Unsolved Mysteries: What Happened to Christopher Dansby? Every Update

Netflix’s Unsolved Mysteries episode “Stolen Kids” documents the kidnapping of Christopher Dansby – but what’s happened since it released? In 1989, the two-year-old disappeared from a Harlem, New York park, and another child named Shane Walker was taken from the same location three months later. Since then, it’s been theorized that both victims might’ve been taken by someone who was desperate to raise children of their own. Here’s what you need to know about “Stolen Kids, directed by Jessica Dimmock for Netflix.

“Stolen Kids” begins with various Unsolved Mysteries interviewees establishing the context for Christopher Dansby’s disappearance. WPIX-TV reporter Mary Murphy describes 1989 as a “bad time” in New York City, and former police inspector Ken Dindahl recalls Harlem – a neighborhood in northern Manhattan – as “a very violent place.” On May 18, 1989, Allison Dansby took Christopher to a park near their home at Martin Luther King Towers, accompanied by her mother and sister, Carolyn Manley. She later went to a nearby store for 30 minutes and left Christopher with her mother. When Allison returned, her son was gone. In Unsolved Mysteries, Lindahl reveals that police set up a 24-block search area, yet they were unable to locate the missing child.

Various theories about Christopher’s disappearance are explored in Unsolved Mysteries. The child’s father was living in Florida at the time and was ruled out as a suspect. Allison was initially considered a suspect, primarily because of her admitted drug addiction issues in May 1989. “That was my life at the time,” Christoper’s mother says, “I have a lot of guilt, a lot of shame.” When 19-month-old Shane Walker disappeared from Martin Luther King Towers three months later, the police noticed similarities to Christopher’s case, not least that both kidnappings transpired on a Thursday between 5 and 7 p.m. when the park was extremely busy. In Unsolved Mysteries, Lindahl addresses a theory that Christopher and Shane may have been the victims of a baby-selling ring, but states that it’s “not likely.” 

As of October 2020, there haven’t been any major developments in Christopher’s case since the release of Unsolved Mysteries Volume 2. According to a 1989 AP report, police immediately ruled out a ransom theory since nobody contacted Allison. Over the years, there have been continued rumors about the link between Christopher’s disappearance and a baby-selling ring, however, there’s no hard evidence to support that theory. Some reports have connected Christopher’s case to the March 1989 disappearance of one-month-old Andre Bryant in Brooklyn, however, the subsequent murder of Andre’s mother, Monique, doesn’t align with the specifics of the Martin Luther King Towers kidnapping. On Reddit, many theories point to the possibility that Christopher was raised by his kidnapper.

Moving forward, the Unsolved Mysteries episode about Christopher’s disappearance will complement the work of both the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and The Charley Project. Netflix streamers will undoubtedly provide tips that could also help identify Christopher via Ancestry.com. When “Stolen Kids” premiered in October 2020, Christopher would’ve been 33 years old. He can be identified through a figure eight birthmark on his right leg or back, along with a burn scar on his thigh.

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Q.V. Hough
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Q.V. Hough is a senior writer at Screen Rant. He’s also the founding editor at Vague Visages, and has contributed to RogerEbert.com and Fandor.

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