Missing
Christina Marchell Richart
Christina, approximately 1999
Date and time person was reported missing : 06/01/1999
Missing location (approx) :
Ozark, Arkansas
Missing classification : Endangered Missing
Gender : Female
Ethnicity :
White
DOB : 02/07/1985 (36)
Age at the time of disappearance: 14 years old
Height / Weight : 5'6, 125 - 150 pounds
Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos
: Caucasian female. Blonde/brown hair, blue/green eyes.
Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : Christina was last seen in Ozark, Arkansas during the summer of 1999. She was reported Missing location (approx) : Fordyce, Arkansas; her family moved there shortly after her disappearance. She never re-enrolled in school for the fall of that year and has never been heard from again.
Christina was born in DeQueen, Arkansas and lived in Fordyce and in Idabel, Oklahoma during her childhood. One of her younger brothers died in 1993, and her father died of cancer in 1999.
She and her two surviving younger brothers went to live with their father's brother, Charles Walter "Bubba" Richart and his wife, Wanda Faye Richart, in 1997 because their mother was unable to care for them. Later that year, one of Christina's brothers was removed from the home by the Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS) after it was alleged that Wanda abused him.
Christina disappeared in 1999. In the spring of 2000, the DHS removed her other brother from Wanda and Charles's home due to abuse allegations. He was subsequently adopted by another family, and it was his adoptive mother that ultimately reported Christina missing in 2005.
Wanda and Charles told authorities Christina had gone to California voluntarily with a great-aunt. Charles said she had called them several times after her departure and sounded happy, but the calls stopped in April 2000. Investigators did not realize this story was untrue until 2005, six years after Christina's disappearance.
The Richarts continued to cash Social Security benefit checks for Christina for eighteen months after she went missing. In February 2008, authorities unsealed a federal indictment charging Wanda and Charles with making false statements to law enforcement about Christina's disappearance.
Early in 2008, Joann Holdman, who lived with the Richarts in 1999, came forward and told investigators that Christina was dead and she'd witnessed what happened. Holdman said Wanda and Christina had an argument that day. Wanda told Christina she needed a bath, forced her into the bathroom, shut the door and filled the tub.
Holdman heard splashing, crying and Wanda and Christina shouting at each other for about fifteen minutes. Then she heard a thud and Christina suddenly became silent. When the bathroom door opened, Christina was lying motionless in front of the bathtub. Holdman said she wasn't breathing and didn't have a pulse, and had a "mushy spot" on her head.
Holdman was 18 years old and pregnant at the time, and she said she didn't come forward with her information until 2008 because Wanda repeatedly threatened her life and the life of her child. She moved out of the house about a month after Christina's death.
Charles was held under house arrest awaiting trial and Wanda was incarcerated. In June 2008, Charles pleaded guilty to conspiring to make a false statement to the FBI and confessed he had buried Christina's body in the Ozark Forest.
Charles said he wasn't present when Christina died, wasn't aware Wanda had threatened other witnesses, and didn't conspire with Wanda to invent the story about Christina being in California. He admitted he had lied to FBI Age at the time of disappearance: nts, however, and admitted he knew Wanda was lying to them.
Wanda was found guilty of two federal charges, including one count of conspiracy to make a false statement and one count of making a false statement, in December 2009 and sentenced to the maximum term of ten years in prison.
In January 2010, she pleaded no contest to one count of second-degree murder and was sentenced to 30 years in prison, consecutive to her previous sentence. The court also found that Wanda Richart physically and Gender : ually abused Christina and her brothers, and ordered her to participate in Gender : offender treatment and not have contact with minors after her release from prison.
Christina's body has never been recovered, but foul play is suspected in her case due to the circumstances involved.
Other information and links : ncy
Arkansas State Police
870-226-3713
September 2021 updates and sources
Missing Children�s Statistics
One Missing Child Is One Too Many
The lack of a common definition of �missing child,� and a common response to the issue, results in few reliable statistics on the scope of the problem around the world.
Even with this challenge, we know that:
In Australia, an estimated 20,000 children are reported missing every year.
Australian Federal Police, National Coordination Centre.
In Canada, an estimated 45,288 children are reported missing each year.
Government of Canada, Canada�s Missing � 2015 Fast Fact Sheet.
In Germany, an estimated 100,000 children are reported missing each year.
