Description

Robert Christian went missing during a trip from Madison to Baraboo on September 16, 1977. Robert's vehicle was later recovered parked in a driveway near the State Patrol relay antenna on Tower Road between Bluff Road and the Sauk/Columbia County line in the Township of Greenfield, Sauk County. The wheels, tires and the battery were gone and the front license plate was thrown into the brush nearby. 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 to no avail. A witness came forward and stated that at about 8:00pm on 09/16/1977, the evening of the disappearance, she was visiting a friend near the Durward’s Glen Retreat Center and encountered a car in her friend’s driveway. The car matched the description of the AMC Hornet and had the same license plate. The young male driver of the car matched Robert’s description and told the woman something like “Excuse me, I’m looking for Bob. ” The witness recalled he said the last name but she couldn't recall what it was. The witness said the young man then said he must be at the wrong place and then drove away to the east, toward Durward’s Glen Road. The young man was never definitively identified but generally matched the description of Robert Christian.