Dakota Spotlight: True Crime & Cold Case Investigations

David Feist, one of three men convicted for the murders of Wade and Ellen Zick in 1976 is scheduled to be released after serving 45 years in federal prison.  David Feist is the third and last of the three to be released from prison. His younger brother, Sebastian Feist was released last year in Texas and the third man, Gregory Huber was released over ten years ago and lives in North Dakota.  Full...

Deon Wiggett woke up one day in 2017 with a startling realization. He had blocked out a traumatic experience from his past; he had been sexually abused as a teen by a schoolteacher. Anger turned to action and the result is a beautifully produced podcast about justice, activism and revenge, told in the most artful way. Dakota Spotlight spoke with him in August of 2021 to talk about his podcast My O...

In South Africa a school teacher was assassinated in front of her class by hit-men. Who would take out a contract on a school teacher? That's what Paul McNally wanted to find out with Season 2 of his gripping podcast Alibi. Dakota Spotlight spoke with Paul from his home in South Africa.  Listen to the Alibi podcast https://shows.acast.com/alibi Check out the full catalog and everything Dakota Spot...

Interview with crime reporter Dan Box about his podcast Bowraville. Three aboriginal children were murdered in a small Australian town. All three vanished from the same street.   With his podcast Bowraville, Dan Box teamed up with The Australian went looking for answers.  Bowraville Podcast Check out the full catalog of Dakota Spotlight true crime podcasts at https://dakotaspotlight.com  where you...

Interview with Eric Carter-Landin of True Consequences podcast. Eric's brother Jacob was murdered over 30 years ago and justice has not been served. I talk with Eric about the ethics of creating true crime content in this very popular yet problematic genre. True Consequences  Check out the full catalog of Dakota Spotlight true crime podcasts at https://dakotaspotlight.com  where you can sign up fo...

When Kirra McLoughlin died her boyfriend said she must have overdosed on prescription drugs. That didn't explain the over one hundred bruises on her body however. And yet, nobody has been charged with Kirra's death.   That didn't sit well with Jamie Pultz. He had met Kirra once at his former job, back when he was a police officer in Queensland Australia.  When he heard that Kirra had died and nobo...

When an innocent teenager is murdered, family members are left devastated and heartbroken. The closest these loved-ones can get to some kind of closure is when the person or persons responsible are apprehended and convicted of the crime. Sometimes that just never happens, even when we know who did it. In 1992, 13-year-old Brandy Myers left her home in Phoenix, Arizona to walk door-to-door and coll...

This is the first installment of our summer series about mysterious crimes and disappearances from around the globe and the people who fight to get justice for victims and their families.  Marion Barter, aged 51, boarded a plane in Australia in 1997 to embark on a trip of a lifetime and has never been seen again. When her family went to the police they were told that Marion had been located and wa...

Hey there, This is James, host and producer of Dakota Spotlight podcast. This is just a quick update on what's going on with the podcast this summer. I have some important dates to tell you about and some other news. You can reach me at dakotspotlight@gmail.com Thank you so much for listening to Dakota Spotlight!    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 1981 disappearance of Barbara Louise Cotton is one of North Dakota’s longest-running cold cases. Episode 16, Open Records, explains the role of public records in advancing true crime investigations and how they matter in unsolved murder cases like Barbara’s. This update also introduces a new Facebook group — Find Barb Cotton (https://www.facebook.com/FindBarbCotton) — dedicated to sharing info...

Barbara Louise Cotton’s 1981 disappearance in Williston remains an unsolved murder that continues to spark theories both local and far-reaching. Episode 15, Kidnappings and Cults, Falcons and Dogs, investigates claims of cult activity, kidnapping, and even unusual international links. Alongside these theories, parallels are drawn to The Mailman Who Disappeared (Brevbäraren som försvann). A Better...

Barbara Cotton’s 1981 disappearance has influenced culture and investigation alike. Episode 14, Beach Bunny’s Lili Trifilio, Isaac Turner and Thousands of Documents, features conversations about missing persons with musicians Lili Trifilio and Isaac Turner, whose music runs throughout the season. The episode also explores research at the North Dakota State Archives and why Dakota Spotlight will be...

The Barbara Cotton cold case has generated unusual leads since her 1981 disappearance in Williston, North Dakota. Episode 13, Juarez to Williston, explores a rumored skull on a shelf in Williston, tracks down a friend of Frank J. Delapena, and examines the role of C.E. “Red” Sullivan and his ties to person of interest Stacey Werder. A Better Search for Barbara continues this investigative journali...

