Rebecca Crist Missing Person Case

Apr 03, 2009

Dec 18, 2023

Rebecca

Crist

61

25

60 inches

115 lbs

White / Caucasian

Female

In the spring of 1988, a young mother named Rebecca Ann Crist, known to her loved ones as Ann, vanished from her life in Staunton, Virginia, leaving behind a tapestry of unanswered questions. On the afternoon of May 3rd, the 25-year-old was at her West Beverley Street apartment with her sister when an incoming phone call prompted her to leave. She asked her sister to watch her toddler son, assuring her she would only be a few minutes. Dressed in a gray jacket, a pink blouse, and blue jeans, Rebecca was last seen walking west on West Beverley Street. She never came back. Her family, increasingly worried, reported her missing on May 7, 1988. Adding to the mystery, a strange phone call came to her apartment around midnight on the day she disappeared; her mother answered, but the caller remained silent before the line went dead. The initial investigation into Ann's disappearance yielded few clues. She was described as a devoted mother who would not have willingly abandoned her son. Friends and acquaintances cooperated with police, but no one could provide any solid leads. There were no reports of threats or recent disagreements in her life. Ann had paid her rent a month in advance and left her wallet behind, suggesting she hadn't planned a long departure. The day after she went missing, she was scheduled to appear in court for a paternity hearing concerning her son. There were also unconfirmed reports that she may have been up to three months pregnant at the time. Ann was known for her quiet nature and her interest in police work, even keeping a scrapbook of local police news. Over the years, a few perplexing and ultimately unresolved leads have surfaced. In 1991, a handyman incarcerated on unrelated charges sent a letter to Ann's family, confessing to accidentally killing her and disposing of her body in a landfill. However, investigators were never able to verify his statement, and he remains a suspect but has never been charged in her case. Another strange turn involved a former neighbor, Raymond Fauber, who disappeared a few months after Ann. In 1991, Fauber's body was found in the basement of his home, and his son-in-law, Robert Asbury, was convicted of his murder. During the investigation at Fauber's property, cadaver dogs seemed to detect a scent at the end of the driveway, leading to speculation that another body might be buried there, but a search was never conducted. Authorities stated they do not believe Fauber's murder is connected to Ann's disappearance. The case of Rebecca Ann Crist has grown cold, a painful and enduring mystery for her family and the community. With no definitive answers, her disappearance remains an open wound, a story of a young mother who walked away for a few minutes and never returned.

May 03, 1988

Staunton

Virginia

Staunton City

20244

Staunton Police Department

Staunton

Virginia

Staunton City

24401

Jason McNeal

Corporal

116 West Beverley Street, Virginia

5403323842

Local

Law Enforcement

https://www.ci.staunton.va.us/departments/police

M305165311

Staunton Police Department

7575

Red/Auburn

Blue

Blue

No

06/29/2026