Deceased/Not Found VA - Bethany Decker, 21, Ashburn, 29 Jan 2011 *Guilty*

[Truthful Lies]

bbm

I was just going to post on that. A must-read, for sure. Puts a whole new spin on things... IMO.

It definitely does - I want to type out my long-winded thoughts on this, but I can't remember if we can comment on rumor. I don't think so =P (Why does my memory stink....)

 

[hollye]

Okay, some of my thoughts....

I am having a hard time understanding some of this from a couple fo different perspectives.

Bethandy was enrolled in school at GMU. Her family said that the last time that they saw Bethany was Christmas Day. Classes didn't start back up for the Spring Semester until January 24th, per http://registrar.gmu.edu/calendars/2011Spring.html

First day of classes; Mon Jan 24

So she did not see her son at all for a month that she would not have been in classes? Even though he was just an hour and a half south of her apartment? Having small children myself that makes no sense to me at all. And her husband, home from deployment, didn't see their son either? How long was he home? Being that close, I would be home to see my son most very weekend that I could.

 

[hollye]

What Happened to Bethany Decker?

http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/l..._Bethany_Decker__Washington_DC-117214263.html

Craig Melvin reports on a missing pregnant woman who disappeared without a trace, days before her husband was deployed to Afghanistan.

Video with interviews with Bethany's parents

Key Points
* They've been married about 1 1/2 years
* Husband was with her back in January, but does not say how long he was home on leave
* Investigators are trying to get a face to face meeting with the husband
* Neighbors describe fighting late at night almost every night
* Mother would not describe relationship with husband, but Bethany would not leave behind her son
* Bethany kept in touch via texting and phone, If she was not speaking with her mother, she would keep in touch with her siblings

Yeah, things are pretty hinky! And I vote in the drection of the husband

 

[hollye]

Kim Nelson says her daughter Bethany Decker is her lipgloss and flip-flop girl.

The college senior, who is also five months pregnant, was with her family on Christmas Day.

That was the last time anyone in the family saw her.

Investigators say Decker was last seen by a friend at her apartment in Ashburn on January 29. Police say her car was still in the parking lot, but she was nowhere to be found.

http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/vir...f-missing-ashburn-woman-bethany-decker-030111

In Lori Arrowood's case they immediately brought her husband back... but I think they knew it was a homicide, he was not a suspect and it was Army, not National Guard. So who knows if they will do the same here.

So you are trying to tell me... that Bethany was last seen on Jan 29th.

And her husband left for deployment on February 2nd.

WithOUT seeing his wife?

I have known A LOT of military couples. Very few do not see each other the day they leave for and return from deployment! And the husbands would think it was an immediate emergency if their wife disappeared for a day just 4 days before they were to leave... because that time is precious.

I never, ever say something is suspicious about the husband. But I really don't like this. Unless they were planning on getting divorced and weren't really living as a married couple... or he claims that he DID see her February 2nd before he left. Otherwise... something isn't right here.

This also said

Investigators say they are checking her Facebook and credit cards, but so far, there has been no activity. At this point, they are looking at all possibilities.

Has anyone found her FB page? I haven't found it yet.

 

[hollye]

This article was updated a moment ago: http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/l...oman-Missing-More-Than-a-Month-117201403.html

Says "He has been here in the country on leave, and was with Ms. Decker back in January," said a member of the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office. "We need to come up with a timeline as far as their contact with each other before he was sent back to Afghanistan.Law enforcement officials said they are trying to arrange a face-to-face meeting with Decker's husband."

That article also answered the question of how long the marriage was - 1.5 years. So...around 18 months? Guess that doesn't answer out question about the other child.

ETA: Whoa. The lone comment on the story is interesting.

Whoa is right! I wonder how true it is.

 

[hollye]

Here's a FB page that was started for her... http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/event.php?eid=183251775051525

According to this, her maiden name is Littlejohn.
Additionally, it states that Bethany's FB page is no longer available.

 

[Jaxson]

Sounds like that comment may be coming from a member of the husbands family. I agree it is certainly interesting. I wondered if it was hubby's baby she was pregnant with. 5 months and he is deployed? Sounds like he was just back for R&R.

I called my husband (Sgt Major, National Guard) and asked some pertinent questions regarding R&R.

1. R&R is rotational and can happen any time after about 3 months if deployment is for a year or more. If deployment is less than a a year they do not have R&R trips home.
(so it could be hubby's baby)

2. When they leave after R&R there is usually a couple of days between leaving home and flying out of country. If he had to return by the 2nd he would have been gone by the 31st but if he didn't leave until the 2nd then he didn't have to be back over there until the 4th. (approx.)

3. Military takes precedent and local authorities would have to request extradition.

 

[belimom]

Sounds like that comment may be coming from a member of the husbands family. I agree it is certainly interesting. I wondered if it was hubby's baby she was pregnant with. 5 months and he is deployed? Sounds like he was just back for R&R.
........

Good observation there. Don't think it's his under those circumstances. MOO

 

[fhc]

She would have had a scheduled OB appt in Feb.

