SOLVED! Missing for 21-years- Erin Foster & Jeremy Bechtel are finally going home
**Information is obtained from the Where are they? Podcast and other online sources as cited**
Erin Foster and Jeremy Bechtel, of Sparta, Tennessee, went out on the evening of April 3, 2000, to visit friends and just hang out. They left Erin’s house and took off in her 1988 Pontiac Grand Am.
They would vanish into thin air.
Erin’s father was out of town during that time frame, working up in Cincinnati, Ohio. When he learned the next day that Erin went out the night before and didn’t come home, he immediately got upset. Erin was 18 and had recently begun talking about moving out. At first, they believed that she just left, asserting her independence, and hoped they’d hear from her soon.
But Erin never returned home, and neither did her friend Jeremy.
Rumors circulated for years as to what happened to the teens. Some said they saw them living and working down in Florida. Some even talked about a murder plot.
The mystery would unravel, however, in late November, when a Scuba Diving YouTuber was on a mission to search all bodies of water in that area for Erin’s car.
He would find it in the last place he searched- the CalfKiller river.
This is the story of finding answers, and finally bringing Erin and Jeremy home to rest.
The case of Erin Foster and Jeremy Bechtel always perplexed me. I always suspected they may have crashed into a body of water, but there were many people that believed they had run away and started life somewhere else- or- that they were the victims of a murder plot. And when you looked at the facts of their missing person cases, they were all possible scenarios.
Let’s recap quickly about who Erin & Jeremy were, and what happened in April 2000.
Erin was born on February 28, 1982, in Tennessee. Jeremy was born a little later that same year, in November of 1982.
Most people described Erin as a stunningly beautiful girl. Some people mentioned her bright smile- while others said she had an infectious giggle.
Jeremy was also very well-liked. On the Facebook page set up for him and Erin- ‘Justice for Jeremy Bechtel and Erin Foster’- you can see the number of people that cared about him and share photographs of him. One friend tells the story about how Jeremy was always rapping- even performing rap songs during a talent show in the 6th grade.
His mom, Rhonda Ledbetter, was probably the biggest advocate working and searching for Jeremy and Erin, and she prayed for answers every day. She never gave up hope for her son, but unfortunately, she passed away in 2018, still never knowing what happened to her son Jeremy and his friend Erin.
So what happened on that fateful day in April of 2000?
Erin and Jeremy picked up Erin’s brother and took him home that afternoon. She told her mom they were going out again for a little bit and would be home later.
They drove off and allegedly went to another friend’s house, until around 10:00 p.m. that night. They left the house, the friend believing they were heading home, however they never made it.
The next day, Erin’s mother told her husband that Erin didn’t come home the night before. Since Erin was 18 and had recently begun talking about moving out, her parents thought at first that maybe she was trying to assert some independence. Her father, Cecil, remembers being mad at first, thinking she was being stubborn, and believing his daughter would return home soon.
When she didn’t- a missing person report was filed.
There were a bunch of theories that would come up over the years, as searches for the teens turned up nothing.
There were multiple sightings in Florida, by credible witnesses, so that theory that they ran away together was a possibility. There were rumors that there was a drug deal that went bad- even rumors that one of Erin’s ex-boyfriends was jealous and had murdered them both.
But again, no evidence of any kind was found, and Erin’s 1988 Pontiac Grand Am was also never found. (Also- side note- so many reports state it was a 1998 Pontiac, but it was actually a 1988 Pontiac. The family had a heck of a time correcting all the reports. And it was important that people knew what kind of car to look out for.)
Earlier this year, Jeremy Sides, a man who travels and used his sonar equipment to search bodies of water for lost and stolen items- including cars- heard about the Erin and Jeremy case, and truly believed there was a high likelihood that they ended up in a body of water.
Jeremy also documents his work on his YouTube Channel- Exploring with Nug. On November 24, he took to the town of Sparta, Tennessee to start his search. Erin and Jeremy’s families heard through social media what he was doing, and reached out to the White County Sheriff to clue them in. The Sheriff has always stated this was the one case that will always stay with him, and he wanted answers more than anything.
