Overview

Missing: September 16, 1977
Missing From: Madison, Wisconsin
Last Known Area: Baraboo/Greenfield Township area of Sauk County, Wisconsin
Age: 18
NamUs: MP9586

Robert “Bob” Lewis Christian disappeared while traveling from Madison to the Baraboo area for a planned bow-hunting trip. His abandoned AMC Hornet was later discovered near Tower Road, stripped of its wheels, tires and battery. Searches failed to locate him, and investigators have never established whether the stripping of the vehicle was connected to his disappearance. Robert remains missing.

Detailed Case Breakdown

Robert Lewis Christian: The Unsolved 1977 Disappearance in Wisconsin

Brief Case Summary

Missing: September 16, 1977
Missing From: Madison, Wisconsin
Last Known Area: Baraboo/Greenfield Township area of Sauk County, Wisconsin
Age: 18
NamUs: MP9586

Robert “Bob” Lewis Christian disappeared while traveling from Madison to the Baraboo area for a planned bow-hunting trip. His abandoned AMC Hornet was later discovered near Tower Road, stripped of its wheels, tires and battery. Searches failed to locate him, and investigators have never established whether the stripping of the vehicle was connected to his disappearance. Robert remains missing.

An 18-Year-Old Hunter Disappears on His Way to Baraboo

On September 16, 1977, 18-year-old Robert “Bob” Lewis Christian was preparing for what should have been an ordinary weekend hunting trip in Wisconsin.

Christian, a University of Wisconsin-Madison freshman, planned to meet his friend Randy Griffith in the Baraboo area. The two intended to go bow hunting the following morning. Christian ate dinner with his family in Madison, packed hunting equipment and a change of clothes into an AMC Hornet station wagon, and left at approximately 5:30 p.m.

Before leaving Madison, Christian withdrew $25 from his bank account and purchased cigars. His mother happened to pass him near the bank while driving two of his younger siblings to a football game. Mother and son waved to one another.

It was one of the last known encounters involving Christian before he vanished.

Robert Never Arrived

Christian was expected at his friend’s home that evening, but he never arrived.

When his absence became increasingly unusual, the families began trying to determine where he could have gone. Christian was regarded by those close to him as dependable, making his failure to appear particularly concerning.

Attention eventually turned toward rural Greenfield Township in Sauk County, including Tower Road between Bluff Road and the Sauk-Columbia county line. Christian knew the area and had hunted there before.

Then his vehicle was found.

The Abandoned AMC Hornet

Christian’s family located the AMC Hornet near the State Patrol relay antenna/radio tower area on Tower Road.

The vehicle was empty and unlocked. Its wheels, tires and battery had been removed, and authorities have reported that most of Christian’s hunting equipment and personal belongings were also missing.

Investigators brought bloodhounds to the area. The dogs reportedly followed Christian’s scent for a short distance before losing it near Tower Road. An Army National Guard helicopter was also used to search open areas from the air.

No trace of Christian was found.

Tires and Hubcaps Found at a Quarry

About a week after Christian disappeared, investigators received a tip that directed them to a quarry south of the Badger Army Ammunition Plant and north of Prairie du Sac.

There they located four old tires and AMC Hornet hubcaps. Authorities concluded that someone apparently removed the newer tires from Christian’s vehicle, replaced worn tires on another vehicle and discarded the old tires along with the hubcaps.

The unusual condition of the Hornet became one of the enduring mysteries of the case.

Investigators have never determined whether the person or people who stripped the vehicle were responsible for Christian’s disappearance, knew what happened to him, or simply encountered an already-abandoned vehicle and stole from it.

A Possible Sighting Near Durward’s Glen

One of the most significant pieces of the reconstructed timeline concerns a reported encounter near the Durward’s Glen Retreat Center.

According to information released during the renewed investigation, a woman said she was visiting a friend in the area at approximately 8 p.m. on September 16 when she encountered a vehicle in the driveway that matched the description and license plate of Christian’s AMC Hornet.

