We Might Know Where She Is on 'The Walking Dead'

'The Walking Dead's' Beth Greene seems to be a modern day Carmen Sandiego of sorts, because everyone's wondering where in the world she is (see what I did there?). Beth has been missing since Season 4's thirteenth episode, leaving us scratching our heads and struggling to wait another three months for information. Well, we've waited enough. It's time to take matters into our own hands and figure out where Beth will be when The Walking Dead Season 5 begins.

We have no other choice, since showrunner Scott Gimple gave us little to no insight about Beth's whereabouts or fate when talking to Comicbook.com.

I will say Beth, in some state, is totally somewhere. I'll say then, that that's going to be answered next season. And I'm really excited to tell everybody the answer. It might be a little heartbreaking, it might be a little heartwarming, but it's going to be interesting.

So if you're looking to Gimple for any sign or clue, sorry, but you're out of luck. What we can do, however, is look at the facts and theorize. Here's everything we know for sure:

1. Beth was kidnapped/taken.
2. We are certain Beth was kidnapped/taken against her will. She wouldn't have left voluntarily without Daryl, based on what we know about their relationship in Season 4, and she wouldn't have left her stuff behind.
3. The car she was taken in has not presented itself anywhere else (i.e. Terminus). However, this does not necessarily rule out her being held at Terminus.
4. There appears to be a cross on the back of the car that took Beth, which leads us to believe whoever took Beth has some sort of religious affiliation.

From these four facts, we can come up with two strong theories as to where Beth is.

SHE'S WITH FATHER GABRIEL

Those of you unfamiliar with the name Father Gabriel Stokes have probably not read the source material. The Walking Dead is based, in part, on a monthly black-and-white comic, written by Robert Kirkman. In the graphic novel, Stokes is a reverend from a local church in Georgia. He has a dark secret; during the first outbreak of the zombies, he turned away men, women, and children who had survived. He listened, barricaded from within the safety of the church walls, to the screams of those dying outside as the Walkers ate them alive.

Essentially, Father Gabriel has something to prove, not only to himself, but to the big man upstairs. One key aspect of Father Gabriel's personality is cowardice. This factors into this particular theory because maybe he was trying to save Beth and Daryl from the Walker attack on the funeral home, but, seeing how overrun the funeral home was with Walkers, got scared, grabbed Beth, and didn't go back for Daryl. Or on the flip side, he could've just thought Beth was alone and lost, so he grabbed her to try and save her, perhaps in an attempt to make up for those he turned away.

There have been rumors that Seth Gilliam, an alum from HBO's The Wire, has been cast in the role of Father Gabriel. Right now, Deadline reports that Gilliam will play a character listed as "Michael Todd, though his real name is being kept under wraps." Gilliam's character is described as "having two sides, displaying a friendly, puckish humor but also having a haunted side stemming from a dark secret."

Gilliam has been seen walking around The Walking Dead set in a full priest's outfit. Coincidence?

SHE'S AT TERMINUS

Creator Robert Kirkman only had vague things to say when asked about Beth.

She got taken, she’s not back yet. I can say that Terminus has a lot of signs out there and it’s certainly possible that all kinds of different people out there could make their way to Terminus in some way... so maybe Beth shows up to Terminus in Season 5…

Ah, Terminus, a terrifying place holding some kind of terrifying secret. Could she be in one of the train cars, just like Rick and company? If Terminus is actually a colony of cannibals, like many theories suggest, they could've abducted Beth to...do what cannibals do.

However, I don't necessarily know if the people at Terminus would waste their time creating such an elaborate trap setup when people organically arrive at Terminus all the time, but it's possible. Also the chances of a Walker biting Daryl and Beth at the funeral home were so high, likely too much of a gamble for the people of Terminus. Why would they waste their time creating such a well-executed "trap" for anyone caught in it to be potentially compromised by a Walker bite?

The real question is if Beth is at Terminus, what's going to happen to her? Whether or not they're actually cannibals, Beth would still be in danger.

SO WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?

Robert Kirkman never specifically said if Beth definitely would come back this season:

I think I can say that Beth’s story is not over. We’ll see her again, maybe in Season 5, maybe not.

That leaves us Deadheads essentially shooting fish in a barrel. Somebody will eventually come up with a great theory, and that person will be right. I can't say for sure whether Beth is alive or dead, but I'm thinking this is a whole lot of build up for her to immediately at the hands of cannibals or anyone else. I happen to believe these above theories are strong options and, like Youtube user RedGryyn, think Beth will go on to play a bigger role in future seasons.

All we can do now is wait for October to roll around and finally give us the answers we crave.

Images: AMC, Image Comics, Giphy