Episode 27 - The Disappearance of Christopher James Reed

We’re exploring the case of Christopher James Reed, a 20-year-old aspiring musician who vanished after a night in the French Quarter, leaving behind a trail of fragmented clues and a mystery that remains proofless without his body or clear answers. This is a story of a young man chasing his dreams, a single evening that altered everything, and a family’s unyielding pursuit of the truth. So, settle in for a deep dive into a case that continues to haunt the Crescent City. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/proofless-true-crime-podcast--6704212/support.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:18):
Welcome to the twenty seventh episode of Proofless, where we
unravel the enduring mysteries of America's unsolved cases, stories that
linger in the shadows, defying resolution and anchoring families to
a restless hope. I'm your host and a burger, and
today we're stepping into the vibrant, sultry streets of New Orleans, Louisiana,

(00:39):
a city of jazz, marti gras, and hidden secrets where
a young man's disappearance in nineteen eighty seven shook a
community to its core. We're exploring the case of Christopher
James Reed, a twenty year old aspiring musician who vanished
after a night in the French Quarter, leaving behind a
trail of fragmented clues and a mystery that rem mains

(01:00):
proofless without his body or clear answers. This is a
story of a young man chasing his dreams, a single
evening that altered everything, and a family's unyielding pursuit of
the truth. So settle in for a deep dive into
a case that continues to haunt the Crescent City, New

(01:20):
Orleans in nineteen eighty seven, a city of rhythm and risk.
It's June nineteen eighty seven in New Orleans, a city
of about five hundred thousand where the Mississippi River meets
the Gulf of Mexico, weaving a tapestry of French, Spanish,
and Creole influences. Known for its jazz clubs, Begnets and
marti Gras revelry, New Orleans pulses with life the French

(01:43):
Quarter hums with tourists and street performers, while neighborhoods like Uptown,
with its Victorian homes and oak lined streets, offer a
quieter charm. The city thrives on tourism, shipping, and oil,
but the nineteen eighties bring challenges. The FBI's nine teen
eighty seven Uniform Crime Report notes a surge in violent

(02:03):
crime in urban centers, with New Orleans grappling with rising
assaults and abductions, often linked to its transient population and
bustling nightlife. Uptown, where Christopher lives, is a middle class
haven of community potlucks and church gatherings, but its proximity
to the Quarters, bars and itens thoroughfares creates vulnerabilities. The

(02:28):
Mississippi River, with its strong currents and swampy bayous, looms
as a silent keeper of secrets. Christopher James Reid A
life in tune. Christopher James Reed is a twenty year
old with a lopsided grin and a passion for music.
Born on August ninth, nineteen sixty six to Michael and

(02:51):
Diane Reid, He's the middle child with an older sister, Laura,
and a younger brother, Nathan. With his dark curly hair,
brown eyes, and wiry frame, Christopher is a familiar site
in Uptown, strumming his acoustic guitar on his porch. A
nineteen eighty five graduate of Jesuit High School, he's enrolled
at Loyola University, studying music theory, with dreams of becoming

(03:16):
a jazz guitarist. Like West Montgomery, he plays gigs at
small venues like Tippotina's, earning tips with soulful renditions of
summer time. His father, Michael, a tugboat captain, and mother, Diane,
a librarian, raise their family in a two story home
on Saint Charles Avenue, its walls adorned with Christopher's gig posters.

(03:37):
He's close with his siblings, jamming with Laura, a flutist,
and teaching Nathan chords. Friends describe him as charismatic but cautious,
always calling home after late gigs. Christopher's life is steeped
in New Orleans musical culture. He works part time at
a record store on Magazine Street, saving for a Gibson
Les Paul guitar. His free time is spent in the

(03:59):
French Court, soaking up jazz at Preservation Hall, or sketching
street scenes in his notebook. He rides a beat up
shwin bike, weaving through uptown streets, his walkman playing the
police or U two. Christopher dates casually, often meeting women
at gigs, but his single in nineteen eighty seven focused
on his music. His friend Tommy LeBlanc recalls Christopher mentioning

(04:23):
an awed encounter at the record store. A customer, a
man in his thirties who'd linger asking about his gig schedule.
Christopher shrugged it off, but seemed uneasy, checking the store's
locks more often the night of June twentieth, nineteen eighty seven.
On June twentieth, nineteen eighty seven, New Orleans is warm

(04:43):
and humid, with temperatures in the mid eighties and a
breeze carrying the scent of Magnolia's Christopher plays a set
at the Maple Leaf Bar in Uptown, finishing around ten pm.
He tells Diane he's meeting friends at a French quarter club,
the Blue Nile, for a late night jam session. Dressed
in a black T shirt, jeans, converse sneakers, and a

(05:04):
leather wristband, he grabs his guitar case and rides his
bike toward the quarter. A fifteen minute trip. At the
Blue Nile, he joins Tommy, his bandmates, Sarah, and a
few Loyola classmates jamming to Ain't Misbehaven under neon lights.
Witnesses recall Christopher's energy, his fingers flying over the fretboard.

