Name: Barbara Kettell Rushton
Nickname/Alias: Unknown
Case Classification: Endangered Missing
Missing Since: August 29, 1983
Location Last Seen: Birmingham, Jefferson County, Alabama
Date of Birth: October 22, 1938
Age: 45 years old
Race: White
Gender: Female
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 130 - 140 lbs
Hair Color: Blond
Eye Color: Blue
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Pierced ears; type 1 diabetes; may wear glasses or contacts
Dentals: Available
Fingerprints: Unavailable
DNA: Unavailable
Clothing: Light colored blouse, gray gym shorts; sandals
Jewelry: Unknown
Additional Personal Items: Glasses and soft contact lenses
Barbara Rushton left her home on Old Forest Road in Vestavia Hills at around 7:00 p.m. on August 29, 1983, to play cards with friends. Her husband watched her drive away in her white 1980 Volkswagen Rabbit with tag number 1D 25135. Her husband believes she probably would have stopped to buy cigarettes on the way there because she only had a few left in the pack. A short while later her friends called to say she hadn't arrived. Her husband called police, and a search was launched for her and her car. Neither has ever been found.
There were several convenience stores and pharmacies at which Barbara might have stopped along the 5 1/2-mile route to the friend's home, but no one said they had seen her.
Barbara had experienced blood sugar problems several days before her disappearance. She required two shots of insulin a day and it's not known how much medication, if any, she had with her.
Barbara and her husband had both resigned from their jobs and were planning on moving in October. Her last day of work was supposed to have been on August 31. Barbara was looking forward to several planned trips and had left all her personal items at home. She never picked up her last paycheck.
Over the next days and weeks, authorities did ground and aerial searches. Authorities flagged Barbara Rushton's Social Security number, but it has never again been used, nor have any of her credit cards. About $4,000 in her bank account also went untouched.
Agency Name: Jefferson County Sheriff's Department
Agency Contact Person: Det. Jeannie Miller
Agency Phone Number: 205-325-1250
Agency E-Mail: N/A
Agency Case Number: 83082922
NCIC Number: M106897762
NamUs Case Number: 2686
NamUs
Birmingham Post-Herald - Oct. 3, 1983
Birmingham News - Dec. 17, 1995
Added: Prior to 2011; Last Updated: 03/22/2024 - By: hb
Questions or comments? Please contact appropriate member of the Area Team
** Listed information is from the time of disappearance.
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