Per The Seattle Times, Mark James Bender and Barbara met in high school in Miles City, Montana, and moved to Washington after they got married. Although details about their marriage are scarce, UPI writes that Barbara filed for divorce in April 1980. Neighbors said that they last saw Barbara packing a U-Haul on April 2 but that no one ever saw her again. Mark told a co-worker that his wife and two sons left him and moved to California. He rented the storage unit, and shortly after, AP News states that Mark left Washington and started a new life in Idaho.
A different article from The Seattle Times notes that Bender remarried and became a successful used car salesman. Meanwhile, Barbara’s family grew concerned about her lack of communication. Her mother, Bette Jones, told The Seattle Times that she believed that Barbara was in witness protection and thus could not contact her. On the other hand, Barbara’s cousins thought something must have happened to her and reached out to the police but to no avail. She was not reported missing until February 1985.
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Years went by without any sightings of Barbara or her sons, but that would change after a fateful decision made in 1992 (per The Seattle Times). Mark’s new wife, Ann, and his stepdaughter did not understand why he still paid for the Washington storage unit. In February of that year, Ann stopped making payments for it. George Gennai purchased the unit shortly after, and Mark’s gruesome crimes came to light.
