Bethany Decker - Part 1

And Then They Were Gone

Little Monster Productions

Documentary, True Crime, Society & Culture

4.6 • 747 Ratings

🗓️ 26 February 2023

⏱️ 53 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

21-year-old Bethany Decker was a young mother and a wife to an Army National Guardsman stationed in Afghanistan. In 2011, she attended college full-time at George Mason University in Virginia and waited tables to make ends meet. Bethany was busy and her husband was away, so it wasn’t unusual for her family to go a while without hearing from her. But when weeks passed with no word, they began to grow concerned. That concern grew into fear when family and friends started receiving strange messages from her social media accounts.

Bethany’s marriage to her husband, Emile Decker, was on the rocks, and she had begun seeing a new man: Ronald Roldan. What’s more, is that when Bethany was last seen on January 29, 2011, she was pregnant. It quickly became clear that one of the men in Bethany’s life had likely harmed her, but it would be over a decade before an arrest would be made in her case.

Bethany was a victim of domestic violence. If any of the situations in this episode sound familiar to you or someone you know, please contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1.800.799.SAFE. You can also text “Start” to 8788 or visit thehotline.org.

Since Bethany’s disappearance, her mother, Kimberly Nelson, has been involved in the organization, Help Save the Next Girl. Help Save the Next Girl was started by the Harrington family, whose daughter Morgan, a Virginia Tech student, was murdered in 2009 after attending a concert in Charlottesville. Their primary focus is to spread safety information and prevent future crimes against young women. You can learn more and get involved at helpsavethenextgirl.com.

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This week's promo is from A Hateful Homicide, a true crime podcast by Transgender Advocate Mallery Jenna Robinson, covering the homicides in trans communities.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey there, it's Cona Gallagher, host of And Then They Were Gone and day by day, true crime stories.
0:06.4	And I am here to bring you an amazing opportunity to win some incredible prizes, all for a good cause.
0:14.6	Join the Texas Advocacy Projects the Big Game Football Squares Raffle on February 9th, 2025, and help support survivors of
0:23.2	power-based abuse. For every $100 donation, you secure a square and a chance to win amazing prizes.
0:31.2	You can choose from two exciting grids. The Hawaiian Paradise Grid offers a grand prize of a seven-night stay for two at a luxury resort in Oahu or the Big Island.
0:42.8	Or play the beachfront Mexico Grid for a chance to win a four-night, all-inclusive state for two at a five-star Marival luxury resort in Banderas Bay or Nuevo-Niart, Mexico. Your contributions help survivors understand
0:58.5	their rights, navigate the justice system, and secure emergency protective orders. To participate,
1:05.0	visit Texasadvocacyproject.org and select your grid today. Don't miss out. Tune in to the Texas Advocacy Project's Facebook page
1:13.5	on February 9th, 2025 during the game for live updates on winners. Prizes are awarded at the end of
1:20.8	each quarter with the grand prize at the game's conclusion. So score big for a cause. Visit
1:26.7	Texas advocacyproject.org to learn more.
1:34.3	Darkcast Network. The light shines brightest on our indie podcasts.
1:42.3	21-year-old Bethany Decker was a young mother and a wife to an Army National Guardsmen stationed in Afghanistan.
1:49.6	In 2011, she attended college full-time at George Mason University in Virginia and waited tables to make ends meet.
1:56.4	Bethany was busy and her husband was away, so it wasn't unusual for her family to go a while without
2:01.5	hearing from her. But when weeks passed with no word, they began to grow concerned. That concern
2:08.3	grew into fear when family and friends started receiving strange messages from her social media
2:14.3	accounts. Bethany's life had become complicated.
2:18.7	Her marriage to her husband, Emil Decker, was on the rocks,
2:22.1	and she had begun seeing a new man, Ronald Rolden.
2:26.8	What's more is that when Bethany was last seen on January 29, 2011,
2:32.3	she was pregnant.
	...

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