Barbara Louise Cotton vanished from Williston, N.D. on April 11, 1981, never to be heard from again.
Her case is considered open and ongoing by both the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the Williston Police Department . She is officially listed as a "missing person." North Dakota law enforcement remain consistently tight-lipped about cold cases in the state. The North Dakota Attorney General's cold case page states the following: "These cold cases are active investigations, and therefore we are not able to release records or provide additional information."
On April 11, 2021 Dakota Spotlight Podcast joined friends and family of Barbara Cotton in a celebration of her life at Recreation park in Williston. Members of the community joined representatives of the Williston police department to offer their support to the Cotton family.
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"It's a special day," said Katie Ryan-Anderson who drove from Jamestown to attend the gathering. "It's a beautiful day, but a bittersweet day."
In episode 12 of Dakota Spotlight :
- Sounds from the celebration of Barbara's life in Recreation Park on Sunday April, 11, 2021
- 3 interviews with persons who believe they saw Barbara on the night they disappeared.
- A frustrated former resident of Williston just wants to be heard by law enforcement.
- To get the full story on Barbara Cotton and this perplexing mystery
40 years of nothing, few answers for family, friends of missing teen Barbara Cotton of Williston
Listen to Episode 12
Listen to Previous Episodes:
- Episode 1: "Five Blocks from Home" explores the night Barbara went missing from the perspective of her childhood friend Sandee Evanson. Read more about this unsolved mystery and listen to
40 years of nothing, few answers for family, friends of missing teen Barbara Cotton of Williston
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Episode 2: "Tributaries of the Truth" we attempt to untangle the confusion surrounding Barbara's last known whereabouts. We also look closer at the question: Could Barbara Cotton have simply run away? Listen to Tributaries of the Truth: Listen to episode 2 of A Better Search for Barbara Cotton
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Episode 3: We look closer look at the initial police investigation. We also ask the question: might Barbara's kindness and big heart have led to her demise? Listen to She was "gentle and kind" - listen to episode 3 of "A Better Search for Barbara Cotton"
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Episode 4: Investigating on our own - listen to episode 4 of "A Better Search for Barbara Cotton"
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Episode 5: "Tell mom I love her." Listen to episode 5 of "A Better Search for Barbara Cotton"
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Episode 7: Barbara was seen at a party - Listen to episode 7 of "A Better Search for Barbara"
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Episode 8: A man in black - Listen to episode 8 of "A Better Search for Barbara"
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Episode 9: The Evil That Lurks: Listen to episode 9 of "A Better Search for Barbara"
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Episode 10: 40 Years Later: Listen to episode 10 of "A Better Search for Barbara Cotton"
Episode 11: episode 11 was a 7 minute update about technical difficulties with the facebook group.
Listen here to the podcast or anywhere podcasts are found ( Spotify , Apple , Google Podcasts , Stitcher etc.)
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