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The vanishing of a promising Wisconsin teen

"Don't worry, Dad. All the people up north are good."

The vanishing of a promising Wisconsin teen

"Don't worry, Dad. All the people up north are good."

This is the fac parking lot where Barrett Beck's van was found two days after she disappeared. It was July 1990 *** month after Barrett graduated from case, she was headed to *** computer class in Appleton. She got as far as Fondulac. We know this is not by choice that she is not, there was no sign of her. *** little over *** month later, *** body was found by *** farmer in *** ditch near Wan, which was about 15 miles or so from Fondulac. The sheriff's office, detectives were able to tie those dental records to Barrett's dental records. The body was indeed Barrett, interestingly enough, Barrett was wearing *** completely different T shirt at the time she was found in the ditch. It was no longer that red T shirt that she had been wearing early that morning, although there was *** red cloth wrapped around her skull. Investigators said Beck was strangled that they'd found knotted patty hose clothing, *** shoe strewn in the back of her van. It was ultimately determined that she had been strangled or suffocated. It really was *** confirmation of everyone's worst fears. I know it was overwhelming for the Becks. Well, I think it was natural that they were relieved to have found her. There still was so many unanswered questions. I made *** promise at her grave site that I was going to keep this going as much as I could. Authorities in West Bend, Wisconsin contacted the city of Fond like police department while Barrett was missing to let them know that they were investigating *** person by the name of Craig Rone. He was someone who had *** criminal history of car theft. As uh Craig Roan was being investigated that he had committed *** bank robbery. Later that week, they had come across *** duffel bag that he had in his possession at the time. And in that duffel bag was *** hairbrush, *** more of *** women's type hair brush and it appeared to have blonde hair in it. They also learned that he too was *** smoker.
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The vanishing of a promising Wisconsin teen

"Don't worry, Dad. All the people up north are good."

Stream full episodes of “Hometown Tragedy” now by downloading the Very Local app for free.On a summer day in 1990, 18-year-old Berit Beck prepares for the few-hours drive to Appleton, Wisconsin.The recent high school grad is set to attend a computer training seminar for her summer job with a construction company. She says goodbye to her boyfriend and her family, telling her father, "Don't worry, Dad. All the people up north are good."But she never makes it to her hotel in Appleton, and her worried family contacts police. "My first job out of college was in a small market radio station in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, maybe half an hour from Fond du Lac," said WISN reporter Nick Bohr, who covered the case extensively. "In the first month I was working there, the report came out that they were searching for this young woman who was traveling from Racine to Appleton, and she vanished. It was the first real big story in that area back in 1990 that I actually remember."A few days later, her family's conversion van is found in the town of Fond du Lac, a small lakeside town on her route up north.Beck, however, is nowhere to be seen. What happened in that van is a mystery that persists for decades, with the case seeing renewed interest more than three decades after she went missing."This particular case assignment was not something I would have ever envisioned," said retired Fond du Lac detective Nate La Motte, who took over investigating Beck's disappearance in 2013. "I wouldn't even call it a case. It's more of an endeavor, a journey to help a family attempt to get some justice as to what happened on that day when they lost her daughter.""Hometown Tragedy" is a Very Local original series that investigates true crimes that rocked communities across America and explores the impact on those left to seek justice. Stream this episode, "The Vanishing of a Promising Wisconsin Teen," on Very Local.What is Very Local?Very Local is a streaming app where you can watch local news, original series and more. Keep connected to your hometown with the news team you trust and discover original series and specials that explore your community and beyond.Follow Very Local on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube for more.

Stream full episodes of “Hometown Tragedy” now by downloading the Very Local app for free.

On a summer day in 1990, 18-year-old Berit Beck prepares for the few-hours drive to Appleton, Wisconsin.

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The recent high school grad is set to attend a computer training seminar for her summer job with a construction company. She says goodbye to her boyfriend and her family, telling her father, "Don't worry, Dad. All the people up north are good."

But she never makes it to her hotel in Appleton, and her worried family contacts police.

"My first job out of college was in a small market radio station in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, maybe half an hour from Fond du Lac," said WISN reporter Nick Bohr, who covered the case extensively. "In the first month I was working there, the report came out that they were searching for this young woman who was traveling from Racine to Appleton, and she vanished. It was the first real big story in that area back in 1990 that I actually remember."

A few days later, her family's conversion van is found in the town of Fond du Lac, a small lakeside town on her route up north.

Beck, however, is nowhere to be seen. What happened in that van is a mystery that persists for decades, with the case seeing renewed interest more than three decades after she went missing.

"This particular case assignment was not something I would have ever envisioned," said retired Fond du Lac detective Nate La Motte, who took over investigating Beck's disappearance in 2013. "I wouldn't even call it a case. It's more of an endeavor, a journey to help a family attempt to get some justice as to what happened on that day when they lost her daughter."

"Hometown Tragedy" is a Very Local original series that investigates true crimes that rocked communities across America and explores the impact on those left to seek justice. Stream this episode, "The Vanishing of a Promising Wisconsin Teen," on Very Local.


What is Very Local?

Very Local is a streaming app where you can watch local news, original series and more. Keep connected to your hometown with the news team you trust and discover original series and specials that explore your community and beyond.

Follow Very Local on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube for more.