Christina Marie Plante: US cold case solved as girl found alive 32 years after vanishing in US

Police have cracked a 32-year-old cold case after a young girl who disappeared without a trace was shockingly found alive.

A 44-year-old woman has been identified by detectives as Christina Marie Plante, the then-teenager who vanished after leaving her home to tend to her horse in the small Arizona town of Star Valley in 1994.

Reports at the time said she “vanished without a trace” and “was not seen again”, as a massive search was initiated with all available emergency services and an army of volunteers mobilised, but failed to locate her.

As time went by, and with no sign of her whereabouts, Christina Lante’s name was entered into the national missing children cold case database, according to the sheriff’s office via reports in The Sun.

Her disappearance was classed as “endangered and suspicious circumstances” with the case never formally closed.

Investigative teams revisited the case periodically before it was assigned to the newly created Gila County Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Unit.

Their efforts “marked a renewed commitment to unresolved investigations” as officers used modern technology to investigate cold cases.

After making fresh pleas for information into the case, and revisiting all the evidence, officers announced they had made a “breakthrough”. After 32 years, missing Christina Plante had been “located alive”.

Her identity has been confirmed and her status as a missing person has officially been resolved.

This included a description of the circumstances under which she went missing and an update on her appearance and current age.

“Out of respect for Christina’s privacy and well-being, additional details will not be released at this time,” the sheriff’s office said in statement.

“The Gila County Sheriff’s Office remains committed to pursuing all unresolved cases and encourages anyone with information regarding other cold cases to come forward.”