly 11 PM that night. (Amtrak famously runs late in my experience). Between that information and the police interviewing the conductor and people aboard the train and not being able to find anyone who saw Beth at the train platform in Centralia or on the train, we believe she did not get on the train.

Ah ok thanks. I misread the post; thought they'd traveled back to Centralia. Could she have rented a car or somehow been taken to union station other than by train?

Calliope · Jun 5, 2010

radiant said:
Not saying it isn't odd, because I totally agree the whole thing is odd. But, Beth made trips with this friend, J, before. I spoke to Beth just before this trip, she did not mention she was going and I was surprised when messages from me to her were not being responded to from May 20 forward. It may have been a last minute decision for her to go, I really don't know. I could see "J" asking for a companion on a 500-ish mile trip downstate, and Beth is the kind of lady who would say yes to a friend's request in a heartbeat, she is a very sweet person. Btw, the three boys are hers, not step children.

BBM

You were texting her?

Also, as far as you know, the last conversation with her husband didn't mention a change in plans? Do you know if she texted or called anyone else that weekend?

radiant · Jun 5, 2010

Calliope said:
Ah ok thanks. I misread the post; thought they'd traveled back to Centralia. Could she have rented a car or somehow been taken to union station other than by train?

I would think she would communicate any changes in travel plans to her husband first and foremost, they communicated often. No one has mentioned this as a possibility, but...? Centralia/Mt. Vernon are far away from her hometown of Woodstock. From Centralia to Chicago it's like a few hundred miles or so, and then from downtown Chicago to Woodstock, it's like 50 more miles. It's a long trip.

Calliope · Jun 5, 2010

radiant said:
I would think she would communicate any changes in travel plans to her husband first and foremost, they communicated often. No one has mentioned this as a possibility, but...? Centralia/Mt. Vernon are far away from her hometown of Woodstock. From Centralia to Chicago it's like a few hundred miles or so, and then from downtown Chicago to Woodstock, it's like 50 more miles. It's a long trip.

Yeah... just trying to figure out how she may have gotten to Union Station (if that was indeed her) other than by train. The schedule on the Amtrak site is a bit confusing; would that train from Centralia go through St. Louis and on to Chicago? It says 'direct' so there'd be no need for her to get off the train at any point.

BTW, how long has she known J? Is she part of Beth's circle of friends who hang out together?

radiant · Jun 5, 2010

Calliope said:
BBM

You were texting her?

Also, as far as you know, the last conversation with her husband didn't mention a change in plans? Do you know if she texted or called anyone else that weekend?

The messages I am talking about in particular were through FB. I don't have a texting plan on my phone, so didn't communicate with her in that way. She is always very responsive, so I was puzzled when I didn't hear back from her. By Tuesday, I was worried. Wednesday, I found out she was missing. The last conversation with her husband on Sunday afternoon did not mention a change in travel plans. Supposedly, this call took place around 6 PM, I have no means to verify that, it is what I was told by others, not her husband direct. If that is true, certainly you would tell your husband you were getting on a train to come home in about 10 minutes, yes? I do not know if she texted or called anyone else, but what Angela says in one of the articles is absolutely true: she is a frequent texter and caller and is very social, so I would think with a high degree of confidence yes, she would have spoken to and texted with others. I have not heard anyone mention they spoke to her during that weekend, though. Sorry if I am being long-winded, just trying to be thorough and clear.

radiant · Jun 5, 2010

Calliope said:
Yeah... just trying to figure out how she may have gotten to Union Station (if that was indeed her) other than by train. The schedule on the Amtrak site is a bit confusing; would that train from Centralia go through St. Louis and on to Chicago? It says 'direct' so there'd be no need for her to get off the train at any point.

BTW, how long has she known J? Is she part of Beth's circle of friends who hang out together?

The Amtrak route she was to be on comes from Carbondale, IL, it doesn't go through St. Louis. Other stops would be like Mattoon, Champaign, further east in IL on it's way up to Chicago. Does that answer your question?

