Key facts
- Name: Christina Maxine Whittaker
- Born: March 1988
- Age at disappearance: 21
- Last seen: November 13, 2009, late night
- Location: Outside Rookie’s Sports Bar, Broadway, Hannibal, Missouri
- Height / build: 5’6″, 120–150 lbs, red/auburn hair, brown eyes; tattoos (green Care Bear on right ankle, angel outline on left shoulder); surgical scar on left knee
- Status: Still missing — open investigation
- Investigating agency: Hannibal Police Department (worked with the FBI)
Escorted out at 11:45 p.m.
It was supposed to be a celebration. On the night of November 13, 2009, 21-year-old Christina Whittaker — a new mother, out with friends for one of her first nights away since her infant daughter Alexandria was born — went to Rookie’s Sports Bar in the 600 block of Broadway in Hannibal, Missouri.
She had been drinking, and by the accounts of the night, she was heavily intoxicated and harassing other patrons. She had been banned from the establishment before. Around 11:45 p.m., staff escorted her out. She stepped into the cold November night alone.
What happened over the next hour is a blur of partial sightings. Christina wandered to two other nearby bars — River City Billiards and Sportsman’s Bar — asking person after person for a ride home. Some were acquaintances; some were complete strangers. Nobody obliged. Witnesses described her as upset, crying. She was last seen running away, crying, into the dark.
Her boyfriend was home with the baby. By morning, Christina hadn’t come back. Her cell phone was found lying on the ground on South Seventh Street, several blocks from the bars. Her mother reported her missing.
She has never been seen or heard from since.
Who Christina was
Christina Whittaker was 21, living in Hannibal with her boyfriend and her infant daughter, Alexandria. She lived with bipolar disorder and took regular medication for it — medication she needed to stay steady. Her family describes a devoted young mother, a girl who would never voluntarily abandon her baby. That devotion is the fixed point everyone returns to: whatever happened that night, leaving was not like her.
She also had a court date coming up — December 18, 2009, on a charge of driving with a revoked license. She never showed up, and a warrant was issued. It remains outstanding, a paper ghost of a woman who never came home. (Some sources give December 19; the Charley Project-based record used here gives December 18.)
The phone on South Seventh Street
The cell phone is the case’s most concrete clue, and it has never given up its story. It was found the next morning on the ground near Sportsman’s Bar by Danny Baker — a registered sex offender, a fact that immediately drew suspicion. Baker’s connection to Christina and the timing of the discovery were scrutinized. No significant evidence was recovered from the phone, and no charge has ever been connected to it.
Hannibal police have said they conducted more than 200 interviews, worked with the FBI, conducted digs, and interviewed prisoners incarcerated for other crimes. They have found no evidence of foul play — and no evidence of anything else, either. No surveillance footage. No solid leads.
Her mother’s search
Cindy Young, Christina’s mother, has never stopped. She has said publicly that she believes her daughter is alive — possibly in Peoria, Illinois, possibly held against her will, possibly among trafficking victims. Reported sightings in Peoria have never been confirmed.
One name has circulated for years in connection with the case: Darcy “Bookie” Morris, a man with a violent criminal history who was convicted of murder in 2014 in an unrelated case. Rumors have claimed Morris abducted Christina and disposed of her body at a hog farm. Morris has denied any involvement, saying he was in Peoria for his daughter’s birth at the time. He has never been charged in Christina’s disappearance, and the presumption of innocence applies fully.
The family’s search became the subject of Relentless, a six-part Discovery+ docuseries by filmmaker Christina Fontana (Blumhouse Television), which followed Cindy Young as she chased leads — including one from within the Romanichal community around Hannibal — and confronted how many of the stories she’d been told didn’t hold together. Hannibal police declined to participate in the series, but told local media they had worked the case with the FBI for years without cracking it.
Before the eighth anniversary, Cindy Young held a balloon release and said she was sure Christina was alive. “Christina, if you see this, honey, please contact me,” she told KHQA.
Theories: what might have happened
Seventeen years, 200 interviews, no answer. The theories sort by what that night actually looked like: a vulnerable, intoxicated young woman, off her routine, asking strangers for rides.
