The Mystery of Connie Christensen: Daughter Finally Finds Answers 40 Years Later
(CNN) – Misty LaBean spent her entire life wondering why her mother abandoned her family when she was only one year old. Connie Christensen’s disappearance from Wisconsin 40 years ago was not unexpected to the rest of their relatives, who believed she had decided to leave at just 20 years old.
“After my own children were born, I thought, how could she leave me like this?” LaBean told CNN. “I would never do that to my children.”
For years, LaBean heard whispers about her mother, and the family was hurt and reluctant to talk about Christensen. Unbeknownst to LaBean, strangers hundreds of miles away were searching for answers to the same mystery.
The quest to answer this decades-old question underwent a transformation on both the field and in the laboratory. A clay bust recreated from remains found in 1982 was a critical step towards unlocking Christensen’s identity. Although initial DNA extraction attempts ended in failure, a second extract from a foot bone proved to be the key.
Concurrently, a relative of Christensen’s was urging family members to submit DNA records to public sources, thus opening up the possibility for DNA matching. Utilizing DNA and genealogy data from public services, investigators attempted to connect the remains found in 1982 to the Christensen family, leading them to make a plausible link to Connie Christensen’s disappearance.
The DNA was finally confirmed to belong to Christensen, providing LaBean with closure but also a grim discovery – the cause of her mother’s death was a gunshot wound. This revelation opened a Pandora’s box of new questions, such as what took Christensen to Indiana and the identity of her killer.
Although some queries will remain unanswered, the discovery of her mother’s fate has provided solace to LaBean. She will now cherish her mother’s opal ring and the closure that has come with it. Christensen’s remains have been laid to rest among her relatives, allowing the family to finally mourn the loss of their loved one.
Connie Christensen’s obituary reads as a testimony to the love that she would have bestowed on her family, one that has finally been returned after a long and arduous journey.