She Mysteriously Disappeared From Her Home In 2020, With Food Still Cooking On The Stove And All Of Her Personal Belongings Left Behind
In 2020, Dorothy “Dottie” Yates-McCathran lived in Vivian, Louisiana, with her husband, whom she’d been married to for seven years. She also had a 14-year-old son and a 6-year-old daughter.
But, on January 21, 2020, the 40-year-old mother of two mysteriously vanished from her own home, and her loved ones have been searching for answers ever since.
“Of course, you know, right at first, we just hoped she would turn around and walk right in the door, and then as the time went on, it didn’t seem like that was going to happen, and also it seemed like nobody knew what happened to her,” said Dorothy’s mother, Martha Mullins.
Just one day before her disappearance, on January 20, Dorothy spoke to her mother on the phone. During this call, Dorothy was reportedly upset about not being able to attend her daughter’s sixth birthday in Shreveport. Apparently, her children had been in her parent’s custody at the time.
However, Dorothy told Martha that she’d still be able to travel from her home in Vivian to Shreveport for her daughter’s birthday party, which was set to take place on January 26.
Yet, the following day, January 21, Dorothy was last seen at her residence on Vivian Airport Road. Then, once her husband arrived home, she was nowhere to be found.
According to Martha, the scene at home looked as though her daughter had been right in the middle of cooking dinner before she vanished.
In fact, there was even okra cooking on the stove. Plus, all of Dorothy’s personal belongings– including her driver’s license, purse, and vehicle– were all left behind. But she was gone.
Still, it wasn’t until Dorothy failed to arrive at her daughter’s birthday party on January 26 that she was officially reported missing on January 27. Afterward, authorities launched an investigation and conducted multiple searches of Dorothy’s five-acre property with the help of K9 units and drones.
Facebook – pictured above is Dorothy
During one of the search efforts, Dorothy’s hat, scarf, and some of her jewelry were recovered. However, no additional evidence of what happened to her or her whereabouts was found.
According to Martha, Dorothy reportedly called a friend at 3:45 p.m. on the day she vanished. During that conversation, Dorothy allegedly claimed she and her husband had been fighting. She also allegedly said that she wanted to get away.
Then, Dorothy reportedly inquired about a restaurant job, which she’d previously been offered by her friend. But, while she was on the phone, someone allegedly walked in on Dorothy.
Martha provided this information to authorities, but no additional information has been released to the public.
It’s now been over four years since Dorothy vanished, and there have been no developments in her case.
“They’ve basically said they don’t know any more now than they did the day she disappeared,” Martha explained.
Her loved ones have refused to stop seeking answers, though, so Martha and her friends decided to take matters into their own hands.
They have put up flyers, spoken to community members in Vivian multiple times, and created a Facebook page entitled “Find Dorothy Yates-McCathran.” Additionally, Martha raised $30,000 in donations from both family and friends to serve as a reward for any information regarding Dorothy’s case.
Dorothy was known as an outgoing and crafty woman who had a contagious laugh and a ton of friends.
“Right now, we are all assuming the worst because it’s gone on this long. We have so many people praying for her to be safe,” Martha said.
Last month, the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office stated that investigators are seeking any new information on Dorothy’s disappearance.
Dorothy is five foot three, weighs 110 pounds, and has short brown hair and brown eyes. What she was wearing at the time of her disappearance remains unknown. She would be 44 years old today.
If you have any information regarding her case or whereabouts, you are urged to contact Caddo Shreveport Crime Stoppers at (318) 673-7373.
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