Arizona girl who vanished 32 years ago found alive, sheriff says
Christina Marie Plante was last seen on May 19, 1994, after leaving home on foot to go to a stable where her horse was kept.
Updated on: April 2, 2026 / 7:26 PM EDT / CBS News
An Arizona girl who vanished in 1994 has been found alive, the Gila County sheriff said Wednesday.
Sheriff Adam J. Shepherd said in a news release that the girl was reported missing at the time, and "extensive search efforts" involving local and regional resources were conducted. Plante was listed in national missing children databases, and missing persons posters were distributed around the region, state and country.
"Despite exhaustive ground searches, interviews and investigative follow-up, no viable leads were developed" at the time of her disappearance, Shepherd said,and the case remained open.Over the decades, investigators re-examined evidence and pursued any new information that became available, he said.
The sheriff's office eventually established a cold case unit, which focused on unresolved investigations, Shepherd said. Detectives in the unit used "advances in technology, modern investigative techniques and detailed case review" to develop new leads that "ultimately led to a breakthrough," Shepherd said.