Left and Center: Christopher circa, 1989
Right: Age Progressed to age 26
Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
Missing Since: May 18, 1989
Missing From: Manhattan, New York County, New York
Classification: Non-Family Abduction
Date Of Birth: March 30, 1987
Age: 2 years old
Height and Weight: 2’6″ and 30 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: African American Male, Black hair, Brown eyes, Christopher has a burn scar on his thigh and a birthmark which looked like a figure 8 on his back, Christopher’s nickname is “Choo Choo”
Clothing/Jewelry Description: A blue jacket, a floral print shirt, blue jeans, and green/white sneakers
NCMEC Number: 724088
Details of Disappearance
Christopher was last seen in Manhattan, New York on May 18th 1989. He was last seen at the Martin Luther King Jr. Towers playground which is located at 113th Street and Lenox Avenue in Harlem. His mother was there with him but decided to go to the store for food. She stated that she left Dansby in the care of several relatives at the park because she did not bring his stroller with them.
His mother returned to the park about 30 minutes later and discovered her son missing. The relatives told her that they saw Christopher playing with a red ball. This was odd because Christopher did not bring a red ball with him and his mother could not find such a ball anywhere. The ball vanished alone with Christopher. Just before Christopher vanished, he was seen playing with a 10 year old girl and her younger brother.
A child from Christopher’s neighborhood reported that he saw Christopher walking on 111th Street later during the day of his disappearance. Christopher was allegedly in the company of an unidentified male subject. The man is described as being African American and in between the ages of 25 and 30. He also stood at 6’0″ and his hair was in dreadlocks at the time.
The man has not been identified and Christopher has never been seen again.
Investigators have looked at the possibility that Dansby’s disappearance might be connected to the August 1989 disappearance of Shane Walker. Walker disappeared from the same park as him and was seen playing with the same two children whom Dansby was last seen with. They thought the boys might have been abducted as part of a black market baby ring operation. They also suspected that Andre Bryant was another possible victim of the ring. He was abducted from Brooklyn in March of 1989. None of the boys have ever been found. They were all babies and African American at the time.
It’s should also be noted that Shane and Christopher disappeared on the same day of the week, Thursday, and went missing only 2 hours apart from one another.
Investigators have found no proof that Dansby and Walker’s cases are linked. They still believe that he was abducted by a non family member, however. Investigators also looked at Christopher’s family in the case. They were subjected to polygraph exams which came back as inconclusive results. There was speculation that Dansby was sold for drugs by his mother or was abducted by someone whom she owed a debt too. His mother stated that she was previously a crack cocaine user but had been in recovery for years by the time Christopher’s disappearance took place. She also did not owe anyone money at the time.
Christopher’s disappearance remains unsolved and it’s unknown what happened to him.
Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
New York City Police Department (212) 694-7781
Source Information
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children