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Real Name: Lauren Maria Pico Jackson
Nicknames: Rennie
Location: East Vincent Township, Pennsylvania
Date: October 4, 1988

Bio[]

Occupation: Minor
Date of Birth: September 26, 1983
Height: 2'6"
Weight: 34 lbs.
Marital Status: Single
Characteristics: White female with curly, light brown hair, cut in a below-the-ear "mushroom" style, and brown/hazel eyes. Lauren had surgeries for a hernia and cleft palate, which left two small surgical scars on her lower abdomen and surgical scars on the roof of her mouth. She wore child-sized glasses fitted with rubber hooks to keep them on her face. She also wore orthopedic shoes. One foot was slightly larger than the other, causing her to have an “unusual” gait. She was last seen wearing: a white long-sleeved pullover shirt with a California Raisin printed on both front and back; black knit pants with an iron stain on the back; white socks; and white Reebok sneakers with pink laces.

Case[]

Details: Five-year-old Lauren Jackson is the daughter of Michael “Mickey” Jackson and Christina O’Donnell. From the start, her life was not easy. She was born premature and had several birth defects and other issues, including hydrocephalus, or fluid on the brain; a double hernia; a cleft palate; an eye muscle issue; a club foot; and hip dysplasia. Fortunately, she was able to overcome many of these difficulties and was a relatively healthy child. Mickey describes her as caring, loving, and sweet.
Lauren lived with Christina in the Park Springs Apartments complex on Park Springs Boulevard in East Vincent, Pennsylvania. Lauren vanished from there on October 4, 1988. That evening, 200 rescue workers and volunteers swarmed into the tiny township. At a moment’s notice, they had put their lives on hold to launch a search for her. Christina says that at the time, she was in shock. Lauren was always with her. And she thought that Lauren would come home that night. But when daylight came, she was still not home.
Lauren has been missing for several years. In a case like this, anyone and everyone becomes a suspect. Since she vanished, her case has taken a number of bizarre turns. And when all is said and done, many people believe the prime suspect is a member of her own family: Christina.
Lauren’s parents were never married. They split in 1987 when she was four years old. According to Mickey, he kicked Christina out of the house. According to her, she fled to a shelter for battered women. He denied that he was abusive. Following the breakup, Lauren lived with Christina. They moved to the complex in January 1988. But in September, Christina was arrested for attempting to illegally obtain prescription drugs.
For several months, Christina had called a local pharmacy, pretending to be “Dr. Durocher”, and ordered a prescription for a painkiller called propoxyphene for herself. Eventually, the pharmacist became suspicious and contacted the police, who discovered that the doctor had not seen Christina in several years. In March 1989, she pleaded guilty and was sentenced to probation and a fine. She claimed she did it to help treat chronic pain from a liver disorder. She also admitted to having a substance abuse problem.
Soon after Christina’s arrest, Mickey, who was living in Philadelphia, told Lauren he planned to file for sole custody of her. He was concerned about the living conditions in Christina’s home. He described the neighborhood as a “haven” for drug activity. He also did not think she was capable of taking care of Lauren anymore. Six weeks before she vanished, he came to take her to the Jersey Shore. According to him, Christina tried to make her feel guilty about going with him, even though she wanted to go. This incident led him to decide to file for sole custody.
A month later, on October 4, 1988, Christina took Lauren and her other daughter, twelve-year-old Diana, out for dinner. The day had been so normal that it was almost mundane. But within two hours, Lauren would be gone. Christina remembers that Lauren had asked her all day for a cheeseburger. She finally gave in and took her to a local fast-food restaurant. After having dinner, they returned to their apartment.
That evening, Diana had agreed to babysit a neighbor’s children in another part of the complex. As she was leaving, Laruen begged to come along. But Diana told her she could not. A short time later, at about 7:15pm, Christina agreed to let Lauren play outside with Brian, a six-year-old boy who lived three doors down from them. The two loved to play and dig in the dirt together. Christina says she watched them play as she swept her porch.
At around 7:30pm, Christina went inside. She put the broom away and cleaned the kitchen counters. When she went back outside about twenty minutes later, Lauren and Brian were gone. Christina immediately went to his apartment. According to her, no one was home. She later found out that he and his mother had gone to the mall, and they had left Lauren outside. He last saw her walking towards her apartment.
A young woman reported seeing Lauren playing by herself on her front porch. She waved to Lauren and then went to the other side of the building. A few minutes later, Christina approached the woman, saying that she could not find Lauren. For the next hour, Christina searched the complex for her. Although some people saw Lauren playing, no one saw her leave the area. At around 9:15pm, Christina called the police.
Police immediately initiated a search for Lauren. Mickey says that when he arrived at the complex that night, it was, overall, a hectic situation. There were people mobilizing and fire trucks driving around. He was hoping for the best. He felt overwhelmed by everything and could not believe what was happening. For reasons unknown, Christina refused to speak to him.
At the time Lauren disappeared, Jim Cote was East Vincent’s police chief. He says there were about 250 people out, going through weeds and bushes, combing the area for her. A police helicopter searched the area from the air. Rescue units from the surrounding area cleared nineteen ponds in two days. The grounds of the abandoned Pennhurst State Hospital were also searched.
By the next morning, the police, using bloodhounds and a professional tracker, uncovered evidence that Lauren had either wandered or been dragged along Park Springs Boulevard towards Route 724, a quarter of a mile from the complex. A footprint, believed to be hers, was found near a payphone on Park Springs Boulevard. The dogs then traced her scent to the Vincent Motel on Route 724, nearly a mile from the complex.
