On August 12, 1984, 39-year-old Barbara Jean Dreher disappeared from Washington, D.C.. A mother of five and a secretary for the D.C. public school system for 15 years, Dreher was last seen at 5:00 p.m. when she dropped off her two young sons at her adult daughter's home. She was driving her burgundy 1980 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme and told her daughter she was going to pick up some money and would be back shortly. Dreher never returned and has not been heard from since. At the time of her disappearance, she was wearing a green shirt and white slacks.
Due to Dreher's occasional extended stays with her estranged husband in Hillcrest Heights, she was not reported missing for nine days. A few days after she was last seen, a relative spotted her car being driven by an unknown man. The relative followed the man to an apartment building in the southwest section of the city, where he parked the vehicle and went inside. The police were called, and the relative identified the man to the investigators who arrived at the scene. When questioned, the man denied driving the car or knowing Dreher. As the car had not been officially listed as stolen, he was not taken into custody, though Dreher's vehicle was impounded. A search of the car uncovered a ski mask, gloves, and rope, along with some of Dreher's personal belongings.
The man who had been driving Dreher's car had a violent criminal past. At the age of eighteen, he pleaded guilty to the murders of a 23-year-old man and a 16-year-old girl. A year after Dreher's disappearance, the same man was charged with abducting and raping a woman, though the charges were later dismissed. Despite these circumstances, he was never charged in connection with Dreher's case.
The investigation into Barbara Dreher's disappearance was hampered by significant setbacks over the years. Critical evidence, including the original missing persons report, the ski mask, and the rope found in her car, was lost by the police. This necessitated restarting her missing persons file using the original 1984 case number. Dreher's son described her as a devoted but strict mother and does not believe she would have willingly abandoned her family. Foul play is suspected in her case, which remains unsolved.
Last Seen: Aug 12, 1984
