Christopher Enoch Abeyta’s disappearance from his Colorado Springs home baffled everyone.
He was a cute 7-month-old with blue eyes and blond hair when he disappeared from his crib in the early hours of July 15, 1986.
His family hopes a photo composite of what Christopher might look like at age 23 will bring new clues into his disappearance or his whereabouts.
His sister Denise Alves recently went to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in Washington, D.C., and met with a forensic artist.
With the help of a state-of-the-art computer, the artist used pictures of Christopher’s six siblings and his parents when they were in their 20s, and came up with the photo composite.
“We have an ongoing investigation and are extremely optimistic we will have closure to this,” Alves said from her home in Colorado Springs. “We are very excited.”
She was one of the last people to see her brother. She was 15 and the next-youngest of the Abeyta children.
On the night of July 14, 1986, she was holding Christopher when he fell asleep. She went into her parent’s bedroom along with her mom, Bernice Abeyta, and placed her sleeping brother in his crib.
When her mother awoke about 6 a.m., Christopher wasn’t there.
Alves said that her mother initially thought her youngest daughter had taken the baby to her room.
“She ran into my room. She was yelling ‘Christopher,’ saw he wasn’t there, and told me that Christopher isn’t in the crib,” Alves said.
Minutes later, the family found that the front door, which had not been locked that night, was open.
Alves said a retired homicide detective from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children is helping with the investigation.
Lt. David Whitlock, spokesman for the Colorado Springs Police Department, said the Abeyta family has recently had contact with his department.
He added, “We follow up on any information we get on this case and any case like it.”
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com
