EARLY LIFE:
Barbara Louise Cotton was born on November 10, 1965, in Tioga, North Dakota, to Louise and John Cotton. The seventh of eight children, her parents divorced when she was just seven years old, leading her, Louise and two of her siblings to relocate to Williston, North Dakota.
While strong-willed, Barbara was described as being quiet and soft-spoken. That being said, she wasn’t a pushover. She worked at the Country Kitchen and was saving up to move into an apartment with her friend, Diane, when they both turned 16. She and her mother didn’t always get along, and Barbara was looking for some space.
DISAPPEARANCE:
Barbara was last seen leaving the Cakes N’ Cones restaurant on Main Street in Williston during the evening hours of April 11, 1981. She’d had dinner with her boyfriend, Stacey, and another person, possibly her mother.Following the outing, Stacey offered to walk Barbara home, but she declined. He watched her walk down Main Street to Recreation Park, at which point he lost sight of her. The location was about five blocks from her residence.
It’s reported that Barbara may have also attended a party at the 18th Street Apartments that same night. Louise reported that she’d spoken to her daughter after returning home from work around 11:00 PM and that Barbara had said she’d planned to return home later that night and go to work in the morning.
According to a court document filed by Louise, Barbara was last seen by a friend walking away from the Plainsman Hotel at 12:00 AM on April 12.At 4:00 PM that afternoon, she called the Williston Police Department to report her daughter missing.
At around 1:00 PM on April 13, Louise called the police again to inform them that Barbara may be with Stacey in Room 205 at the Pioneer Hotel in Scobey, Montana. Officials searched the location, but neither individual was there.
INVESTIGATION:
Barbara’s disappearance was originally investigated as a runaway case, meaning a missing person’s report wasn’t filed for several days.Prior to her going missing, Barbara didn’t take her paycheque or any of her personal belongings. Her brother, with whom she was very close, said she’d never discussed plans to leave home, and no one in her family believes she would have run away.
The authorities now believe she may have been abducted, but there’s little documentation as to the extent of the original investigation.
Barbara’s childhood friend, Sandee Evanston, remembered Louise calling her family’s house in the early hours of April 12, 1981, asking if she’d seen her daughter. She later overheard Louise and her own mother discussing the case and learned the former had been the one to have attended dinner with Barbara and Stacey.
Stacey left North Dakota for Montana within a day or two of Barbara’s disappearance. While he was described by former classmates as a “nice guy”, his family said he was prone to violent outbursts. They also revealed that he’d been diagnosed with Paranoid Schizophrenia after being discharged from the US Navy.
On July 15, 1981, Stacey was arrested in Malta, Montana, for disorderly content. He hung himself in his cell in the early hours of the following morning.
Several extensive searches have been conducted over the years, but none have located Barbara or any evidence of her whereabouts. The investigation has led Louise across the United States, and while her daughter’s DNA has been tested against numerous Jane Does, there have been no positive results.
In 2021, a billboard featuring Barbara’s image and information about her disappearance was put up along US Route 2, heading north through Williston.
DETAILS:
Barbara Louise “Barb” Cotton was last seen in Williston, Williams County, North Dakota, on April 11, 1981.
When she went missing, Barbara was 15 years old, stood at 5’2″ and weighed 100 pounds. She has brown hair and hazel-brown eyes. She requires glasses. She was last seen wearing a blue pullover blouse, a light tan summer jacket, Wrangler-brand jeans and rust-coloured suede loafers.
Barbara’s ears are pierced, and her left lobe is noticeably lower than her right. Her teeth were said to be in good condition, with some metal fillings in several molars. She has a pronounced “S” curve in her spine, which causes her to walk with a limp, and there’s a mole on the upper right side of her chest.
Like many her age in 1981, she smoked cigarettes.
CASE CONTACT INFORMATION:
Barbara’s case is currently classified as Endangered Missing. Her dentals and mitochondrial DNA are available for comparison.
Anyone with information regarding Barbara’s disappearance is asked to contact the Williston Police Department at (701) 577-1212.
Image Credit: NamUs/The Charley Project
