Winkler, Christopher James

Missing Since: February 16, 1987
Missing From: Burlington, Racine County

Age: 19 years old

Date of Birth: July 31, 1967
Sex: Male
Race: White
Height and Weight: 5'11 - 6'2, 190 - 220 pounds
Clothing: A gray jacket (possibly leather), blue jeans, brown work boots or work shoes, possibly a flannel shirt over a thermal shirt
Hair: Brown

Eyes: Blue

Marks: a round two-inch scar above his knee

Parents: Oliver & Jean Reuter Winkler

Exclusions: 29

Case Owner: Racine County Sheriff

(262) 886-2300

Agency Case Number 87-1

Details of Disappearance

Christopher Winkler disappeared under suspicious circumstances from Burlington on February 16, 1987. A month and a half later, his mother reported him missing. According to his family he would not have just left as he was very close to his family and would return for dinner every night. They assume he is deceased and have had a burial for him. He had been a suspect in a burglary before he went missing, but the charges were dropped. Winkler and three other local men broke into the Auctioneer's Inn on the 4600 block of Sheard Road in Dover on December 1, 1986. Over $3,500 worth of items were stolen.

The family believes he was killed by Bohner's Lake in Burlington.

Background from WIMissing, link at right.

On the evening of February 16th 1987, 19 year old Christopher Winkler knocked on his friend Donald's door. His friend wasn’t at home. His friend's grandfather answered the door and observed that Christopher appeared upset and thought he was being followed by a black truck but asked him to leave. He has never been seen or heard from since.

Just two months prior in December of 1986, Chris and three of his friends were charged with breaking into Auctioneer’s Inn, an upscale restaurant that Chris had previously done maintenance work at. Many rumors circulated that the restaurant was being used to smuggle drugs through seafood shipments for local biker gangs and during the burglary these drugs were stolen. These accounts, however, could never be verified.

After his disappearance Chris’ family went to his house but his belongings were missing and his roommates refused to talk. Two of Chris’ friends who were involved in the burglary owned a black truck, similar to the one seen following Chris on the night of his disappearance, and it mysteriously vanished shortly after.