She Vanished From Her Apartment In 2019, Leaving Behind Her Glasses, Purse, And A Glass Of Warm Milk On Her Kitchen Table
Betty Alexander of Sullivan, Missouri, is known among her three adult children – John, Tonya, and David – as a stellar cook. But, for them, the delicious food was just a bonus, as Betty used her home-cooked meals to bring their family together.
“She was a go-getter and a firecracker. Her cooking for me was something that I’ll never forget. She could take an empty cupboard, no kidding, and make this – what felt like a gourmet meal,” John said.
According to Tonya, Betty was known for pulling out all the stops when it came to celebrations like birthdays as well.
“Every birthday I had, I’d have several cakes that she would make for one birthday,” Tonya recalled.
So, ever since the 69-year-old mysteriously disappeared on April 10, 2019, one of the things her children miss the most is enjoying meals made with love by their mom.
In 2019, Betty was living alone in an apartment located on South Center Street in Sullivan. Unfortunately, her husband had passed away the year prior, in 2018.
She also regularly took medication to treat pain after she underwent back surgery along her spine.
Betty’s medications were typically delivered to her home from her pharmacy as well. And on April 10, 2019, it was no different.
That day, she was first seen by her cleaning lady at about 12:00 p.m., who later claimed that Betty seemed to be in good spirits. Then, her local pharmacy delivered two boxes of her medication to her apartment at approximately 1:15 p.m.
Facebook – pictured above is Betty
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Later, Betty was last seen outside in the garden by one of her neighbors around 3:00 p.m. After that, she was never seen or heard from again.
Three days afterward, on April 13, 2019, Betty’s children began to grow concerned when they couldn’t get in touch with her – which was very out of the ordinary.
“Mom had a wall phone, and I don’t know how, but no matter what, she could always answer it on the first ring when you called,” Tonya explained.
This caused Tonya to become concerned, and on April 14, she visited her mom’s apartment to check on her.
Upon arrival, Tonya knocked, and her mother didn’t answer the door. So, she used her spare key to get into her mom’s apartment, and the entire scene felt off.
First, Tonya noticed that Betty’s Meals on Wheels was still sitting on her kitchen table. Then, when Tonya picked up the milk, she realized it was not cold.
Afterward, Tonya started searching her mom’s apartment and trying to figure out where she might have gone. It was then that she made a shocking discovery.
“I glanced in the living room, and on the arm of her recliner were her glasses. I knew something had to be really wrong because when she stayed with us, she wouldn’t even – her feet wouldn’t even hit the floor before she would have her glasses on,” Tonya said.
“So, I knew something was wrong.”
Additionally, Tonya realized that one of her mother’s medication boxes was missing. Betty was prescribed fentanyl to combat the pain caused by the rods and screws in her back.
The pharmacy had delivered two boxes of medication that day – labeled “one of two” and “two of two.” Yet, only box “two of two” was found in the apartment, and Tonya was never able to find box “one of two.”
Next, Tonya located her mother’s purse in a closet and began searching through it. At that point, she stumbled upon two different envelopes – both of which had $100 in them.
“So she had an extra $200 that we can’t trace because when Dad passed away, I had taken over her bills and made sure they were paid,” Tonya said.
Tonya’s findings in her mother’s apartment pushed her to confront her mom’s neighbors to try and piece together a timeline. She has since learned that Betty saw her cleaning lady, received her medication delivery from the pharmacy, and was last seen in the garden by her neighbor on April 10, 2019.
That same day, Betty reportedly took her medication at 7:00 p.m. However, she failed to take her next dose at 7:00 a.m. the following morning.
It also remains unclear whether Betty saw anyone else on April 11, April 12, or April 13, as none of her children could get through to her via phone.
The Sullivan Police Department was contacted on April 14, 2019, after Tonya visited her mom’s apartment and Betty was reported missing.
Once an investigation was launched, authorities sent out a Silver Alert after contacting the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Additionally, Missouri Baptist Hospital Ambulance and the Sullivan Fire Protection District helped search the surrounding area.
According to Tonya, investigators were extremely helpful from the start.
“They were really helpful right off the bat with the searching and getting everybody there immediately and getting them searching. And then they also came back the following day and they had more search dogs out there. They did a grid search. We had door-to-door volunteers. They had emergency personnel. They got a helicopter with infrared and a drone going. So they were thoroughly searching,” she detailed.
“They went above and beyond – the fire department and stuff, really pitched in… I didn’t even know they would, you know, be able to do stuff like that,” David added.
Nonetheless, after about two days of investigators diligently searching, Tonya claimed it was ultimately left up to her family to continue the search efforts. So, they organized another search and even got in touch with a canine group.
Still, no further clues as to Betty’s whereabouts have been found, and in the years since she vanished, the investigation into her disappearance has slowed down.
Despite this, Betty’s family is committed to finding answers in her case. Tonya has begun working with a private investigator, and Betty’s family also launched a Facebook page entitled Bring Betty Home. There, they hope to raise awareness about her case.
“The support from the page has just been tremendous and some days it’s the only thing that really helps keep me going – is knowing that I’m not alone in this fight,” Tonya said.
She also issued a heartfelt message to her mother, sharing what she would say to Betty now.
“I would say I love you. I miss you so much. The kids miss you. You have new grandkids and great-grandkids that you would just absolutely love.”
Betty is four foot eleven, weighs 150 pounds, and has brown hair with blonde highlights and blue eyes. She wore prescription glasses, had a scar along her spine due to her back surgery, and would be 74 years old today.
There is currently a $20,000 reward being offered for information leading to the whereabouts of Betty and the conviction of the person(s) involved.
If you have any information regarding her disappearance, you are urged to contact the Sullivan Police Department at (573) 468-8001 or the anonymous tip line at (573) 860-5637.
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