Josehine ( Cottone) Despard Missing since 1984

Josephine disappeared from the Olean area twenty five years ago in February of 1984. She is my sister and I raised her daughter. The uncertaintity of not knowing has haunted our family for the past twenty five years.

Eileen

EILEEN, We can only hope that this case and the other unsolved crimes in the OLEAN area are being looked into by their cold case detectives.Like you said,the NOT KNOWING is very painful.More needs to be done, there pictures should be plastered all over OLEAN and CATT. CO. , in shops,restaurants,gas stations,ETC. After reading the SKI-WING-LODGE-MURDERS topix,looks sounds like people are afraid to talk.

have you listed infrmation with and groups for missing persons suchas porchight intranational or charlies group?

Eileen, what happened to your sister? Did she live in Olean? Was she just visiting here? Is there a police file on her where they can do cold case stuff, like get DNA evidence and fingerprints and stuff that they couldn't do back then? That's eerie that someone would just disappear.

Thats very sad, I am sorry for your loss. The new evidence thing might work, were you able to contact anyone? Was her husband in the area, any witnesses as to her whereabouts the last evening she was seen?

My sister, Josephine was living with my parents, she was separated from her husband, Ken Despard, and her dauughter was living with me.

Josie was tring to get her life together and was attending J.C.C. at the age of 26. The last time my family seen my sister was over twenty five years ago, on February 7,1984. That evening she supposedly went to the Olean Center Mall with a friend from Franklinville that committed suicide later that year.

The Police Department did consider him a prime suspect but also has not yet ruled out that others were prime suspects too.

The majority of the police department has since retired including Captn. Connelly, Lt. Fil Jones, Sgt. Tambash. Basically in a small town like Olean it is better to forget about missing persons. The only people that need to suffer is my family and whoever took my sister away.

Eileen

In regards to evidence, each time skeletol remains are found in the area, they do check
Joosie's records.

The Olean Police Department listed Josie in the National Missing Persons Register.

I was working at Perkins Restaurant at about the time when Josie went missing and I knew her from Clinton St, her little sister and brother use to babysit for my son Keith.

Last time I seen her she came into the Restaurant and ordered a double helping of Mashed potatoes and Gravy with a side of Steak. I remember her order because I knew her and it was different, anyway it was late at night and she was with some strange man, but she seemed to be enjoying herself.

I can't really discribe him. All I can remember about him is he reminded me of a truck driver. I never seen him before, I had the impression that she might have met him at a Club, everybody came to Perkins after the Bar's closed back then.

I wish they had video cameras back then.

I did relate what I thought to Lt. Filjones at a yard sale and he said he thought she was in Franklinville somewhere but didn't have any evidence.

So no one knows for sure. With my prayer. Godbless.

Thank you for your reply. I want to get people talking, I believe that someone in the Olean area does know what happened to my sister and through this type of forum we feel there is hope in finding out what happened to Josie.

I am one of Josie's brothers and it has been a terrifying twenty five years not knowing. If there is any information to share please call the Olean Police Department or the New York State Police or email me privately at russellcottone@yahoo.com

Thank,
Russ

Eileen this is Aunt Janet.

I was just searching for info on Josie and I found this. I guess all of us will never stop looking and missing her.

I am very sorry for your families loss. Are there any links I can go to and get other information on this case?

Please post if there is anything on the web, or info listed with any sites on this. Hopefully getting people talking will help solve the case.

On Saturday,I spoke with an Editor at the Olean Times Herald, he is going to try and do a 25th anniversary of her disappearance.
I am not aware of any info on the web. I do have the past articles from the Olean Times Herald.

epayne wrote:

On Saturday,I spoke with an Editor at the Olean Times Herald, he is going to try and do a 25th anniversary of her disappearance.
I am not aware of any info on the web. I do have the past articles from the Olean Times Herald.

All of these unsolved in your area need exposure, what I mean by that is,put their pictures all over the place.Put them in the restaurants, the gas stations, the library,etc. and maybe somebody that doesn't go on here will remember something.Anybody with any info. please post!Is there a chance the paper would run a page with just these unsolved on it? They need EXPOSURE !

I have added Josephine to my website Nighttraits.com
My prayers to you and your family.

simplethings50 wrote:

I have added Josephine to my website Nighttraits.com
My prayers to you and your family.

Can you put their pictures on your WEB-SITE?

epayne wrote:

In regards to evidence, each time skeletal remains are found in the area, they do check
Joosie's records.
The Olean Police Department listed Josie in the National Missing Persons Register.

Would it be listed as anything other than Josephine despard or Cottone? I was searching thru this specific site and was not able to find her, also cannot seem to locate in NYS register for missing persons.
We need to keep this post alive

What wrote:

<quoted text>
Would it be listed as anything other than Josephine despard or Cottone? I was searching thru this specific site and was not able to find her, also cannot seem to locate in NYS register for missing persons.
We need to keep this post alive

I can't find anything either.

Nothing listed on Cattaraugus county site for any of these either, none in the sheriffs association, none on the albany site, the cold case investigator in charge doesnt even have a site. Have searched HOPE and porchlight international etc, however am comming up empty handed other than the aetv poster and topix.