Barbara Louise Cotton’s 1981 disappearance in Williston, North Dakota, remains an unsolved murder and one of the state’s most haunting cold cases. Episode 12, Love Doesn’t Die, revisits the night Barbara vanished through new witness testimony, memories of local landmarks like the Plainsman and Cakes and Cones, and a possible new lead. This true crime story blends missing persons reports with inves...

Barbara Louise Cotton’s 1981 disappearance remains one of North Dakota’s longest-running cold cases. Episode 11, Facebook Group Update, explains why the Dakota Spotlight Facebook group has been temporarily suspended, limiting discussion and shared content about Barbara’s case. Even with social media obstacles, this true crime investigation into an unsolved mystery continues across other platforms...

Barbara Cotton’s 1981 disappearance at age 15 remains an unsolved murder that haunts North Dakota. Episode 10, For the Love of Our Daughters, highlights a 2021 memorial in Williston’s Recreation Park while reflecting on the responsibility of speaking openly about her story. Four decades later, Barbara’s case is a reminder that rural crime and small town murder still carry painful truths. A Better...

The 1981 disappearance of Barbara Cotton remains unsolved, but the violent history of Frank J. Delapena raises chilling questions. Episode 9, The Evil That Lurks, investigates Delapena, who murdered two young girls just a month after Barbara vanished. Could he also have harmed Barbara? Like person of interest Stacey Werder, Delapena died by suicide in jail. A Better Search for Barbara continues it...

Barbara Cotton’s 1981 disappearance remains unsolved, and her brother Frank Cotton has long been viewed as a possible person of interest. Episode 8, The Brother in Black, features interviews with Frank’s family, friends, and daughter, alongside a deeper look into Barbara’s friend Louise, who was with her the night she vanished. Could Louise’s story connect Barbara’s case to Scobey, Montana? A Bett...

Barbara Cotton’s 1981 disappearance at age 15 remains an open case in Williston, North Dakota. Episode 6, Interview with Williston Police, provides insight into law enforcement’s handling of one of North Dakota’s longest unsolved murders. The discussion underscores how missing persons cases are investigated, the challenges police face, and why Barbara’s case is still unresolved. A Better Search fo...

Barbara Cotton’s 1981 disappearance at age 15 remains an open case in Williston, North Dakota. Episode 6, Interview with Williston Police, provides insight into law enforcement’s handling of one of North Dakota’s longest unsolved murders. The discussion underscores how missing persons cases are investigated, the challenges police face, and why Barbara’s case is still unresolved. A Better Search fo...

The unsolved 1981 disappearance of Barbara Cotton continues to raise chilling questions. Episode 5, Please Tell Mom I Love Her, recounts a Montana jailhouse call from Barbara’s mysterious boyfriend. His sister Lora, only 15 at the time, remembers his unsettling message: “Please tell Mom I love her.” This story surfaces decades later, revealing unspoken testimony in one of North Dakota’s most troub...

In 1981, Barbara Cotton vanished from Williston, leaving behind one of North Dakota’s most mysterious cold cases. Episode 4, A Rapist, a Creep, a Private Investigator and Me, joins PI Carrie Abbey as she digs into Barbara’s Social Security records, a death certificate, and overlooked persons of interest in her 1981 neighborhood. A Better Search for Barbara blends investigative journalism and real...

Barbara Cotton’s 1981 disappearance in Williston remains one of North Dakota’s most enduring cold cases. Episode 3, 40 Years of Nothing, revisits the early investigation — what police did, what they didn’t, and why Barbara’s siblings remember so little effort. From the start, the town wondered: was she a runaway, or was she in harm’s way? This documentary style true crime series confronts the inve...

In 1981, 15-year-old Barbara Cotton vanished in Williston, leaving one of North Dakota’s oldest unsolved murders still open. Episode 2, Tributaries of the Truth, explores her last known whereabouts, the role of her boyfriend and a mysterious dinner guest, and whether she may have run away or fallen victim to violence. This true crime investigation continues to push for answers in a case where smal...

Barbara Cotton’s 1981 disappearance is one of North Dakota’s most haunting cold cases. Episode 1, Five Blocks from Home, revisits her final walk just five blocks from home and the community’s quick dismissal of her as a “runaway.” Childhood friend Sandee Evanson never accepted that version, sparking a decades-long search for the truth. A Better Search for Barbara is a documentary style true crime...