Ashburn Mother Bethany Decker Remains Missing One Year Later

A somber anniversary passes today, one year after Ashburn mother and college student Bethany Anne Decker was last seen.

Decker, now 22, lived in the Westwind Farms apartment complex near the Loudoun County Parkway/Dulles Greenway interchange with a man described as her boyfriend. She had spent the day earlier with family in Columbia, MD, before driving back to the apartment where, according to an affidavit in support of a search warrant, her boyfriend was the last person known to have seen her.

Her disappearance was neither confirmed by family nor reported to authorities until Feb. 19. That’s the day her grandparents drove to her apartment and discovered her car in the lot, but not their granddaughter.

Investigators have interviewed Decker’s friends and co-workers and have continued to seek leads in the case. The boyfriend, Ronald Roldan, and Decker’s estranged husband, Emile Decker, have each spoken with investigators.

Activity stopped on Decker’s cell phone, bank accounts and email after her disappearance. At one point, investigators said it appeared that someone used Decker’s Facebook account, which had been inactive; however, no information has been released confirming such posts or about whether investigators were able to trace the IP address associated with the alleged posts. She registered for classes at George Mason University for the Spring 2011 semester, but did not attend any classes after her disappearance.

Shortly before her disappearance, Decker took a trip to Hawaii with her husband to see family. Emily Decker also saw Bethany on Jan. 29 while she was in Maryland, just a few days before he deployed for military duty. The relationships between Decker and the two men in her life is unclear and has resulted in much unsubstantiated speculation on the Internet. It is believed that Decker and her boyfriend were planning to move out of the Ashburn apartment on Orchard Grass Terrace.

LCSO investigators have emphasized that Decker’s disappearance remains a missing persons case; they have not discovered a crime scene, evidence of foul play, a body or any other evidence to indicate whether she’s alive. Lacking such evidence, hope remains that Decker will be found safe.

Decker has a tattoo on her left ankle that could help somebody identify her (see photo). She worked at Carrabba’s Italian Grill in Centreville.

Anyone with any information about Decker, her state of mind or her disappearance is asked to contact Investigator M. Halley or Investigator K. Poland at 703-777-0475. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous may call Loudoun County Crime Solvers at 703-777-1919.