The Disappearance of Barbara Cotton

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EARLY LIFE:

Barbara Louise Cotton was calved connected November 10, 1965, successful Tioga, North Dakota, to Louise and John Cotton. The seventh of 8 children, her parents divorced erstwhile she was conscionable 7 years old, starring her, Louise and 2 of her siblings to relocate to Williston, North Dakota.

While strong-willed, Barbara was described arsenic being quiescent and soft-spoken. That being said, she wasn’t a pushover. She worked astatine the Country Kitchen and was redeeming up to determination into an flat with her friend, Diane, erstwhile they some turned 16. She and her parent didn’t ever get along, and Barbara was looking for immoderate space.

DISAPPEARANCE:

Barbara was past seen leaving the Cakes N’ Cones edifice connected Main Street successful Williston during the evening hours of April 11, 1981. She’d had meal with her boyfriend, Stacey, and different person, perchance her mother. Following the outing, Stacey offered to locomotion Barbara home, but she declined. He watched her locomotion down Main Street to Recreation Park, astatine which constituent helium mislaid show of her. The determination was astir 5 blocks from her residence.

It’s reported that Barbara whitethorn person besides attended a enactment astatine the 18th Street Apartments that aforesaid night. Louise reported that she’d spoken to her girl aft returning location from enactment astir 11:00 PM and that Barbara had said she’d planned to instrumentality location aboriginal that nighttime and spell to enactment successful the morning.

According to a tribunal papers filed by Louise, Barbara was past seen by a person walking distant from the Plainsman Hotel astatine 12:00 AM connected April 12. At 4:00 PM that afternoon, she called the Williston Police Department to study her girl missing.

At astir 1:00 PM connected April 13, Louise called the constabulary again to pass them that Barbara whitethorn beryllium with Stacey successful Room 205 astatine the Pioneer Hotel successful Scobey, Montana. Officials searched the location, but neither idiosyncratic was there.

INVESTIGATION:

Barbara’s disappearance was primitively investigated arsenic a runaway case, meaning a missing person’s study wasn’t filed for respective days. Prior to her going missing, Barbara didn’t instrumentality her paycheque oregon immoderate of her idiosyncratic belongings. Her brother, with whom she was precise close, said she’d ne'er discussed plans to permission home, and nary 1 successful her household believes she would person tally away.

The authorities present judge she whitethorn person been abducted, but there’s small documentation arsenic to the grade of the archetypal investigation.

Barbara’s puerility friend, Sandee Evanston, remembered Louise calling her family’s location successful the aboriginal hours of April 12, 1981, asking if she’d seen her daughter. She aboriginal overheard Louise and her ain parent discussing the lawsuit and learned the erstwhile had been the 1 to person attended meal with Barbara and Stacey.

Stacey near North Dakota for Montana wrong a time oregon 2 of Barbara’s disappearance. While helium was described by erstwhile classmates arsenic a “nice guy”, his household said helium was prone to convulsive outbursts. They besides revealed that he’d been diagnosed with Paranoid Schizophrenia aft being discharged from the US Navy.

On July 15, 1981, Stacey was arrested successful Malta, Montana, for disorderly content. He hung himself successful his compartment successful the aboriginal hours of the pursuing morning.

Several extended searches person been conducted implicit the years, but nary person located Barbara oregon immoderate grounds of her whereabouts. The probe has led Louise crossed the United States, and portion her daughter’s DNA has been tested against galore Jane Does, determination person been nary affirmative results.

In 2021, a billboard featuring Barbara’s representation and accusation astir her disappearance was enactment up on US Route 2, heading northbound done Williston.

DETAILS:

Barbara Louise “Barb” Cotton was past seen successful Williston, Williams County, North Dakota, connected April 11, 1981.

When she went missing, Barbara was 15 years old, stood astatine 5’2″ and weighed 100 pounds. She has brownish hairsbreadth and hazel-brown eyes. She requires glasses. She was past seen wearing a bluish pullover blouse, a airy tan summertime jacket, Wrangler-brand jeans and rust-coloured suede loafers.

Barbara’s ears are pierced, and her near lobe is noticeably little than her right. Her teeth were said to beryllium successful bully condition, with immoderate metallic fillings successful respective molars. She has a pronounced “S” curve successful her spine, which causes her to locomotion with a limp, and there’s a mole connected the precocious close broadside of her chest.

Like galore her property successful 1981, she smoked cigarettes.