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So I moved away from Oklahoma when I was like 22 and I didn't go back at all until I was like 29 to visit.

And so it was the first time that my family had ever seen me as like a real adult. And everybody that I spoke to said, wow, you're just like Teresa.

And my grandmother even said to me, it's like being in a room with a ghost because they said that my mannerisms, like the way that I speak, the way that I hold myself,

my voice volume, I'm also a really quiet reserved person, a few words. They say it's like she's there again in the room with them.

So the realization is that when somebody goes missing, especially if it's your parents, it feels like you've never knew them.

But for me, what I've realized is I do know her in a way because she's a part of me. And I just think that that is the most important realization that I've had so far throughout this experience.

On December 3, 1996, a letter was written that said the following, in the event of my death or disability, I grant custody to and ask the court to give legal custody of my daughter, Bethany Maria Tiner, to my parents, Lee and Catherine Kennedy.

The letter, penned by Teresa Kennedy, continues indicating that Bethany was in danger. However, only one month later, in January of 1997, 28-year-old Teresa in three-year-old Bethany would vanish from Chick-A-Shea Oklahoma forever.

They, along with a woman Teresa knew, Rachel Lewis, have not been seen in more than 25 years, and their story is one that will shock and horrify you. I'm Marissa, and from Wondry, this is episode 336 of The Vanished, part one of Bethany Tiner and Teresa Kennedy's story.

Before we get started, I wanted to mention that this series of episodes is more graphic than most of our stories.

These episodes contain detailed descriptions of adult subject matter. Please take care while listening.

These episodes contain interviews with family members about a person accused of felony criminal offenses. We would like to reiterate that anyone accused of a crime in the United States, who was not pled guilty or been convicted of the alleged offense, remains innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, with constitutional protections to a fair trial and due process.

We hold no opinion about any person's innocence or guilt and are not qualified to give legal opinions or advice.

There are actually three missing people that are the subject of today and tomorrow's episodes. However, the primary focus is on the mother and daughter that are missing, and we'll explain why a bit later on in today's story.

You heard part of a letter written by Teresa Kennedy regarding her then-toddler-aged daughter Bethany, only weeks before they both vanished.

But Teresa has another daughter, Catherine, who reached out to us last year asking us to cover her mother and sister's stories.

Catherine has grown up without her mother, left behind in a complex and twisted set of circumstances that were going to dive into deeply. Catherine's now an adult, but the events of her life have left an indelible mark on her.

Catherine's dad is a man named Joe Tiner, who was married to her mother Teresa. Catherine is their first born child together, and they later had a second daughter, Bethany.

Catherine was raised by her father, and when she grew up, she decided she wanted to learn more about what happened to her mom and sister.

She started by speaking to her aunts on her father's side of the family to see what they might know. And that's where we started, too.

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