Case Details

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This person was missing Missing Since 12/16/1996

Missing Since:

Missing Since 12/16/1996

Missing From:

Missing From Willingboro, New Jersey

Classification:

Classification Endangered Missing

Gender:

Female

Race:

Race Biracial, Black, White

Date of Birth:

Date of Birth 05/28/1984 (40)

Age:

Age 12 years old

Height and Weight:

Height and Weight 5’0, 120 pounds

Clothing/Jewelry Description:

Clothing/Jewelry Description Possibly a long red coat.

Distinguishing Characteristics:

Distinguishing Characteristics Biracial (African-American/Caucasian) female. Black hair, brown eyes. Celina’s eyebrows grow together. Some agencies state that she is Hispanic. Her hair was very long and wavy at the time of her disappearance. Some agencies spell Celina’s middle name “Janet.”

Details of Disappearance:

Celina disappeared from her aunt’s house in Willingboro, New Jersey, on December 16, 1996. She was last seen going to bed the night before. Her father found her bed made with pillows under the covers, but Celina was gone, leaving behind her purse, vitamins, and other belongings.

Celina lived with her father, C.J., her stepmother, and other relatives. C.J. worked for a church, the Gospel of Christ Ministries, where his sister was the pastor. Celina was homeschooled and raised within the church’s strict religious beliefs.

There are many unanswered questions surrounding her disappearance. C.J. claimed Celina wasn’t unhappy with her religious life and suggested she planned her own disappearance because he threatened paternity testing for her unborn baby. However, police found him uncooperative and have since lost contact. Other family members offered conflicting theories, ranging from the baby’s father killing Celina to her dying from a botched abortion. The baby’s father remains unidentified, though speculation points to a cousin or someone Celina met roller skating.

Celina’s parents had a troubled past, with C.J. having drug and alcohol problems and Celina’s mother dying two years earlier. There was a custody battle after her mother’s death, and both sides of the family have accused each other of involvement in Celina’s disappearance.

Celina’s doctor described her as emotionally mature, and she had mentioned a 16-year-old boyfriend who wasn’t part of her church. Several unconfirmed sightings followed her disappearance, but she has never been found.

The case remains unsolved, and while there have been many theories and suspicions, no evidence has supported any of them. It is officially classified as a missing person’s case.

Agency:

Willingboro Police Department 609-877-2253

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