Vanished at Sea: New Image in a 20-Year Mystery

On Nov. 24, 2005, Christian Hall set sail for Florida from the coast of Corpus Christi, Texas. He was 15 years old, traveling only with the boat’s captain. But the pair never arrived in Florida, and no one has heard from them since. 

Twenty years later, Christian’s aunt, Carla Boehm, is still searching. Carla strongly believes that Christian could still be alive. He was adventurous, and at that time, may have been excited to embark on a new journey.  

“If he thinks nobody cares, maybe he's not even trying to come home,” Carla said.

To aid in the search, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) is releasing a new age-progressed image showing what Christian may look like today at 35 years old. Carla hopes this new image, created by a forensic artist at NCMEC, will get us one step closer to knowing what happened to Christian.

Christian Hall age progressed from 15 to 35 years old. (Courtesy of NCMEC)

Carla told NCMEC that at the time of his disappearance, Christian was working for 39-year-old David “Dusty” Andrews aboard his 74-foot boat, the GYPSY II. But when the chance to sail from Texas to Florida arose, Carla says Christian’s family told him he couldn’t go. Christian left anyway.

Not long after the two departed, investigators say Christian and Dusty were in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana when a mayday signal had reportedly gone out for the GYPSY II, but Dusty declined assistance.

Since that day, there have been no confirmed sightings of Christian, Dusty or the GYPSY II. It’s the kind of case that raises many questions: What really happened at sea? Did they get lost? Did something happen to the ship? Or did they reach another port and never return?

Photo of the GYPSY II, the boat Christian Hall was last seen on. (Courtesy of Corpus Christi Police Department)

Carla believes that Christian may have grown attached to Dusty while working together on the boat, seeing him as a father figure, something that had been missing from his life. She thinks Dusty may have felt the same connection. “I know that he told his family that Christian was his son,” said Carla. “And that is not true.” 

Carla still remembers and reminisces on the last time she saw Christian. He was 11 years old when Carla and her family visited him, his mother and older sister. It was the first time they had seen each other in years.

“We all got friendship bracelets, and the kids played pool,” Carla recalled. “We had a really good time, and it was nice to hang out with everybody and see each other, just like old times.” 

Christian Hall (right) and his cousin Dallas (left). (Courtesy of Carla Boehm)

Carla is hopeful that after all these years, someone will have the information that will finally bring her, and the rest of Christian’s family, the answers they have been waiting for.

“I hope he's out there, and that he sees this new picture and realizes people are looking for him, and that he's wanted.”

If you have any information about Christian Hall or his disappearance, please contact NCMEC at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) or the Corpus Christi Police Department at 1-361-886-2600.

View Christian Hall’s missing poster: https://www.missingkids.org/poster/NCMC/1036585/1.