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Missing

Christine Eastin

A 19 year old woman disappears while washing a car at a California car wash

  • Last updated: April 18, 2023
  • Hayward, CA
  • January 18, 1971

Overview of Christine Eastin

At just 19 years old, Christine Marie Eastin was just starting off as an independent young woman. She had recently graduated from Sunset High School and had just started classes at Chabot College, where she frequently acted in school plays, and was popular on campus.Christine's friends described her as being a very sweet, beautiful young woman, having a gentle spirit, and being very kind to everyone.

On the evening of January 18, 1971, Christine invited her friend, Sandy, to visit a local Mervyn's store so she could buy a new pair of boots. Sandy agreed and the pair spent a few hours shopping before Christine dropped Sandy off at her home at around 9:30pm. Afterwards, Christine stopped by her house for a short period of time and told her parents her plan for the remainder of the evening. She tells her parents that she would be going to wash her car, a 1969 Ford Maverick, which she was borrowing from her ex-boyfriend, George Sponsel, before going to pick him up at his job at a local Jack In The Box.

Later that night, George places a phone call to Christine's home, sharing his concern that Christine had never arrived to pick him up. The following morning, the 1969 Ford Maverick was found at Charlie's Car Wash parked near the vacuums. After someone reports the driverless car, investigators arrived on scene and noted several strange details.

Investigators noted that the car had recently been washed, the doors were locked, and Christine's personal belongings, including her purse were inside of the vehicle. Police also noted that there were several papers strewn on the pavement on the passengers side, leading them to believe that foul play may  have been involved in Christine's disappearance.

It seems that there were no answers or new information found in Christine's case in the 28 years that had passed since her disappearance, until 1999. Although a small piece of information, investigators believed that by releasing an age-progression image of what Christine may look like at 47 years old, could lead to more answers.

In 2005, things seemed to heat up once again, when a $50,000 reward was offered by Arnold  Schwarzenegger, the Governor of California at the time. After the reward is announced, a billboard is funded and set to be erected in late February of 2005 near the car wash where Christine disappeared. After this, things went quiet again, until 2019.

Sometime in 2019, an unidentified witness came forward to investigators to explain what they had witnessed on the night of Christine's disappearance. According to this witness, they had seen two men abduct Christine at the car wash before driving off in a white van. The witness was only able to get a clear look at the driver of the van while the other put Christine into the back of the van. The witness described the van as having distinctive rectangular side mirrors which are known as "West Coast Mirrors". That September, a sketch of the suspect was released to the public.

The latest update in Christine's case came in January of 2020, when investigators made a public plea for information. There is currently a $50,000 reward being offered for information leading to the conviction of the individual(s) responsible for Christine's Disappearance. Christine's sister, Vicki, continues to search for answers in the disappearance, even though it's been more than 51 years since she last saw Christine.

When she was last seen, Christine had blonde hair, blue eyes, stood around 5'7 tall, and weighed approximately 130 lbs. She was last seen wearing a black/brown leather coat, black boots, blue slacks, a red, white, and blue pinstripe tunic, and a bluish gold scarf. If you have any information, contact Detective Ryan Sprague of the Hayward Police Department at (510) 293-7176 or submit a tip anonymously through the Federal Bureau of Investigation's tip line at (800) CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or through their online tip form.

Information

  1. Date Missing:January 18, 1971
  2. Birthday:January 4, 1952
  3. Current Age:72
  4. Age at Incident:19
  5. NAMUS Number:MP8173
  6. Race:Caucasian / White
  7. Gender:Female
  8. Height:5'7"
  9. Weight:130 lbs
  10. Hair Color:Blonde

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