Chapter 8 part 2: On The Move

The following episode contains stories that are alleged and are the opinions of those interviewed, and do not reflect upon the opinions of Momcast Productions or Fireeyes Media LLC. Everything you're about to hear is alleged. I could read Valerie's version of what Harold allegedly told Larry about the murder in Georgia or was it in Arkansas? Or I am Valerie Markowski. I can just let her tell you herself. I am Larry Markowski's wife, and I just feel that some things need to be straightened out and just tell my story. Of what I know and what I don't know. This is Missing in Hushtown Season two, Bethany Markowski, and this is chapter eight, Part two, on the Move. I'm your host, Jules Thorpe, and I am just as surprised as you are to be able to have Larie Markowski as herself in her own words on Missing in Hushtown. Let's go. Hm hm. Heard of a black cop? Oh you never you never heard that detail? That's one of the versions. I guess that. Yeah, I've never heard about him being black. Oh what did you hear that he was? I just heard that. Apparently her Old told Larry that I think this cop did something to Harold's either girlfriend or wife or something, or maybe it was Harold seem spend years since I've heard this, or Harold was messing with this CoP's wife or something. I don't know. It's one or the other. And I guess they met the cop and Harold met and Harold shot him. I think it happened in Georgia, and that's what I heard about it. I never heard about him being black. Like killed him, shot him? Yeah? Is that the one that does this version also have him putting him in a swamp? I have no idea. I don't know where he put him. There's a lot of version. Do you know what what year this is? I don't even want to know. I know, do you know what year? Like a decade? Are we talking the nineties? I don't even know. Huh. I never even asked. Yeah, because so? But I did? I think I sent. Does Sen do some things that I had on Harold. Us? Actually? I think you did? But I don't know if I have looked at those since or seen hold on, let me look. I think it's in Georgia, so it might. Okay, hold on, I'm quite sure you sent me. You sent me some photos. Let me see if I can get to it on my computer. Yeah, because I'll let me write that down so I don't have to waste your time while I search for that. I have one. Address for him in Georgia, but that's it. Because I was thinking, if I can backtrack, if we could figure out who's tell what, and then I can't hear that story and then just be like, oh, Okay, there's somebody who may have been murdered. Okay, Like well, I feel like I have a responsibility to look into that, so. Hear me. And that's why from Larry's story, is why him and Harold kind of have fell apart because I guess Larry told the tv I about it or I'm not sure if it's TBI. Well, I'm just gonna say law enforcement because I don't know if it was TBI or just you know, regular officer who and I guess Harold got. Mad about it. Well Renee, and I know I know Renee's memory is not the version is different. It's skewed. I know what she you know, with her lifestyle choices then and everything, but I know she said that, uh Larry also told her the story, and that I think Larry in that story. Her version is that Larry brought the gun to Harold and together. Renee reacts to Valerie's version. Larry told her, it's that. I mean, I heard the story. Wouldn't like that when I heard they they just he just told me that they killed the cop. You know, I don't know why Larry. Well, Larry's version, he removes himself from it completely, that he has nothing to do with it. Is that interesting? Yeah, that's interesting because that ain't the way I heard it. And like I said, I might be brong with some of the dates, and but I've got what was told to me in the facts. I do remember most of the Yeah, I remember everything. I just can you remember absolutely clearly that he said he went down and helps Harold. So they say that they got rid of the CoP's body. They said, this is my He said that was done in a swampy area. Okay, there could be you know, alligate. I don't know. That's the pressure I got that it was done on a swampy or swamps got alligators. She was, let's see, okay, and then this may be some wild story, crazy story that Harold came up with, but who knows. Larry knew about that several years before Bethany came up missing. Also Larry's mom, So that's interesting. Larry knew about that allegedly for several years before Bethany went missing. I remind Valerie that there are multiple versions of this story, and they all come down to this. If Larry was telling this story about Harold, why was he still remaining close friends with Harold for years to come? They took care of it. Oh no, And then I think there's another version out there too. I gotta figure out, oh, Harold's version, of course, Harold's version. But what's interesting is he knew about this years before Bethany went missing, yet he still maintained a close friendship with Harold, needing Harold to come find Bethany taking Bethany to Harold's house. So that doesn't add up. Larry. Larry's like, you know, well, I don't know if it's true or if Harold's just trying to act. Big, you know, and just telling some awful wall story. You know. Yeah, I don't know. Larry's version removes Larry from it completely, but all the other versions have Larry in it. Yeah, I don't. We don't know. And that's what Larry he says, you know, I don't know if it's just some wild story that Harold made up and told. Me, or if it actually happened. Let's take a moment to hear from Harold again. I mean, that's just like he come up with the He come up and told the or the tv I here at Tennessee that I had supposed to kill a police officer in Georgia. Right, And I know that's one of the things that I had wrote on there. Because you know, we we've talked to a lot of people. We've talked with Sheila, We've talked with Johnny, We've talked with Valerie, We've talked with police officers, we've talked with other investigators, and so we are trying to gather every