Eastin, circa 1971; Age-progression at age 47 (circa 1999); 1969 Ford Maverick; Sketch of suspect
Hayward, CA (California) Date of birth: January 4, 1952, (would be 72 as of today) Case # 71 - 1 - 1297, SSN #: 559-82-3430, Address: 25096 Joyce St Hayward, Calif.
Age: 19, Height: 5'7, Weight: 130, Gender: Female, Race: White, Eyes: Blue, Hair: Blonde Last seen wearing: black/brown leather coat, black boots, blue slacks, a red, white, and blue pinstriped tunic, and a bluish gold scarf,
NAMUS Number: MP8173, Medical Conditions: There were rumors that Eastin was pregnant at the time of her disappearance, but this has not been confirmed, Scaring: Eastin has a scar on the center of her forehead, three-eighths of an inch in size. She has a surgical scar on her abdomen from an intestinal operation, Nickname: Eastin's nickname is Christy (sometimes spelled "Christie").
Timeline: * On the evening of January 18, 1971, Christine invited her friend, Sandy, to go shopping at Mervyn's in San Lorenzo so she could buy a new pair of boots.
- Christine dropped Sandy off at her home at around 9:30pm.
- 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 promised to wash (Christine stated that she was going to hand wash the car) her blue 1969 Ford Maverick before returning it to her ex-boyfriend, George Sponsel, before going to pick him up at his job at a local Jack In The Box.
- On January 18, 1971. She left her home at 25096 Joyce St.,10:00 p.m. to go to the car wash located at 25400 Mission Boulevard in Hayward called Charlie's Car Wash, a self-service wash on Mission Boulevard in Hayward, near her former boyfriend's workplace.
- Christine also left her house in Hayward to go to the Jack in the Box on Mission & Pinedale Court.
- 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. Eastin had apparently completed washing the vehicle's exterior before she vanished due to it still being wet
- Investigators noted that the doors were locked, and her purse and scarf were on the front seat of the locked car when it was found at the car wash the next day. Police also noted that there were several papers strewn on the pavement on the passengers side. The police officer who responded to the scene thought it appeared to be staged.
Extra Information: The 19-year-old who had lived her entire life in Hayward has been missing ever since. The weekend before her disappearance, Christine stayed with a group of girlfriends at Cox's home on Alice Street. The girls bantered, cavorted and worked on a 1,200 - piece puzzle. The unfinished puzzle was put away and never worked on again after Eastin vanished. She had recently graduated from Sunset High School (six months before her disappearance), was going to work as a bank teller the following day, 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. Christine wasn't involved with drugs and didn't associate with the wrong crowd. According to her loved ones, she was trying to get back together with her ex-boyfriend, but he did not want to start seeing her again. Friends said she wasn't interested in drugs or the hippie culture. Friends and family members scoured the city, showing people photographs of the missing girl. Cox and the other girls drove the Hayward hills searching for their missing friend. Christine’s ex-boyfriend, George Sponsel, was killed in a car accident soon after Christine’s disappearance. Although he was eliminated as a suspect by law enforcement, Christine’s family has said that Christine was upset by the breakup, and really wanted to get back together, though he was wanting to move on. he was eliminated as a suspect based on the knowledge that he was left at work with no vehicle, so his alibi was probably fairly easy to confirm. Her mother has died, but she has family and friends that continue to search for her. 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. 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.
Speculation: Some have speculated that she could have been a victim of Richard Allen Davis, who is best known for the kidnap and murder of Polly Klaas. He is said to have kidnapped and raped a teenage girl in Hayward in 1971. Phillip Garrido has also been suggested as a possible perpetrator. The zodiac killer has been mentioned as well. Unfortunately, at the time of Christine’s disappearance, adult missing persons cases were not taken seriously at all, and as a result, the car was immediately released to its owner, and was not processed for evidence.
Submit a Tip: If you have any information concerning this case, please contact the Hayward Police Department at (510) 293-7176, your local FBI office, or the nearest American Embassy or Consulate. Field Office: San Francisco
