Blood Trails – Ep. 1: An Opening Day Disappearance

Date: October 30, 2025
Host: Jordan Sillars (MeatEater)

Episode Overview

The inaugural episode of "Blood Trails" investigates the mysterious 1977 disappearance of Robert "Bob" Christian, an 18-year-old hunter from Madison, Wisconsin. Bob set out for the opening day of archery season but never arrived at his friend's house—or anywhere else. His abandoned car, strange clues, and a web of chilling connections have made this one of Wisconsin's most haunting cold cases. Host Jordan Sillars explores original reporting, family memories, detective insights, and a jaw-dropping possible link to serial killer John Wayne Gacy.

Part 1: The Disappearance

• Setting: Fall, 1977. Bob Christian, newly an adult and an avid hunter, plans to join his lifelong friend Randy Griffith for opening day—something they’d never done as a pair.

• The Plan: Bob was to drive from Madison to the Griffith home in Baraboo on Friday, September 16, sleep over, and hunt the next morning.

• Something Unravels: Bob never arrived. Calls between the families began around 6:30pm, initial concern rising into dread by 9:00pm, when Bob’s mother reported him missing to the authorities.

  • Memorable quote:
    • Randy Griffith: “Bob is always, always on time or a little early…this ain’t like him to be late.” (03:43)

• Timeline:

  • Bob makes two stops in Madison en route: a $25 bank withdrawal (~5:15pm), then a convenience store where he bought cigars. He is seen by his mother.
  • After those errands, somewhere between Madison and Baraboo, Bob vanishes.

Part 2: The Search

• Initial Delay:

  • 1977 procedures meant law enforcement didn’t launch a search for 24 hours, since Bob was 18.
  • Detective Tyler Pointon: “You hear it kind of cliche all the time, but there's the 24 hour rule… I'm just speculating, but I can only assume that was kind of the operating procedure back then.” (09:05)

• Family Steps In:

  • Christian family calls hospitals, friends, and checks possible travel routes.
  • Search for Bob’s car (a 1977 AMC Hornet, borrowed from his mother).
  • Discovery: Sunday, on the little-traveled Tower Road near a radio tower, they find the car:
    • Car Details: No wheels or tires, not on blocks—resting directly on the dirt. Battery and front plate missing. Hunting gear gone.
    • “It quite literally defied explanation.” (12:02)
    • Randy Griffith: “They said, well, they didn’t use a jack...so flabbergasting how you get wheel and a tire, four of them off that vehicle and don’t have any marks on the ground.” (13:22)

• Aftermath:

  • Intensive search with volunteers, bloodhounds, and a helicopter—but no sign of Bob or his gear.

Part 3: Sister Genevieve and the Cabin

• An Overlooked Clue:

  • Near where the car was found stood a convent. Upon returning to her cabin that Friday, Sister Genevieve finds signs of an intruder: someone slept in her bed, cooked food, and left cigarette ashes.

• Evening Incident:

  • Mary, a friend, visits Sister Genevieve around 8:30pm and finds a car idling in the driveway—Bob’s mother’s car. She sees a driver matching Bob’s description with thick rimmed glasses and brown hair.
  • The driver says, “I’m looking for my friend Bob” or “I’m just looking for my friend”—a baffling, possibly desperate clue.
  • The car leaves, heading further away from Randy’s.
    • Randy Griffith: “He keeps driving further and further away from my house...which doesn’t make sense.” (18:57)
  • Amy Christian’s Theory: “If he was being apprehended, that would be a smart thing to do. Send a clue to somebody, hey, I’m Bob...” (19:50)

• Evidence Found:

  • Family finds a grocery bag with a receipt and groceries in a log near the cabin—possibly evidence connected to the break-in. Law enforcement doesn’t link it to Bob’s case due to different jurisdictions, and the physical evidence is eventually lost.
    • Amy Christian: “So all of that evidence is gone...at the time, it could have been really relevant for that case to find out and connect.” (21:47)

Part 4: Car Parts and the Quarry

• New Car Clues:
  • A week later, old wheels, tires, and hubcaps (matching an AMC Hornet) are found at a nearby quarry—likely swapped for the new ones taken from Bob’s car.
  • A farmer reports seeing Bob’s car (and a second, light-colored car with distinctive stacked headlights) on Tower Road around dawn the morning after Bob disappeared.
    • Detective Pointon: “Could have belonged to a number of Plymouth models, but they weren’t unique enough…to find the owner of that mysterious vehicle.” (24:02)

Part 5: Theories – Runaway, Foul Play, or Something Worse?

