Dorthy McCathran, known as Dottie Allen Yates-McCathran in some reports, was 40 when she disappeared from her home on Vivian Airport Road in Vivian, Louisiana, on January 21, 2020. Her husband reported he left for a couple of hours to look at a job and returned to find the house empty. Okra was still cooking on the stove and a television remote was partially melted on a woodstove where plastic and other items had been burned. Her purse and driver’s license remained at the house and her vehicle was not working, suggesting she either left on foot or was picked up.

That day Dorthy had a tearful phone call with a friend about fighting with her husband and feeling the need to get away; during the call someone else entered the room and her tone changed. She also spoke with her young daughter about a birthday she would later miss. A search of the five-acre property turned up some personal items, including jewelry, a hat, and a scarf, in a nearby wooded area. In April 2020 someone left a newspaper clipping about the case with handwritten notes and maps at a business in Vivian and never explained it to authorities. The Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office continues to ask for tips.

If anyone knew Dorthy, her movements that day, or has information about the clipping or the items found on the property, please contact investigators.