November 13, 2009: Hannibal, MO
A 21-year-old mother goes out for a night on the town. She hadn’t been out since the baby had been born and was looking for a good time. Christina Whittaker ended up having too much to drink and would be kicked out of more than one bar that evening. Was the alcohol mixing with her bipolar medication and causing problems? We may never know.
Christina was last seen leaving a bar crying, trying to get someone to help her get a ride home. While the rumor mill fingers a local hood and claims Christina was trafficked to the town of Peoria, Illinois there’s no solid evidence to verify this. While the family clings to hope with all of the unverified sightings, not one shred of evidence has come forward to prove Christina ever left the town of Hannibal that night.
There are two pieces of tangible evidence in this case, however. Her phone and keys were found just down the road from the bar. This is also the site of what looked like a hit and run accident. There were red paint fragments on a car that looked like it had been hit. No one really investigated this, but a local Hood would later confess to a girlfriend that Christina died on the road that night and they threw her in the back of the red pickup truck they were in. Supposedly, Christina had called a local man and asked him to take her home. They flew around the corner and Christina was stumbling in the road and they hit her.
There is so much quiet corruption and chaos in the small town that no one wants to talk about, but this just lends itself to the rumor mill. So many theories in this case have come up in the last 13 years, but after researching this case there are still only two pieces of evidence. Those two pieces point to a local Hood named Danny Baker. Unfortunately, Baker died on January 4th, 2017. Unless we can find out where they stashed her body that night, the mother will still cling to the hope every time someone sees a young redhead in Peoria Illinois. No one can blame her for this she is a grieving mother. However, sometimes it’s best to let go of the sensationalism and go back to the basics of police work. Like I always said, “When a case becomes too fantastical it’s time to step back and look at the practical.”
Someone needs to investigate this case and find the body of Christina Whittaker. Then maybe the mother can grieve properly. Check out my True Crime Tuesday video below for more information on this case. Also, check out the documentary series titled Relentless. I will put a link below to this documentary created by Christina Fontana. Whatever you do, make sure and share this story. Together we can make a difference.
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Throughout this show, Synova will reference a documentary created by Christina Fontana. Check out the Relentless Documentary on Discovery+ using this link
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