Danny in 1959
Age-progressed to 46, circa 2000
The Case:
Four year-old, brown hair, brown-eyed, Daniel Barter disappeared from Perdido Bay, Alabama on Jun 18, 1959. Barter was last seen playing near the banks of Perdido Bay, AL while camping with his parents, three brothers, an uncle and two cousins.
At about 9:45 a.m. the family was preparing equipment for a fishing trip when they realized Danny was gone. About 15 minutes had passed since his brothers had last seen him near the campsite’s small beach. He had spent the night in his uncle’s car with the other children and he was barefoot, still wearing the gray boxer shorts he slept in.
What happened that day, according to Daniel’s mother, Maxine: (taken from What Happened to Danny Barter?)
“Paul had gone to a store and bought some drinks for the children, taking Danny with him. When they returned, the children opened their drinks and Danny got one for himself. Danny and my husband were playing together on one of the roll-away cots for a short while then Paul got up and began preparing for the fishing trip. We had rigged three poles for the fishing trip when suddenly we noticed that Danny was not in the tent. I didn’t become alarmed at first, even though he was not at the immediate campsite.” (Mrs. Barter thought he had went to play with some children who lived about 150 feet away). “I had first believed that despite Danny’s fear of water he had wandered into the water and drowned. But not now. I believe he probably walked up the road and someone picked him up.”
The search for Danny started at the beach, a few miles north of the U.S. 98 bridge into Florida. Danny didn’t like the water, and there were no footprints leading into the bay. The search included several hundred volunteers and emergency personnel, the U.S. Navy, a trio of prize-winning bloodhounds, helicopters, skin divers, mounted posses and even hunters who stalked alligators and sliced open their bellies searching for signs of the boy.
The case remained open for years, but no leads ever emerged. Barter has never been seen again.
If you have any information on Barter’s whereabouts, please contact:
Captain Steve Arthur
Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office
251-972-8589
My Thoughts
This is such a sad story, because the family was just enjoying some quality time together. On the morning that Daniel disappeared, the Barters saw a couple drive by in a truck. Did they take Daniel? Maybe they wanted to raise him. If that’s the case, then perhaps he’s still alive somewhere. Even though he was only four, I wonder that, if he’s alive, he remembers being taken. I remember things from when I was that age…not a lot, but a few incidents.
One can only hope and pray that Daniel’s family will find him one day. Someone out there knows something.
FOR MORE ABOUT DANIEL, VISIT THIS WEBSITE or dannybarter.com
UPDATE NOV. 6TH: There will be a vigil for Danny in June 2009 in Lillian, Alabama. More info on this important event to come. Stay tuned.
