OR OR - Christie Farni, 6, Medford, 14 Dec 1978

[EmmaliLucia]

does anyone else notice a similarity between Christie and The Doe Network case file 593UFCA? I think it might be worth looking into.

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/593ufca.html

The date of birth she gave the authorities made her 12 years older than Christie would be. Not saying she gave a real date of birth, but I would expect that if she were Christie she'd give a date of birth of like 1970-1975

 

[JerseyGirl]

Oregon Girl Christie Farni Remains Missing 38 Years Later

http://www.nbcnews.com/feature/cold...-farni-remains-missing-38-years-later-n697591

 

[Mom24]

it does sound like the foster parents were involved since they waited a few hours to report her missing. I wonder if they had set something up with her mother's family to have her abducted and taken to be raised by extended family. It would make sense to get her out an abusive situation and that would explain the time lapse in reporting her missing.

 

[Lavender Moon]

Bumping for Christie

 

[Lilibet]

Medford police tracked down some of Christie’s relatives using Ancestry.com DNA search, but no clues were uncovered in Christie’s disappearance.

New information confirmed on a Medford cold case - KOBI-TV NBC5 / KOTI-TV NBC2

 

[HeartOfGranite]

A couple of thoughts--she's about a year older than me, and at the time she went missing, it' wasn't uncommon for children that young to walk to school alone--I walked home from Kindergarten, probably a half-mile or so, alone at six. If her foster family brought her home from court and got her ready for school, it's not really that odd that she would have walked.
As for the time between the school's call and the police report, that doesn't necessarily ring bells--but it might. On one hand, perhaps the foster family spent a couple of hours looking for her first on their own. She'd only been with them for three days; it wouldn't look good to lose a kid after just three days, so they could have looked for a couple of hours first, hoping to find Christie hiding or playing somewhere and thus avoiding needing to call the police and being questioned. A couple of hours spent looking in an era where kids could and did walk places alone doesn't, to me, automatically imply guilt. (I think this is the most plausible reason for the delay)
On the other hand, if the father/stepmother/brother were responsible and were notified of the disappearance by the foster family, they might suggest a search in order to stall calling LE in. Or if they somehow orchestrated it with the foster parents, again, being seen searching in the neighborhood makes it look like you don't know where that child is, perhaps throwing LE off your scent.
Just a couple of thoughts, and I'm not as experienced as many of you all, but the only way to be better at this is to join in and hear from others, right?

 

[Lilibet]

Welcome! Great insights into this tragic case. And you’re right that it was a different time when it wasn’t unusual for a young child to walk to school alone. Our daughter walked home from the school bus stop on a secluded country road in that era in CA. I didn’t realize at the time that a future serial killer lived among us. So who knows who was living and lurking in Medford at that time and committed a crime of opportunity. But it would be a happier outcome if Christie is alive and well and clueless somewhere. I’m really glad LE has pursued DNA, and hope there are results in the future.

 

[Jim_M]

Updating Christie's Charley Project link.

Christie Lynn Farni – The Charley Project

 

[Sleuth91]

Bumping this thread for Christie.

 

[Richard]

Christie Lynn Farni

Christie, circa 1978; Age-progression to age 40 (circa 2012)

• Missing Since 12/14/1978
• Missing From Medford, Oregon
• Classification Non-Family Abduction
• Sex Female
• Race White
• Date of Birth 01/18/1972 (48)
• Age 6 years old
• Height and Weight 3'8, 50 pounds
• Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Brown hair, brown eyes. Christie has a burn scar on her chest. Her ears are pierced.

Details of Disappearance

Christie's mother died in a motorcycle accident in 1977. In 1978, Christie told authorities that her father, Kenneth Ray Farni, physically abused her. She and her brother were placed in foster care in the 50 block of Peach Street in Medford, Oregon.

She testified before a grand jury regarding her allegations on December 14, 1978. She was last seen walking to Jackson Elementary School later during the morning hours. She never arrived as scheduled and has not been heard from again.

Christie and her brother had been living in the foster home for only three days prior to her disappearance. Her school allegedly called her foster parents at 1:30 p.m. on the day of her disappearance and told them Christie never arrived to class, but the police were not notified until after 4:00 p.m.

Christie's father and stepmother cooperated with the investigation and they were ruled out as suspects. Kenneth moved to California sometime after Christie went missing. He died in an car crash in 1994, at the age of 47. Christie's only surviving immediate family member is her brother.

Christie's case was reopened in recent years by authorities. Two individuals confessed to her supposed murder some years before, but investigators now believe they were not connected to her case.

Authorities speculated that Christie may have been abducted by an unidentified family member and either murdered or hidden in a safe location; some of her relatives have suggested her foster family was involved. However, there are no suspects in her disappearance.

Christie's family members reside in Oregon, Michigan, Arizona and California; officials stated that they re-interviewed her relatives in recent years. Her disappearance remains unsolved and is still classified as a non-family abduction.

Investigating Agency

• Medford Police Department 541-774-2250

Source Information

• The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
• The Medford Mail Tribune
• The Child Seek Network
• The Riverside Press-Enterprise
• KTVL TV
• Christie's Cousin's Facebook Page
• MMW Worst Offenders
• Oregon Girl Remains Missing 38 Years Later
  
• Christie Lynn Farni – The Charley Project

 

[TheArtfulDetective]

Anniversary of disappearance.

 

[Richard]

Christie Lynn Farni, age 6​

Missing since 14 December 1978​

LINK:

Christie Lynn Farni – The Charley Project