• The Runaway Theory:

  • Dismissed by friends, family, and detectives.
    • Detective Pointon: “He was never a runaway as a youth. Never talked about running away, had a bright future, just enrolled as a college student at a pretty good college at that time.” (29:23)
    • Amy Christian: “So I can’t imagine Bob would have wanted to… why would he want to take off after he just started, you know, at the university?” (29:51)
  • Rumors about Canada or drug deals—also dismissed.

• Drug Theory:

  • Dismissed as inconsistent with Bob’s habits and lifestyle.
    • Amy Christian: “If he was gonna get drugs, why wouldn’t he got them in the city…? He didn’t know anybody up there.” (32:16)

• Questions Over Location:

  • Car found near Bob’s family hunting grounds—a spot he’d visited many times. A possible detour to scout for deer?
    • Detective Pointon: “It would be a low probability that he would have ended up in that area just randomly without knowing it. It's very off the beaten path, very rural…” (33:55)

Part 6: The Gacy Connection

• Serial Killer John Wayne Gacy:
  • Gacy was working in the region (Reedsburg, Moston) as a contractor in 1977, around the time of Bob's disappearance.
    • Detective Pointon: “John Wayne Gacy…had been in Reedsburg in July of 77 for a pharmacy job. And I…confirm[ed] that with one of the owners of the pharmacy at the time.” (36:44)
  • Baraboo’s circus culture might have attracted Gacy, as he was obsessed with clowns.
  • Gacy’s known victims fit Bob’s profile in many ways; five of Gacy’s victims remain unidentified.
  • Amy and her father contributed DNA to CODIS for cross-checking with Gacy’s victims.
    • Detective Pointon: “A blood sibling and father should have a close enough profile to…say that.” (40:20)
    • Amy Christian: “It’s not always great to know what happened. If it ends up being this John Wayne Gacy…at least it would be some resolution.” (40:55)

Part 7: Unanswered Questions & Lingering Trauma

• Unresolved Mysteries:

  • Was the break-in at Sister Genevieve’s cabin linked to Bob’s disappearance?
  • Did police coordination fail due to jurisdictional confusion?
  • Was Bob’s car stripped by the perpetrator, an opportunist, or both?
  • Why was the car left near a familiar hunting area?
    • Detective Pointon (as a hunter): “Maybe in the afternoon, we’ll go try this other spot that I’ve been to before and maybe I’ll just go check it out…” (42:49)
    • Randy Griffith (skeptical): “If he went up there to scout, then why didn’t he call me and say that before he left Madison?” (43:41)

• Personal Loss:

  • In 1983, Bob’s sister Kathy was murdered in an unrelated crime, another blow to the Christian family.
  • Amy reflects on the toll:
    • “It would be awesome if we could find any remains and put him to rest. That I know would mean a lot to my parents. I know God took care of him.” (46:39)

• A Plea for Justice:

  • Detective Pointon continues to receive tips and urges anyone with information to come forward.
  • Amy Christian: “It would be an awesome thing for them to come forward if they know… at least to know something about what happened to him… It’s sad not to know.” (48:03)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “It’s haunted Bob’s family and friends ever since.” (07:56)
• “If he was being apprehended, that would be a smart thing to do. Send a clue… hey, I’m Bob…” – Amy Christian (19:50)
• “It was just on the ground. No tires, no nothing. And my dad said, stop. You know, he said, stop. We gotta turn around.” – Amy Christian (12:27)
• “If the DNA came back positive, then we would know for sure what happened.” – Amy Christian (40:55)
• “There are no clear answers to any of these questions.” – Jordan Sillars (Narrator) (41:47)

Major Segments & Timestamps

• Opening Setup: Bob’s Plan and Disappearance – 01:46-08:18
• Family & Search Efforts – 08:18-11:37
• Discovery of the Car – 11:37-13:22
• Sister Genevieve’s Cabin Incident – 15:35-20:18
• Lost Evidence & Police Jurisdiction Failures – 20:18-22:19
• Car Parts and Quarry Connection – 22:19-25:16
• Examining Theories (Runaway, Drugs, Foul Play) – 28:31-34:21
• The Gacy Theory & DNA Search – 34:21-41:16
• Unanswered Questions & Family Reflections – 41:16-46:50
• Call for Information & Closure Appeal – 47:02-48:40

Takeaways

"An Opening Day Disappearance" exemplifies "Blood Trails" at its best: a true crime story rich with original interviews, authentic hunting community detail, and deep empathy for those left behind. Despite decades-old evidence and tangled mysteries, hope persists—propelled by family, dedicated detectives, and a renewed public spotlight.

If you have information about Bob Christian’s disappearance, contact the Sauk County Sheriff’s Office at 608-355-3205 or Crime Stoppers at 1-888-847-7285.

To see images from the case, visit the Blood Trails case file on themeateater.com.