(05:26):
Around one am, he tells Tommy he's heading home. Sighting
an early shift, he declines a ride, saying the bike's faster.
Tommy sees him pedal away on Decatur Street around one
fifteen am. This is the last confirmed sighting of Christopher
James Reed. His route home likely takes him through the
quarter's quieter edges past Rampart Street, where street lights dim

(05:48):
and crowds thin. A bartender, Lisa Moureau sees a cyclist
resembling Christopher near Rampart at one twenty am. When he
doesn't return by three am, Diane calls Tommy, then the
New Orleans Police Department NPD. By four a m Officer
David Landry takes the report. Five feet nine inches, one
hundred fifty pounds, dark curly hair, brown eyes, last scene

(06:12):
in a black T shirt. The NPD initially suspects a
late night out, but Michael insists Christopher is reliable. His wallet, keys,
and guitar picks remain at home. The investigation begins. On
June twenty first, a street vendor finds Christopher's Shwin bike
in an alley off Rampart Street, its front wheel bent

(06:33):
and chain off. His guitar case empty is nearby, scuffed
but intact. The NPD, led by Detective Marie Fontineau, a
seasoned investigator, escalates the case. Volunteers, neighbors, Loyola students, and
members of Saint Charles Presbyterian search the quarter Bayous and
Mississippi riverbanks. On June twenty second, a jogger finds Christopher's

(06:57):
leather wristband its clasp broken, in n a lot near
Alesian Fields Avenue, two hundred yards from the bike. The
Louisiana State police lab analyzes the items, finding no blood
or fingerprints, only dirt and asphalt traces. The case shifts
to a suspected abduction, and Fontanet sets up a command
post at the n opd's first district station. Fontaneau's team

(07:19):
retraces Christopher's movements. Tommy confirms he was upbeat planning a
gig the next weekend. Sarah recalls a man in a
dark cap watching their set, but details are vague. Moreau,
the bartender saw a man in a pickup truck near
Rampart when Christopher cycled by, but didn't see them interact.
A taxi driver Paul Ruiz reports a cyclist near Elysian

(07:42):
Fields at one thirty a m. Followed by a truck,
but poor lighting obscured details. The NOPD canvass's Rampart street,
finding a partial tire track near the wristband, but overnight
rain erases it. Cadaver dogs alert to ascent in the lot,
but excavation yields only debris. The case grip's New Orleans

(08:03):
dominating The Times, Picayune and WDSU TV. A June twenty
third headline musician vanishes in French Quarter features Christopher's band photo.
The Reds offer a five thousand dollars reward raised to
sixty five thousand dollars with donations from Tippotina's and local businesses.
Tips flood In a clerk reports a young man in

(08:25):
Baton Stefano, a nineteen eighty nine case in Biloxi, A
tourist claims he saw a similar looking man near Baton Rouge.
None are verified. The FBI joins on June twenty fifth,
citing itens proximity, but finds no interstate movement. Divers search
the Mississippi River and helicopters scan the Bayous, but no
trace emerges. By July nineteen eighty seven, the case is

(08:49):
a suspected homicide stalled by no body or forensic evidence.
Suspects and leads. The NOPD pursues several suspects. Robert Bobba
Bibi Landry, a thirty one year old bouncer at the
Blue Nile, matches the record store customer's description. He asked
about Christopher's gigs and was seen near Rampart that night.
Questioned on June twenty sixth, Landry claims he was working

(09:13):
until two am. Partially confirmed by a coworker. His truck
has similar tires to the track, but a search finds
no evidence. He fails a polygraph sighting stress but is released.
James Jimmy DuPont, a twenty six year old dock worker
with a nineteen eighty five assault charge, was spotted near
Elysian Fields in a pickup. He claims he was at

(09:34):
a bar, unverified. A search of his home finds no link.
A drifter, Eddie Coleman, seen near the quarter, has an
alibi and mobile confirmed by a bus ticket. Theories of
the crime, The primary theory is an opportunistic abduction. The bike,
guitar case, and wristband suggest a struggle. The Mississippi River

(09:57):
or Bayou Saint John John ar likely disposal sites. A
nineteen eighty eight tip about a bag in the Bayou
leads nowhere. A targeted attack, possibly tied to the record
store customer, is considered. Landry's behavior suggests stalking, but evidence
is thin. A trafficking or robbery theory linked to New

(10:18):
Orleans Port lacks proof, despite a nineteen eighty seven FBI
report on local crime. The Reeds become advocates Michael searching
Bayous Diane distributing flyers. They appear on America's Most Wanted
in nineteen eighty eight, raising the reward to eighty five
thousand dollars by nineteen eighty nine. The Christopher Reid Foundation,

(10:38):
founded in nineteen eighty eight, supports fifteen missing persons cases
by nineteen eighty nine. Nineteen ninety five, the toll is heavy.
Michael Battle's depression, Diane keeps Christopher's guitar, and Laura and
Nathan's struggle with guilt. Vigils at Loyola draw hundreds investigative renewals.

(11:03):
In nineteen ninety three, Detective Paul Thibodeau reinterviews Landry Now
in Baton Rouge, who fails another polygraph. A nineteen ninety
eight tip about a buried instrument in Bayou Saint John
John prompts radar search, finding nothing. In twenty ten, the
NOPD tests the wristband for DNA, but it's degraded. A

(11:23):
twenty twenty podcast, Crescent City Secrets, gains four million downloads,
sparking a twenty twenty one tip about a deceased bouncer's confession,
which dead ends. In twenty twenty three, the FBI profiles
the abductor as a local mail twenty to forty in
nineteen eighty seven, likely a loner. A twenty twenty four

(11:45):
drone search of the Bayous finds no evidence. New Orleans
adds street lights to Rampart Street, and Loyola implements safety escorts.
The Red Foundation supports twenty five cases by twenty twenty five,
and Michael's nineteen eighty nine testimony aids Louisiana's Missing Person's database.
Reddit an ex link Christopher's case to a nineteen eighty
six mobile disappearance, but no evidence connects them. The Reads,

(12:10):
in their seventies keep Christopher's records. Diane tells The Times
pick a un in twenty twenty five. He's still playing somewhere.
The Proofless case lacks a body. Leaving questions. Contact the
NPD at five oh four six five eight six zero
zero zero or Christopher Read Foundation dot org, Share at

(12:31):
prooflesspodcast dot com, or on x with hashtag Christopher Read
Join us next time. Keep searching