Account
Dec 31, 2009
Feb 10, 2023
Crystal
Dittmeyer
40
12
64 inches
113 lbs
White / Caucasian
Female
On a summer afternoon in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, twelve-year-old Crystal Gayle Dittmeyer vanished from her family's residence at the Pick Wick Apartments on June 13, 1996. At the time of her disappearance, she was described as a white female with brown hair and hazel eyes, standing at 5'4" and weighing 113 pounds. A noticeable scar was present on her forehead near her hairline. On the day she was last seen, around 5:30 p.m., Crystal was wearing a white t-shirt adorned with a yin-yang design and a red and blue embroidered patch, along with blue jean shorts and a matching yin-yang necklace. She was reportedly seen near the swimming pool of the apartment complex with her hair tied up in a bun. From that moment on, she has not been seen or heard from again. The investigation into Crystal's disappearance quickly focused on her stepfather, Benjamin Harry Crider Jr. The day after she went missing, authorities observed what appeared to be human bite marks on one of his arms and bruises on his shoulder. Crider claimed these injuries were sustained while he was working on the brakes of his wife's car, a claim that investigators found inconsistent with the nature of the injuries. The case took a significant turn when Crystal's younger half-brother told authorities that he had seen Crystal lying motionless in his parents' bedroom on the day she disappeared, after overhearing them arguing. He stated that his mother, Tammi, then took him shopping, and when they returned, Crystal was gone. Investigators developed a theory that Crider, a registered nurse, had killed Crystal after an argument and then transported her body in a garment bag using his work vehicle. His timeline for that afternoon also raised suspicion; he claimed a 15-minute trip took him two hours to complete. Further evidence, including bloodstains matching Crystal's DNA, were reportedly found in the apartment and in Crider's vehicle. Over the years, the legal proceedings against Benjamin Crider were complex and drawn out. In 1998, he was convicted of Crystal's murder and sentenced to life in prison. However, this conviction was overturned in 2001. A subsequent retrial in 2004 ended in a mistrial. Then, in a dramatic turn in September 2005, while awaiting a third trial, Crider admitted to causing Crystal's death, stating he had struck her in anger but did not intend to kill her. He pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter and was sentenced to ten years in prison. Having already served nine years, he was released a short time later. Despite his confession, Crider never revealed the location of Crystal's remains. In 2008, he died of a heart attack, taking with him any knowledge of where Crystal might be. The disappearance of Crystal Dittmeyer remains a tragic and unsolved case. Although her stepfather confessed to her killing, the absence of her remains leaves her family and the community without final closure. Foul play is strongly suspected in her case due to the circumstances and the eventual confession, but without her recovery, a crucial piece of the puzzle is forever missing.
Jun 13, 1996
Oklahoma City
Oklahoma
Oklahoma County
73159
26192
Oklahoma City Police Department
Oklahoma City
Oklahoma
Oklahoma County
73102
701 Colcord Drive, Oklahoma
4052971129
Local
Law Enforcement
9605952
Oklahoma City Police Department
8037
Brown
Hazel
Hazel
No
06/21/2026
