Christian, Robert

Missing since: September 16, 1977

From: Madison, Dane County

Age: 18 years old

DOB: 3 APR 1959
Race: White

Sex: Male
Hair: brown

Eyes: brown, glasses

Parents: Lewis & Carolyn Traudt Christian

Exclusions: 46

Details of Disappearance

From Justice Be Served: Robert Christian went missing during a trip from Madison to Baraboo on September 16, 1977. On September 16, 1977, he had dinner with his parents, at their Madison home. After eating, he tossed a change of clothes and his bow hunting gear into the back of the Hornet station wagon at about 5:30 p.m. and headed to the bank. After picking up $25, he planned to drive to Baraboo and meet a friend, local resident Randy Griffith, for Saturday morning deer hunting in the Baraboo Bluffs. If they were not successful taking a deer, Robert planned to return to Madison that afternoon and attend a Wisconsin Badgers game.

He stopped at a nearby Walgreens and picked up a pack of small cigars. Robert probably drove to the Madison Beltline Highway, headed west to Highway 12 and took it north to the Baraboo area.

At about 9:30 p.m. Randy Griffith’s mother, a longtime family friend, called to say Robert had not arrived in Baraboo. Robert’s family began calling authorities in Dane, Sauk and Columbia counties to find out if Robert had been involved in a car wreck. They also called the Madison police, who eventually took a report on the disappearance and conducted an investigation.

At about 8 p.m. the Friday of the disappearance, a Mauston woman visiting a nun near the Durward’s Glen retreat site encountered a car in her friend’s driveway that matched the description of the Hornet and had the same license plate. The young male driver of the car matched Robert’s description and told the woman something like “I’m looking for my friend. I’m supposed to meet my friend.” The young man said he must be at the wrong place and then drove away to the east, away from the relay tower.

Robert’s vehicle was later recovered parked in a driveway near the State Patrol relay antenna on Tower Road southeast of the city, located at E13535 Tower Rd. The wheels, tires and the battery was gone.

The Sheriff’s Department followed up on a tip and found four old tires and the hubcaps from the Hornet in a quarry just south of the Badger Army Ammunition Plant and north of Prairie du Sac. Apparently, somebody had switched the tires from the new car for worn-out tires on their vehicle and then dumped the hubcaps. It is unknown if the stripping of the car and Robert’s disappearance are connected, or if somebody found the Hornet after he disappeared and took what they could.

The Sheriff’s Department brought in a bloodhound that followed Robert’s trail a short distance from where he car was found, then lost the scent at Tower Road. They also used a National Guard helicopter to search open fields in the area.

Actions

They found his bow in the woods on the path close to the tower. I have contacted the sheriff asking him to retest the surviving evidence on 10/8 followed up 11/10/24 email

They are looking into it.