Overview

Last Seen: December 3, 2018
Location: Beloit, Rock County, Wisconsin; his residence has been reported as being in the 300 block of Wisconsin Avenue
Age When Missing: 33
Status: Missing; case remains unresolved

Main circumstances: De La Cruz Barrera disappeared from his residence while no one else was home. His aunt and employer had reportedly noticed paranoid behavior before he vanished. He left his identification and cell phone in his room and did not have access to a vehicle. Subsequent checks of area hospitals did not locate him, and later reporting indicated there had been no activity on his bank account.

Detailed Case Breakdown

Horacio De La Cruz Barrera Missing Person Case: What Happened to the Beloit, Wisconsin Man Who Vanished in 2018?

Horacio De La Cruz Barrera disappeared from his home in Beloit, Wisconsin, on December 3, 2018. More than seven years later, his disappearance remains unresolved, and authorities continue to seek information that could explain what happened to him.

De La Cruz Barrera was 33 years old when he vanished. He was living with his aunt in Beloit and did not have access to a vehicle. His disappearance was especially concerning because important personal belongings—including his cell phone and multiple forms of identification—were left behind.

Very Brief Case Summary

Last Seen: December 3, 2018
Location: Beloit, Rock County, Wisconsin; his residence has been reported as being in the 300 block of Wisconsin Avenue
Age When Missing: 33
Status: Missing; case remains unresolved

Main circumstances: De La Cruz Barrera disappeared from his residence while no one else was home. His aunt and employer had reportedly noticed paranoid behavior before he vanished. He left his identification and cell phone in his room and did not have access to a vehicle. Subsequent checks of area hospitals did not locate him, and later reporting indicated there had been no activity on his bank account.

The Disappearance of Horacio De La Cruz Barrera

On December 3, 2018, Horacio De La Cruz Barrera disappeared from his residence in Beloit, Wisconsin. He was living with his aunt at the time.

Authorities say no one else was home when he disappeared. Investigators were left with few obvious clues about where he might have gone.

Several forms of identification remained inside his room. His cell phone was also left behind.

Those details were particularly significant because De La Cruz Barrera reportedly did not have access to a vehicle, raising the question of how he left the area and where he may have gone after leaving his residence.

Concerning Behavior Reported Before He Vanished

Both De La Cruz Barrera’s aunt and his employer told authorities that they had noticed what was described as paranoid behavior before his disappearance.

Publicly available records do not establish why he was behaving this way or whether the behavior was connected to his disappearance.

There is also no publicly documented evidence establishing that De La Cruz Barrera was the victim of a crime. He remains officially classified as a missing person.

Search for Horacio De La Cruz Barrera

Police checked hospitals in the area following De La Cruz Barrera’s disappearance but did not locate him.

Later case summaries reported that he had no other family in the immediate area and that there had been no reported activity on his bank account. No confirmed sighting or communication from him has been publicly reported since his disappearance.

Authorities also did not know what clothing he was wearing when he vanished.

De La Cruz Barrera is described as a Hispanic man with black hair and brown eyes. Sources list him at approximately 5 feet 3 inches to 5 feet 5 inches tall and between 125 and 135 pounds. Wisconsin’s missing-person poster lists him at approximately 5 feet 4 inches and 130 pounds.

Renewed Attention From Beloit Police

The case received renewed attention in January 2025 when the Beloit Police Department began reintroducing several of the city’s unresolved missing-person cases to the public.

Police highlighted the cases of De La Cruz Barrera, Bilial Hammette and Christina Dean in an effort to generate new information through social media.

Beloit Police Captain Chris Eberhardt explained that authorities hoped renewed public exposure could produce new leads. De La Cruz Barrera’s story was scheduled to be shared as part of that effort.

The renewed appeal repeated several of the circumstances surrounding his disappearance: he vanished from his home on December 3, 2018, his aunt and employer had reported concerning behavior beforehand, and his identification and cellphone were left behind.

Latest Known Investigation Status

As of the latest publicly available information, Horacio De La Cruz Barrera has not been located.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice Clearinghouse for Missing & Exploited Children & Adults continues to list him among Wisconsin’s missing persons. The state’s current listing identifies Beloit in Rock County as the location from which he disappeared.

The continued listing, combined with Beloit Police’s 2025 effort to generate new leads, indicates that authorities are still seeking information that could resolve the case.

No publicly available law-enforcement announcement reviewed for this article reports that remains have been identified as De La Cruz Barrera, that an arrest has been made, or that authorities have officially classified his disappearance as a homicide.

Anyone with information—even information that may have seemed insignificant at the time—is encouraged to contact the Beloit Police Department or Wisconsin’s missing-person clearinghouse.

Identifying Information

Name: Horacio De La Cruz Barrera
Missing Since: December 3, 2018
Missing From: Beloit, Rock County, Wisconsin
Age When Missing: 33
Sex: Male
Race/Ethnicity: Hispanic/Latino
Hair: Black
Eyes: Brown
Height: Approximately 5’3″–5’5″
Weight: Approximately 125–135 pounds
NamUs Number: MP54305
Beloit Police Case Number: BE1851340
Current Status: Missing