She Had Dinner With Her Boyfriend, Then Disappeared Walking Home
Once Barbara Cotton was born in Tioga, North Dakota, on November 10, 1965, she became one of eight children.
Yet, after her parents divorced when she was only 7-years-old, her mother, Louise Cotton, relocated to Williston, North Dakota, with Barbara and two of her siblings.
As a teen, Barbara was known to be strong-willed despite her more quiet nature. She had a job at Country Kitchen and was working to save up money. That way, upon turning 16, she and her friend, Diane, could move into an apartment together.
However, on April 11, 1981, Barbara’s plans came to a screeching halt when she vanished without a trace. She was only 15-years-old.
The exact circumstances of her disappearance are puzzling, but according to her mother, Barbara was last seen at a restaurant known as Cakes N’ Cones, located on Main Street in Williston, that evening.
Barbara reportedly had dinner with her supposed boyfriend, Stacey, and another individual, possibly a friend or her mother. Then, after dinner, Stacey offered to walk Barbara home, and she turned him down.
He reportedly watched as Barbara walked down Main Street toward Recreation Park, around five blocks away from her home, and she was never seen or heard from again.
This timeline of events is based on police reports made by Barbara’s mother. She also believed that Barbara might’ve attended a party that same evening at the 18th Street Apartments.
Louise claimed to have spoken with Barbara upon getting back from work at 11:00 p.m., at which time Barbara supposedly mentioned her plans to return home later and go to work the next morning.
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The Williston Police Department was called at 4:00 p.m. on April 12, and Louise reported Barbara missing. One day later, Louise contacted the police again at 1:00 p.m. and stated Barbara might be at the Pioneer Hotel in Scobey, Montana, with Stacey. It’s unclear how she came to this conclusion.
She thought Barbara and Stacey could be in room 205, but after officials searched the premises, no sign of either of them was found.
When investigators first learned of Barbara’s disappearance, they initially viewed it as a runaway case. However, the idea that she’d run away is perplexing for a few reasons.
First, Barbara left behind all of her personal belongings and her savings and didn’t take her paycheck with her. She was also looking forward to her sixteenth birthday in November because she’d be able to get her apartment with Diane.
The claim that Barbara had a boyfriend is also curious since none of her close friends even knew she was in a relationship. In fact, only Louise recalled knowing that Stacey had existed in Barbara’s life.
Plus, according to one of Barbara’s childhood friends, Sandee, Louise reached out on April 12, 1981, to ask if anyone had seen Barbara.
The friend supposedly overheard Louise say that she’d actually attended the dinner with Barbara and Stacey at Cakes N’ Cones.
Much of the information in Barbara’s case has come from Louise. Nonetheless, investigators conducted extensive searches for Barbara that turned up no evidence.
There have reportedly been three persons of interest named, though. The first is Stacey, who was 21 years old and from California.
He was known as a smart young man but also suffered from paranoid schizophrenia. His diagnosis led him to be discharged from the Navy.
According to his sister, Stacey was a “drifter” who hitchhiked everywhere and could become extremely violent in an instant.
Yet, Stacey reportedly left Williston and headed for Montana within just one to two days of Barbara going missing. He was later arrested in Malta, Montana, on July 15, 1981, for disorderly conduct and took his life in a jail cell.
The second person of interest was Frank Delapena, who was working in Williston when Barbara disappeared and was reportedly hospitalized for a mental breakdown. Delapena then traveled to Wyoming, where he allegedly murdered two girls.
The murders took place only three weeks after Barbara went missing. Still, there is no public evidence indicating that Delapena and Barbara crossed paths. He also maintained that he was completely innocent and took his life in jail.
The final person of interest is Frank Cotton, Barbara’s older brother, who’d reportedly been accused of abusing his relatives. He ultimately passed away in 1999 following a terminal cancer diagnosis.
Barbara’s case is undoubtedly complex, and what exactly led her to go missing is a mystery. Her case has remained unsolved for over 43 years.
Most recently, a billboard featuring her photo and case information was erected on U.S. Route 2 in 2021.
Barbara was five foot two, weighed 100 pounds, and had brown hair and hazel/brown eyes. Anyone with information regarding her case is urged to contact the Williston Police Department at (701) 577-1212.
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