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'A Baffling Case:' 2 Sparta teens disappeared 12 years ago
By Jim Balloch
Jan. 15, 2012
One person disappearing without a trace is mystery enough. When two vanish together, the case can be more than twice as difficult.
On April 3, 2000, Jeremy Bechtel, 17, and Erin Foster, 18, both of Sparta, attended a party. Later that night, around 10 p.m., they were seen together in her car, a sporty black Pontiac Grand Am.
Since then, there has been no trace of Bechtel, some unproven sightings of Foster, and no sign of her car.
"This is a case with two victims and many possibilities, but no crime scene and no forensic evidence," said White County Sheriff's Office Detective Chris Isom.
In 2005 and again in 2006, investigators actively searched for Foster in Pensacola, Fla., following reports that she was living and working there.
Closer to home, authorities have periodically dug up wells in White County. Those searches were sparked by a tip that came in several ears ago, reporting the pair had been murdered and their bodies dumped in a well or abandoned well site somewhere in White County.
"Just a few months back, we dug up another well," Isom said. "We've explored all the well avenues that we know of, unless some more information is developed. But we are not giving up on this case."
Numerous theories and speculations have arisen among law enforcement and the community as to what happened to Foster and Bechtel.
To name a few: robbery gone wrong; their car plunged into a body of water; drug deal gone wrong; someone killed them out of jealousy; they stumbled onto something criminal and were silenced; killed by local "chop shop" thugs for Foster's sporty car; one was the target, the other killed just for being present; they simply ran off together.
Through a family member, Foster's parents declined to be interviewed for this story.
They also did not follow a recommendation by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) to provide DNA samples that could help identify their daughter, Isom confirmed.
Bob Lowery, executive director for NCMEC's missing children's division, said some parents "are reluctant to give DNA because they do not want to face the reality that their children could be dead. We do run into this from time to time."
Bechtel's mother, Rhonda Ledbetter, did give DNA. And she fears that if it is ever used, it will be to identify her son's body. She does not believe either her son or Foster ran away.
"You need money to go on the run," she said. "Both of them worked, and neither picked up their last paychecks. And none of their personal belongings are missing," except what they had with them, Ledbetter said.
"I don't believe they got out of White County that night," she said.
Isom said that even if Foster and Bechtel meant to leave, something has since happened to them.
"For kids like that to stay gone this long and not contact any of their family or friends, that's enough to make you think something is wrong," he said. "You can point to literally any scenario as to what happened that last night, and I cannot prove that any are right or wrong. Every lead we get, it seems like it becomes smoke that you can't hold in your hand."
"It is a very baffling case," said Knoxville lawyer Tom Snapp, who helped Ledbetter review information and some records in an effort to look for leads to pursue. "Rhonda (Ledbetter) does not feel like she has received the full level of cooperation from the authorities that she should have."
Isom said there is a lot of conflicting information about several matters ? including whether or not Bechtel and Foster were a romantic couple, casually dating, or just close friends as they had been for several years.
"It all depends on who you talk to," Isom said.
When asked by the News Sentinel, Isom confirmed that Foster's ex-boyfriend, Gareth Bradley, remains "a person of interest." The investigator said there are other persons of interest. He would not say who, how many or how they are connected to the case.
However, of Bradley, Isom added: "I would not call him a suspect. He has cooperated with us every time and in every way. When we asked him to take a polygraph, he did not hesitate, and he passed it."
Isom said there is one witness who said she is certain she saw Foster without Bechtel late on the night they disappeared. And he said he is inclined to believe the sighting of Foster in Florida was accurate.
"We had several people ID her photo, and one of them was a retired police officer," Isom said.
Ledbetter believes the girl in Florida was someone else who resembled Foster. "How many young blond girls do you think there are in Florida?" she asked.
Ledbetter said that while she no longer believes her son is alive she thinks about him and the case every day.
"I hope that someday we can find them both and bring them home to rest," she said. "I need that closure."
Isom said a routine review of the case with the 13th District Attorney General's office is scheduled for this month, but that there are no suspects and no solution in sight.
Anyone with information on the case can contact Isom at 931-836-2700; or by email at
chris_isom@hotmail.com. (CQ)
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