I do not know J personally. I understand she is a "longtime" friend of Beth, I do not know what the definition of "longtime" is here. Beth lived in CA for awhile. J is from CA. They may have even met out there. I just don't know that info. She is part of Beth's circle of friends who hang out together who are, on average, about 5 years younger. Beth and I are the same age and I do not know these people, neither from our past through school, or now.

Calliope · Jun 5, 2010

radiant said:
The messages I am talking about in particular were through FB. I don't have a texting plan on my phone, so didn't communicate with her in that way. She is always very responsive, so I was puzzled when I didn't hear back from her. By Tuesday, I was worried. Wednesday, I found out she was missing. The last conversation with her husband on Sunday afternoon did not mention a change in travel plans. Supposedly, this call took place around 6 PM, I have no means to verify that, it is what I was told by others, not her husband direct. If that is true, certainly you would tell your husband you were getting on a train to come home in about 10 minutes, yes? I do not know if she texted or called anyone else, but what Angela says in one of the articles is absolutely true: she is a frequent texter and caller and is very social, so I would think with a high degree of confidence yes, she would have spoken to and texted with others. I have not heard anyone mention they spoke to her during that weekend, though. Sorry if I am being long-winded, just trying to be thorough and clear.

Please don't apologize. This case is very confusing and I appreciate you clarifying a number of points. I find it very odd that she didn't tell her husband of her change in plans, especially if she was going to be arriving around 2 am (according to the article I read, that is).

radiant · Jun 5, 2010

Calliope said:
Please don't apologize. This case is very confusing and I appreciate you clarifying a number of points. I find it very odd that she didn't tell her husband of her change in plans, especially if she was going to be arriving around 2 am (according to the article I read, that is).

The Amtrak arrived at approximately 11PM per a rider on it, it ran a little late that night. Then Beth would have had to walk over to Ogilvie Transportation Center (a block) to catch the 11:30 Metra train (most likely) on the Union Pacific Northwest Line to come out here. It would have arrived like around 1 AM-ish to Woodstock. The 12:30 would arrive more like 2AM, so would depend which Metra the person writing or giving the info thought she might be taking.

Calliope · Jun 5, 2010

radiant said:
The Amtrak route she was to be on comes from Carbondale, IL, it doesn't go through St. Louis. Other stops would be like Mattoon, Champaign, further east in IL on it's way up to Chicago. Does that answer your question?

Yes lol. And now it makes sense. I was looking at the article mentioning St. Louis and couldn't for the life of me figure out how she would get from point A to point B. It would have been the Illini line:

http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer/AM_Route_C/1241245664293/1237405732511

I do not know J personally. I understand she is a "longtime" friend of Beth, I do not know what the definition of "longtime" is here. Beth lived in CA for awhile. J is from CA. They may have even met out there. I just don't know that info. She is part of Beth's circle of friends who hang out together who are, on average, about 5 years younger. Beth and I are the same age and I do not know these people, neither from our past through school, or now.

Again, thanks so much for bringing some facts to this thread (the media reports were getting a bit frustrating, to say the least).

Calliope · Jun 5, 2010

radiant said:
The Amtrak arrived at approximately 11PM per a rider on it, it ran a little late that night. Then Beth would have had to walk over to Ogilvie Transportation Center (a block) to catch the 11:30 Metra train (most likely) on the Union Pacific Northwest Line to come out here. It would have arrived like around 1 AM-ish to Woodstock. The 12:30 would arrive more like 2AM, so would depend which Metra the person writing or giving the info thought she might be taking.

Do you know if the vendor who saw her at Union is positive of the time? Could he have seen her after the train arrived? As far as you know, has anyone been able to place her on the train to Chicago?

radiant · Jun 5, 2010

Calliope said:
Yes lol. And now it makes sense. I was looking at the article mentioning St. Louis and couldn't for the life of me figure out how she would get from point A to point B. It would have been the Illini line:

http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer/AM_Route_C/1241245664293/1237405732511

Again, thanks so much for bringing some facts to this thread (the media reports were getting a bit frustrating, to say the least).

