Above: Christopher circa, 1992
Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
Missing Since: December 19, 1992
Missing From: Little Rock, Pulaski County, Arkansas
Classification: Endangered Missing
Date Of Birth: June 20, 1975
Age: 17 years old
Height and Weight: 5’2″ and 110 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian Male, Sandy hair, Brown eyes
NCMEC Number: 776764
Details of Disappearance
Christopher was last seen in Little Rock, Arkansas on December 19th 1992. He told his parents that he was going out to see a movie with a school friend, Amy, and told them he would be back later. Christopher never returned home and was never seen or heard from again.
Investigators initially assumed Christopher to be a runaway and as a result his case was classified as a endangered runaway for two years after he went missing. He has never runaway before and was never more than 15 minutes late for his curfew.
It wasn’t until December of 1994 that investigators would discover what actually happened to Christopher. A friend of a girl named, Amy Blankenship Peeler, called police and stated that Amy told her that her husband, John Peeler has killed Christopher before they married. Amy was a classmate of Christopher at the time of his disappearance and they both talked in lunch and passed notes to each other in class. She was 15 years old at the time.
Amy claimed that one night while she was home alone at her dads home, Christopher came there and raped her. His stepmother denied this and said that Amy and Christopher were dating and that they had consensual sex. Amy denies this as she was dating Peeler at the time Christopher vanished. Amy told no one about the rape except for John and John’s mother. Amy was arrested after the phone call and she gave a statement which implicated her husband in the murder.
John orchestrated a plan which Amy would lure Christopher to the back of Sawyers Grocery Store. She drove to the store with John hiding in the backseat. When Christopher got into the car, John attacked him and Amy helped to tie Christopher up and put him in the trunk of the car. John then drove off and dropped Amy off at her home and then drove away with Christopher. John told Amy that he killed Christopher and dumped his body in the water near Scott, Arkansas. Amy said she did not know that Christopher was going to be killed.
It’s possible that John dumped Christopher’s body into a spot where he and his grandparents fished near Scott. It should also be noted that the Arkansas River and slough areas are also near their property.
Amy married John when she turned 16 years old in June of 1993. They lived together for about a year and a half. Amy could not continue to “live a lie” knowing what John had done to Christopher. She left her husband and then confused in her friend to told police about the murder.
John was charged with Christopher’s abduction and murder and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Amy was charged with his abduction in 1995 and was sentenced to a $250 fine and 7 years worth of probation. She was also ordered to send Christopher’s family $1 in an envelope on the 19th of every month for 7 years.
John stood trial for Christopher’s murder in 1996. Amy testified against him and so did his mother. His mother recalled him taking about the “boy who raped Amy” and that he “took care of it”. Johns uncle testified that he confessed to killing Christopher to him. A woman who lived on Old River Road in Scott also stated that John had come to her house on the day that Christopher disappeared or after and asked to use her phone. His car was apparently stuck in a field.
John was convicted of killing Christopher in 1996. He maintains his innocence in Christopher’s murder.
At the time of his disappearance, Christopher had recently been ungrounded for bad grades and his parents gave him permission to go out. His remains have never been recovered but foul play is suspected in his case.
Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Little Rock Police Department 501-371-4510
Source Information