The Disappearance of Darla Harper
Episodes 175 & 176
Darla Melissa Harper
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One month before her divorce was set to be finalized, twenty-five year old Darla Harper mysteriously vanished. After leaving her husband, Darla had moved into a nearby apartment with the couples' two year old daughter. On a quiet, Tuesday night, Darla said goodbye to a friend and was never seen again.
The next morning police found a smear of blood on her apartment door and inside was her daughter, having been left alone for hours. A neighbor reported hearing strange noises the night before but no one had seen what happened to the twenty-five year old.
Investigators launched a massive search trying to locate the missing woman. When they located her car they discovered the vehicle was caked with mud and there was blood inside and out. The question quickly became: had Darla been the victim of a stranger abduction or had someone specifically targeted her, believing they had something to gain from her absence?
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Twenty-five year old single mother Darla Harper mysteriously vanished from her apartment one winter night. After months of searching and years of investigation, police were no closer to locating the missing woman.
Then, during a court hearing regarding custody of the couple's daughter, accusations about Darla having been killed by her estranged husband were raised. Confronted about claims that Darla was buried on his property, Barry Harper challenged investigators to look for themselves.
Police were now faced with the possibility that Darla's disappearance might not have been a random crime executed by a trio of unknown suspects, but perhaps, a plot executed by her ex-husband, a man with over a hundred thousand reasons to want her gone.
Sources:
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Pamela Jane Page – The Charley Project
Darla Melissa Harper – The Charley Project
Darla Melissa Harper - Arkansas Missing Person Directory
The Bizarre Disappearance of Darla Harper | by Jenn Baxter | Medium
Darla Melissa Nixon Harper (1960-1986) - Find A Grave Memorial
168DFAR - Darla Melissa Harper
Obituary for Jerry Don Nixon, Sheridan, AR
Obituary | Jerry Don Nixon | Memorial Gardens Funeral Home
Woods site a new lead in cold case
Barry Wayne Harper (1955-2013) - Find A Grave Memorial
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04 Dec 2013, A6 - Longview News-Journal at Newspapers.com
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