The Murder of Tiona Smith

 

On the morning of November 6th, 2005, children in a Baltimore, Maryland neighborhood called Woodlawn were playing outside when they stumbled upon something unexpected behind a home: the body of a woman. Police were called, and it was soon determined that the deceased woman was a 23-year-old Baltimore resident named Tiona Smith.

It was almost immediately clear that Tiona’s death was a murder. She had been brutally beaten and stabbed. An autopsy officially ruled that Tiona was killed by multiple sharp force injuries. Over two decades have passed since this brutal killing, and both investigators and Tiona’s loved ones are still left with two unanswered questions: who killed Tiona? And why?

Throughout the investigation, detectives have been able to piece together a timeline of the events leading up to Tiona’s murder. On November 5th, 2005, Tiona went to her job at a McDonald’s on Cranbrook Road in Cockeysville. Tiona’s shift ended at 10:45 PM, after which she and a friend boarded an MTA bus, presumably to make their way home. 

Reports state that Tiona’s friend got off the bus a few stops before Tiona. Tiona then got off the bus at the Eutaw and Fayette street drop-off. A CCTV camera captured Tiona at that bus stop. The same cameras also captured a white car driving by the stop. Witnesses later told police that they saw Tiona getting into that vehicle.

A few hours later, around 1:15 AM, residents in the Woodlawn neighborhood heard sounds of a woman screaming. According to detectives, the residents “believe that what she was yelling was 'no' or 'stop' several times, and then the voice stopped calling out.” Hours later, at 11:00 AM, the children playing in that neighborhood came across Tiona’s body. She was still dressed in her McDonald’s uniform. 

Tiona’s family members have said that they do not know why Tiona was in the neighborhood where her body was found, as she had no known connections to that area. The driver of the white vehicle that Tiona was seen getting into is also unknown as well. No persons of interest or suspects have ever been publicly named in Tiona’s case.

Tiona’s mother has still not given up on finding justice for Tiona. In 2023, her mother told reporters, “I do not want revenge. I want justice for my daughter because she deserves it. Whoever took her life, they didn't give her that life. They had no right to take her life.”

If you have any information that could help solve the murder of Tiona Smith, please contact authorities in Baltimore at 410-307-2020 or bcopd@baltimorecountymd.gov.

Sources:
ABC 2 Baltimore

Baltimore County PD

CBS News

WBAL TV 11

The Disappearance of Shelayah Gonzalez

 

Shelayah Renee Gonzalez vanished at the age of 21 on July 16th, 2005. The young woman lived in Brooklyn, New York at the time of her disappearance. Shelayah was reportedly last seen at her residence in the 1100 block of Winthrop Street in the New York City borough. She disappeared at some point following that final sighting and has never been seen or heard from again.

There are very few details available about Shelayah’s case. The circumstances/events leading up to her disappearance are unclear. The one detail that has been publicly shared is that Shelayah had a son who passed at 24 months old in June 2005 - less than a month before she vanished. 

In January 2011, approximately five and a half years after Shelayah’s disappearance, her aunt made the following post on CNN’s iReport site: “My niece, Shelayah Renee Gonzalez, has been missing since July 16, 2005. She lost her 24-month-old son in June and disappeared from home less than a month later. Her mother and I looked all over NYC for her to include contacting the NYPD and placing posters in neighborhoods that she has grown up in. We are still in contact with the NYPD and have hit a stone wall because of her age. We've been unable to get any new information on her although we feel that the NYPD has information concerning her disappearance or current location.”

Now, nearly two decades have passed since Shelayah’s disappearance, and there have not been any updates. She remains missing today, and her disappearance is considered a cold case. The loss of Shelayah’s son followed by the disappearance of Shelayah herself must have been devastating events for her family members. They deserve closure and answers about what happened to Shelayah.

If you have any information that could help solve the disappearance of Shelayah Gonzalez, please contact the New York Police Department at 212-473-2042.