Foul play by a stranger. The theory her family finds most plausible in its general shape: Christina, visibly distressed and asking anyone for a ride, got into the wrong car. The found phone, blocks from the bars, suggests the night didn’t end with a simple walk home. Against a stranger specifically: no witness has ever described such a car, and no forensic evidence has tied anyone to her.
An accident — the river. Rookie’s sits about a half-mile from a park and boat launch on the Mississippi River. An intoxicated, upset young woman, wandering in the dark near the water. It is a geography that has to be considered. But searches never produced her, and there is no evidence she went toward the river.
She is alive and unable or unwilling to come home. Her mother believes this — that Christina may be alive in Peoria, possibly manipulated, possibly afraid. Unconfirmed sightings keep the theory breathing. But 17 years without a single verified contact, without her medication, without reaching for her daughter, makes it the hardest theory to sustain on evidence alone, whatever hope demands.
The Morris rumor. Unproven and denied. It lives in the case because Morris’s record is real and the rumor is specific — but specificity is not evidence, no charge has ever been filed, and repeating it as fact would be unjust.
Have information?
Contact the Hannibal Police Department: 573-221-0987. In an emergency, dial 911.
Timeline
- March 1988 — Christina Maxine Whittaker is born.
- 2009 — Christina gives birth to her daughter, Alexandria; the family lives in Hannibal, Missouri.
- November 13, 2009, ~11:45 p.m. — Escorted out of Rookie’s Sports Bar for disruptive behavior; wanders to two other bars asking for rides; last seen running away crying.
- November 14, 2009 — Her cell phone is found on South Seventh Street; her mother reports her missing.
- December 18, 2009 — Christina misses a court date (driving with a revoked license); a warrant is issued. (Some sources give December 19.)
- 2017 — Eighth anniversary; mother holds a balloon release, says she believes Christina is alive.
- 2021–2022 — Discovery+ releases Relentless, the six-part docuseries on the family’s search.
- 2025 — The Dark Oak podcast devotes two episodes to the case.
- Today — Still missing. No evidence of foul play found; no leads confirmed.
FAQ
Is Christina Whittaker still missing?
Yes. As of October 2026, Christina Whittaker has been missing for nearly 17 years. The Hannibal Police Department’s investigation remains open.
Was Christina Whittaker ever found?
No. Despite more than 200 interviews, FBI assistance, digs, and a docuseries following her family’s search, no trace of Christina has ever been found.
How old would Christina Whittaker be today?
Christina was born in March 1988 — she turned 38 in March 2026.
What happened to Christina Whittaker’s phone?
It was found the morning after she vanished, lying on the ground on South Seventh Street near Sportsman’s Bar, blocks from where she was last seen. No significant evidence was recovered from it.
Does Christina Whittaker’s mother think she is alive?
Yes. Cindy Young has said consistently that she believes her daughter is alive, possibly in the Peoria, Illinois, area. Reported sightings there have never been confirmed.
What is the Relentless docuseries?
Relentless is a six-part Discovery+ docuseries (Blumhouse Television) by filmmaker Christina Fontana, following Cindy Young’s search for her daughter and the leads — and false leads — the family has chased.
How can I help?
Share this case file. Anyone with information should contact the Hannibal Police Department at 573-221-0987.
Sources
- Official / law enforcement: Hannibal Police Department (statements via KHQA); FBI assistance acknowledged in local reporting.
- News: KHQA (coverage of the investigation and family statements); True Case Files, “The Disappearance of Christina Whittaker” (2019).
- Reference: The Charley Project, “Christina Maxine Whittaker.”
- Media: Relentless (Discovery+, Blumhouse Television, six-part docuseries); The Dark Oak podcast, Episodes 117–118 (2025); various true-crime podcasts (2022).
Correction (Oct 2026 verification): “December 19, 2009” → “December 18, 2009” for the missed court date (driving with a revoked license) — Grunge.com citing the Charley Project, corroborated by two other sources; some sources give December 19, noted in-file. Found an error? Tell us via the About page and we will fix it promptly and note the change here. Last verified October 2026.