Christine A. Rusch

Rusch, circa 1989; Richard Grissom in 2007

  • Missing Since 06/26/1989
  • Missing From Lenexa, Kansas
  • Classification Endangered Missing
  • Sex Female
  • Race White
  • Age 22 years old
  • Height and Weight 5'8, 105 pounds
  • Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Brown hair, brown eyes.

Details of Disappearance

Rusch and her roommate, Theresa Brown, were last seen in their apartment at Trafalgar Square in Lenexa, Kansas on June 25, 1989. The following day, Rusch called Brown's employer and her own to state they would not be appearing at work, as both of them were feeling sick. Neither woman has been heard from again. Rusch was employed in the marketing division of her father's optics company in 1989. She is a graduate of Shawnee Mission South High School.

On June 28, authorities found Richard Grissom Jr.'s car, packed with his belongings, outside of an apartment in Grandview, Kansas. Brown and Rusch's jewelry and credit cards were in the vehicle, as was the key to their apartment and the apartment of another local missing woman, Joan Butler. Grissom operated a painting company and, as a result, had master keys to many apartment complexes in the area. A photo of him is posted with this case summary.

Grissom was arrested in Texas on July 7, 1989. In 1990, he was convicted of murdering Brown, Rusch and Butler. Grissom, who was also convicted of eight charges related to the murders, was sentenced to four life terms in prison; he will not be eligible for parole until 2095. He is also a suspect in at least two other murders, but he has not been charged in those cases. He is a career criminal who committed his first murder at the age of sixteen.

Despite extensive searches, none of the missing women have ever been found. Dan Mitrione wrote about them in a book entitled Suddenly Gone - The Kansas Murders of Serial Killer Richard Grissom.

Investigating Agency

  • Lenexa Police Department 913-477-7330

Updated 4 times since October 12, 2004. Last updated November 16, 2016; middle initial, height and weight added.