Kristina Joanne Porco
Kristina, circa 1986; Age-progression at age 33 (circa 2003); Christopher Below
- Missing Since 11/29/1986
- Missing From Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
- Classification Non-Family Abduction
- Sex Female
- Race White
- Date of Birth 06/30/1970 (54)
- Age 16 years old
- Height and Weight 5'8, 140 pounds
- Clothing/Jewelry Description An orange sweatshirt, light blue jeans and white sneakers.
- Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Brown hair, brown eyes. Kristina wore artificial fingernails at the time of her 1986 disappearance, and her ears are pierced. Her nickname is Krissi.
Details of Disappearance
Kristina was last seen leaving her family's residence in the Woodlake Villas condominium complex on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina on November 29, 1986. She had an argument with her mother during the evening hours about her curfew and left at 10:30 p.m.
Kristina called a friend from a nearby phone booth afterwards and asked if she could spend the night. The friend's mother wouldn't let her, and Kristina said she was going to sleep by her apartment complex's pool. During the conversation she mentioned a taxi that kept passing her, driving slowly. Her friend went to the pool shortly thereafter, but only found Kristina's red sweater by the pool area. She has never been heard from again.
Kristina's savings account has not been utilized since her 1986 disappearance. She did not have any extra cash or belongings with her at the time she vanished, and she left behind between $100 and $200 in a savings account.
She was an average student at Hilton Head High School prior to her disappearance, and just before she went missing she had finished a book report that was due the following week. She was auditioning for a part at a school musical group, and her mother doesn't believe she would have run away from home. Foul play is suspected in her case.
Christopher J. Below is a possible suspect in Kristina's case and in several other murders and disappearances of young women, including Mary Kushto, Heather Teague and Shaylene Farrell. A photograph of him is posted with this case summary. He pleaded guilty to attempted involuntary manslaughter in connection with the shooting of Kathern Fetzer, whose body was never found, and is currently serving time in an Ohio prison.
All of Below's suspected victims are dark-haired young women. One of Kristina's missing person fliers was found inside his home in Lodi, Ohio in 1992. Below's sister stated he carried missing person posters for several women in a box, but investigators have been unable to find the box.
Investigators know Below, a native of Kentucky, was living in South Carolina during the late 1980s and early 1990s. They are trying to determine his whereabouts at the time of Kristina's disappearance. It should be emphasized that he has not been charged in connection with any case besides Fetzer's and only conjecture links him to Kristina's case.
Kristina's mother believes that her daughter's remains are buried in the North Forest Beach area, but no evidence has been discovered to prove any theory. All of her friends passed polygraph tests about her disappearance. Kristina's case remains unsolved. Her parents divorced in 1988 and her mother has resumed using her maiden name, Inzerra.
Investigating Agency
- Beaufort County Sheriff's Office 843-689-4300
Updated 4 times since October 12, 2004. Last updated April 14, 2017; details of disappearance updated.