Danny Barter

* Living photo
* Age progressed

**Daniel "Danny" Barter** was a boy who vanished while camping with his family in 1959. He is believed to have been abducted.

## Background

A month before Danny vanished, his mother saw a suspicious vehicle parked in front of their home. When she approached the car to investigate, the man driving it covered his face with a newspaper before driving away. Soon afterwards, a neighbour claimed they had seen a man peering into the bedroom in the Barter’s house where the boys slept, including Danny. The police took photographs and made casts of footprints underneath the window, however it is unknown if the casts still exist.

The morning before Danny disappeared, his mother took him and one of his brothers to the store. She left them in the car and when she returned, Danny’s brother told her that a man had parked next to the car and stared at the boys for a while without speaking to them then drove off.

Danny’s family believe that theses incidents are linked to Danny's disappearance and that he may have been abducted by someone who was stalking their family.

## Case

Danny Barter was last seen playing in Perdido Bay, Alabama between 9:30 and 10:00 a.m. on June, 18, 1959. At the time of his disappearance, he had been camping with his parents, three of his siblings and a cousin, while the rest of his siblings were staying with relatives. The campsite was about an hour away from Danny’s home.

Danny vanished presumably after wandering off while his family were preparing fishing equipment. His mother began searching for him approximately 10-15 minutes after she last saw him and was unable to locate him.

Extensive searches for Danny were held but no trace of him was ever uncovered. The searches took place both on land and in the water. Bloodhounds were used to try and track Danny’s scent but failed to find anything. As it was initially believed that Danny could have been attacked by an animal due to the area he disappeared in, two alligators were killed and gutted to look for human remains inside them, however, no evidence was found to indicate that Danny had been eaten by an animal.

Danny’s mother stated that she did not believe that he would have ventured into the bay as he disliked water. The bay was also shallow at the time and a person could walk a considerable distance into it without getting particularly wet. Similarly, his family don’t believe that he would have walked into the bushes as he was barefoot and the undergrowth surrounding the campsite was thick and prickly.

Authorities believe that it is unlikely that Danny wandered into the water or woods due to the lack of evidence in the extensive searches. They investigated the possibility that Danny was abducted but also found no evidence to support this theory. Danny's family weren’t wealthy and never received a ransom note.

The case was reopened nearly 50 years after his disappearance. However, many of the original files have been lost or destroyed.

## Characteristics

* Brown hair.
* Brown eyes.
* Scars on his fingers.
* A scar on his tongue.

## Exclusions

* Bland County John Doe (2015)
* Fairfax County John Doe (2007)
* Halifax County John Doe (1996)
* Fairfax County John Doe (2006)
* Chesterfield County John Doe (1990)
* Cuyahoga County John Doe (2014)
* Shenandoah County John Doe (2010)
* Ablemarle County John Doe (1975)
* Botetourt County John Doe (2007)
* Caroline County John Doe (1973)
* Clarke County John Doe (1993)
* Brunswick County John Doe (1990)
* Will County John Doe (2013)
* Amherst County John Doe (1975)
* Washoe County John Doe (1985)

## Sources

* Danny Barter at the *Charley Project*
* Danny Barter at *NamUs*
* Danny Barter at the *Doe Network*
* Danny Barter at *NCMEC*