NQL Case File

Circumstances

Date of Disappearance

June 21, 2007

Notes

Kimberly and her daughter Haleigh were living in a log cabin on a secluded 40-acre spot of land. The driveway was guarded with two separate locked gates leaving the only access by foot. The day of their disappearance, Kimberly was returning home from work when she called a friend; unfortunately, the connection was poor so she was supposed to call back once she got to a better spot. She never returned the call. The next week, her colleagues reported her missing and it was discovered that her daughter Haleigh had also vanished. Police questioned her husband of eight years (Barry Van Whitton) who said Kimberly and Haleigh had driven away in a white Ford van or truck with Alabama license plates not long after Kimberly had come back. Supposedly he had given Kimberly $20,000 but it is not clear why. At the time Kimberly and Barry's marriage seemed to be fine; there were no signs that they were arguing or that she was abused. Whitton was a known offender who was later picked up again on weapons charges after police searched his home. His is described as being particularly violent and dangerous, having boasted to others about having murdered three individuals and hiding his crime. This was not his only wife to disappear; Barry's first wife, Michelle Townsend Whitton, also disappeared unexpectedly. In 1997, Barry claimed that she left for breakfast and never returned. She was discovered six weeks later (January 1998) dead, she had been beaten, stabbed, and buried in a shallow grave. Barry would later tell another witness that he did not kill Michelle but had instead killed the person who did. He would however be found guilty of her homicide in September 2015.

Location of the Disappearance or Crime Scene

Potential Circumstances

Multiple Victims, Parent and Child

Vehicle

White Ford van or truck

License Plate

Alabama

Photo of Vehicle

Suspect

Man

Suspect Description

Police consider Barry Van Whitton a person of interest, but he has never been officially named a suspect. He was Kimberly's husband at the time.

Photo of Suspect