Breaking News: Arizona Girl Who Vanished in 1994 Found Alive
Incredible news out of Arizona! A 13-year-old girl who mysteriously vanished without a trace 32 years ago while walking to a nearby horse stable has been found alive, according to the Gila Sheriff’s Office.
Christina Maria Plante, now 44, was last seen on May 15, 1994, when she left her home in Payson, Arizona, a small community northeast of Phoenix, the sheriff's office said. Her disappearance was described as “endangered and under suspicious circumstances.”
According to the sheriff’s office, massive ground searches and an extensive investigation failed to produce any leads in the case. Christina was entered into national missing children databases, including here at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), but her case eventually went cold. The sheriff’s office says her case remained active, and investigators would periodically re-examine her case.
Sheriff’s officials declined to discuss any details about what may have happened to her or where she was found, saying they wanted to protect her privacy. The breakthrough came after the sheriff’s office said they started a dedicated cold case unit and advances in technology helped them crack the case.
“Investigators have confirmed her identity, and her status as a missing person has been officially resolved,” the Gila County Sheriff's Office said in a statement. They credited their cold case investigators for “bringing long-awaited answers to families and communities.”
At NCMEC, we looked at cases from 2021 to 2023 and found that 117 children were safely recovered after being missing for 10 years or more.
“Cases like this are exactly why we do what we do,” said Angeline Hartmann, director of communications at NCMEC. “No matter how much time passes, even decades, we never give up. Every child deserves to be found, and every family deserves answers. Because of technology, we’re seeing more and more breakthroughs in cases once thought unsolvable. The safe recovery of Christina Plante is a reminder to our families still searching for their loved ones that hope endures, even after so many years.”
In 2022, Melissa Highsmith was reunited with her family 51 years after being abducted as a toddler in 1971. Separately, Luis Armando Albino, kidnapped in 1951 at age six from an Oakland, California park was found alive 73 years later in 2024, thanks to DNA testing by his niece.
Just a few weeks ago, a 1964 murder was solved in Elmira, New York when police identified the killer of 12-year-old Mary Theresa Simpson.
For more information about NCMEC’s work, visit ncmec.org.