WI WI - Robert Christian, 18, Madison, 16 Sept 1977

[Valiant]

Even back then an AMC Hornet was not a really common car. But the tires and wheels from it could fit most other AMC vehicles. But they could also fit many Chrysler/Dodge/Plymouth and Ford/Mercury vehicles. My guess is someone put the tires and wheels on some other kind of car and that's why the Hornet hubcaps were disposed of with the old tires because the thief kept the hubcaps that came with their car.

I hope the investigators checked the old abandoned wheels to see if the were also AMC wheels or Ford or Chrysler. Each manufacturer stamps their wheels with ID marks. It might be a clue if there was ever a suspect identified.

 

[Jim_M]

Robert Lewis Christian – The Charley Project

[....]
"because Christian was an adult, the police initially refused to take a missing persons report and suggested he had possibly gone to a party and not told anyone. After more time passed without anyone hearing from Christian, the police took a report and began looking for him."

[....]
"Christian's father and brother found the Hornet was parked in a driveway near the State Patrol relay antenna on Tower Road, southeast of the city, the day after Christian disappeared. Its wheels, tires and battery were gone.

Tracker dogs followed Christian's scent for a short distance from where his car was found, but lost the trail on Tower road. He is very familiar with the vicinity where his vehicle was found, having gone hunting, fishing and camping in the general area before."

Various web sites have him listed as Robert Lewis Christian.

Doe Network has him listed as Robert Louis Christian.

I am unsure at this time as to the correct spelling on his middle name.

 

[Richard]

Robert Lewis Christian

• 

Christian, circa 1977

• Missing Since 09/16/1977
• Missing From Madison, Wisconsin
• Classification Endangered Missing
• Sex Male
• Race White
• Date of Birth 04/03/1959 (61)
• Age 18 years old
• Height and Weight 5'10, 210 pounds
• Clothing/Jewelry Description A flannel shirt and blue jeans.
• Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Brown hair. Christian wears wire-framed eyeglasses with thick lenses, and he has a mustache. His nickname is Bob.

Details of Disappearance

Christian went missing during a trip from Madison, Wisconsin to Baraboo, Wisconsin on September 16, 1977. He had dinner with his parents and then left their home at 5:30 p.m. driving his Hornet station wagon. He had his bow hunting gear and a change of clothes with him.

<modsnip - snipped for copyright, please see link>

Investigating Agency

• Sauk County Sheriff's Department
• 608-356-4808
• 800-377-1195

Source Information

• The Doe Network
• The Baraboo News Republic
• The Portage Daily Register
• NamUs
• Robert Lewis Christian – The Charley Project

 

[mrz]

Robert Christian - Wisconsin Missing Persons
www.wimissing.org › single-post › 2018/11/02 › Robert-Christian
Nov 2, 2018 - Upon hearing this news, Robert's father Lewis Christian immediately made plans with Robert's younger brother Mike to search Sauk County ...

 

[StarrChance]

Article from 1986, interesting the lane was known as a “lovers lane”, could he have been meeting someone there?

<modsnip - screenshot of newspaper article is a copyright violation>

 

[WiSucks]

It’s like a sewing circle in here.

There’s nothing odd about the fact that his car was found the very next day. It was found where he was planning to hunt with his friend randy which is completely logical, and it was found because he hadn’t shown up at Randys and therefore that was the logical place to look. And like any decent family, they went looking.

What begs the question is this - how odd it is that he is found parked outside the nun’s place and has NO reason to be there. I read that his family claimed he knew the area very well and would not get lost. So why was he there? That’s the real question.

It was supposed to take an hour from Madison to his friends place. He was spotted what was it 8 pm and 2 1/2 hours later outside the nuns place? I don’t remember the exact time frame.

IF that witness is indeed credible...but it does sound like she described him and the car. Who knows.

We know his friend Randy wasn’t there and it sounds to me like Robert may have been up to something.

I agree, it’s hokey to say ‘I’m supposed to meet a friend ... I must be in the wrong place’ and then leave. The guy knew where he was going according to what I was reading and how his family described him, he would not get lost.

Maybe he had other things planned and god intervened.

We may never know.

I think the car was ransacked possibly after his disappearance. Solely a coincidence. Someone needed tires and dropped the hub caps in a different location. That was a crime of opportunity.

His bag was still in his car. But the nursing kit and his hunting bow was gone? Did they ransack the bag?

 

[Sweetluv]

Bumping

 

[Richard]

​

Missing for over 45 years:

Robert Lewis "Bob" Christian, age 18
Missing since 16 September 1977

Robert Lewis Christian, age 18, went missing from Madison, Wisconsin on September 16, 1977.

Robert left his family home in Madison, Wisconsin at 5:30 pm, to travel to Baraboo, Wisconsin, where he’d planned to meet a friend, Randy Griffith at his home. They intended to go bow hunting the following morning.
<modsnip -snipped for copyright, see link>

LINK:

Robert Lewis “Bob” Christian (1959-1977) - Find a...