single detail that we possibly can. And that is one of the things that came up. And so if there's anything else, you know, you want to say on that. Is this. I was checked out thirdly by the FBI, only by the tv I. And I was also told this by the FBI in Arkansas. I said, there's no way that I would have lived through killing a cop and he said, we know that. He said, if you had killed a cop, you wouldn't be here. And that's the fact. Man. You know, he just said I killed anybody other than a cop. But they just shows you how crazy it stupid his lives are. Yeah, you know, I mean, why did you say I killed a cop? Was he trying to say that I was against cops or something? Back far on him? That was the biggest you know, that was a lie that well. It was out there, ma'am. And if I had killed a cop, I wouldn't be here talking to you right now. And you know that is what that I do you get by with killing a cop. I think it's worth pointing out that Larry told this story about Harold shooting a man years prior to their falling out. Why would Larry want to paint Harold as Harold puts it, as someone against cops if there was no apparent motive to do so. And then Valerie reveals something to me that has caused me to lose sleep. Don't quote me on this, but the gun. Larry even told me what Harold did with the gun, and I can't even remember. I know you brought it back somewhere and buried it, and like it's the. Whole Valerie, You've got to remember this. I I can't remember. This is huge, It's been so long ago in Oh my god. I mean now, if I you know, ask Larry, he's gonna know, You're gonna be like, well, why you don't know? Yeah, you gotta you gotta seak, you gotta access that. Yeah. I will be thinking of it. But I know that Larry told me the gun was brought back and. He buried it. Yeah. Yeah, I wonder if it's in Obien where he lived, his parents lived or whatever. Crazy, that's crazy. I got a metal detector. Let's go. I got you like it. If I can think, then I have faith in you. I am manifesting it. Yeah, I can think. I will. I will let you know. And here I found myself up all hours of the night searching for a missing man from Georgia in the nineteen eighties and nineteen nineties. Before my phone interview with Valerie, I was searching for a black cop from Georgia or Arkansas missing. And then I expanded my searched and solved homicides from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation website. Well, that was true. Well, let's do a quick rundown of all of the versions we've been told thus far. Here we go, A black cop was having an affair with Harold's wife in either Georgia or Arkansas, and Harold and Larry put the body in a swamp. Next, a black cop raped Harold's wife in either Georgia or Arkansas, and Harold and Larry shot him and put the body in a swamp and the gun in Tennessee. Next, Harold denies this story ever existed. Next, Harold told Larry about a man who raped his wife or girlfriend, and he shot him and killed him in Georgia and buried the gun. Now we know at first glance that this is deviating from our goal to focus on Bethany. But here's where it actually does align with our goal. If this is true, can we solve a man's murder and bring closure to another family with a missing loved one? And while doing so, can we either confirm or rule out Harold and Larry's involvement in this possible murder? Is this the key to finding Bethany? Johnny even recalls hearing about the cop story from Larry. I mean could be true. It may not be it just maybe a wild story that Harold told make himself look big. I wasn't previously aware of Harold's addresses in Georgia, and because I don't have a relationship with him like I do with Valerie, where I could just message him any time of the day to ask clarifying question, I was left to reach out for help. I asked a PI friend of mine from Texas, she has her own podcast called Pages of Crime, to help me look into this, and after I chatted with her for a while on the phone, I had a light bulb moment. Valerie sent me records of Harold Roberts's arrests. One was from January twenty fifth, nineteen eighty seven, and was from Hinesville, Georgia, the Liberty Court. It was a criminal trust pass charge which was later dismissed, but I couldn't find the Georgia address. Limited with subscription based websites for public record background checks like truth Finder and been Verified, I decided I needed to look into Harold a little bit more. I went to the Liberty County Court of Hinesville, Georgia website and went to their public records tab. I typed in Harold Roberts, and there it was the divorce petition from nineteen eighty eight between Harold W. Roberts and Lois Roberts. Please note that I did change her first name for the podcast. Prior to now, I only had heard about Harold's alleged five marriages, and here it was a record of a third wife and a divorce. It's then I realized I've had her name the entire time. She was no longer a Roberts, but was listed as her new surname under Harold's associates on his reports. I followed her background reports and I was able to see her past addresses Georgia. And it's then that I found myself locking into a county and also neighboring counties to search for any missing men from the mid to late nineteen eighties. Recall, his trespass charge was nineteen eighty seven and the divorce filing was nineteen eighty eight, and the mid nineteen nineties, which you know, the mid nineteen ninety search was based solely on other interviews and their recolle I'm led to believe that this story, if it's true, happened in the nineteen eighties, which would mean this was when Larry was married to Sheila and was during the time Larry was having an affair with Renee. If this is. In Factory, which at this point I have no clue what is true, and it was in Georgia, then we have a great starting point to dive into. So using the addresses that were all in the reports for Harold's wife Lois at the time, I've entered into a new obsessive phase. Search any missing black cops or security guards or military personnel from that area