In the middle of a quiet July night in 1986, in Colorado Springs, Colorado, seven-month-old Christopher Abeyta vanished from his crib. He was the youngest of seven children, and his crib was in his parents' bedroom, just a few feet from their bed. On the morning of July 15th, his mother, Bernice Abeyta, awoke to find his crib empty. A search of the home revealed the front door was open, a basement window was unlocked, and the family's garage door opener was missing.
Christopher was gone without a trace, sparking a mystery that would span decades and leave his family with unending questions.
The initial investigation by the Colorado Springs Police Department focused heavily on Christopher's parents, Gil and Bernice Abeyta. The couple had been experiencing marital problems and had recently reconciled after a separation; the night Christopher disappeared was the first night Gil had returned to the family home. This timing, coupled with the lack of forced entry, led investigators to scrutinize the family. Bernice Abeyta failed two polygraph tests, which she attributed to the stress and medication she was taking to cope with her son's disappearance. Despite the intense focus on them, both parents maintained their innocence and actively participated in the search for their son. The family felt that the police's narrow focus on them in the early stages of the investigation caused valuable time and potential leads to be lost. Tragically, much of the physical evidence from the case was later destroyed by the police department, a move the Abeyta family believes was due to negligence and incompetence.
Over the years, the Abeyta family has never stopped searching for Christopher, tirelessly working to keep his story in the public eye. They have pursued their own leads and hired private investigators. One significant point of focus for the family has been a woman with whom Gil Abeyta had an affair during his separation from Bernice. The family reported that this woman had a history of concerning behavior, including allegations of stalking and breaking and entering. They also stated that they had been receiving strange, silent phone calls in the months leading up to Christopher's disappearance, which they later traced to the woman. Despite the family's suspicions, this individual has never been officially named a suspect by police. The case has seen renewed attention through media coverage, including an episode of 'Unsolved Mysteries,' and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has released age-progressed photos of what Christopher might look like. Though years have turned into decades, the disappearance of Christopher Abeyta remains an open and haunting case, a story of a family's enduring love and their unending search for answers.Last Seen: Jul 15, 1986
