Seventeen years ago, Bethanie “Buffy” Dougherty went missing. On the anniversary of her disappearance, friends, family and loved ones gathered to honor her with a candlelight vigil.
Dougherty, a 40-year-old mother of three and one of six siblings, was last seen on April 1, 2008 around 10 p.m. near Jennings Creek Road in Killawog.
On Tuesday, people gathered at the Killawog Fire Department to share memories, look at old family photos, sign a colorful board with messages to Dougherty and talk about their memories of her as a friend, sister and daughter.
John Curtis, Dougherty’s brother, organized the event to bring awareness to the case which he said has taken an emotional toll on him and his family for years.
“Our main concern, really our only concern, is to find her − we just need to find her,” Curtis said.
The location, he said, was important to him because it was the first place he went to speak with state troopers and the fire department when she went missing in 2008. Throughout the search, it served as a hub for state troopers, the fire department and everyone involved.
Dougherty’s father, Terry Curtis, was at the helm of the search for years, always looking to bring awareness to the case. John Curtis said he has taken up that torch in recent years as his father has gotten older and he is ready to continue getting the message out.
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“He just turned 81 last week and in the past three or four years, it’s been very difficult for him to even talk about it much less do it,” he said. Terry Curtis still made it out to the vigil on Tuesday.
The Broome County Sheriff’s Office held a press conference on Monday to let the public know that the case is still open, and they are still accepting any tips or information.
“Somebody has to know something, even something small,” John Curtis said.
Jennie Bailey Porth, a friend of Dougherty’s, shared a brief story about their time together. At her home today, she said, there is a flower bed planted in her honor with stargazing lilies and a light that stays on all year.
“I just miss my friend,” Porth said. “I just want her to come home.”
Toward the end of the vigil, family and friends gathered in a small circle, protecting the flames of their candles from the cold wind to say a prayer together.
John Curtis led the prayer, thanking everyone for coming and continuing to honor Dougherty’s memory.
“It’s like a big scab being pulled off over and over again,” he said. “We’re just looking for the answers.”
This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: ‘Somebody has to know something.’ Broome’s Bethanie Dougherty disappeared in 2008
Reporting by Jillian McCarthy, Binghamton Press & Sun Bulletin / Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin
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