No one has seen or heard from Christina Bastian in more than a week, a fact her mother Cheryl Denny is very worried about considering her daughter's bi-polar diagnosis.
"She's most likely in a manic state," Cheryl told Dateline NBC. "A lot has happened the last few weeks to trigger this. If you're in a manic state, you don't have the intuitions a normal person would, so she is in danger."
Bastian was last seen on October 31st at a friend's home near Apple Valley, California. The following day, Cheryl got a call asking for Christina. The caller said some of Christina’s belongings -- ones her family says were her most precious belongings-- had been found strewn along Highway 247 near Lucerne Valley.
That same evening, her Dodge Ram pickup truck, purchased the week prior, was found abandoned on a dirt road off Highway 62 in Morongo Valley. The truck had scratches and dents on both sides, as if it had been driven over rough desert terrain, officials say.
The 34-year-old reportedly left with her small white and tan Maltipoo dog 'Coco'. Coco also remains missing.
Christina had just settled into her first year as a 9th and 10th grade English teacher at Silverado High School. She lives near her mother and four younger sisters and was saving to buy a home, while finishing classes towards her Master's degree.
But it had been a hard few weeks for the 34-year-old, her mother says. A car accident that left Christina’s previous vehicle totaled, the two-year anniversary of her grandmother's death, and several other factors had taken their toll. The culmination of it all, she says, led to the bizarre events leading up to Christina's disappearance.
It began the week before Christina went missing, when she believed her apartment had been broken into. Her paranoia increased, her family says, and she ran over her cell phone with her car. On the 31st, her mother, Cheryl, says she got a call from Christina telling her she was safe in Phoenix, several hours away.
Christina reportedly resurfaced that afternoon at a Halloween church event back in Apple Valley, where her mother is a pastor. She headed to her friend's house that evening, but left in the middle of the night. She took her dog, but left her wallet, identification and glasses. Cheryl says her daughter has extremely poor vision and requires her contacts or glasses to see.
Christina had been on medication for a number of years but, under the guidance of her physician and family, she stopped taking it this past summer. "Everything had been fine, but now we just need to get her help," said Cheryl. "One of her biggest fears was going to a hospital, so we want to find her and get her the help, since she isn't in her right mind at the moment."
Law enforcement agencies have conducted searches in the area, as have Christina’s family and friends. Police say the case is ongoing and they are tracking down every lead in order to bring Christina home.
Christina Bastian is described as 5'6" tall, weighing around 170 lbs., with strawberry blonde/red hair and brown eyes.
Anyone who knows anything about Christina's whereabouts, or who may have seen her, is urged to call the Apple Valley Police Department at (760) 240-7400. You can also visit the Facebook page 'Help Find Christina Bastian' for more information.