The disappearance of 61-year-old David Lee Christensen from Las Vegas, Nevada, in early 2011 quickly evolved from a missing person case into a homicide investigation. Christensen, known as 'Dave' to his friends, was a regular patron at Gilligan's Hideaway Bar. On February 12, 2011, he was seen leaving the establishment with a friend. This would be the last time he was reportedly seen.
Concern grew when Christensen, a man of routine, failed to show up at the bar the following day, prompting an employee to report him missing on February 15th. His vehicle, a 2005 Hyundai Tucson, was later discovered abandoned on February 20th in the parking lot of a Budget Suites on Boulder Highway.
The investigation into David Christensen's whereabouts soon focused on the man he was last seen with, 27-year-old Michael Benjamin Mills. According to a bar employee, Christensen and Mills were in a sexual relationship, a fact Christensen allegedly wished to keep private for fear of Mills' reaction. Surveillance footage from the bar confirmed that Christensen left with Mills at 1:05 a.m. on the morning of his disappearance. During police interviews, Mills provided a conflicting and ultimately incriminating account of the events that transpired. He admitted to taking an intoxicated Christensen to his apartment, claiming that Christensen later sexually assaulted him, leading to a physical altercation where he punched Christensen in the face.
The details shared by Michael Benjamin Mills grew more disturbing as he offered a 'hypothetical' scenario in which he would dispose of a body in beach towels and place it in the apartment complex's trash container. He also confessed to using a sponge and cleaning products in an attempt to remove blood from his mattress. A search of Mills' apartment revealed the grim reality behind his hypothetical story, as police discovered blood on both his mattress and the carpet near the front door. This evidence led to the arrest of Michael Benjamin Mills on a recommended charge of murder, even though Christensen's body had not been found. Investigators subsequently conducted a search of the Apex landfill, northeast of Nellis Air Force Base, in an effort to locate his remains. The case of David Lee Christensen is a somber illustration of how a night out with a friend can take a tragic and unexpected turn. What began as a routine evening at a local bar ended in a man's disappearance and a subsequent homicide investigation, leaving friends and the community to grapple with the sudden and violent loss.Last Seen: Feb 12, 2011
