Key facts
- Name: Kristal Anne Reisinger
- Born: 1987, Phoenix, Arizona
- Age at disappearance: 29
- Last seen: July 13, 2016 (last confirmed sighting, at her residence in downtown Crestone)
- Location: Crestone, Saguache County, Colorado
- Height / build: 5’6″; mother of one young daughter (Kasha)
- Status: Still missing — Saguache County Sheriff’s Office and Colorado Bureau of Investigation believe foul play was involved; no arrests; no remains recovered
- Reward: $20,000
- Case numbers: Not publicly confirmed
- Investigating agency: Saguache County Sheriff’s Office — 719-655-2525; anonymous tip line 720-741-7410
The last confirmed day
The last time anyone can say for certain they saw Kristal Reisinger alive was July 13, 2016, at her residence in downtown Crestone, Colorado.
Some people later claimed they saw her after that — at a full moon drum circle, the kind of gathering that is ordinary life in Crestone, a tiny town at the foot of the Sangre de Cristos known for its spiritual centers, its transients, and its seekers. Investigators have never confirmed those sightings.
What is confirmed is what she left behind: her phone, her purse, her laptop, and her medication — all in her locked apartment, with no signs of a struggle. And what stopped: her daily calls to her young daughter.
Kristal had moved to Crestone from Denver seeking two things the town promises — enlightenment and sobriety. She worked at the Crestone Brewing Company. She was, by all accounts, a vibrant mother, a clairvoyant and medium (as FOX31 Denver described her), a spiritual seeker.
Days before she vanished, she told multiple people she had been drugged and raped. Nine days later, she was gone. It took weeks before anyone even filed a report — her landlord reported her missing after the rent went unpaid.
The investigation
In 2018, the Saguache County Sheriff’s Office and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation announced they believed foul play was the cause of Kristal’s disappearance. The case has been treated as a homicide investigation since.
The case gained national attention as the subject of Up and Vanished Season 2, Payne Lindsey’s hit true-crime podcast, which documented local interviews, law-enforcement efforts, and conflicting witness accounts. On the show, John Keenan — known locally as “Catfish John” — gave an on-record interview stating that Kristal had come to his residence, that they spent time together, and that she left the following day. That, to his recollection, was the last time he saw her alive.
Online, the case has generated a fog of rumor — including unverified claims connecting Kristal’s disappearance to local figures and to a police shootout in the area. Investigators have named no official suspect. Those claims remain unverified, and the people named in them are presumed innocent.
On August 6–7, 2025 — nine years on — the Colorado Bureau of Investigation conducted a targeted K-9 search with human remains detection dogs at a specific location believed to be connected to the case. Like every search before it, it did not bring Kristal home.
Her daughter, who was four when her mother vanished, is still waiting for an answer.
Theories: what might have happened
She was killed by someone she knew in Crestone. This is the theory investigators hold: foul play, treated as homicide. What supports it: the alleged assault days before she vanished — a woman who says she was drugged and raped, then disappears nine days later; the abrupt stop of her daily calls to her daughter; everything left behind in a locked apartment. What is unproven: who. No arrests, no named suspect, no remains.
The assault and the disappearance are connected. Kristal told multiple people about being drugged and raped. If her attacker feared she would go to the police — or had already decided she was a problem — the timeline writes itself. This is inference, not evidence: the assault itself was never confirmed by an investigation, and no one has been charged in connection with either the assault or the disappearance.
She left voluntarily. The theory with the least support. A mother who called her daughter every day does not leave her phone, purse, laptop, and medication in a locked apartment and never call again. The sheriff didn’t call it a walkabout — he called it foul play.
Have information?
Contact the Saguache County Sheriff’s Office at 719-655-2525, or the anonymous tip line at 720-741-7410. You can also contact the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678. In an emergency, dial 911.
Timeline
- 1987 — Kristal Anne Reisinger is born in Phoenix, Arizona.
- 2016 — Kristal moves from Denver to Crestone, Colorado, seeking enlightenment and sobriety; works at the Crestone Brewing Company.
- Early July 2016 — Kristal tells multiple people she was drugged and raped.
- July 13, 2016 — Last confirmed sighting, at her downtown Crestone residence. Unconfirmed claims place her at a drum circle afterward.
- Late July 2016 — Her landlord reports her missing after rent goes unpaid — weeks after she was last seen. Her phone, purse, laptop, and medication are found in her locked apartment. Her daily calls to her daughter have stopped.
- 2018 — Saguache County Sheriff’s Office and CBI announce they believe foul play caused her disappearance; case treated as homicide investigation.
- 2018–2019 — Up and Vanished Season 2 covers the case nationally.
- August 6–7, 2025 — CBI conducts a targeted K-9 (human remains detection dog) search at a location connected to the case.
- Today — Still missing. No arrests. No remains recovered.
FAQ
Is Kristal Reisinger still missing?
Yes. As of October 2026, Kristal Reisinger has been missing for more than ten years. No trace of her has ever been found.
Was Kristal Reisinger ever found?
No. Despite a homicide investigation, national podcast coverage, and a 2025 K-9 search, neither Kristal nor her remains have been located.
What happened before Kristal Reisinger disappeared?
Days before she vanished, Kristal told multiple people she had been drugged and raped. Nine days later she was gone. The alleged assault was never confirmed by an investigation and no one has been charged.
What was left in Kristal Reisinger’s apartment?
Her phone, purse, laptop, and medication — all left behind in her locked apartment with no signs of a struggle. Her daily calls to her young daughter suddenly stopped.
Who is Catfish John?
John Keenan, known locally as “Catfish John,” told Up and Vanished that Kristal came to his residence, they spent time together, and she left the following day — the last time, to his recollection, that he saw her alive. He has not been charged with anything.
How old would Kristal Reisinger be today?
Kristal was born in 1987 — she is 39 in 2026.
How can I help?
Share this case file. Anyone with information can contact the Saguache County Sheriff’s Office at 719-655-2525 or the anonymous tip line at 720-741-7410.
Sources
- Official / law enforcement: Saguache County Sheriff’s Office (719-655-2525); Colorado Bureau of Investigation; anonymous tip line 720-741-7410.
- News: FOX31 Denver (anniversary coverage); The Denver Post (via case coverage).
- Reference: Wikipedia, “Disappearance of Kristal Reisinger” (retrieved Oct 2026); The Charley Project.
- Media: Up and Vanished, Season 2 (Tenderfoot TV); Redacted Report (Substack), “Kristal Reisinger Crestone, CO Cold Case (2016)”; “Missing Monday: Kristal Reisinger” (YouTube, 2025).
Corrections (October 2026 fact-check): K-9 search date corrected from “August 2025” to August 6–7, 2025 (Wikipedia); added the $20,000 reward; changed “tarot reader” to “clairvoyant and medium” per FOX31 Denver’s description. Found an error? Tell us via the About page and we will fix it promptly and note the change here. Last verified October 2026.