Most people disappear quietly. They pack a bag. They take their phone. They leave some kind of trail. Kristal Reisinger left everything. Her phone was on the floor. Her medication — the kind she couldn’t function without — untouched. Food still in the fridge. Rent unpaid. Her daughter waiting for her call.
And two days before she vanished… Kristal told someone she had a feeling she was about to die. Then the town did what small towns often do. They said she ran away. They said she was unstable. They even said… aliens took her. [intro] Kristal Reisinger was born in Phoenix, Arizona.
Very little is publicly known about her childhood — except that it was unstable.Her home life was difficult enough that she was eventually sent to Denver to live with her aunt, hoping for something safer. But that situation unraveled too. When Kristal was just 15, the courts stepped in and removed her from her aunt’s custody. That’s when she moved in with a friend’s family — the Ervins.
For the first time, Kristal experienced something that felt normal. Debbie and Rodney Ervin treated her like their own daughter. They gave her a furnished basement room, encouraged her to finish high school, pushed her toward college. Stability. Structure. Support. And Kristal thrived.
She enrolled at Western State College, where she built close friendships — including one with a man named Michael, whose family also embraced her. But Kristal was never meant to live a conventional life. She was intuitive. Spiritual. Drawn to energy, nature, symbolism. She studied different religions — Hinduism, Buddhism, Native traditions. She read tarot, believed in auras, and described herself as clairvoyant.
City life never fit her. Even in Colorado, even with stability, something in her felt restless. During this time, she met Elijah Guana. The relationship moved quickly. They moved in together and soon enough, Kristal became pregnant. Motherhood then changed her.
When her daughter “Kasha” was born, friends say Kristal found a deeper sense of purpose. It was like she, too, was reborn. But even that didn’t quiet the pull she felt. Denver felt suffocating. Gunnison was better — she moved there in 2014 for work and classes — but it still wasn’t it. Kristal wanted somewhere raw. Somewhere spiritual. Somewhere that felt alive.
Well, in the spring of 2015, that search led her to Crestone, Colorado. And Crestone was unlike anywhere she had ever been. But it would also be the place where she would lose her life. KRISTAL GOES TO CRESTONE Crestone is known as the “New Age Religious” capital of the world.
Basically, it is a den of people, or truth seekers, flocking to this area and finding their purpose, connecting with Mother Nature, and meeting like-minded people. Kristal fit right into this place. Crestone had a pull on Kristal. Now, Crestone is a very small town, and by small, I mean the population of this town in 2020 was 141 people. And no, I’m not missing any zeroes.
This town is tiny. It is basically a melting pot of different religions. There are temples, Buddhist centers, monasteries, and other sites that make up the rich history of this place. Now, you know what small towns are all about. When there are only 141 people in a small town, you know that it is very intimate. Everyone knows everyone.
At the time of Kristal’s case, there were about 120 people or so living in Crestone. It was really safe, and everyone got along just fine. There just weren’t a lot of people to have conflicts with, in general. Crestone was the place where you could leave your doors unlocked and go to bed without a care in the world. I know most of us won’t, but people there really didn’t think that anything or anyone evil resided there.
It was a center of many—if not all—religions. Even though the place itself was surrounded by remote sand dunes and there was nothing for miles upon miles, people would still sleep peacefully at night, knowing that nothing could happen. Another very interesting thing about Crestone is that there was a neighboring town called Hooper.
Now, Hooper is an even smaller town than Crestone. If you thought 141 was too small a number, Hooper’s population stands at a whopping 81. But that is not only what Hooper is known for. If you are a fan of alien conspiracy theories and things like that, then you might be very familiar with Hooper.
For those of you who don’t know, Hooper is home to the UFO Watchtower. It is the place where UFO sightings have often been reported. This watchtower tourist attraction was originally a barn owned by a woman named Judy Messoline. In 2000, Judy—a struggling cattle rancher—came up with an idea to capitalize on her very barn and turn it into a UFO viewing site after there’d been reports of various unidentified craft spotted in the skies.
According to Judy, a lot of people would camp out in her barn in hopes of seeing a UFO—without her permission—so she came up with the idea of turning her barn into a tourist attraction after getting permission from the county commissioners. Judy also sells alien merchandise and t-shirts to keep her business afloat.
