Shivangi Sinha
In January 1995, Christina Adkins disappeared without a trace. Her boyfriend alerted the Cleveland, Ohio police, but without any leads, the case went cold. For many years, the boyfriend was the prime suspect, but without solid evidence or Christina’s remains, the investigation stalled. Nearly 18 years later, the police received a new lead that reignited hope. The episode of Investigation Discovery’s ‘How (Not) to Get Rid of a Body’ titled ‘A Neighborhood of Monsters’ explores the evidence that finally steered the police in the right direction and helped them solve the decade-old murder.
Christina Adkins Was 5 Months Pregnant When She Went Missing
Christina Lynn “Christy” Adkins was born on May 16, 1976, and spent her childhood and early years in Cleveland, Ohio. Many described her as an angel with a kind word for everyone, standing out wherever she went. At Lincoln West High School, she was popular and known for being a diligent student. In her late teens, Christina fell in love and began dating a man named Jose Rivera. In late 1994, when the couple discovered they were expecting a baby, they were thrilled. Preparing for this new chapter, Christina moved in with Jose in a home close to her family.
On the night of January 9, 1995, Christina, who was five months pregnant, went to visit a friend who lived nearby. She was excited about becoming a mother and spoke about it during her visit. She left the friend’s house between 12:00 am and 12:30 am but never made it back home. By the morning of January 12, her boyfriend, Jose Rivera, grew concerned and contacted her family before reporting her missing to the police.
With no signs of her and all her belongings left behind, everyone feared she had met with foul play. The family finally received answers nearly 18 years later when, on October 10, 2013, human remains were discovered at the bottom of a sewer hole near I-90 and I-76, south of Cleveland, Ohio. The remains were identified as Christina’s, but due to the advanced state of decomposition, the cause of her death could not be determined.
The Police Suspected Christina’s Boyfriend For a While
When Jose Rivera reported Christina Adkins missing, much suspicion fell on him. Those close to Christina mentioned that Jose had often been controlling. Even the friend Christina had visited that night added to the concerns. The friend mentioned that Christina had wanted to stay longer but was worried about Jose getting angry, so she left quickly. The friend also noted that she saw Christina talking to someone in a car outside the house, but she didn’t see if Christina got into the car or not.
The police canvassed the neighborhood, searching for anyone who might have seen the 18-year-old that night, but they struggled to find any concrete leads. At this point, the police spoke with a man named Elias Rivera, who told them that he had seen Christina crying and wandering the streets but didn’t know where she went or what happened to her. With no other solid leads and Christina’s remains still unfound, the case went cold. Even Jose, her boyfriend, was cleared of any involvement in her disappearance after no evidence linked him to the crime.
Rescue of Three Kidnapping Victims Led the Police to the Killer
The major breakthrough in the case came on May 6, 2013, when the police rescued three women—Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus, and Michelle Knight—from a house in Cleveland, Ohio. This house was located very close to where Christina had disappeared nearly two decades earlier. All three women had been held captive by Ariel Castro for many years, having been abducted in the early 2000s. The police initially suspected that Ariel might have been involved in Christina Adkins’ disappearance in 1995 and resurfaced later to commit more crimes. However, Ariel firmly denied any involvement in Christina’s case.
As the investigation continued, the police decided to re-interview the neighbors, hoping for a breakthrough. This time, they learned about a man named Elias Acevedo, who had been living in the area and was reportedly abusing his family, including his wife and children, for years. In July 2013, Elias’ wife agreed to speak with the police, revealing that on the night of January 10, 1995, her husband had come home from a bar at around 5 am. She mentioned that she feared he would assault her, as he often did, but instead, he went straight to the bathroom and then to sleep. Since the date coincided with Christina’s disappearance, she suspected that Elias might have been involved.
The police also realized that the “Elias Rivera” they had spoken to in 1995 was, in fact, the same man, and he had intentionally given them a false name at the time. At the time, Elias was incarcerated in a federal prison for an unrelated offense when the police brought him in for questioning. He denied any involvement in the disappearance and consented to take a polygraph test. When officers pressed him about a few inconsistencies in his story, he eventually confessed. Elias claimed that on the night of January 10, 1995, he encountered Christina and assaulted her, insisting that it was an accident and not intentional. He also agreed to show authorities the location where he had concealed her remains.
Elias Acevedo is Serving a Life Sentence Today
In December 2013, Elias Acevedo entered a plea deal for the murder of Christina Adkins, as well as the sexual assault of his sister-in-law, of his three daughters, and the murders of two other individuals in 1993. He pleaded guilty to a staggering 297 counts, including aggravated murder, rape, and kidnapping. In exchange for his plea, charges related to six other victims were not pursued. Acevedo received two consecutive sentences of 20 years to life, along with an additional 405 years for rape and other charges. The judge made it clear that he would never be granted parole. Now 60 years old, Acevedo is serving his sentence at the Toledo Correctional Institution, where he will remain for the rest of his life.
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