A decades-old mystery in Gila County, Arizona has been resolved: the Gila County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that Christina Maria Plante, who vanished at age 13 on May 15, 1994 after leaving her Star Valley home to walk to a nearby horse stable, has been located alive. Her disappearance was originally classified as an ‘endangered’ case under ‘suspicious circumstances’ and went cold despite extensive ground searches, interviews, and entries in national databases. A recent breakthrough came when the Sheriff’s Cold Case Unit applied modern investigative methods and advances in technology to develop new leads. Plante, now believed to be about 44 or 45 years old, has been positively identified and her missing-person status resolved. Out of respect for her desire for privacy, the Sheriff’s Office said it will not release further details about her whereabouts or the specific circumstances of her disappearance.
