In the late summer of 2013, in Sumter, South Carolina, a 44-year-old mother named Barbara Ann Jenkins was grappling with a series of personal setbacks. In the year leading up to her disappearance, she had lost her job, her apartment, and then her truck was repossessed. These difficulties prompted her and her young son to move in with her mother. Family members noticed a change in Barbara's demeanor; she became withdrawn and distant, often spending hours walking alone through her
neighborhood. The evening before she vanished, she returned home later than usual with a swollen lip, though she didn't explain what had happened. In a moment that would later seem ominous, she told her mother to ensure her son got to school the next morning if she wasn't there.
On the morning of August 29, 2013, Barbara walked her ten-year-old son from their home on South Sumter Street to his elementary school bus stop. After seeing him safely onto the bus around 6:00 a.m., she lingered in the street for a moment, appearing confused, before turning to walk back towards her residence. She never made it home and has not been heard from since. At the time of her disappearance, Barbara was wearing a black shirt and black jeans. She is described as a Black female with black hair and brown eyes, standing at 5'4' and weighing approximately 170 pounds.
In the weeks that followed Barbara's disappearance, law enforcement, with assistance from the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, conducted searches in the wooded areas around South Sumter. A helicopter scanned a significant area, and officers on ATVs covered inaccessible terrain, but their efforts yielded no clues. There were several reported sightings of Barbara in the local area, but none were ever confirmed. Neighbors reported seeing her walking in the area in the days after she was last seen, with some describing her as appearing 'disoriented'. There has been no activity on her bank account since she went missing. The investigation into her disappearance remains open, and due to her state of mind and the unusual circumstances surrounding her vanishing, she is considered to be in danger. Her family continues to hope for answers in a case that has grown cold with the passage of time.Last Seen: Aug 29, 2013