 

[belimom]

Good observation there. Don't think it's his under those circumstances. MOO

Quoting myself - but now I can see two suspects, really: this BF she was living with and her husband, who may have come home to find out she was pregnant by someone else... I'm leaning towards the BF, since it doesn't appear that he reported her missing? But I find it interesting that LE wants to talk to her husband in person. Seems like a phone interview or something would be more practical if they really were more or less separated, etc, unless they have other reasons to want to see him...:waitasec:

 

[hollye]

Quoting myself - but now I can see two suspects, really: this BF she was living with and her husband, who may have come home to find out she was pregnant by someone else... I'm leaning towards the BF, since it doesn't appear that he reported her missing? But I find it interesting that LE wants to talk to her husband in person. Seems like a phone interview or something would be more practical if they really were more or less separated, etc, unless they have other reasons to want to see him...:waitasec:

I agree, if the commenter is correct, that they need to look at both the BF and the husband.

Has anyone seen anything that says when the husband returned home on leave? Or where he was staying during that time?

 

[Lunar1121]

I am about to speak in regards to the Air Force but I would assume each branch has something similar in place. The Air Force has something called the OSI. It is bascially the FBI but for the Air Force. They are trained agents and everything but also military personel. They investigate any military personel "wrong doings" be it suicide, theft, murder, etc. They do this along side local authorities because besides the "bad person" being put on trial locally, they also have to go through a military trial (court marshall). So, just trying to say that even though the husband is in the military and deployed he will be interviewed, at least by someone like the OSI.

I also find that comment very very interesting under that article and hope we can get some clarification on if that is true or not. It sounds believeable and straight to the point. IMO

 

[belimom]

And it gets more confusing (makes me wonder about that comment now - how true it really is? Seems like there's a lot below the surface here):

Bethany had gone on a vacation to Hawaii with her husband, Emile Decker, just before his deployment to Afghanistan.

http://www.examiner.com/missing-per...ing-pregnant-woman-from-ashburn#ixzz1FSfYGLN5

 

[hollye]

And it gets more confusing (makes me wonder about that comment now - how true it really is? Seems like there's a lot below the surface here):

Do they mean though that they went to Hawaii prior to his original deployment or while he was home temporarily on leave in January?

 

[belimom]

Do they mean though that they went to Hawaii prior to his original deployment or while he was home temporarily on leave in January?

I wondered the same thing but the context makes it seem like recently. Here's more of the statement, in context - seems like it wouldn't be embedded in there if it was prior to his original deployment, kwim?

Bethany Anne Decker, 21, was reported missing on February 19th, although she has not been seen since January 29th.

Bethany had gone on a vacation to Hawaii with her husband, Emile Decker, just before his deployment to Afghanistan. Her family have tried to reach her and could not get in contact with her. Bethany's car was found parked in a garage at her Ashburn apartment. There was no sign of packed bags and her cell phone, bank account and credit cards have not been used since January 29.

http://www.examiner.com/missing-per...ing-pregnant-woman-from-ashburn#ixzz1FSkcbaZv

 

[belimom]

Here's further clarification from a different article (bbm):

Investigators say just before she went missing she had gone on a vacation to Hawaii with her husband, an Army soldier who was back in the states on leave from Afghanistan.

http://wusa9.com/news/article/138870/77/Young-Pregnant-Woman-Missing-From-Ashburn

 

[cmlegend99]

I am a Navy wife in VA. We had a Navy wife found dead back in Sept '10 while her husband was on deployment out at sea. They flew him home immediately from the ship to figure out what was going on. Turns out a fellow sailor that was a neighbor, that lived above her murdered her. It was really, really erie and a lot of Navy wives were VERY worried. She did live alone with no kids, just a dog and her family lived I think 5 states away, but she talked to her family everyday.

As far as myself, there can be months that goes by before I get to see my parents, in laws, brother, etc. But I do try to call my mom everyday. I have other Navy wives I talk to via text OR facebook to make sure they're okay, safe, need anything, etc.

Saying that, I DO know a couple of wives who don't really talk to their family at all. They just have strange relationships and just keep everything to theirselves. I have a friend who talks to her family maybe every month and a half.

I can't see how she didnt have friends in the area she talked to? Checked on her? Went out to lunch with or something? That doesn't make sense?

As far as her husband..I am sure they have questioned him. The military takes this stuff very seriously.

 

[hollye]

Here's further clarification from a different article (bbm):

Thanks belimom! I hadn't seen that article yet. Did she come back from Hawaii, I wonder?

 

[belimom]

Thanks beliemom! I hadn't seen that article yet. Did she come back from Hawaii, I wonder?

Wow... good question. I would think so, since she was seen on 1/29 at her apartment complex and her husband left on 2/2?

 

[hollye]

I am beginning to get the impression that someone other than the husband may be responsible. In what I have found, it almost seems like Bethany's family is closer to Emile than to Bethany. I may be wrong, but I'm not so sure at this point that Emile is responsible.