Overall, she just saw an opportunity to get her finances back, and benefit the city a bit as well, and she jumped on it. The UFO Watchtower is a 20-acre ranch and also consists of a 10-foot-high platform on which visitors can sit, gaze up at the sky, and possibly sight a UFO or any other extraterrestrial being. Apparently, in 2023, Judy stated that there were 163 UFO sightings reported, out of which 27 were personally seen by none other than Judy herself.
She also did interviews and hosted UFO conferences. Ever since its establishment, over 30,000 people have visited the watchtower. Now, I know you’re probably wondering how things transitioned from Kristal to Judy, Crestone to Hooper, and spiritual awakening to aliens and UFOs. Well, we will get to that in just a moment.
But anyway, this was the place Kristal lived close to. Now, if you recall, Kristal, Elijah, and their daughter, Kasha, were living in Denver before Kristal got the itch to move. Elijah could see that Kristal didn’t want to live in Denver – it was obvious, and she was becoming depressed – so he supported her decision to move solo to Crestone, leaving Kasha in the care of Elijah, with whom she had broken up.
I’m assuming it was because of the long distance, but the two were still in contact and remained very good friends. Elijah was ready to take on Kasha’s responsibility, and he wanted Kristal to be free to do whatever she wanted in Crestone. Since living in Denver had taken such a toll on Kristal, she was now using alcohol as a coping mechanism.
So, the move to Crestone was not only for spiritual purposes but also to start her journey of sobriety. So, Kristal settled very easily in Crestone. She also got a job working at the Crestone Brewing Company, and she started playing in a band too. While living in Crestone, Kristal kept Elijah in the loop of things. Even though they weren’t together, they still talked almost every day about Kasha and other things.
But Kristal’s move and the happiness that came along with it would be temporary, because in July 2016, Kristal would go missing. THE DISAPPEARANCE According to Elijah, with whom Kristal shared all of her thoughts and feelings, Kristal had called him before her disappearance. On the phone, Kristal sounded a little worried. See, Kristal claimed to be a psychic.
You know those people who have this sixth sense of sorts, and they know something good or bad is going to happen? Kristal was exactly like that, and that phone call with Elijah could only be described as foreshadowing. On the phone, Kristal told Elijah that she just had this really bad feeling that something was going to happen to her, to him, or both of them, and that she was unable to stop it for whatever reason.
Elijah was taken aback by this sudden bombshell that Kristal had dropped, but he would be in for a bigger surprise. See, a couple of days later, Elijah was ambushed by a random stranger to the point of losing consciousness and he ended up in the hospital with injuries. Luckily, he made a full recovery. In fact, Kristal traveled all the way back to Denver to stay with him for a couple of days until he got better. Kristal eventually left, but it cemented her suspicions and foreshadowing in Elijah’s mind.
But now, something would happen to the psychic herself. As mentioned already, Kristal and Elijah talked on the phone every single day. There was never a day that went by when Kristal didn’t call Elijah to ask him about Kasha and other things. This time though, Kristal didn’t call him, and when Elijah called her, she wasn’t picking up her phone.
This was really weird. Why would Kristal just go radio silent like that? She had never done this before. What was going on? This prompted Elijah to call the police and report her missing after a couple of days of not hearing from Kristal. Little did Elijah know, though, that someone else had also filed a missing persons report for Kristal. It was her landlord.
Why, though? Well, back in Crestone, on July 13, 2016, a woman by the name of Ara McDonald had notified the Sheriff’s Office about her tenant, Kristal’s, disappearance. See, Ara had told the police that a couple of days back, she went to visit Kristal at her house because it was rent day. When she saw Kristal at her house, she was immediately worried for her, because she seemed pretty shaken up and stressed, her clothes were a mess, and she was clearly not doing well. When Ara asked what was wrong, Kristal proceeded to tell her that she had
gone out the night before and she believed that someone had drugged and forced themselves on her. Following the missing person’s report, the police went straight to Kristal’s home, and they gained access. To the investigators’ surprise, the home was in an ordinary condition.
Nothing was stolen, nothing was in apparent disarray, and it didn’t look like Kristal had packed up and left for somewhere. But Kristal’s cellphone was found on the floor of the house, the battery had gone dead and it was presumably abandoned. The police also found Kristal’s daily medication, without which she couldn’t even move an inch, let alone leave her home to go somewhere else.
The police also checked the kitchen and refrigerator, and there was still food inside, and the space was well-stocked. It could only mean one thing. Kristal didn’t have any sudden plans of going anywhere or leaving altogether. Her phone and important medication were at the house too, but there was no sign of Kristal, and as far as anyone knows, she hadn’t contacted anyone during this time.
