In the late afternoon of August 20, 2013, 83-year-old Barbara Stoffer was seen driving her green 1993 Volvo 850 sedan in Howardville, Missouri. It was just after 5:15 p.m., and she was traveling south on Highway 61. This would be the last confirmed sighting of the elderly woman. Barbara, a resident of New Madrid, was a familiar sight in her car, often taking daily drives through the area. Despite having an expired driver's license, she regularly got behind the wheel.
Her routine often included visits to the banks of the Mississippi River, a place she was known to love. Concerns for her safety were heightened by the fact that she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and depression.
The days and weeks following Barbara's disappearance were filled with uncertainty and an expanding search effort. Her vehicle, a green Volvo with the expired Missouri license plate number 078RYW, was also missing, becoming a key focus of the investigation. Authorities were aware of an incident that had occurred a few months prior to her vanishing, where Barbara had accidentally driven her car off a boat ramp parking area and onto some rocks, requiring a tow truck to be pulled out. This previous event led investigators to concentrate their search efforts on the vast and murky waters of the Mississippi River. The theory that she may have accidentally or intentionally driven into the river was a prominent one. Over the course of the investigation, extensive searches of the river were conducted, and at least four vehicles were pulled from its depths, but none of them were Barbara's missing Volvo.
As years passed with no sign of Barbara or her car, her case grew cold, leaving her community and investigators with lingering questions. The search for her involved not just law enforcement but also volunteer groups who brought specialized sonar equipment to scan the river and surrounding waterways that she was known to frequent. There were reported sightings of her vehicle on the day she disappeared, with some witnesses believing they saw her heading west through the town of Parma. Foul play has not been officially ruled out, with some speculation that another person may have been in the car with her, though this has never been confirmed. The disappearance of Barbara Stoffer is a case marked by a deep sense of mystery. An elderly woman, known for her predictable daily drives and her affection for the local river, vanished along with her vehicle without a trace. The lack of any significant leads or physical evidence has left her case unsolved, a quiet but persistent puzzle in the small Missouri community she called home.Last Seen: Aug 20, 2013