The young male driver reportedly resembled Christian and explained that he was looking for a friend and apparently had gone to the wrong location. He then drove east toward Durward Glen Road.

Authorities have emphasized an important limitation: the young man was never definitively identified as Robert Christian.

If the sighting was Christian, however, it could represent one of the latest known observations of him on the night he disappeared.

The Nearby Break-In

Later reporting added another puzzling element involving a nearby residence or cabin associated with Sister Genevieve. According to the 2025 Blood Trails investigation, the property had been broken into and was investigated by Columbia County authorities, while Christian’s abandoned vehicle was handled in neighboring Sauk County.

Detective Tyler Pointon confirmed to the podcast that records concerning items associated with that investigation remained in the case file, although the physical items themselves had not been retained as evidence. The podcast reported that forensic DNA testing did not exist in its modern form in 1977, significantly limiting what investigators could do with biological material at the time.

Whether the break-in, the reported sighting, Christian’s disappearance and the stripping of his automobile were connected remains unresolved.

A Cold Case Gets New Attention

Nearly five decades after Christian disappeared, the Sauk County Sheriff’s Office publicly renewed attention to the case in January 2025.

Investigators released additional photographs and information and appealed for people with knowledge of the disappearance to come forward. Detective Tyler Pointon became publicly identified as the investigator working the case.

The renewed publicity produced additional tips.

Pointon later said he was hearing from people who had information but, for various reasons, had not spoken to investigators decades earlier. The detective expressed hope that the passage of time might allow witnesses—or people who had heard information from relatives or acquaintances—to finally come forward.

Investigators Examine a Possible John Wayne Gacy Connection

One of the most notable recent investigative developments is the examination of serial killer John Wayne Gacy as a possible lead.

This should not be interpreted as evidence that Gacy was responsible for Christian’s disappearance. Investigators have not established that connection.

Detective Pointon told Blood Trails that Gacy’s name appeared in Christian’s case file but apparently had not historically been considered a particularly strong suspect. More recent information caused investigators to take another look. Pointon said he confirmed that Gacy had been in Reedsburg, Wisconsin, in July 1977 in connection with contracting work at a pharmacy. Reedsburg is roughly 30 minutes from the area where Christian’s vehicle was found.

Christian also fell within the general age and sex demographic of many of Gacy’s known victims. But geographic proximity months earlier and similarities to a victim profile do not establish involvement.

The potentially significant part of the investigation involves DNA.

Familial DNA Comparison Requested

Christian himself does not have a known direct DNA sample available, according to Detective Pointon’s 2025 interview. However, Christian’s sister Amy and their father previously provided DNA samples for law-enforcement comparison purposes.

Pointon said he requested that the Cook County Sheriff’s Office conduct a direct comparison between the Christian family’s DNA profiles and unidentified victims associated with Gacy. Cook County agreed to conduct the testing.

At the time of the Blood Trails report released October 30, 2025, Pointon said he was awaiting the results and there was no definite timeline for their completion.

I did not locate a later authoritative public announcement establishing that one of the unidentified Gacy victims is Robert Christian or announcing a resolution of the case.

Accordingly, the Gacy connection should currently be regarded as a lead under investigation rather than a conclusion about what happened to Robert Christian.

Where the Robert Christian Case Stands

Robert Christian remains listed by the Wisconsin Clearinghouse for Missing & Exploited Children & Adults. The state listing identifies him as missing since September 16, 1977, from Madison, with Baraboo listed as his last known location.

The fundamental questions have remained unanswered for nearly five decades: Why did Christian apparently enter the rural Tower Road/Durward’s Glen area instead of reaching his friend’s home? Was the reported young man in the AMC Hornet actually Christian? Who stripped the Hornet, and when? Was the nearby break-in related? And did Christian encounter someone who caused his disappearance?

The Sauk County Sheriff’s Office continues to seek information from anyone who may know what happened.

Even information that seemed insignificant in 1977 could potentially help investigators reconstruct Robert Christian’s final known hours today.