So if she’d just stocked her pantry, cleaned up her house, and clearly had plans of staying for the long haul… where could she have gone? THE INVESTIGATION The police had very little to go on in this very confusing and bizarre case. As I said before, these sorts of things didn’t happen in Crestone.
It was a very small, seemingly remote but relatively safe town. The police weren’t experienced in disappearance or other serious criminal cases. So, where was Kristal? This was the main concern for her loved ones and every other person in Crestone, because the news spread really quickly. The only thing the police could do at that time was to retrace Kristal’s movements from the day before and check her phone.
Also, they wanted to look into the reason why Kristal was so distressed the day she met her landlady. So, where had Kristal gone that night, on an evening that would end up being so traumatic for her? Well, the timeline is a bit unclear, but what we do know for sure is that the night before the landlady visited Kristal, she had gone to a drum circle in Crestone.
For those of you who don’t know, a drum circle is a type of bonfire party in which people make a fire—partly because it gets really chilly at night—and they gather around the embers and play these huge drums and sing songs. It’s really just a way for enthusiasts to get together, share a good time and play music and reconnect with nature.
Kristal wasn’t one to turn down a party invitation, so she went there, but apparently, her night out didn’t end well, because someone had extremely nefarious intentions, and they practically forced themselves on an intoxicated Kristal. Kristal was very disoriented after the fact—obviously—and shaken up.
She managed to get herself home but was clearly in distress, and this was the state in which the landlady, Ara, found her. It is such a scary experience for any woman to go through, and it is so devastating that it happened at a party where there were a lot of people. But the suspect was never caught, and I also don’t know if Kristal reported it to the police.
The police thought that this individual might have something to do with Kristal’s disappearance. Perhaps she threatened to go to the police to report the assault, but she didn’t get a chance to do that. The police didn’t know for sure; they were just trying to come up with the most reasonable explanation. Then, the police talked to some of the people at the party.
They wanted to see if anyone had seen the attack on Kristal or the suspect. They just needed clues to tie this mystery together. Well, I don’t know if they found something out about the attack or the suspect or not, but they did hear something quite bizarre, and this threw the police off a bit, if I’m being honest. Now, if you remember, Kristal was reported missing by her landlady on July 13th.
The people at the party, however, claimed to have seen Kristal at a drum circle on July 18th. This was 5 days since her missing person’s report and her not being in contact with anyone. So did people really see Kristal at the drum circle after her disappearance? This was a really confusing bit of information, and even though it could be chalked up to mistaking a different woman for Kristal, the police couldn’t let this info just slip.
They needed to investigate every possible angle before they could move onto the next. So, the next thing the police did was conduct searches. They called in volunteers, people from neighboring areas, and together they searched the vast, desolate, and essentially remote sand dunes of Crestone.
There were aerial searches, ground searches, and a whole K9 unit that sifted through the different areas of Crestone. The police searched the area where the party was held. They searched far and wide and the areas surrounding Kristal’s home and the places she frequented. The police visited her workplace, where she hadn’t been seen since July 13th.
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation was soon asked to join this case, as this was a very complex and bizarre case for a police force that didn’t deal with similar cases daily. But nothing came up. There were literally zero clues as to where Kristal could’ve gone. The searches were unsuccessful, but they didn’t stop.
In the meantime, the police had Kristal’s phone in their possession, and they decided to go through it. They thought that it might have some important information on it that could lead to some answers. And sure enough, there was one very peculiar detail that stood out almost immediately. It was a call from a number on Kristal’s phone.
We don’t know when the call was made precisely, but this was the last call that came in before either Kristal stopped using her phone or it died. It was from a man, but he was no ordinary man, at least not in the eyes of the police or the locals. We don’t know who this man was, where he lived, or what his name is, but what we do know is that he was trouble.
He was known in the Crestone area as a violent man who had a long rap sheet of spiking women’s drinks and then engaging in physical relations without their consent. This man had a criminal history, and he was a danger to women, and his MO was very similar to the attack Kristal endured not too long before her disappearance. There were also numerous reports made by other tenants that strange people were going in and out of Kristal’s house.
So, are these strange people linked to the man who called Kristal before her disappearance? Based on the available information, this man is the last person to interact with Kristal, so it’s not a far-fetched assumption. But questions still remain. Like, why was this man calling Kristal? How did this man get Kristal’s number? Was this the same man who attacked Kristal at the drum circle? And is he responsible for Kristal’s disappearance? Sadly, these questions went unanswered.
