Help Find Little Christopher John Mineo Jr.–Fiction!
Summary of eRumor:
This email says it is from Christopher John Mineo of New York and that his 6 year-old son, Christopher John Mineo, Jr. has been missing since the end of 1998.
Some versions say he’s been missing since May of 2001.
A newer version says he’s the object of an Amber Alert, a system that puts out the word on missing children.
The Truth:
This a mysterious one.
The email asking for help in finding Christopher John Mineo has been circulating for quite a while.
Original versions of it said the boy disappeared in 1998. Some newer versions say he disappeared in May, 2001.
So far, however, TruthOrFiction.com has not found any first-hand evidence that the boy exists.
There is no law enforcement agency, newspaper, or missing persons organization with any knowledge of him. So far, no Mineo family has been found that matches the description of the father or son in the eRumor.
The email address in the email, [email protected], is a real one, but has been blocked by the owner.
Some AOL members are referred to a different email address, which we have sent messages to, but with no response.
We have heard from a couple of people who claim to have spoken with relatives of little Christopher and who say he was never really missing, but that there was some kind of domestic dispute or custody battle involved between his mother and father.
None of those contacts, however, has been willing to put us in touch with the family or to provide evidence beyond their claims.
That, along with the fact that the Christopher story includes almost identical wording as the classic Kelsey Brooke Jones story, puts it into the Fiction! category.
(Updated 10/1/04)