Barbara Eleanor Hoover

Case Details

Barbara’s husband of 37 years, Robert Franklin “Bob” Hoover Jr., stated she packed two suitcases of clothing and left their home in the 5100 block of Tamarack Street in Silver Springs, Nevada on the morning of September 11, 2003, while Bob was at the bank. She was reportedly depressed and angry because the entirety of her father’s inheritance had been left to her brother. According to Bob, Barbara told him she was going to the California coast to live with friends. He stated she took several thousand dollars and a year’s supply of her bladder medicine with her, but did not take her car, a 1989 Pontiac Firebird. Within three weeks of Barbara’s disappearance, Bob purchased a motorhome and went on a road trip through Nevada, California and Arizona. Bob claimed he maintained occasional contact with Barbara after her disappearance; he said he spoke to her on the phone and met her at a Jackson, Nevada coffeeshop in 2004, and that she used his health insurance. He never produced any proof of these encounters, however. Bob said he believed her friends in Merced, California may be helping her hide. The couple lived in Merced for several years before moving to Nevada. Barbara was reported missing by her son. She is described as a timid, reclusive woman, and her loved ones say it is uncharacteristic of her to leave without warning or to travel alone. Barbara’s three children believe she was murdered, as it is uncharacteristic of her to be out of contact with them for so long; she kept in near-daily contact with them by phone. Barbara was declared legally dead in 2018. In February 2019, Bob died at the age of 86. Barbara’s case remains unsolved. Investigating Agency Lyon County Sheriff’s Department 775-577-5026 775-577-5023 Source Information NamUs KNRV Reno The Reno Gazette-Journal The Child Seek Network The Ledger Dispatch CrimeBlogger1983 Updated 3 times since October 12, 2004. Last updated July 17, 2019; distinguishing characteristics and details of disappearance updated.