Behrman not forgotten

Five years ago, Jill Behrman went for an early morning bike ride, as per her routine. She said goodbye to her brother as she left her house on the southeast side of Bloomington with her helmet and bike in hand. While the Behrmans had been concerned after not being able to locate Jill many times during the day, it wasn't until ten hours had passed and the sun had set over Bloomington that a real sense of fear set in for the family.\n"When it got to be dark, we knew," said Eric Behrman, Jill's father. "She doesn't ride after dark." \nJust a week before, Jill was riding her bike on a country road when it got a flat tire. She called her mother, Marilyn, to come pick her up. When the two brought her bike in for a tune-up that week, Marilyn asked Jill if she needed a light for her bike. Jill refused.\n"Mom, I don't ride after dark," she said.\nJill's absence after dark wasn't the only clue that suggested something was wrong. Jill's backpack was next to the door for her to grab when she returned from her ride before she went to work, a box of cereal was left open on the counter in the kitchen and Jill's radio and bedroom light were left on. \nIt didn't take long for law enforcement to act. With a little convincing from the Behrmans, the police waived the usual 24-hour waiting period to file a missing persons report. The next morning, a massive search began involving local and state law enforcement as well as more than 200 volunteers. They combed the southern part of Monroe County for Jill in the hope of finding her unharmed. Three days after Jill had disappeared, the search party found Jill's abandoned bike undamaged.\nMarilyn Behrman said it was a tough time because she and Eric wanted to find Jill alive. \n"We couldn't imagine where she could be that she wouldn't be found," she said.\nDespite the search starting and ending several times, those close to Jill held out hope that she would be found alive but knew as the days passed the chances of her survival grew slimmer. \nThirty-four months of hope, pain and memories later, Eric received a phone call at work telling him the investigators wanted to meet with him and Marilyn at 2:30 p.m. in the Behrmans' home. When the couple arrived at their house, the three investigators involved with the case were waiting for them, accompanied by a minister from their church. Earlier that week it had been widely reported that human remains were found in a forest in Morgan County by two hunters, but the couple never once thought it could possibly be Jill, Eric said.\nThe investigator explained to the Behrmans that the remains were in fact Jill's. \n"They took us up there and showed us the site," Eric said in a quiet tone with sadness in his voice.\n"It was a fairly overgrown area, and what that said to me was that the person who did this knew the area," Marilyn said immediately following her husband.\nAfter almost three years, the Behrmans could bring their daughter home again. \nThe couple pointed to their relationship with God, with each other and support from their friends and family when asked what helped them get through this unimaginably difficult time. A day doesn't go by without a memory of Jill filling the thoughts of either Eric or Marilyn. \nMarilyn said she often remembers Jill wanting to be independent from her parents while at IU like most college kids. However, she never hesitated to send her mom an e-mail asking for baby carrots or a ride to the mall, Marilyn said with a smile. \n"Even that year after classes were over I would still get e-mails from her rather than phone calls asking, 'Can we go see a movie tonight?' or 'Can we go out to dinner tonight?'" Marilyn said. \nShe also described Jill as a person not striving for the spotlight, but more wanting to blend in with the crowd. \n"There are times I think when her notoriety (because of her death) would be embarrassing to her," she said.\nAn unexpected side effect of the publicity Jill has received comes to the Behrmans when they travel around the state, Eric said. \n"People may see your name on a credit card and then they may say 'Are you related to Jill?' or 'Oh, you're Jill's father aren't you?'" he said. "At first in a way it kind of surprises you but then afterwards with everything that's happened you are glad that people remembered Jill, care about Jill and have taken an interest in Jill to remember her."\nAfter five years the Indiana State Police say they have some very good leads as to who might have killed Jill, and they are confident the case will be solved. \nEric said if the killer were caught it would help certain feelings of closure for not only the Behrmans but the killer as well. \n"This is something that has gone on in the community and has affected everybody," he said. "Until those responsible come forward, it's going to be hanging there until it's settled. Some point in time they are just going to have to come forward and accept whatever justice awaits them … That's not for us to determine."\nMarilyn followed by saying, "There really isn't anything that can change what happened. We know that it can't bring Jill back."\nThroughout the Behrman's house there are several pictures of Jill and her family smiling, but over the fireplace hangs a painting done by a woman who was in town during the 34 months when Jill was gone. The woman whom the Behrmans met through a friend had inquired about all the yellow ribbons hanging around town after Jill's disappearance. She was told the ribbons were in memory of Jill and symbolized a never-ending hope of her returning home. \nThe woman was so inspired by this she decided to paint a picture about Jill and how the Bloomington community reacted to her disappearance. She incorporated memorable places around Bloomington and yellow balloons in her work all surrounding the work's focal point -- Jill with her bike in hand and a smile on her face. \nDirectly beneath Jill in the painting is a small lavender flower called a Forget Me Not forever reminding that those who loved Jill will never forget her.