Sources:

Charley Project
CNN
NamUs
Track Missing
Websleuths

The Murder of Mary 'Shellie' Rachel Carson

 

Mary 'Shellie' Rachel Carson was only 18 years-old when her life was tragically taken on August 14th, 2005. The teenager lived in Virginia Beach at the time of her death. It's believed that Shellie was killed sometime between 4:00 AM and 6:00 AM. Shellie's body was found that morning shortly after 6:00 AM, near a traffic circle by Kings Grant Road and Newcastle Road. Her pink bicycle laid just feet away.

Source: Virginia Beach PD

An autopsy confirmed that Shellie had been brutally beaten to death. Over two decades have passed, and investigators still do not know who killed Shellie, or why she was killed. No suspects or persons of interest have ever been publicly named.

Shellie was raised in Virginia Beach by her adoptive parents, Bill and Charlotte Carson. While being interviewed after her death, Bill told police that Shellie began "getting into trouble" at the age of 14. She reportedly began using drugs at that age. However, it appears that by the time Shellie turned 18, she was doing better in that regard. In fact, she did not have any drugs or alcohol in her system at the time of her death. 

Still, detectives still noted that "Shellie was living a 'high-risk lifestyle' at the time of her murder and would frequently be out at late hours." Shellie was, in fact, out during late hours prior to her murder. Investigators have been able to put together a timeline of the events leading up to her death, but there are still some missing pieces.

It's known that Shellie was alive and seemingly well just hours before her body was found. She rode her bicycle to a local 7-Eleven to visit a friend who was working as a cashier. Surveillance cameras captured Shellie leaving the store around 3:50 AM. One witness saw her approximately 10 minutes later, riding her bicycle near the traffic circle where her body would later be found. 

Another final witness saw Shellie a 4:06 AM, still on her bicycle in the same area. 

After that witness, aside from the killer(s), nobody ever saw Shellie alive again. The next person to see her was a passing motorist who spotted her body on the side of the road. At 6:08 AM, said motorist called police.

The crime scene was nothing short of horrific. According to detectives, "[Shellie] was laying on her back, partially under some trees. Her shirt was pulled up, exposing her upper torso, she was naked from the waist down and her face was bloodied." It appears that the killer(s) either attempted to sexually assault or did sexually assault the young woman. Her pants were missing from the scene and still have never been found. 

Although it seems likely that there was DNA or some other evidence left behind by the killer(s), investigators have still not been able to narrow down any suspects. In 2020, it was reported that over 100 people have been interviewed in regard to Shellie's murder. Her boyfriend at the time was reportedly heavily scrutinized, but he has not been named as a suspect. 

Shellie's adoptive mother passed in 2012, and her adoptive father passed in 2017. They unfortunately died before ever finding out what really happened to their daughter. Investigators still hope to find answers in Shellie's case. There is a monetary reward available for information that could help solve the case. If you have any information that could help the investigation, please contact authorities at 757-385-4241 or submit a tip online.

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Sources:
13 News Now
Pilot Online
Virginia Beach Police Department

The Suspicious Death of Michelle Thomas

 

Michelle Thomas was found deceased alongside a highway in Wagner, Oklahoma during June 2005. The young woman was only 25 years old at the time of her death. The investigation into Michelle's death has been open and unsolved for over two decades. Many of the details, including how Michelle died, remain a mystery to this day. 

Michelle's stepfather, John Waggoner, worked as a police dispatcher for the Talihina Police Department at the time of Michelle's death. On June 23rd, 2005, Waggoner was driving along State Highway 1 when he noticed a passerby had stopped at a pull-off at the State Highway 82 junction. He decided to pull over himself to check the scene. It was then that Waggoner saw something unexpected about 10 feet away from the road: the badly decomposed body of his stepdaughter.

Michelle's body was ultimately identified via dental records. An investigation into Michelle's death was immediately launched, but a cause of death was unable to be determined. Detectives stated that this was due to her body having been left in the Oklahoma summer heat for nearly two days, which sped up decomposition. 

