Ruth Annette Barber was 35 when she disappeared from Gulfport, Mississippi, on May 31, 1984, after finishing a shift at Bobbie Magees Club. That night she was reportedly intoxicated and rode in a taxi with a coworker. The driver dropped the coworker at a Holiday Inn on Highway 90 and continued with Ruth; he later said she passed out in the backseat, briefly woke up confused and asking for her baby, then exited the cab and walked toward the beach. Her purse was left in the vehicle and turned over to police.

Ruth had recently returned to Mississippi from California, where she had been with a male companion who was wanted by the FBI. The two had come back to celebrate her daughter’s birthday and Ruth decided to stay in the area. Her association with that man and his legal troubles has been noted but has not produced concrete leads. The case has been actively investigated by local law enforcement and remains open, with family continuing to seek answers.

If anyone remembers seeing Ruth on the night of May 31, 1984, or has information about her companion or movements that evening, please share what is known.