Initiative Vermisste Kinder.
In India, an estimated 96,000 children go missing each year.
Bachpan Bachao Andolan, Missing Children of India.
In Jamaica, an estimated 1,984 children were reporting missing in 2015.
Jamaica�s Office of Children�s Registry
In Russia, an estimated 45,000 children were reported missing in 2015.
Interview with Pavel Astakhov MIA �Russia Today�, Apr. 4, 2016.
In Spain, an estimated 20,000 children are reported missing every year.
Spain Joins EU Hotline for Missing Children, Sep. 22, 2010.
In the United Kingdom, an estimated 112,853 children are reported missing every year.
National Crime Agency, UK Missing Persons Bureau.
In the United States, an estimated 460,000 children are reported missing every year.
Federal Bureau of Investigation, Missing Children�s Statistics
One Missing Child Is One Too Many
The lack of a common definition of �missing child,� and a common response to the issue, results in few reliable statistics on the scope of the problem around the world.
Even with this challenge, we know that:
In Australia, an estimated 20,000 children are reported missing every year.
Australian Federal Police, National Coordination Centre.
In Canada, an estimated 45,288 children are reported missing each year.
Government of Canada, Canada�s Missing � 2015 Fast Fact Sheet.
In Germany, an estimated 100,000 children are reported missing each year.
Initiative Vermisste Kinder.
In India, an estimated 96,000 children go missing each year.
Bachpan Bachao Andolan, Missing Children of India.
In Jamaica, an estimated 1,984 children were reporting missing in 2015.
Jamaica�s Office of Children�s Registry
In Russia, an estimated 45,000 children were reported missing in 2015.
Interview with Pavel Astakhov MIA �Russia Today�, Apr. 4, 2016.
In Spain, an estimated 20,000 children are reported missing every year.
Spain Joins EU Hotline for Missing Children, Sep. 22, 2010.
In the United Kingdom, an estimated 112,853 children are reported missing every year.
National Crime Agency, UK Missing Persons Bureau.
In the United States, an estimated 460,000 children are reported missing every year.
Federal Bureau of Investigation, NCIC.
This, however, is only a snapshot of the problem. In many countries, statistics on missing children are not even available; and, unfortunately, even available statistics may be inaccurate due to: under-reporting/under-recognition; inflation; incorrect database entry of case information; and deletion of records once a case is closed.
The lack of numbers, and the discrepancy in the numbers that do exist, is one of the key reasons why ICMEC developed and advocates for the Model Missing Child Framework, which assists countries with building strong, well-rounded national responses, and facilitates more efficient investigations, management, and resolution of missing children cases.
We firmly believe that one missing child is one too many, and we are committed to improving the global understanding of and response to missing and abducted children.
Here is a look at missing children in the United States. There are several different types of missing children: runaways, family abductions, lost or �thrown away� and non-family abductions. Advances in technology, communications through public alerts and greater cooperation from law enforcement have facilitated the recovery process.
Statistics
According to the FBI�s National Crime Information Center (NCIC) Missing Person File, there are 89,637 active missing person records, of which juveniles under the age of 18 account for 30,396 (34%) of the records. (as of December 31, 2020)
AMBER Alert
�AMBER (America�s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response) Alerts are emergency messages broadcast when a law enforcement agency determines that a child has been abducted and is in imminent danger. The broadcasts include information about the child and the abductor, including physical descriptions as well as information about the abductor�s vehicle - which could lead to the child�s recovery.�
The AMBER Alert system began in 1996 and was named in honor of Amber Hagerman, a 9-year-old who was abducted in Arlington, Texas, and murdered.
All 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands have AMBER Alert plans in place to help find missing children in danger.
As of December 2020, the AMBER Alert program has been credited with the safe recovery of 1029 children..
This, however, is only a snapshot of the problem. In many countries, statistics on missing children are not even available; and, unfortunately, even available statistics may be inaccurate due to: under-reporting/under-recognition; inflation; incorrect database entry of case information; and deletion of records once a case is closed.
The lack of numbers, and the discrepancy in the numbers that do exist, is one of the key reasons why ICMEC developed and advocates for the Model Missing Child Framework, which assists countries with building strong, well-rounded national responses, and facilitates more efficient investigations, management, and resolution of missing children cases.