in Georgia in the nineteen eighties and nineteen nineties. Searching any missing men of any race, Searching any unsolved homicides, and searching any unsolved gunshot wound cases. Gotta go look and see who I can't find missing in Georgia in the eighties. Yeah, I mean, could be true, It may not be. It just maybe a wild story that Harold told make himself look big. No weird story, I would choose something. The whole thing is and don't quote me on this, but the gun. Larry even told me what Harold did with the gun, and I can't even remember. I know you brought it back somewhere and buried it. And it's been so long ago. And now if I, you know, ask Larry, he's gonna you're gonna be like, well, why you don't know? Yeah, I will be thinking of it. But I know that Larry told me the gun was brought back and. He buried it. Yeah, yeah, Okay. Let's say this is true and the gun is buried somewhere. What if we can find it and link it to either Larry or Harold, would we help a family souldid lod One's death and have something to bring to Larry or Harold to push for truth leverage. But again, that's operating under the assumption that either party does indeed know more about Bethany's disappearance than they are sharing. Here's where I started, after this new information from Valerie. Search Harold's arrest in Georgia, Search any other records from Harold in that court, find his divorce record, search his ex wife's past locations, and follow those leads, search those counties and see if we can connect anything. And it was exhausting. It is exhausting, I guarantee as you listen to this in real time, I am currently still in front of my computer, hunched over, searching deep into these leads. I have limited resources in terms of time and databases, though I do want to justify sitting in front of my computer for days on end following this unknown piece of information. But after my first seven hour exhaustive search, I started to lose faith. We're always working against lack of technology when we search for anything pre nineteen nineties. I found a few missing black males which disappeared in the nineteen eighties and nineteen nineties, but I could not link them to Harold or his ex wife. And that's assuming this alleged story was about his ex wife. It could have been about a girlfriend and we don't know who she is. But this doesn't mean it can't be done. So this is where you come in. Yes, you the one listening, who was a lot better at this than perhaps I am. Help me, please, since we don't have confirmation on the ethnicity of this victim, let's search all missing males from Arkansas Little Rock area in Hinesville, Georgia, and surrounding areas from the mid nineteen eighties to the nineteen nineties. Now, let's narrow the search between ages twenty five to forty at the time of the disappearance. And let's also try to find if there are any missing or unsolved homicide victims which fit that description, specifically death by gunshop won't pay close attention to any military personnel, security guards, or missing law enforcement officers. From that time, I will be continuing to obsessively dive into this, but I know when I have to call on the team. So hey, team, Hi. I did recruit a few private investigators working pro bono on this alongside me, but I don't have enough man hours to do it myself and continue to tell Bethany's story as it is so desperately needing to be told right now. So will I share bonus episodes as we continue to unravel this side story, this side case, this side quests. Absolutely, the team and I will promise to update our findings, but we felt it was important enough to share with you now in case you also wanted to go down rabbit holes alongside us, You can head over to our website missing in hushtown dot com and check out our blog post for chapter eight for a list of the details that we need help with searching. It's important to pause to remind everyone listening that Harold denies that any of this ever happened, But Larry claims Harry told him. Larry's wife Valerie heard it from Larry. Former mistress dating Larry Renee heard it from Larry. Larry's ex wives also heard about it from Larry. And so here we are do we believe Larry at all? The common denominator is Larry telling people. Law enforcement and federal agencies were allegedly told about this incident and came up with nothing. But my question is this, what if the facts were just too broad? Can we narrow this down? Is there someone out there dead waiting to be found? And do we hold the clues that could find him? When we search for truth, we owe it to the victims to hear every theory, and in this case we have to consider the source and why we do so. We also will continue to use every single resource available to either give the theory life or put it to rest. And that's why it's important we bring you Valerie Markowski, who, in her own words, wants to set the record straight. If you think you know Valerie, I am here to say no, you do not, at least not yet, not the way we think you need to. Next time, on chapter nine of Missing in Hushtown Valerie Markowski. I know that there's a lot of questions that a lot of people listening will have. I don't know how much you want me to go into those. Give you an opportunity to address any of them if you want, and it might lead to, like other things that you're thinking of that you want to address. Should we start there? Maybe? Sure? Okay, do you I'm trying to think of how to wear this, but I'm just going to be very direct. Do you believe that Larry had anything to do with the disappearance of Bethany? Okay? This is how I feel. Missing in Hushtown. Season two is executive produced in partnership by Fire Eyes Media LLC's Jules Thorpe and Johen Rivera, as well as Mom Cast Productions Rachel Holloway and Heather Northcraft. The script is written by Jules Thorpe and edited by Heather Northcraft. Project lead is Rachel Holloway and master editing and audio production is done by John Rivera. Jewels Thorpe is your host Fire Eyes Media Mom Haspard, raising voices while raising kids,