At first, Waggoner thought Michelle might have gotten hit by a car. However, investigators reportedly said that Michelle did not have any broken bones, nor did she have any other obvious signs of trauma. Additionally, a toxicology report ruled that Michelle did not have any drugs or alcohol in her system at the time of her death.

According to reports, Michelle was last seen alive during the early morning hours of June 22nd, 2005. She had been at her grandmother's home in Talihina but left the residence on foot around 2:00 AM. For unknown reasons, she left her car behind. Michelle was later seen walking in downtown Talihina around 4:30 AM - an area close to where her body was later found. 

Investigators questioned the people in Michelle's life but were unable to find a person of interest. Michelle's ex-boyfriend, with whom she had recently broken up, was cooperative with the investigation and is not believed to have been involved in her death. It is unknown if Michelle was seen with anyone else in the hours leading up to her passing. 

Michelle's family members have pointed out some other suspicious circumstances surrounding her death as well. Michelle always had long blonde hair, but when her body was found, her hair was short and black.  Additionally, Waggoner has questioned why or how there were seemingly no witnesses. The location along the highway where Michelle was found reportedly has a decent amount of traffic throughout the night. How is it possible that nobody saw anything until the evening of June 23rd?

That question, along with the many other questions in this case, remain unanswered. Michelle's death has been classified as a cold case by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. If you have any information that could help solve her case, please contact the OSBI at cold.case@osbi.ok.gov.

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Sources:
Oklahoma Cold Case Files
The Oklahoman
Sirens: A Southern True Crime Podcast

The Disappearance and Murder of Victoria Ochoa

 

Victoria Ochoa vanished at the age of 27 during August 2005. The mother-of-four lived in Clarksville, Tennessee at the time of her disappearance. She was last seen alive at a BP gas station on Providence Blvd. Victoria never returned home and was subsequently reported missing on August 15th, after she missed the birthday of one of her sons. 

Over six months passed without any sign of Victoria. Then, on February 21st, 2006, human remains were found under a mattress inside an abandoned home on D Street. Those skeletal remains were later identified as that of Victoria Ochoa. Her death was labeled a homicide.

The abandoned home where Victoria's remains were found is located less than half a mile away from the BP station where she was last seen alive. Years have passed since her tragic death, and detectives are still trying to piece together the circumstances under which Victoria left the gas station, and the events that followed. No suspects or persons of interest have ever been publicly identified.

Victoria's case grew cold fairly early into the investigation. In 2016 - over a decade after her death - it was announced that a team of cold case detectives was reopening the case. As of today, the case remains opened, and a monetary reward is available in exchange for information that could help solve Victoria's murder.

If you have any information that could help solve this case, please contact Detective Michael Ulrey at 931-648-0656 ext. 5483 or Crime Stoppers at 931-645-TIPS (8477).

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Sources:
ABC 2, (2)
Clarksville Now
Fox 17 Nashville
News 5 Nashville

The Disappearance of Alex Aleman

Source: NamUs

Alex Aleman has been missing since July 27th, 2005. The then-24-year-old was last seen in Dallas, Texas. On the day he vanished, Alex went to work as usual. However, at some point during his shift, he abruptly left the job after telling his coworkers he was going to California. Alex has never been seen or heard from again.

Alex's family members stated that he does not have any ties to California and it's unknown why he would say he was traveling there. He has ties to Arizona, but there does not appear to be any evidence that he went there either. Alex was also reportedly active in the Dallas gay community prior to vanishing, but no one in his inner circle has seen or heard from him since the day of his disappearance. 

Various sources indicate that Alex was going through a hard time at the time went missing. He was reportedly upset with family members and depressed after going through a recent breakup. He was also known to be a "heavy drug user" - although it is unknown if this plays a role in his disappearance. 

There are not many details available about Alex's case. Two decades have passed without any sign of him. Detectives in Irving, Texas have investigative agency over Alex's case. If you have any information that could help solve his disappearance, please contact authorities at 972-273-1030.

