Real Name: Christopher Enoch Abeyta
Nicknames: No known nicknames
Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado
Date: July 15, 1986
Bio[]
Occupation: Minor
Date of Birth: November 28, 1985
Height: 2'2"
Weight: 25 lbs.
Marital Status: Single
Characteristics: Caucasian male with blond hair and blue eyes. He is of Swedish, German, and Spanish descent. His family believes his hair may now be brown and that he is of average height for his age. If he is still alive, he would now be in his mid-thirties.
Case[]
Details: Seven-month-old Christopher Abeyta is the youngest of Gil and Bernice Abeyta's seven children. They lived in Colorado Springs, Colorado. At around 12:30am on the morning of July 15, 1986, Gil and Bernice put him in his crib, which was located just a few feet from their bed. They left the front door unlocked so that one of their older children could enter. At 6:30am, Bernice woke up and discovered that he was no longer in his crib. She then discovered that the front door was open. Police were called to the scene and it was also discovered that a basement window was open and their garage door opener was missing. Despite an extensive search, no trace of Christopher was found. It is assumed that he was abducted, but whether or not it was someone known to his family is unknown.
Suspects: Gil and Bernice were considered initial suspects. They were having marital problems prior to Christopher's disappearance. They had previously separated but were reconciling. Christopher was kidnapped on the same night Gil returned to the family home. Bernice failed two polygraph tests. However, they have maintained their innocence.
Christopher's family suspects that his abductor was a woman who had an affair with Gil. She allegedly had a history of break-ins. However, the police have not named her a suspect. Bernice and Christopher's sisters reported receiving numerous strange calls in the middle of the night in the weeks prior to his disappearance.
Extra Notes:
- This case first aired in a Missing Infant Roll Call on the January 25, 1989 episode, along with those of Marlene Santana and Carlina White.
- It was also released on October 19, 2020 as a part of the second volume of the Netflix reboot of Unsolved Mysteries. It is featured at the end of "Stolen Kids" as a part of a long-term missing children roll call along with Andre Bryant, Cherie Barnes, Amber Crum, Corey Edkin, Desiree Carroll, Ke'Shaun Vanderhorst, and Aaron Anderson.
- The CSPD reportedly lost a significant number of files in a department fire, including numerous files pertaining to it.
Results: Unsolved. In 2018, three separate men came forward, each believing that they were Christopher. However, in February 2019, DNA testing confirmed that none of them were him. Sadly, Bernice passed away in 2017 and Gil passed away in 2020 without ever finding out what happened to him. His siblings are continuing the search for him.
Links:
- "Find Christopher" Website
- Christopher's NCMEC missing poster
- Christopher Abeyta on the Charley Project
- Christopher Abeyta on the Doe Network
- Missing Christopher Abeyta Facebook Page
- Search to continue for kidnapped baby - July 17, 1986
- No new signs of abducted boy - July 19, 1986
- Quail Lake reveals no clues to missing infant - August 13, 1986
- Empathy draws parents to Abeyta's fund-raiser - September 22, 1986
- The Disappearance of Christopher - April 29, 1987
- Mother to continue search for baby on his 2nd birthday - November 28, 1987
- Spirits summoned to find Christopher Abeyta (Page 1) (Page 2) - July 15, 1988
- Parents watched by police feared for son — because of Abeyta case - October 13, 1990
- Looking for justice for Christopher - November 25, 2013
- Dying Mom Makes Final Plea for Information on Son Taken From Crib 30 Years Ago - October 7, 2016
- Mother who spent 31 years searching for missing Colorado Springs son dies without answers - February 13, 2017
- Man claims to be baby who vanished 32 years ago - August 31, 2018
- DNA results for people who thought they were Christopher Abeyta announced - October 19, 2018
- DNA tests rule out three men as missing Colorado Springs child Christopher Abeyta - February 6, 2019
- Family of Baby Stolen From Crib Has Spent 33 Years Searching: "You Don't Just Stop Looking" - November 20, 2019
- Father of Christopher Abeyta, the Colorado baby taken from his crib in 1986, passes - August 11, 2020
- Missing Colorado Springs child Christopher Abeyta featured in Netflix series - November 5, 2020