Yes, the article that metions St. Louis is incorrect. There is a Union Station in St. Louis I believe, and the writer being from down in that area assumed that was the Union Station rather than the correct one in Chicago.

It is my pleasure to help clarify some of this info. It's a bit of a mess at the moment. The early info was sketchy on certain things, but in an effort to get the word out that Beth is missing, we had to go with what we had and unfortunately now it is propagated all over in different versions.

The 3 best pieces of information in the media right now are the Northwest Herald article dated June 2, the ABC 7 video/story from June 3 (which aired as the top story on the 5 PM news that day also), and the CNN AC360° blog article all have the best factual information at this point. A few small things are wrong, such as her son's last name, her son being called a step-son, a couple details like that. The most pertinent details are correct in those and I am happy to post links at your request (the links are on bethismissing.com also). I am happy to answer any questions I am able to. I love Beth, I miss her and I feel an enormous sense of sorrow right now that I am trying to channel into helping find her in any way I can.

radiant · Jun 5, 2010

Calliope said:
Do you know if the vendor who saw her at Union is positive of the time? Could he have seen her after the train arrived? As far as you know, has anyone been able to place her on the train to Chicago?

All I know is that when they went to post the flyers at Union Station, they found this vendor and she said she thought she had seen Beth around 10 or 10:30 Sunday night. It was like 2 days later that a rider on that Amtrak posted on the FB that the train came in about 11 that night. Kinda made my heart sink because I knew then it wasn't likely that this person had seen Beth. You just don't miss Beth. Nobody else has said they saw her at any time at any train station or on the train. The conductor as well as passengers have been interviewed and no one says they saw Beth. Beth is memorable. Someone would have remembered if she was on that train, I feel strongly about this.

Cubby · Jun 5, 2010

radiant said:
The Amtrak route she was to be on comes from Carbondale, IL, it doesn't go through St. Louis. Other stops would be like Mattoon, Champaign, further east in IL on it's way up to Chicago. Does that answer your question?

I do not know J personally. I understand she is a "longtime" friend of Beth, I do not know what the definition of "longtime" is here. Beth lived in CA for awhile. J is from CA. They may have even met out there. I just don't know that info. She is part of Beth's circle of friends who hang out together who are, on average, about 5 years younger. Beth and I are the same age and I do not know these people, neither from our past through school, or now.

Hi radiant, Welcome to WS.

I'm from the Chicago area. First I am hoping Beth is found safely. May I ask what is CA? Centralia? One of the earlier posts on FB Beth replied she and her friend she went on this weekend trip with were neighbors.

Calliope · Jun 5, 2010

Cubby said:
Hi radiant, Welcome to WS.

I'm from the Chicago area. First I am hoping Beth is found safely. May I ask what is CA? Centralia? One of the earlier posts on FB Beth replied she and her friend she went on this weekend trip with were neighbors.

I took it to mean California.

radiant · Jun 5, 2010

Cubby said:
Hi radiant, Welcome to WS.

I'm from the Chicago area. First I am hoping Beth is found safely. May I ask what is CA? Centralia? One of the earlier posts on FB Beth replied she and her friend she went on this weekend trip with were neighbors.

Thanks, Cubby. We all want her to be found safe.

CA = CAlifornia

I do not know where J lives specifically, they may live nearby each other in Woodstock

Cubby · Jun 5, 2010

Calliope said:
I took it to mean California.

Ok Bugs. Do you mind if I call you Bugs? It reminds me of Michael Jordan in Space Jam. :croc:

CA? Could be....

I'm still listening and trying to sort this out. Im familiar with Woodstock, still kind of a small town close to the Chain O' Lakes/ McHenry and Fox lake... a bit north of Lake in the Hills....

I'm trying to figure out the train stuff and why a train and not driving and why Beth would chose not go ride home with the ride there.....

Found Deceased IL - Benedetta 'Beth' Bentley, 41, Mount Vernon, 23 May 2010 #1

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