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Sources:
Charley Project
Count Every Mystery
NamUs
Track Missing
Uncovered

The Disappearance of Siphat Chau

 

Siphat Chau vanished during the early morning hours of December 24th, 2005. At the time, the 19-year-old was visiting his family in Portland, Maine for the holidays. Siphat was last sitting on the couch at his parent's house between 12:30 and 1:00 AM. Hours later, when his family woke up, they noticed Siphat was gone. He has never been seen or heard from again.

Siphat left many of his personal belongings behind, including his wallet, car, and keys. It's believed that he was wearing jeans, a red sweatshirt, and Timberland boots at the time he went missing. Other than that, there are very few details available about the events leading up to his disappearance.

Loved ones of Siphat noted that his sudden absence was incredibly uncharacteristic. Friends described Siphat as charming and smart. He graduated with honors from Portland High School and earned a partial scholarship to University of Maine in Orono. 

However, like many recent high school graduates, Siphat was unsure of his future. He reportedly waited until the last minute to decide to enroll at the university for the fall 2005 semester. Siphat majored in business and finished his first semester, but did not register for classes for the spring semester.

 

Several reports note that Siphat was having financial difficulties at the time due to online gambling. His family reportedly asked him to come back to Portland indefinitely to be closer to his support system. Siphat's friends and family also noted that he did not often talk to them about his personal issues. Despite this, they have never believed he would voluntarily stay out-of-touch. 

Both Portland Police and Bangor Police have investigative agency in Siphat's disappearance. If you have any information that could help solve Siphat's case, please contact the Portland Police Department at 207-874-8575 or the Bangor Police Department at 207-947-7384.

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Sources:
Charley Project
Portland Police
Tapatalk
Websleuths
WGME 1

The Disappearance of Jamie Jo Travis

Source: Cook County Sheriff's Office

Jamie Jo Travis vanished at the age of 27 on August 30th, 2005. The young woman was last seen at the Taft Homes public housing complex in Peoria, Illinois. She disappeared at some point during the evening and has never been seen or heard from again.

According to The Doe Network, Jamie spoke on the phone to a friend on the night of her disappearance. Said friend offered her a ride home after he was done with work at 10:30 PM. However, when the friend later drove to Madison Street to pick her up, Jamie was nowhere to be found. 

Additional details about Jamie's disappearance are unknown. Online records and reports indicate that she was struggling with drug addiction at the time she vanished. Various reports state that she was pregnant at the time of her disappearance as well. 

Nearly two decades have passed, and Jamie's disappearance remains an unsolved cold case. Both the Cook County Sheriff's Office and the Peoria Police Department have been listed as investigators in the case. If you have any information that could help the investigation, please contact authorities at 309-673-4521 or submit a tip online. 

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Sources:
Charley Project
Cook County Sheriff's Office
The Doe Network

The Disappearance of Carina Lynn Karras

Source: Cook County Sheriff's Office

Carina Lynn Karras has been missing since December 31st, 2005. The then-20-year-old was last seen boarding a train in Grayslake, Illinois. It's believed Carina's destination was Las Vegas, Nevada - as she planned to move to that area. However, after getting on the train, Carina was never seen or heard from again. 

It's unknown if Carina ever reached her destination, or if she exited the train at a different location. Various reports about her case state that she was supposed to meet a friend in Vegas - but it appears that the identity of said friend is unknown. Other than that, there is very little verified information available about Carina's case.

In 2018, a family member of Carina's commented on a post about Carina on the Charley Project blog. The poster shared that both the family and police have reached out to several people regarding her disappearance but have yet to find answers. The poster replied to another comment stating, in part, "The story is jacked up and I’ve reached out to the people you are speculating about. The police have as well. They were dead ends."

Source: Charley Project blog.

The same poster later commented that they also reached out to Carina's boyfriend at the time of her disappearance. The boyfriend said that Carina "blew him off" on the night she went missing. However, no further information about the boyfriend has been shared.

Source: Charley Project blog.

Various comments online indicate that Carina was involved in sex work prior to her disappearance. It's unclear if this plays a role in her case. Nearly two decades have passed, and Carina's case remains cold.

