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Dakota Spotlight: True Crime & Cold Case Investigations

A Better Search for Barbara (16): Open Records – Investigating the Barbara Cotton Cold Case

Dakota Spotlight: True Crime & Cold Case Investigations

James Wolner

Documentary, Society & Culture, True Crime

4.8900 Ratings

🗓️ 11 June 2021

⏱️ 52 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

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 information and keeping her case alive. A Better Search for Barbara continues to blend investigative journalism with real crime investigations into one of the Midwest’s most enduring unsolved mysteries. Music by Wowza in Kalamazoo: https://wowzainkalamazoo.bandcamp.com/ Check out the full catalog and everything Dakota Spotlight: https://dakotaspotlight.com/ Get all episodes early, ad-free, and more. Subscribe to Spotlight PLUS: https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus/ Sign up for the Dakota Spotlight newsletter: https://dakotaspotlight.com/newsletter/ Email: dakotaspotlight@gmail.com Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight X/Twitter: @dakotaspotlight Instagram: @dakotaspotlight TikTok: @dakotaspotlight Bluesky: @dakotaspotlight.bsky.social YouTube: @dakotaspotlightpodcast4800 Proudly produced by Six Horse Media: info@sixhorsemedia.com Advertise your podcast or brand in Dakota Spotlight episodes: info@sixhorsemedia.com All content in this podcast, including audio, interviews, and soundscapes, is the property of Six Horse Media. Any unauthorized use, reproduction, or rebroadcast of this material without the express written consent of Six Horse Media is strictly prohibited. For permissions or inquiries, please contact info@sixhorsemedia.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

Hey folks, it's James here, host and producer of this show, Dakota Spotlight.

0:03.8

I've got some exciting news to share with you.

0:06.4

I've just launched a brand new podcast called The Sleep Retreat.

0:11.6

The Sleep Retreat is designed to help you relax, unwind, and drift off to sleep.

0:17.1

With soothing soundscapes and calming original stories by yours truly, it's the perfect escape for a busy mind.

0:25.1

You can find The Sleep Retreat wherever you listen to podcasts or head over to the sleepretreatpodcast.com.

0:32.4

You're listening to Dakota Spotlight. My name is James Wulner. This is episode 16 of season five, a better search for

0:39.4

Barbara Cotton. Dakota Spotlight is a production of forum communications. Over the last few weeks,

0:46.7

I've been getting a few emails about open records. What are they? How do you get them? In this

0:52.2

episode, we're going to take a closer look at that very thing.

0:55.6

But first, some updates. I am still waiting on some final details before heading to Montana,

1:01.5

where I hope to walk in Stacey Warder's footsteps. I'll be traveling to Scobie, Montana,

1:06.0

and to Malta, Montana, where Stacey Warder was arrested and committed suicide. As I said, there are still

1:12.3

some details to be worked out, some of them legal ones, but I hope to get up there to Montana soon.

1:20.0

I want to also tell you about a new Facebook group for Barbara Cotton. This new group is run by

1:25.5

friends and extended family of Barbara and is 100% focused on Barbara's case.

1:31.0

That group is called Find Barb Cotton. You should check it out now to keep up on all the new developments about Barbara's case.

1:39.7

In other news, at the time of this recording, it is June 10, 2021, and so summer is finally here,

1:46.6

even in North Dakota. Summer means new things, swimming, fishing, camping, no school,

1:52.7

and all kinds of fun things. And Dakota Spotlight Podcast is also going to be doing something

1:57.9

a little different over the summer. Starting on July 7th,

2:01.7

once a week for six weeks, I will be releasing a podcast episode with an interview with a fellow

...

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