Still A Mystery is examining the case of Christopher Abeyta, a baby from Colorado Springs who vanished from his crib at his parent’s home in 1986 and hasn’t been seen since.
On July 15, 1986, Christopher was just seven months old when his parents, Gil and Bernice Abeyta, placed him in a crib in their bedroom just before midnight. The next morning they learned their baby had vanished.
The cops found there were no signs of forced entry, but the front door had been unlocked, and the garage door opener was missing, and a basement window was open. Otherwise, there was very little evidence to suggest what had happened.
Gil and Bernice did face some suspicion leading to some harsh questioning from the officers. The pair had separated shortly after Christopher was born, but they were attempting a reconciliation, and the night of the disappearance was the first night that Gil had stayed home again.
The pair underwent polygraph tests, and Bernice actually failed hers; however, that was put down to withdrawal from coming off tranquilizers. The couple were never charged with any crime and vigorously spent the rest of their lives campaigning for the return of their son.
The family believes Christopher Abeyta is still out there
Christopher’s family has long held onto the belief that he was traded to an unsuspecting couple and is still alive somewhere out there with no idea as to his true identity.
In 2018, the cops received a series of tip-offs that indicated three men could be Christopher. All three men submitted to a DNA test, but none of them were him.
Watch the Latest on our YouTube ChannelTragically, Bernice died from cancer in 2017, and in 2020 Gil passed away from a heart attack, but the rest of the family continues the search for Christopher.
Today, Christopher would be 36 years old and would have blue eyes and most likely blond hair. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children previously released an age-progressed photo to show how Christopher may have looked at 32 years old, which is placed at the top of this article.
If anyone has any information regarding the location or what happened to Christopher Abeyta, they should contact the Colorado Springs police at 719-444-7000 or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST.
More from Still A Mystery
Follow the links to read about more unsolved murders and mysteries profiled on Still A Mystery.
Susan Osborne and her 14-year-old son Evan Chartrand vanished from their home near Wetumpka, Alabama, in 2017. Susan’s husband said they ran off with another man, but their relatives suspect they were murdered.
National Guardsman Tyler Smith was all set to join the San Diego Police Academy when he was found dead in a drainage canal in Galesburg, Illinois. The police said it was a tragic accident, but his family say he was murdered.
Still A Mystery airs at 9/8c on Investigation Discovery.