Although she was believed to be traveling out of state at the time of her disappearance, the Chicago Police are the investigating agency in Carina's case. If you have any information that could help solve the case, please contact the Chicago Police Department at 312-744-8200 or submit a tip online.

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Sources:
Charley Project
Charley Project Blog
Cook County Sheriff's Office
Websleuths

Twenty Years Later: Still Unsolved (2025)

Many unsolved missing persons cases and unsolved murder cases featured on True Case Files turn 20 years old this year. After 2 decades, the loved ones of these missing persons/homicide victims are still searching for answers.  Here's a signal boost of the cases from 2005 that are still unsolved:

Listed by date of occurrence.

Jump to: Missing since 2005 | Unsolved since 2005 |

MISSING SINCE 2005:

Name: Amy Hauter

Missing since: Jan. 15, 2005

Last seen in: Fern Creek, KY

Age at disappearance: 14

Age now: 34

Case details: The Disappearance of Amy Lyn Hauter.

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Name: Heather Emmalee Bush

Missing since: Jan. 15, 2005

Last seen in: Modesto, CA

Age at disappearance: 13

Age now: 33

Case details: The Disappearance of Heather Emmalee Bush.

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Name: Asia Martin

Missing since: May 27, 2005

Last seen in: Hattiesburg, MS

Age at disappearance: 19

Age now: 39

Case details: The Disappearance of Asia Martin.

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Name: Jasmine Earl

Missing since: June 14, 2005

Last seen in: DeKalb County, GA

Age at disappearance: 18

Age now: 38

Case details: The Disappearance of Jasmine Earl.

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Name: JoJo Boswell

Missing since: July 11, 2005

Last seen in: Steele County, MN

Age at disappearance: 19

Age now: 39

Case details: The Disappearance of JoJo Boswell.

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Name: Madeline Edman

Missing since: July 29, 2005

Last seen in: La Crosse, WI

Age at disappearance: 15

Age now: 35

Case details: The Disappearance of Madeline Edman.

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Name: Mia Santiago

Missing since: Aug. 20, 2005

Last seen in: Brooklyn, NY

Age at disappearance: 16

Age now: 36

Case details: The Disappearance of Mia Santiago.

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Name: Jamie Jo Travis

Missing since: Aug. 30, 2005

Last seen in: Peoria, IL

Age at disappearance: 27

Age now: 47

Case details: The Disappearance of Jamie Jo Travis.

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Name: Siphat Chau

Missing since: Dec. 24, 2005

Last seen in: Portland, ME

Age at disappearance: 19

Age now: 39

Case details: The Disappearance of Siphat Chau.

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Name: Carina Lynn Karras

Missing since: Dec. 31, 2005

Last seen in: Grayslake, IL

Age at disappearance: 20

Age now: 40

Case details: The Disappearance of Carina Lynn Karras.

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UNSOLVED SINCE 2005:

Name: Christina White (18)

Case type: Disappearance and murder.

Missing: June 30, 2005

Remains found: Mar. 10, 2006

Location: Saratoga Springs, NY

Teenage girl vanishes from her mother's New York home; nine months later she is found deceased less than ten miles away. An autopsy determined she was stabbed.

Case details: The Murders of Jennifer Hammond & Christina White.

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Name: Alexandra 'Alex' Anaya (13)

Case type: Murder; dismemberment.

Missing: Aug. 13, 2005

Remains found: Aug. 16, 2005

Location: Hammond, IN

Indiana teen vanishes from her home; her torso is found 3 days later. FBI involved in the case.

Case details: The Murder of Alexandra 'Alex' Anaya

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Name: Kayla Reed (15)

Case type: Disappearance and murder.

Missing: Dec. 2, 2005

Remains found: Jan. 10, 2006

Location: Livermore, CA

California teen vanished overnight. A month later, her body was found in the Delta Mendota canal. Who killed Kayla Reed?

Case details: The Disappearance & Murder of Kayla Reed.

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Name: Chairo Garibay (20)

Case type: Disappearance and murder.

