Girl, 13, who vanished in Arizona in 1994 found alive
· Toronto Sun
A 13-year-old girl who disappeared without a trace from a small community in Arizona in 1994 has been found alive.
Christina Marie Plante, now 44, was located and identified earlier this week, finally bringing the missing person case to a close, the Gila County Sheriff’s Office announced in a news release .
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Plante was last seen on May 15, 199r, leaving her home in Star Valley to walk to a nearby stable where her horse was kept.
Missing person flyers that were circulated around the community noted she was wearing a white T-shirt, multicoloured shorts and black tennis shoes.
Authorities at the time said they believed the blue-eyed blonde was “endangered.”
Local law enforcement, volunteers and other resources conducted extensive searches to no avail.
The case, however, was never formally closed, and Plante’s information remained in national missing‑children databases.
Renewed cold-case push
A renewed push by the office’s cold case unit and advances in technology and modern investigative techniques, including an updated description and age progression photo of Plante, ultimately led to a breakthrough.
“After 32 years, Christina Marie Plante has been located alive. Investigators have confirmed her identity, and her status as a missing person has been officially resolved,” the sheriff’s office said.
It added that “out of respect for Christina’s privacy and well-being,” no further details would be released about the circumstances surrounding her disappearance or how or where she was found.
The sheriff’s office added that they remain “committed to pursuing all unresolved cases and encourages anyone with information regarding other cold cases to come forward.”
Plante’s case comes after Michele Hundley Smith, a 38-year-old North Carolina woman reported missing in 2001 after going Christmas shopping, was found “alive and well” after almost 25 years .
Questions remain surrounding Smith’s disappearance as the woman, now 62, requested her whereabouts remain undisclosed to her family.