Chip Chick
That fall and winter, Christian was further interviewed, and his stories continued to change. He admitted to driving the van. The locations where Erica had been buried changed. Still, Erica could not be found anywhere.
On February 4, 2005, Christian was officially charged with gross abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence, even though Erica’s remains still were undiscovered. Christian ultimately pleaded not guilty to all the charges. He claimed he was innocent in everything, and that none of his statements were voluntarily made to the police.
A jury found him guilty, and Christian was sentenced to serve 6 years behind bars. He was released from prison in June of 2011. Authorities have made attempts after Christian was released to get him to help locate her body, but he has refused.
Additionally, searches for Erica have been conducted in Kettering and most recently, Texas EquuSearch was brought in to assist this past April.
Erica loved her dog Jaime and Jaime was found without her on that February day, so authorities strongly believe that something terrible and criminal happened to Erica, though there is a possibility that she is out there somewhere alive.
National Center For Missing & Exploited Children; pictured above is an age-progressed photo of Erica
It’s been 22 years though since Erica was last seen playing at the Kettering Recreation Center with Jaime.
“We will never forget her or her family,” the Kettering Police Department wrote in a Facebook post on the anniversary of Erica’s disappearance last year.
“We are still hoping and praying for any information that could lead to finding her and solving this case.”
If you have any information related to Erica’s disappearance, the Kettering Police Department is asking that you call Detective Mason at 937.296.2583.