Missing: Dec. 11, 2005

Remains found: Jan. 2006

Location: Yuba County, CA

Young woman vanished from her family's California home; weeks later her body was found less than a mile away. 

Case details: The Murder of Chairo Garibay.

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The Disappearance of Amy Lyn Hauter

Source: Help us Find Amy Hauter (Facebook)

Amy Lyn Hauter vanished at the age of 14 on January 15th, 2005. She was last seen at her residence in Fern Creek, Kentucky. Amy left home at some point overnight and never returned. Her loved ones have never seen or heard from her again.

The night before Amy's disappearance began as a seemingly normal evening. She met up with friends at the movies and was afterwards picked up from the theater by her mother. Amy's mother said she later went to check on Amy during the early morning hours only to find that she had left the residence again. 

According to reports, Amy was a "chronic runaway" and drug user during 2004-2005. Due to this, Amy's mother first thought that she would return after a few days. When Amy did not return by January 18th, her mother filed a missing person's report. 

Amy was classified as a runaway upon being reported missing, and as such, her case did not receive much media attention. In June 2006, a local news report listed Amy as one of four missing children in the Louisville area. The report noted that investigators still believed the children, including Amy, were still alive and possibly still in the Kentuckiana area. 

Several years have passed since that report, and Amy has still not been found. There does not appear to be any additional evidence that she is alive; there has been no indication of her getting a driver's license, nor has she accessed any sort of bank accounts. Amy's family does not believe she would voluntarily stay out of touch for this long.

Amy's disappearance is considered a cold case. If you have any information that could solve the case, please contact the Louisville Metro Police Department at 502-574-2111.

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Sources:
Charley Project
Front Page Detectives
Help us Find Amy Hauter
Louisville Police
WAVE 3
WDRB

The Disappearance of Heather Emmalee Bush

Source: Facebook

Heather Emmalee Bush has been missing since January 15th, 2005. She was only 13 years-old at the time of her disappearance. Heather was last seen at her grandparents' house in Modesto, California. She left the residence at some point on the day of her disappearance and never returned. Heather has never been seen or heard from again. 

Heather's disappearance was classified as a runaway case from the beginning, and it remains at that status today. Details about Heather's life at the time she vanished are unknown. The events leading up to her disappearance are unknown as well. 

A flyer for Heather's missing persons' case describes her as a Caucasian female with brown hair and blue eyes. The poster also states that she has a burn mark on her abdomen and is missing the tip of her left pinky finger. Heather was approximately 4'11" and 110 pounds when she went missing, but since she was only 13 years old at the time, it's possible that she would be taller today. 

Age-progressed picture of Heather. (Source: NCMEC)

In recent years, relatives of Heather have been trying to spread awareness about her disappearance on Facebook. Other than that, though, there has been very little reporting on Heather's case. News about her case appears to be nonexistent. 

Detectives in Ripon, California have agency over Heather's case. If you have any information about Heather's disappearance and/or whereabouts, please contact the Ripon Police Department at 209-599-2102.

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Sources:
California Department of Justice
Charley Project
Facebook
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
Websleuths

The Disappearance of Jasmine Earl

source: NamUs

Jasmine Earl has been missing since June 14th, 2005. The then-18-year-old was last seen in DeKalb County, Georgia. Jasmine was driving a blue 1989 Chevrolet Astro van at the time of her disappearance. She has never been seen or heard from again. 

Several months later, in February 2006, the van that Jasmine was driving was found abandoned in 4600 block of Dawson Road. No further sign of Jasmine was found on the scene. According to family members, the van did not provide any additional clues about Jasmine's disappearance.

There has been very little news reporting about Jasmine's case. However, in late 2005, a thread about her disappearance was created on Websleuths. A cousin of Jasmine's posted to the thread and provided additional details that have not been provided by police or the media. 

The cousin wrote, in part, "What we know so far is that she was last seen at the Washington Mutual bank on Chamblee-Tucker Rd."  According to the cousin, Jasmine's family was told that the bank does not have cameras outside their location. Her whereabouts and actions after leaving the bank remain unknown. 