Robert Lewis Christian, age 18, went missing from Madison, Wisconsin on September 16, 1977. Robert left his family home in Madison, Wisconsin at 5:30 pm, to travel to Baraboo, Wisconsin, where he’d planned to meet a friend, Randy Griffith at his home. They intended to go bow hunting the...

www.findagrave.com

 

[Pennysmom1]

Robert Christian​

Updated: Jan 9, 2022

<modsnip - screenshot and transcription of an article, copyright violation. Please use Newspapers.com link instead.

Just three years after Robert’s disappearance, Lewis and Carolynn Christian suffered another immense tragedy when their 22 year old daughter Catherine was killed in a tavern purposely set on fire by members of the Ghost Riders motorcycle gang. <modsnip - snipped for copyright, see link>

Robert Christian

Missing Since September 16, 1977 Robert Christian was an 18 year old UW-Madison freshman in September, 1977, with hopes to eventually work in computer programming. He had spent the summer working for the city parks department to save up some money for school and he appeared excited about his...

www.wimissing.org

 

[Sweetluv]

Checking in

 

[John/Jane Doe]

Robert Lewis Christian – The Charley Project

 

[John/Jane Doe]

3569DMWI - Robert Louis Christian

 

[Richard]

Robert Lewis "Bob" Christian, age 18
Missing since 16 September 1977


American Motors Corporation (AMC) Hornet Station wagon, the make and model car driven by Robert Christian.

 

[Sweetluv]

Did LE question Randy?
Seems like Robert was meeting up with someone and met foul play...

 

[Sweetluv]

Bumping!

 

[Keiri]

There’s a map of the area that shows two tower roads on this site:

Robert Christian

Robert Lewis Christian, age 18, went missing from Madison, Wisconsin on September 16, 1977. Robert left his family home in Madison, Wisconsin at 5:30pm, to travel to Baraboo, Wisconsin, where he’d …

whereaboutsstillunknown.wordpress.com

i think i found the sheriff’s relay tower at

14061-14439 Tower Rd​

 

[Keiri]

 

[Keiri]

He knew the area. He was meeting someone (drugs? perhaps romantically?) that he didn’t tell his family about. The person didn’t show near the nun’s house where he’d been waiting for like an hour, so he decides to backtrack and see if he missed them waiting somewhere else. They’re parked at the tower. He pulls in behind. They grab the hunting stuff and nurse stuff for some reason (what was in that nurse bag?) and trot off into the woods to have privacy. Whatever happened, happened (set up, whoever it was planned to kill him?) perpetrator drives off. Le screws up all the evidence, the body was well hidden. That’s my explanation thus far.

Couple of thoughts: what happened to the hornet, where is it now?
Did the Le get any evidence? Did they save the odd fingerprint?
Why didn’t his friend call instead of his mom, and why didn’t he help with the search?

I just reread the thread. With all the modsnipped articles gone we lost the information about the fingerprints and nurse’s bag. I’ll try to find them.

 

[Keiri]

Fixing the mod snips by posting links: Article clipped from The Capital Times
This article almost screws up everything. It doesn't say who saw him at 8 30 pm, it says Robert was supposed to meet Randy at 5 pm, but robert didn't even leave home until 5:30. I'm pretty sure these are mistakes.

Article clipped from The Capital Times

Clipping found in The Capital Times published in Madison, Wisconsin on 9/20/1977.

www.newspapers.com

This one says the license plate was gone too. Then why not just take the car if the keys were in the ignition? They perhaps wanted the car to be found and so didn't rob it fully, just enough to make it look like a robbery?
Again saying he was supposed to meet his friend by 5.

christian

Clipping found in Daily Citizen published in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin on 9/21/1977. christian

www.newspapers.com

this article says he was supposed to meet his "friend" by 7.

bow and arrow

Clipping found in The Capital Times published in Madison, Wisconsin on 9/23/1977. bow and arrow

www.newspapers.com

OMG - they FOUND Christian's Bow and arrow on a road in the woods. Do they still have this evidence? Can they test it with today's tests? How did we not hear any of this? This indicates that SOMEONE went into the woods. Did he go into the woods to check his stand, which he said he would do? This indicates we should shift to wherever his stand was, who knows where that was?

(linking more in next one)

 

[Keiri]

Article clipped from Baraboo News Republic

Clipping found in Baraboo News Republic published in Baraboo, Wisconsin on 9/28/1977.

www.newspapers.com

Wheels and hubcaps were turned over to the crime lab

Not going to link it, but multiple articles say different things: some say he was supposed to meet Randy in West Baraboo, the rest say meet his friend at the bluffs.

Article clipped from Wisconsin State Journal

Clipping found in Wisconsin State Journal published in Madison, Wisconsin on 9/28/1986.

www.newspapers.com

Article clipped from Wisconsin State Journal

Clipping found in Wisconsin State Journal published in Madison, Wisconsin on 9/28/1986.

www.newspapers.com

This one is the one that mentions the nurse's gear and non-matching fingerprint. Have they run that through CODIS? What was in the nursing bag?

visited bluff

Clipping found in Baraboo News Republic published in Baraboo, Wisconsin on 9/11/2007. visited bluff

www.newspapers.com

Now there's new details. His bank book was open on the dash? Why? If it's Robert, that makes no sense. If it's the thieves, why not take it? Also they said he was seen by someone on the bluffs - do they mean the nun friend sighting?