Barbara Bolick

Status:

Open

Jurisdiction:

Ravalli County Sheriff Coroners Office (MT)

Missing From:

Corvallis, Montana

Summary:

Barbara Assunta Bolick, 55, vanished without a trace from the Bear Creek Overlook on July 18, 2007, her favorite trail. Bolick's hiking partner was the last to see her on July 18, 2007, in a wooded area near the Bear Creek Overlook when that person turned around, and Bolick was nowhere in sight. Her case remains unsolved.

Vital Statistics

Circumstances of Disappearance:

Around 9:00 am on July 18, 2007, Barbara Bolick left her home in Corvallis, Montana to go for a hike with a friend of her husband's cousin, Jim Ramaker, who was visiting from California. Since they had all been up late the night before, neither the cousin or Barbara's husband felt like joining them for the hike. Her friend stated he stopped to look at a scenic view between 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. Bolick was 20 or 30 feet away from him at the time. When he turned around about a minute later, she was gone. She was carrying a black day pack at the time of her disappearance; it contained a .357 Magnum pistol. Despite searching the area and calling out for her, Jim could not find any trace of Barbara.

Additional Details:

An extensive search of the area turned up no sign of Bolick. Several ground search and rescue teams scoured the area, accompanied by search dogs and aircraft using infrared and thermal imaging. But no trace of Barbara or her backpack was found, and the dogs could not pick up her scent. The friend who accompanied her on the hike cooperated with investigators and is not being called a suspect in her case. Neither of the men is considered a suspect in Bolick's case, but investigators believe they could provide valuable information. These two men were seeking to be located as potential witnesses; the family of Barbara Bolick has offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to their identification. She is not believed to have left of her own accord, because she left behind all of her belongings, including her pet dog and cat, billfold, identification and passport. She and her husband, Carl, had moved there in 2001, drawn to the solitude and sweeping alpine landscapes of the Bitterroot Valley. It didn't take long for Barbara to fall in love with the wilderness that surrounded their home. Barbara Bolick remains officially classified as "Lost/Injured Missing." If you have information that may help solve a Cold Case in Missoula County or a neighboring jurisdiction, please contact a member of the Missoula County Sheriff's Office Cold Case Unit. If you have any information that might help solve a Cold Case, please contact Missoula County Sheriff's Office at (406) 258-3302.

Case Last Updated:

Sep 12, 2026