THE THEORIES Even though this case took place in such a small community, there are practically no leads. We don’t know if the police looked into this mysterious criminal or are still actively looking into this case. It shouldn’t be too hard, since he does have a criminal history.
But judging by the progress in Kristal’s case and no arrest being made even after 9 years have passed… It says a lot. Of course, with any case like this, there are a lot of speculations and theories, and Kristal’s case is no exception. The first theory has to do with Kristal being a runaway, and right off the bat, it is unbelievable for various reasons.
First, Kristal had a daughter and responsibilities. She would never just leave like that, because she felt like embarking on a spiritual journey. She would’ve at least notified Elijah, if not her landlady or her friends. Elijah and Kristal talked on the phone daily about everything and anything, and the thought of just getting away from it all was never mentioned. If this was Kristal’s plan, then she didn’t make it obvious.
Also, the state Kristal’s house was left in didn’t point towards her being a runaway. She had stocked food in the fridge. Her medication was still there. She didn’t take her phone. Her credit card activity was silent. She wasn’t seen anywhere. Many people say that this isn’t normal runaway behavior – she would’ve at least taken her medication with her.
The second theory, which is the most believable, is that foul play was involved and the culprit was the mysterious man who assaulted Kristal at the drum circle. The police considered the possibility of him being the same man who called her on the phone too, and he may have threatened her away from reporting him to the police.
The police also believe that foul play was involved in Kristal’s disappearance, and there are several persons of interest, but as of present, we don’t know if any arrests or developments have been made. If there are, then it’s not public information. While we’re on the topic of theories, the people of Crestone and Hooper also had a theory of their own, which is unlike any true crime theory you’ve probably ever heard.
Alien abduction. A lot of people believe that Kristal’s disappearance was an alien abduction, and because the place where she lived was a famous UFO hotspot, it wasn’t as nonsensical as it may initially seem. But whether you believe in aliens, abductions, and the extraterrestrial, this case is still mysterious and very eerie nonetheless.
We don’t know what happened to Kristal that night. Where she went or if she was abducted, and we don’t know if we will ever find out. The police don’t really believe the alien theory, for obvious reasons, and they still think whatever happened to Kristal was the doing of Earthlings and not intergalactic beings.
But the worst part about this case is that Kristal has never been found. She is still somewhere out there, and even though I hate to say it, the chances of finding her alive, almost 10 years later… they’re not looking good. A $20,000 reward is still on the table for any information on Kristal or a possible arrest in her case, but the investigation was at a standstill for a long time.
In 2022, 6 years into Kristal’s disappearance, the police searched a campground outside of Crestone, and there they found human remains. It was a very scary discovery, and everyone thought of the worst. But the police had an inkling that the remains didn’t belong to Kristal. They were tested, and sure enough, the remains weren’t Kristal’s.
They were the cremated remains of another person scattered there by his family. Even though it was relieving, it still didn’t lead to any answers for Kristal’s case. It was as if she were gone from the face of the Earth… making that alien abduction theory really the only plausible solution at this point.
Recently, in August 2025, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation updated the public with their findings. See, on August 6th, a search team with cadaver dogs was dispatched to an undisclosed location believed to be connected to Kristal’s case, and searched. We don’t know if the team found anything fruitful, because they’re still keeping the information under wraps, but the call for tips on Kristal’s case was renewed, so take what you will with this information. I feel like if they would’ve found remains or something like that,
they would’ve told the public. So it seems that, for now, Kristal still remains missing. There have been no updates in the case so far, but I really hope that the police find answers for Kristal’s daughter, Kasha, who hasn’t seen her mom in almost a decade.
Kristal was in Kasha’s life one moment, and in the other, she was gone and is still nowhere to be found, leaving Elijah and Kasha alone. There’s something deeply human about wanting more. Wanting peace. Wanting purpose. Wanting truth. But the dark truth is… not everything that feels spiritual is safe. Not everything that feels enlightened is light. Kristal was searching for something real.
And sometimes… When we search without discernment, we can walk straight into something incredibly dangerous. That longing — that restlessness — that desire for something more — it’s not wrong. It’s human. Kristal just wanted peace… but what she found was so much worse. “Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.
It’s not surprising that his servants disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.” 2 Corinthians 11:14-15
