Christian was last seen by his father, Dawan T. Ferguson. A photograph of Dawan is posted below this case summary. Between 6:00 and 6:30 a.m. on June 11, 2003, Dawan called the police to say that someone had driven off in his 1999 Ford Expedition sport utility vehicle (SUV). He said the car had been stolen after he got out of it to place a phone call to Christian's doctor at a phone booth at Skinker and Page in St. Louis, Missouri, leaving the keys in the ignition. Dawan had been driving Christian to the hospital at the time, and the boy was in the backseat of the vehicle when it was stolen. He was last seen wearing only a diaper, and wrapped was in a red and blue blanket.

The SUV was located abandoned two hours later, at 8:00 a.m., about five miles from where it was taken, where Ronbar Lane dead-ends at railroad tracks in the city of Ferguson, Missouri. It was unlocked and the keys were in the ignition. The vehicle contained numerous valuable times, including a laptop computer, two cellular phones and other electronic gear. Christian was not inside, however, and police and their tracker dogs found no sign of him in the vicinity. He probably would have been unable to get out of the car without assistance. He can walk, but only very unsteadily.

Authorities stated Dawan refused to take a polygraph test and there have been inconsistencies in his story. He ceased cooperating with police early on in the investigation and has hired his own private investigators. His home has been searched twice for evidence relating to the child's case. Dawan was employed as a bounty hunter, locating and capturing fugitives for bail bondsmen, in 2003. He had a cellular phone in his possession on the morning of June 11, so it is unclear why he would have to use a pay phone. A local man who walked past the phone booth every day on his way to work said he passed the booth at 6:00 a.m. and saw an African-American man use the phone, but he didn't see an SUV in the area. He identified Dawan from a photo lineup and said Dawan was the man he had seen. A resident of Ronbar Lane said she saw the SUV parked there at 6:00 a.m, around the time Dawan says it was stolen. This account has not been confirmed. In addition, a television news tape revealed that a car belonging to a close friend of Dawan's was parked at Skinker and Page shortly after Dawan reported the car theft. That same friend lives just blocks from where the SUV was later recovered.

Christian's mother, Theda, married Dawan in February 1994, four months after Christian was born. A photograph of Theda is posted below this case summary. She gave birth to a healthy son, Connor, eight months after the wedding. The couple separated in October 1997 and their marriage was annulled a year later. Dawan and Theda both accused each other of neglecting Christian's medical needs, among other things, during the ensuing custody battle. Full custody of both Christian and Connor was given to Dawan in 1999, and Theda was ordered to pay child support. Theda made multiple complaints agaist Dawan, accusing him of abusing and neglecting his son. Their arguments while Christian was hospitalized were so violent that a judge ultimately ordered them to visit him separately. After Dawan and Theda both remarried, their relationship became somewhat more amicable and Dawan allowed Theda more access to the children.

The state of Missouri had occasionally provided home health care nurses for Christian, and after Dawan got custody they reportedly took over almost all aspects of his care, including feeding him. The last time the nurses cared for him was in March 2003. After that, the state canceled the family's nursing benefits because Dawan had not enrolled Christian in school. Some of the nurses for the family believed Christian was neglected; they stated his stepmother wanted nothing to do with him, and sometimes he didn't get his diapers changed for days. Dawan also missed doctor's appointments and was inconsistent about giving his son his medicine, and Christian had to be hospitalized at least twice as a result. At one time he claimed the pharmacy had run out of medicine and was unable to fill Christian's prescriptions, but this story turned out to be untrue. After Christian's disappearance it was discovered that he had probably been undermedicated for several months prior to his reported abduction. Investigators located many full prescription bottles which should have been used up. The undermedication would make him more manageable; he would be lethargic and nap much of the time.

Theda was still fighting for custody of Christian and Connor at the time Christian was abducted. She had been forbidden by a judge to see them except during specific visiting times, and she had not seen Christian for three months before he vanished because Dawan had missed two scheduled visits. The last time Theda saw Christian and Connor was in March 2003. She noticed both boys were unkempt and dirty. Christian smelled of urine and he had lost weight, so she took him to the hospital for treatment. In April 2003, Theda again filed for custody of Christian and Connor. On June 9, two days before Christian's disappearance, a judge ordered Dawan to abide by the visitation schedule with Theda or be held in contempt of court. After Christian's disappearance, custody of Connor was given to Dawan's mother and stepfather, who have two children close to Connor's age. In 2007, Connor's grandparents returned him to Theda's care.

Connor shared a room with Christian at the time of Christian's disappearance. When interviewed by police, Connor stated that while it was still dark outside, Dawan entered the room, wrapped Christian in a blanket, carried him out and drove away. Connor's stepsister, who was in her teens at the time, corroborated the statement, saying she thought Dawan left at about 4:00 a.m. Connor also stated that two days before Christian's disappearance, he noticed his brother's gastric feeding tube was missing. Police found the tube during a search of the Ferguson residence and stated it was covered with bodily fluids and looked as if it had been forcibly removed. Connor stated his brother appeared to be very sick and malnourished in the days prior to his disappearance.

Authorities believe Dawan deliberately neglected Christian's medical needs and allowed him to die rather than let Theda have him. They think he probably died on the night of June 10 and Dawan concealed his body and made up the kidnap story. However, he has not been charged in connection with Christian's disappearance due to a lack of evidence, and he maintains his innocence. Over a year after Christian's disappearance, Dawan was indicted on federal fraud charges. He used a false Social Security number (SSN) on a car loan application in 2002, and forged his elderly grandmother's signature to co-sign the same loan. Dawan pleaded guilty to three charges in 2004, served eight months in federal prison, and was released.

Christian remains missing and his case is unsolved. Due to his medical problems, authorities have little hope that he can be found alive.

Left: Dawan Ferguson;
Right: Theda Ferguson Thomas