The FBI soon joined the investigation. When an eleven-year-old girl came forward with an eyewitness account, everyone’s worst fears seemed to be confirmed. According to her, a child matching Lauren’s description was thrown into a car by a man who then drove away. The girl was certain that the child she saw was Lauren, but the investigation soon stalled for lack of further evidence.
Following Lauren’s disappearance, many parents in her complex became concerned about the safety of their children. They stopped letting the children play outside unsupervised. A reward was offered for information leading to Lauren’s recovery. For several weeks, donations came in to add to the reward fund. However, when news about Christina’s arrest came out, people stopped donating, believing that she might have been involved.
A few months later, in December 1988, another witness came forward with stunning new information that pointed the finger of suspicion directly at Christina. The witness told the FBI that Lauren was not kidnapped and that she saw Christina give Lauren away to a couple in the Jamesway Mall in East Pikeland Township on October 4.
According to the witness, at around 7pm, she was in the mall parking lot when she heard a child (whom she believed to be Lauren) yelling. The child said, “No, mommy, no!” The witness reported seeing a woman, possibly the child’s mother, hand the young girl to a couple in a parked car. The car drove off and the woman walked away.
The day after the witness came forward, former Chief Cote showed up unannounced at Christina’s apartment. From across the street, the witness and FBI agents were watching. The witness said she was 100% positive that Christina was the woman she had seen in the parking lot. Christina believes that the witness saw her picture in the paper and mistook her for someone else. Or she was “one of those people who likes to go to the police or the FBI.”
Christina staunchly maintains that she had nothing to do with Lauren’s disappearance. She says she was a good mother who loved her children and would not have given them away. She also points to a major discrepancy in the witness’ story. The witness placed Lauren and Christina in the parking lot at 7pm. However, residents at Christina’s apartment complex clearly recall seeing Lauren playing in her front yard as late as 7:15pm.
Current Police Chief Bill Dempski believes the witness was mistaken. He believes she saw a child and a mother at the mall. However, he does not believe they were Lauren and Christina. He notes that the witness was sure that the time of her sighting was 7pm. But the residents of the complex were sure the time was 7:15pm.
Mickey, however, is convinced that Christina was involved in Lauren’s disappearance. He believes that she did it both to spite him, and because she was overwhelmed with the responsibility of raising Lauren. Former Chief Cote says that everyone was a suspect in the beginning, including Mickey. He says that Mickey took offense to being considered a suspect. He notes that there have been other suspects that have been identified during the investigatory process. He says that Christina remains a suspect.
Ultimately, a grand jury in East Vincent was asked to consider whether Christina should be charged in connection with Lauren’s disappearance. After four months, the grand jury declined to take action. Former Chief Cote says he was ready to make an arrest but was dissuaded from doing so by the District Attorney’s office. Today, there is only one absolute fact in this troubling case: Lauren has not been seen since the day she disappeared.
Mickey says there has to be a trail somewhere that will lead to Lauren. He says that someone needs to come forward to put them on that trail. Christina says there have been a lot of times where she has wanted to give up hope. But there is always that “glimmer” that she will see Lauren again.
Suspects: Christina is considered a potential suspect in Lauren’s disappearance. She was arrested on drug-related charges the month prior. Mickey was planning to file for sole custody of Lauren, believing that Christina was unable to care for her and that she was living in an unsafe environment. He believes Lauren may have told Christina about his plan to seek sole custody. He believes that Christina gave Lauren away or is keeping her hidden “somewhere.”
Mickey says Christina avoided him on the night of Lauren’s disappearance and refused to talk to him. He believes that she gave Lauren away because she did not want the responsibility of raising her and to spite him. A witness claimed to have seen Christina give Lauren to a couple. However, other witnesses dispute this story. In 1991, Mickey received a tip that Lauren was in Florida. He and former Chief Cote searched a neighborhood there but found no trace of her. Christina says she has cousins in the area, but they did not know about Lauren’s disappearance at that time.
There were rumors that Christina’s family did not believe she was taking good care of Lauren. According to some rumors, out-of-state family members were staying at the Vincent Motel (where Lauren’s scent was tracked to) when she disappeared. It was theorized that they may have taken her, with or without Christina’s knowledge. However, no evidence was found to support this theory.
Neighbors told police that Lauren sometimes wandered off on her own. However, Christina says Lauren would not have done that. She had recently been reprimanded for walking with a group of children to a nearby store without Christina’s permission. She also does not believe Lauren would have gone willingly with a stranger.
An eleven-year-old girl witnessed Lauren being abducted by an unidentified white male. She saw him forcing her into a car, possibly a gold-colored vehicle. One source indicates that this tip was later revealed to be “unfounded.”
Extra Notes:

  • This case first aired on the April 27, 1994 episode.
  • For unknown reasons, it was categorized as a "Lost Loves" case, despite most missing child cases being categorized as "Missing Persons".
  • It was also previously profiled on America's Most Wanted.
  • Some sources say Lauren vanished from Spring City, Pennsylvania.

Results: Unsolved - Sadly, on March 17, 2011, Christina passed away. Strangely, Lauren was not listed in her obituary. Mickey and Diana are still searching for her.
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