To earn extra money, 15-year-old Christian Hall worked as a deckhand on the 74-foot sailboat Gypsy II off the coast of Corpus Christi, Texas.
In November 2005, Christian—an adventure-seeking teen—asked his family for permission to join the boat’s owner, David “Dusty” Andrews, 39, on a trip. Christian saw it as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. His family refused, but Christian went anyway.
On Nov. 24, 2005, Christian and Andrews left from the John F. Kennedy Memorial Causeway, which connects Laguna Madre and North Padre Island in Corpus Christi, and set sail for Florida. They never arrived—and neither was ever heard from again.
Twenty years later, Christian’s family is still searching, with the help of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC).
Christian’s aunt, Carla Boehm, told NCMEC she believes her nephew could still be alive. If he is, she wants him to know he is loved and missed.
“If he thinks nobody cares, maybe he’s not even trying to come home,” Boehm told NCMEC.
To keep public attention on the case, NCMEC has released a new age-progressed image created by a forensic artist showing what Christian might look like today at 35.
Over the years, few clear answers have emerged about what happened to Christian and Andrews. Authorities have said Andrews did not have permission to take the teen on the boat. Christian’s family reported him missing on Jan. 4, 2006, and the Texas Department of Public Safety issued a bulletin about Christian’s disappearance that included photos of Andrews and the vessel.
What investigators do know is that Christian and Andrews—who would now be 59—were in the Gulf of Mexico off the Louisiana coast when the sailboat radioed a mayday call, according to NCMEC. The boat was taking on water, but authorities said the two declined assistance.
Despite the years, Boehm remains hopeful her family will see Christian again.
“I hope he’s out there, and that he sees this new picture and realizes people are looking for him, and that he’s wanted,” she told NCMEC.
