Christine Marie Honson

Honson, circa 1974

  • Missing Since 09/01/1974
  • Missing From Grand Rapids, Michigan
  • Classification Endangered Missing
  • Sex Female
  • Race Native American
  • Date of Birth 08/13/1942 (81)
  • Age 32 years old
  • Height and Weight 5'2, 120 - 135 pounds
  • Clothing/Jewelry Description A blue ski coat, a yellow blouse, brown and yellow slacks, and a white gold mother's ring with four stones.
  • Medical Conditions Honson is an alcoholic.
  • Distinguishing Characteristics Native American female. Black hair, brown eyes. Honson may have three or four capped teeth. She has a dark spot on her right ankle, and she wears eyeglasses with heavy dark-colored plastic frames. Honson may use the following alias names: Barbara Jean Compo, Christine Marie Compo and/or Christine Marie Harrington.

Details of Disappearance

Honson was last seen in Grand Rapids, Michigan sometime in September 1974. She had lived in Petoskey in northern Michigan with her husband and three children, and her marriage was troubled because of her drinking problem and arguments with her husband's. She had occasionally left home for a few days at a time, but always reappeared.

Sometime in September 1974, Honson disappeared from her home in Petoskey. Her husband found some suitcases in their backyard and assumed his wife had left him and possibly hitched a ride out of the area.

A week later, Honson's husband drove to the home of one of her relatives in Grand Rapids and left the suitcases there. Once he returned to Petoskey, he filed a missing persons report. He divorced her about a year after she disappeared.

Honson's sisters in Grand Rapids last saw her in the summer of 1974. She had a close relationship with her sisters and their families frequently visited each other. Honson called her sister and her sister-in-law in the fall of that year, saying she was going to visit them. Honson didn't visit, however, and her family never heard from her again.

There has been no activity on Honson's Social Security number since the summer of 1974, and she never renewed her driver's license. In spite of her alcohol problem, she had a good relationship with her children and her loved ones don't think she would have abandoned them.

In July 1986, Nicholas Brasic Jr. was convicted of rape and first-degree murder in Honson's presumed death. One of the primary witnesses was Paul Howell; he was a friend of Brasic's, and his brother had dated Honson.

Howell testified that at the end of September 1974, Honson came to his Grand Rapids apartment looking for his brother. Howell and Brasic were at the residence at the time and both had been drinking. The two men left with Honson in Brasic's yellow van and drove to a field north of Grand Rapids.

Howell stated Honson and Brasic went into the back of the van and he heard Brasic beating Honson for ten to fifteen minutes, as Honson cried and groaned. Brasic went back to the front of the van without Honson, and drove Howell home.

The next day, Howell asked Brasic what happened to Honson, and Brasic told him he'd taken care of it and refused to say anything more on the subject. Two other witnesses, one of them Brasic's ex-girlfriend and the mother of his child, testified that Brasic told them he had beaten a girl to death in his van and that he buried her body near South Bend, Indiana.

Brasic was sentenced to life in prison for Honson's murder. Her body has never been found, but foul play is suspected due to the circumstances involved.

Investigating Agency

  • Kent County Sheriff's Department 616-632-6100

Updated 1 times since October 12, 2004. Last updated June 25, 2016; casefile added.