Barbara Cotton was born on November 10th, 1965 in Tayoga, North Dakota. She had 9 brothers and sisters and a hard life. Her family was poor and her father abused many family members. When her mother finally divorced her father in 1973, she took Barb and two siblings and moved to Williston, North Dakota. There, Barb went to High School, partied some, had a bussing job at a local restaurant, The Country Kitchen, and saved money for a place of her own.

But on the night of April 11th, 1981, Barb disappeared. She was last seen by her mother when she visited her place of work with a 21-year-old male friend named Stacy Wardner. Stacy was the last person to see Barb that night as she walked three blocks toward home. But no body was ever found, and the investgation would lead authorities down a winding path, with plenty of suspects, one of them being Barb's own brother.

Show Notes:

https://wondery.com/shows/the-vanished-podcast/episode/5623-barbara-cotton-part-1-a-lost-girl/