Physical Identifiers

Barbara Louise Cotton

Date of Birth: November 10, 1965

Age: 15 years old (in 1981)

Race: Caucasian / Native American*

Gender: Female

Height: 5’2″

Weight: 100 lbs (45 kg)

Hair: brown

Eyes: hazel-brown

Distinguishing Features:

Curvature of spine, possibly moderate scoliosis as it has been described as a pronounced “S” curve that resulted in a slight sway or limp when she walked.     X-rays are on-file.

Left ear is noticeably lower than right ear.

Pierced ears.

Mole on upper right side of chest        Mole on right side of neck.

Identifiers:

Dentals: Available- Barb did have metal fillings in a number of molars, despite her teeth being listed as “in excellent condition”.

Spinal X-rays available

Fingerprints: Unknown

DNA:  MtDNA entered into CODIS

Clothing & Personal Items:

Light tan summer jacket, “Wrangler”  brand blue jeans, blue pullover blouse and rust-colored suede loafers.

Jewelry: Unknown

Additional Personal Items: Unknown

Barbara left behind her eyeglasses (which wasn’t uncommon for her to do).    She also left behind a carton of cigarettes, her paycheck and the money in her savings account.

*Barbara and her siblings have Native American heritage.  My understanding is that they have ancestors of Blackfoot, Cherokee and Seminole decent.  Enough so that the children could have been registered.  Barb’s ethnicity is more European than Native American.  However, my worry is that a potential match might be disregarded due to ethnicity as it might have been interpreted in the 1980s.

Sources:

The Doe Network

The Charley Project

NCMEC

NamUs

Law Enforcement

Additional information from news articles, family and friends.