The family of a missing woman with Bogalusa ties still has hope that they will eventually learn the truth of why she disappeared more than 10 years ago.

Barbara Blount, who attended Bogalusa schools and worked in Bogalusa for several years before moving to Livingston Parish, went missing on Friday, May 2, 2008. The then-58-year-old was living in a home on Highway 1036 in Holden at the time, according to information from the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office in Livingston.

Sheriff Jason Ard said that authorities were called to the scene that evening in 2008. Upon arrival, they found no signs of forced entry, and the back door was open.

Ard said that pots were stacked on Blount’s kitchen floor, and valuables were left in the residence in plain view. There was no sign of a robbery attempt.

“It has been 10 years and we still don’t know what happened to Barbara Blount,” Ard said. “It’s frustrating, really. What happened to her? This is one of those cases that sticks with you, you know? I think we all — including the family — just want answers and we don’t intend to stop until we get some.

“We’re hoping that advancements in DNA testing over the last 10 years help breathe new life into this case. That, and maybe someone’s conscience — someone telling us what they know — could help bring this case to a close.”

Blount, whose husband died in a train collision accident in June of 2005, had been living alone.

Ard said that her vehicle was eventually located approximately a quarter-mile north of her residence. It was parked on a hunting club road in a wooded area, and it had rained so much in the past days that the floorboard was covered with water.

Ard said that law enforcement partners with the Louisiana State Police and Federal Bureau of Investigation have helped the LPSO investigate the case, but so far there has been no break.

Anyone with information on the Blount case is asked to call the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office at 225-686-2241, ext. 1, or Crime Stoppers at 225-334-7867.

Sarah Baughman is Blount’s sister and still lives in the Bogalusa area. She and two other relatives of Blount spoke at a press conference in Livingston earlier this year, around the 10-year anniversary of Blount’s disappearance.

“If you have never had anything like this happen to you, the pain never goes away,” Baughman said. “The only way I’ve gotten through these last 10 years is through my faith in God. That’s the only way. To whoever did this, I already forgave you.”

Baughman said that friends are always asking her about Blount’s disappearance, and if there has been any breaks in the case. She also noted that other acquaintances are timid to ask, because they are afraid it might upset her.

“I would say to my friends, don’t ever be ashamed to ask,” Baughman said. “It makes me feel good that somebody else is thinking about her. My sister was a very good Christian lady. She had two great children that she never would have just gone off and left.

“I’d say that it’s the not knowing that hurts the most. We’ve had a lot of people who have tried to help our family, and I appreciate that. But the only one that’s really going to help us right now, is God.”