Christi and Bobby Baskin
Real Names: Katherine Christine Baskin and Robert Maple Baskin
Nicknames: Christi and Bobby
Location: Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Date: March 1, 1989
Bio
Occupation: Students
Date of Birth: Unrevealed
Height: 4'5" (Christi) / 4'3" (Bobby)
Weight: 70 pounds (Christi) / 80 pounds (Bobby)
Marital Status: Single
Characteristics: Birthmark on her neck (Christi)
Case
Details: Michael, Christi, and Bobby Baskin are the children of Mark and Debbie Baskin and grandchildren of Debbie's parents, Marvin and Sandra Maple. In 1987, Mark decided that he wanted to go back to school to pursue his master's degree. As the Baskins planned to move from Murfreesboro, Tennessee to Louisville, Kentucky, they realized that they would face financial problems. Marvin and Sandra agreed to watch Christi and Bobby until they had settled and found jobs. Mark and Debbie moved to Louisville with Michael.
Despite the separation, the Baskins and Maples kept in touch as much as possible. Mark and Debbie planned to only have Christi and Bobby stay with Marvin and Sandra through the summer. However, it became difficult to find jobs in Louisville, so they stayed through Christmas. According to Debbie, she and Sandra got into an argument when she told her that she wanted them back. According to her, she and Marvin loved them a bit too much and believed they could be better parents for them than Mark and Debbie. By April, the feud between the Baskins and Maples had reached the point where Mark and Debbie were not allowed to stay in Marvin and Sandra's home when they visited Christi and Bobby.
On April 10, 1988, Mark and Debbie stayed in a motel so that they could have all of the children together. A month later on May 5, Marvin and Sandra petitioned for custody of Christi and Bobby before Judge Robert Corlew in his chambers. They claimed that Mark and Debbie had abandoned them and were members of a Satanic cult. They also claimed that Bobby had been molested by Mark and Debbie during the motel visit. The judge gave Marvin and Sandra temporary custody of them. Mark and Debbie were shocked and claimed that the allegations against them were false.
On May 23, a court hearing was held and Christi and Bobby were again placed in Marvin and Sandra's custody. They, Mark, and Debbie were ordered to undergo complete psychological evaluations. Meanwhile, a thirty-day investigation into the abuse allegations was conducted. During this time, Marvin and Sandra's custody of Christi and Bobby was extended. However, Mark and Debbie retained custody of Michael.
As part of the investigation, Murfreesboro detective Anita Flagg was tasked to determine if Bobby's claims of being sexually abused by Mark and Debbie were true. He confirmed what Marvin and Sandra said, but she believed that he may have been coached. In further interviews, his stories allegedly became more bizarre. He allegedly claimed that social workers, attorneys, and mental health officials were involved in the rituals. At the conclusion of her investigation, she believed that charges were not warranted. She did not find evidence to support the claims of abuse.
Flagg and the other investigators recommended that Christi and Bobby be returned to Mark and Debbie. However, a court order was required to make this possible. Unfortunately, Christmas was approaching and the court dockets were full. Once again, Mark and Debbie were only allowed intermittent visits with them. A final hearing was scheduled for March 29, 1989, almost a full year after the initial proceedings began. By then, there was little doubt that they would be returned to Mark and Debbie.
Nineteen days before the hearing, court guardian Karen Hornsby called Marvin and Sandra to confirm a scheduled visitation for Christi and Bobby with Mark and Debbie. After she failed to reach them several times, she became suspicious. She went to visit them at their home, only to find that it was for sale and they had all disappeared. According to Mark and Debbie, they had gone as far as threatening to kill Christi and Bobby to keep them from their parents.
Mark and Debbie still hope to find Christi and Bobby and reunite with them and Michael.
Suspects: Marvin and Sandra Maple
Extra Notes:
- This case first aired on the February 7, 1990 episode and updated in the February 21, 1990 episode..
- It was also profiled on America's Most Wanted: Final Justice and Missing during the investigation.
- It was excluded from the FilmRise release of the Robert Stack episodes.
Jon and Jennifer in 2009
Results: Solved. After the broadcast, Christi and Bobby were seen and reported in Santa Clara, California, as well as Washington, Mississippi, Florida, and Murfreesboro, Tennessee. When this case was reaired, sightings of them were reported in San Diego in 1999 and 2000. Finally, in February 2009, Marvin, Christi, and Bobby were found in San Jose, California. Sandra had passed away three years earlier. After her death, Marvin confided in several friends about the abduction. One of them went to the police, which led to his arrest.
Christi and Bobby, who now go by Jon and Jennifer Bunting, are well-adjusted adults. She is a nurse and he is married with a family of his own. However, they have little emotional attachment to Mark and Debbie due to the abduction. They have refused all efforts to reunite with them. Whether this is due to some form of brainwashing by Marvin and Sandra remains to be seen.
Jon has since spoken out and is adamant that he and Jennifer were physically, sexually, and emotionally abused by Mark and Debbie. He claims that Marvin and Sandra took them and hid them for their own safety. He also remembers the abuse and has claimed there was no brainwashing involved at all. He discussed the alleged abuse during a TV interview in May 2017.
Links:
- Tips sought in old Tennessee kidnapping case - January 13, 2009
- Children abducted 20 years ago - January 18, 2009
- Long Lost Tennessee Kids Found All Grown Up in South Bay - February 4, 2009
- 20-year-old missing children case solved - February 6, 2009
- Kidnapped 20 Years Ago, Kids to Reunite with Parents - February 6, 2009
- Man Accused of Kidnapping Grandchildren Avoids Prison - May 27, 2009
- Baskin son on why he won't reunite with parents after 20 years in hiding - May 24, 2017
- Jon Bunting: Hiding in Plain Sight - May 23, 2018