On April 30, 1978, 9-year-old Christopher Vigil was hiking with his mother and younger brother off of Highway 14 on the Grey Rock Moutain Trail in Poudre Canyon in Poudre Park, Colorado. Christopher went ahead on the trail before his family and went missing around 2:30 p.m. His mother reported him missing three hours later.
There were other hikers on the trail that day. Several came forward and told the police what they had seen.
One man stated that he met Christopher on the trail and that he recommended to Christopher to get down the trail to meet with his mother and brother because it was getting late. Christopher wanted to do more exploring and asked where a side trail went down it.
Christopher soon returned to the main path and met with two women.
Two women who came forward stated they saw Christopher and a dark-haired and complected man wearing a straw cowboy hat was sitting on some rocks. He had a camera hanging around his neck. He was not the same guy from earlier and the man from earlier didn't see him. Not far from the unidentified man the two women sat down and had a meal.
During their meal, they heard two voices one of which they assumed was Christopher. They couldn't make out what was being said, but Christopher was yelling and the women felt something was wrong but were too scared to investigate. The yelling stopped after a short time.
The women finished eating and went back own the trail. The dark haired man wasn't there anymore, but there was a can of Diet Pepsi on the ground. They picked it up and threw it away. It was known that Christopher was drinking Diet Pepsi on the trail and it was uncharacteristic of him to litter.
If Christopher wasn't abducted as is possible with what witnesses stated he may have gotten lost on the trail. If he did he would not have survived the night without shelter. That night was cold with rain turning to sleet and then snow.Christopher was also unfamiliar with the area as he'd never hiked there before.
A search was done with 170 people on foot and 30 on horses, 3 helicopters and some tracking dogs. No sign or evidence of him showed up.
A friend who runs a
blog dedicated to Christopher stated that he was bright and loved to talk and meet new people. He wasn't the type to not talk to shy away from a conversation with a stranger. He was an active and smart kid and was popular with his peers.
There had been possible sightings of Christopher in Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah. People who believed to have seen him described him as scared confused and dirty. In two states a boy resembling Christopher was seen selling newspapers claiming he'd be able to go to Disney Land if he sold enough. None of the sightings have been verified to have been Christopher.
Christopher is a white male and was 9 at the time. He also went by Chris. He was 4'8" and 74 lbs. He has brown hair and green eyes. He was wearing a dark green knit shirt, green plaid pants, white socks, blue sneakers, and a maroon or purple denim jacket.
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