The Sheriff communicated with Jeremy, giving him some ideas of where to search. Although, the sheriff’s department had conducted numerous water searches of their own, and found absolutely nothing. But they welcomed the help from Jeremy and gave him some spots to start with.
All of this was documented on Jeremy’s channel- and I really encourage you to watch it. (I will link it at the end.) In fact, I was going to talk about his process and the search step-by-step, but I think it’s so much better if you want the episode for yourself.
Ultimately, Jeremy’s sonar picks up a car underwater, and even though it’s just a sonar image, you can almost tell that it is a Pontiac Grand Am by the shape of it. In fact, the shape of the clear was clear as day on his sonar equipment.
He suited up the next day and went in the water to check it out. And you can hear the shock in his voice when he rubs the growth and slime off the back of the car and sees the work ‘Pontiac’. He confirms with the license plate- even removing the plate to take back up with him- and immediately calls the sheriff.
The car was brought up, and what a sight that was. The car was rusted and old, but still almost fully intact. And inside were human remains. While the remains are believed to be Erin and Jeremy, they have been sent to the state lab for further testing.
Cecil Foster, Erin’s dad, was interviewed by Inside Edition. In the interview, he talks about feeling ‘numb’ with these developments. A sense of relief, but also a sense of hurt. He almost can’t believe they were right there the whole time.
What sticks out to me, aside from his obvious and understandable emotions, is that he acknowledges that he is very familiar with that part of the river. He said he and his son have fished there many times, even believing they were right on top of the car at times and never knew it.
The part of the river where the car was found was about eight miles from Erin’s home.
The sheriff has made sure to state that the case investigation continues, as they try to determine what may have happened. The DNA results may take weeks to come in, and in the meantime, they will have divers scouring the river for any additional clues.
Indeed, that area of the river is near a boat ramp and a curve in the road. The Sheriff also said that while there are guardrails in that area now, there were not in the year 2000. It appears they may have lost control and ended up in the river.
People still have questions, however, such as, why wasn’t their car found sooner? The Sheriff stated at one point they searched the river and stopped just ⅛ of a mile from where the car was found. But, I wonder why they didn’t search the entirety of the river in Sparta, especially if there was a bend in the road that a car could have veered off from.
And, why did they veer off the road in the first place? They were young, of course, and really, an accident like that could happen to anyone.
Lastly, why weren’t they able to escape? The vehicle was found in 14 feet deep waters.
Jeremy said the windows in the car were completely up. It appears as if they couldn’t break free and escape as the car went down.
Interestingly, those that didn’t believe that Erin and Jeremy ended up in a body of water said that there just wasn’t a lot of water in that area and after they vanished, the water levels went historically low. They believed if they were in the water, they would have been seen and found.
We now know that wasn’t true, at least in this spot.
There is an active GoFundMe to help with burial and memorial expenses for Erin- I’ll also link that below. Please consider donating a few dollars, or just share the GoFundMe and their video and story.
Erin’s father had said that they never had a memorial or anything for Erin because he just couldn’t bear the thought of it.
Today, in 2021, Sparta, Tennessee is still a small town. Some law enforcement officers, including the lead detective on the case now, were classmates of Erin and Jeremy. Everyone had hoped the day would come when Erin and Jeremy were found.
It is a bittersweet update. Both teenagers are deceased and have likely been since April 2000 when they disappeared. However, friends and family have lived so long wondering what happened to them, and now they finally have answers and closure, and Erin and Jeremy can finally be put to rest properly.
This case is a reminder that all cases can still be solved, no matter how much time has gone by. And, it’s so important to cherish your loved ones when you can- as no one knows what tomorrow may bring.
Jeremy and Erin’s Story — → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzaUpmttrK0&t=206s.
(Please subscribe to our channel to help our cases get more exposure- more exposure = more chances of being found!)
Jeremy & Erin Being Found by Jeremy Sides — — → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjL4TZse6hs&t=1s
GoFundMe for Erin Foster Memorial — — → https://bit.ly/3DUsL8e
