Medford, Ore. — In Medford, only one missing child case is still open. It’s the oldest in the county. And while the 40-year-old case is considered cold, police are still pursuing leads, even now.
Christie Farni went missing on December 14th, 1978. The then 6-year-old had just been placed into foster care at a home on Peach Street, while in the middle of an assault investigation involving her father.
She had just finished testifying at a grand jury trial the day she went missing.
When child protective services brought her back to her foster home, she got ready for school.
Her foster mom, who was recovering from surgery, watched Christie walk toward 4th Street until she was out of sight.
Christie never made it to school that day and has never been seen again.
It’s a case that’s been looked at by Medford Police year after year. Christie’s father, Ken, was a primary suspect. But he passed two lie detector tests. Police said they investigated Ken thoroughly and they never came up with anything that led them to believe he was responsible.
Ken died in 1994.
So what happened to Christie Farni? Police have two theories; that family who wanted to remove her from a bad situation abducted her, or Christie was taken by a total stranger.
Recently, police submitted DNA samples to Ancestry.com to try and find additional family members.
Four decades have passed since that 6-year-old took off for school on a Thursday afternoon. Police still hold out hope that someday she’ll come home.
Christie Farni would be 46-years-old today. She has brown hair and brown eyes with pierced ears and a burn scar on her chest.
If you have any information on her whereabouts you’re asked to contact police.
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