We firmly believe that one missing child is one too many, and we are committed to improving the global understanding of and response to missing and abducted children.
Here is a look at missing children in the United States. There are several different types of missing children: runaways, family abductions, lost or �thrown away� and non-family abductions. Advances in technology, communications through public alerts and greater cooperation from law enforcement have facilitated the recovery process.
Statistics
According to the FBI�s National Crime Information Center (Missing Children�s Statistics
One Missing Child Is One Too Many
The lack of a common definition of �missing child,� and a common response to the issue, results in few reliable statistics on the scope of the problem around the world.
Even with this challenge, we know that:
In Australia, an estimated 20,000 children are reported missing every year.
Australian Federal Police, National Coordination Centre.
In Canada, an estimated 45,288 children are reported missing each year.
Government of Canada, Canada�s Missing � 2015 Fast Fact Sheet.
In Germany, an estimated 100,000 children are reported missing each year.
Initiative Vermisste Kinder.
In India, an estimated 96,000 children go missing each year.
Bachpan Bachao Andolan, Missing Children of India.
In Jamaica, an estimated 1,984 children were reporting missing in 2015.
Jamaica�s Office of Children�s Registry
In Russia, an estimated 45,000 children were reported missing in 2015.
Interview with Pavel Astakhov MIA �Russia Today�, Apr. 4, 2016.
In Spain, an estimated 20,000 children are reported missing every year.
Spain Joins EU Hotline for Missing Children, Sep. 22, 2010.
In the United Kingdom, an estimated 112,853 children are reported missing every year.
National Crime Agency, UK Missing Persons Bureau.
In the United States, an estimated 460,000 children are reported missing every year.
Federal Bureau of Investigation, NCIC.
This, however, is only a snapshot of the problem. In many countries, statistics on missing children are not even available; and, unfortunately, even available statistics may be inaccurate due to: under-reporting/under-recognition; inflation; incorrect database entry of case information; and deletion of records once a case is closed.
The lack of numbers, and the discrepancy in the numbers that do exist, is one of the key reasons why ICMEC developed and advocates for the Model Missing Child Framework, which assists countries with building strong, well-rounded national responses, and facilitates more efficient investigations, management, and resolution of missing children cases.
We firmly believe that one missing child is one too many, and we are committed to improving the global understanding of and response to missing and abducted children.
Here is a look at missing children in the United States. There are several different types of missing children: runaways, family abductions, lost or �thrown away� and non-family abductions. Advances in technology, communications through public alerts and greater cooperation from law enforcement have facilitated the recovery process.
Statistics
According to the FBI�s National Crime Information Center (NCIC) Missing Person File, there are 89,637 active missing person records, of which juveniles under the age of 18 account for 30,396 (34%) of the records. (as of December 31, 2020)
AMBER Alert
�AMBER (America�s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response) Alerts are emergency messages broadcast when a law enforcement agency determines that a child has been abducted and is in imminent danger. The broadcasts include information about the child and the abductor, including physical descriptions as well as information about the abductor�s vehicle - which could lead to the child�s recovery.�
The AMBER Alert system began in 1996 and was named in honor of Amber Hagerman, a 9-year-old who was abducted in Arlington, Texas, and murdered.
All 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands have AMBER Alert plans in place to help find missing children in danger.
As of December 2020, the AMBER Alert program has been credited with the safe recovery of 1029 children.) Missing Person File, there are 89,637 active missing person records, of which juveniles under the age of 18 account for 30,396 (34%) of the records. (as of December 31, 2020)
AMBER Alert
�AMBER (America�s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response) Alerts are emergency messages broadcast when a law enforcement agency determines that a child has been abducted and is in imminent danger. The broadcasts include information about the child and the abductor, including physical descriptions as well as information about the abductor�s vehicle - which could lead to the child�s recovery.�
The AMBER Alert system began in 1996 and was named in honor of Amber Hagerman, a 9-year-old who was abducted in Arlington, Texas, and murdered.
All 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands have AMBER Alert plans in place to help find missing children in danger.
As of December 2020, the AMBER Alert program has been credited with the safe recovery of 1029 children.
Arkansas Crime Information Center
Northwest Arkansas News
The Morning News
Federal Bureau of Investigation, Little Rock Field Division
The Texarkana Gazette
Interactive Missing Person Search Map
