The Doe Network:
Case File 1DFND

1DFND Photo Age-Progression
Left: Cotton in 1981; Right: Age-progressed by NCMEC to age 42

Barbara Louise Cotton
Missing Since April 11, 1981 from Williston, Williams County, North Dakota
Classification: Endangered Missing

Vital Statistics

  • Date Of Birth: November 10, 1965
  • Age at Time of Disappearance: 15 years old
  • Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'2" (157 cm); 100 lbs (45 kg)
  • Distinguishing Characteristics: White female. Brown hair; hazel-brown eyes. Curvature of spine which may cause a slight limp when she walks; left ear is noticeably lower than right ear .
  • Marks, Scars: Pierced ears. A dark brown mole on upper right side of her chest.
  • Clothing: Jeans, blouse and loafers.
  • Dentals: Available. She has excellent teeth.
  • DNA: Mitochondrial DNA entered into CODIS
  • Other: X-ray showing scoliosis available.

    • Circumstances of Disappearance
    Cotton was last seen leaving a local restaurant and walking down Main Street in Williston, North Dakota on April 11, 1981. She was never heard from again. She was treated as a runaway at first but later was classified as a missing person.

    She had no personal belongings, clothing, her glasses, money from savings, last paycheck or her carton of cigarettes with her at the time of her disappearance.
    Extensive searches for her body have yielded no results or evidence about her whereabouts.

    map
    Williston North Dakota lays about 15 miles east of the Montana state line, and 50 miles south of the Canada/US border.

    Investigators
    If you have any information on Cotton's disappearance, please contact:
    Williston Police Department
    Detective Ladwig
    Missing Persons Unit
    701-577-1212
    OR
    North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation
    1-800-472-2185
    701-328-5500
    Email

    All information may be submitted anonymously.

    Agency Case Number: 08202215

    NCMEC #: NCMC796102

    NCIC Number:
    M-069910154
    Please refer to this number when contacting any agency with information regarding this case.

    Source Information:

    The National Center For Missing and Exploited Children
    The E-clipse Network
    Newslibrary
    CA DOJ

    Return to the Unexplained Disappearances' Index