In the autumn of 1995, a 46-year-old military veteran named Crist Nelson Dauberman Sr. vanished from his home in Spotsylvania, Virginia. A man with brown hair, green eyes, and a distinctive tattoo of the name "Wendy" on his left arm, his disappearance would not become an official police matter for years. Standing at 5 feet 10 inches and weighing around 213 pounds, Crist was a man who, according to his son, walked out of his family's Orange Plank Road residence after an argument and was never seen or heard from again. His family had reportedly not had contact with him since that day in 1995. Crist was also known to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and was classified as disabled.
The circumstances surrounding Crist's disappearance are further complicated by a significant delay in reporting him missing.
It wasn't until 2003, roughly eight years after he was last seen, that his brother officially filed a missing person report with the Spotsylvania County Sheriff's Office. Prior to being reported missing, Crist had been known to disappear for extended periods, which may have contributed to the delay. When investigators began looking into the case, they were met with conflicting stories from family members about what might have happened to him. A thorough search of his last known address yielded no clues as to his whereabouts. A financial investigation also revealed no activity on his Veterans Administration or private bank accounts after his disappearance, suggesting he had not accessed any of his funds.
The case took a dramatic and troubling turn in 2007 when Crist's wife, Wendy Dauberman, and their two sons, Crist Jr. and Craig, were indicted for theft and fraud. They were accused of cashing his Social Security and Department of Veterans Affairs disability checks, which amounted to approximately $3,000 a month. In total, they had fraudulently received $367,330 in benefits that were intended for the missing man. Wendy and Crist Jr. were subsequently convicted on twelve counts. Adding another layer of mystery to the case, the day after their convictions, the family residence caught fire in what was determined to be an act of arson, although no arrests were ever made in connection with the fire. Despite the convictions for fraud, no one has ever been charged in relation to Crist Dauberman Sr.'s disappearance, and his case remains an unsolved and poignant mystery.Last Seen: Sep 1, 1995