Jasmine's cousin also posted that it is unusual for Jasmine to be out of touch with her loved ones. Police initially thought that she left on her own accord; however, there does not appear to be any evidence to suggest that she planned to leave and stay out of contact with her family. 

The Websleuths thread has been inactive since 2006/2007. The information provided by the cousin has not been confirmed by authorities, who have overall remained quiet about the investigation into Jasmine's disappearance. As such, there are many unanswered questions. 

The discovery of Jasmine's van is a source of some of those unanswered questions. The vehicle was found in a location approximately five to six miles away from Chamblee-Tucker Road. How did it end up in that area? How long had the van been there? Did Jasmine herself park it in the spot where it was found? At this time, all of this information still remains unknown. 

Jasmine remains missing today. The DeKalb County Sheriff's Department is in charge of her case. If you have any information that could lead to her whereabouts, please contact authorities at 404-297-2574.

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Sources:
Charley Project
NamUs
Uncovered
Websleuths

Unsolved Murders: Jennifer Hammond & Christina White from Milton, New York

Jennifer Hammond (left), Christina White (right)

Jennifer Hammond (nicknamed 'Moonbeam' by her friends) vanished at the age of 18 on August 1st, 2003. Prior to her disappearance, Jennifer had a job selling magazines and she lived with her co-workers at a hotel in Albany, New York. On the day she vanished, Jennifer's co-workers dropped her off at the Creek & Pines mobile home park in Milton so she could sell magazine subscriptions door-to-door. When Jennifer's co-workers returned to the mobile home park later to pick her up, she was nowhere to be found. She never returned to the hotel in Albany and was never seen or heard from again.

Nearly two years later, another young woman disappeared from the Milton area. On June 30th, 2005, 19-year-old Christina White seemingly vanished without a trace. She was last seen by her mother at the home they shared at the Stockade mobile home park. The Stockade mobile community is located less than two miles from Creek & Pines, where Jennifer was last seen in 2003.

900 Rock City Road: Stockade Mobile Homes, where Christina lived. 855 Middleline Road: Creek & Pines, where Jennifer was last seen.

Nine months later, on March 10th, 2006, Christina's remains were found in the Daketown Forest in Greenfield. Forensics revealed that Christina had been stabbed multiple times. Due to the state of her body, it was believed that she had been killed shortly after her disappearance.

Christina's death was officially classified as a homicide and detectives continued to investigate it as such, however they had very few leads to chase. Meanwhile, Jennifer Hammond remained missing. Then, on October 26th, 2009, a hunter found a human skull on Lake Desolation Forest in Greenfield. The location where the skull was found is a little over three miles from the location where Christina's remains were found.

Forensic testing and dental records confirmed that the skull belong to Jennifer Hammond, who had vanished six years earlier in 2003. Her death was classified as a homicide. Investigators found it quite suspicious that two young women around the same age had vanished from the same area and had been found murdered in close proximity. From that point forward, detectives have announced that they believe Jennifer and Christina were killed by the same person(s).

In 2023, a 46-year-old man named Craig Nelson Ross Jr. was arrested and charged with kidnapping 9-year-old Charlotte Sena from a campground in Moreau Lake State Park. Fingerprints from a ransom note left behind by Ross led authorities to his mother's home in Milton. Charlotte was luckily found alive, hidden inside a cupboard at the home. Ross was subsequently arrested and charged with kidnapping. 

Authorities are now investigating whether or not Ross played a role in the disappearances and murders and Jennifer and Christina. At this time, he has not been charged with anything related to their cases. However, the investigation is ongoing. 

If you have any information that could help the investigation, please contact the Saratoga Springs Police Department at (518) 584-1800.

DISCLAIMER: The purpose of this post is to spread awareness about this case. The information provided in this post is information that was found through various sources on the internet. If any information on this post is inaccurate, please contact the author via email at truecasefiles@gmail.com or through Instagram and the errors can be corrected. Additionally, if you have any information that could improve the accuracy or quality of this post, please contact the author. 

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