Missing
Christine Muriel Flahive
Flahive, approximately 1995; Phillip Barr, approximately 2018; Jonathan Payne in 1996
Date and time person was reported missing : 01/05/1995
Missing location (approx) :
Punta Gorda, Florida
Missing classification : Endangered Missing
Gender : Female
Ethnicity :
White
DOB : 07/01/1952 (69)
Age at the time of disappearance: 42 years old
Height / Weight : 5'6, 140 pounds
Medical conditions : Flahive is mentally disabled.
Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos
: Caucasian female. Blonde hair, brown eyes. Flahive's ears are pierced. She has a full-stemmed rose tattoo on her outer left leg that extends from her knee to her ankle, and tattoos on both arms and on her right wrist. She is missing a front tooth.
Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : Flahive told her family she planned to pay bills in downtown Punta Gorda, Florida during the day of January 5, 1995. She was last seen during the late evening hours in the parking lot of the U-Save grocery store. Flahive's father discovered his daughter may have been inside J.D.'s Lounge sometime during the night as well; she was a regular there.
She has never been heard from again. An extensive investigation produced little evidence regarding her whereabouts. Investigators believe foul play was involved in her case; they think she was killed by some person or persons she knew and that the suspect(s) probably still live in the local area. They stated she frequented bars and restaurants in Punta Gorda, and they think whoever was responsible for her disappearance may have also gone to the same establishments.
Phillip Barr is considered a possible suspect in Flahive's case. In 2015, he was convicted of the 2001 murder of a nineteen-year-old Punta Gorda woman and sentenced to life in prison. A photo of Barr is posted with this case summary. In 2019, authorities searched a twelve-acre area near Barr's former home for Flahive's body, but turned up nothing. He is still considered a person of interest, however.
Another suspect is Jonathan Charles Payne, a regular at several bars and restaurants Flahive went to, including J.D.'s Lounge. He died of natural causes in 2011, at the Age at the time of disappearance: of 49. A photo of Payne is posted with this case summary. Investigators believe he lived on Rollins Street at the time of Flahive's disappearance. He worked in the construction industry in 1995 and it's possible he used heavy construction equipment to dispose of her body.
Flahive was employed as a cocktail waitress at the time of her 1995 disappearance. She was involved in the biker culture and may have abused drugs and alcohol. Her case remains unsolved.
Other information and links : ncy
Charlotte County Sheriff's Department
941-575-5361
September 2021 updates and sources
Child Protection Education of America
The Sarasota Herald-Tribune
The Doe Network
A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are not known. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found (such as at sea), or many other reasons. In most parts of the world, a missing person will usually be found quickly. While criminal abductions are some of the most widely reported missing person cases, these account for only 2�5% of missing children in Europe.
By contrast, some missing person cases remain unresolved for many years. Laws related to these cases are often complex since, in many jurisdictions, relatives and third parties may not deal with a person's assets until their death is considered proven by law and a formal death certificate issued. The situation, uncertainties, and lack of closure or a funeral resulting when a person goes missing may be extremely painful with long-lasting effects on family and friends.
Several organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and imAge at the time of disappearance: s of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations, including the International Commission on Missing Persons, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), as well as national organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US, Missing People in the UK, Child Focus in Belgium, and The Smile of the Child in Greece.
Fox 4 Now
The Caledonian Record
WWSB 7
The Port Charlotte Sun
Interactive Missing Person Search Map
