Missing
Barbara Kettell Rushton
Rushton, approximately 1984
Date and time person was reported missing : 08/29/1984
Missing location (approx) :
Birmingham, Alabama
Missing classification : Endangered Missing
Gender : Female
Ethnicity :
White
DOB : 10/22/1938 (82)
Age at the time of disappearance: 45 years old
Height / Weight : 5'6, 130 - 140 pounds
Description, clothing, jewerly and more : Gray gym shorts and a light-colored blouse.
Medical conditions : Rushton suffers from Type 1 diabetes and requires insulin to control her condition. She left her insulin behind.
Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos
: Caucasian female. Blonde hair, blue eyes. Rushton wears eyeglasses and contact lenses. Her ears are pierced. She may use the last name Kettell.
Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : Rushton left her home on Old Forest Road in the Vestavia Hills neighborhood of Birmingham, Alabama on August 29, 1984. She drove away in her white 1980 VolkswAge at the time of disappearance: n Rabbit, saying she was going to play cards with some friends. She never arrived there and has never been heard from again. Rushton's car has not been located.
Rushton's daughter stated that her mother was not behaving normally prior to leaving her home; she had a "blank stare" and was upset and crying. She had resigned from her job and was seen arguing with her husband the day she vanished. Her Social Security number and credit cards have not been used since her disappearance, and approximately $4,000 was left behind in her bank account.
Rushton's brother-in-law was an aide to the then-governor of Alabama, George Wallace, in 1984, but authorities are uncertain whether this had anything to do with her disappearance. Another theory is that Rushton became disoriented due to her diabetes and wandered away. She did not take her insulin with her when she vanished.
Foul play is suspected in Rushton's case. She was declared dead sometime after 1984, but her case remains unsolved.
Other information and links : ncy
Jefferson County Sheriff's Department
205-325-1450
September 2021 updates and sources
California Attorney General's Office
The Doe Network
The Birmingham News
A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are not known. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found (such as at sea), or many other reasons. In most parts of the world, a missing person will usually be found quickly. While criminal abductions are some of the most widely reported missing person cases, these account for only 2�5% of missing children in Europe.
By contrast, some missing person cases remain unresolved for many years. Laws related to these cases are often complex since, in many jurisdictions, relatives and third parties may not deal with a person's assets until their death is considered proven by law and a formal death certificate issued. The situation, uncertainties, and lack of closure or a funeral resulting when a person goes missing may be extremely painful with long-lasting effects on family and friends.
Several organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and imAge at the time of disappearance: s of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations, including the International Commission on Missing Persons, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), as well as national organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US, Missing People in the UK, Child Focus in Belgium, and The Smile of the Child in Greece.
October 12, 2004. November 25, 2016; picture added.
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