Unfortunatly, they showed the update to the sad case of Bobbi and Kristi, who were kidnapped by their grandparents The Maples (can't remember B&K's last names). In case you don't know about this case, it happened in Mufusburo (I hope I'm spelling that right), Tennessee. The Maples' were Bobbi and Kristi's grandparents to their mom's side. The evil Maples, however wanted custody of them, for God knows what, and soon went to court to get their custody. They accused Bobbi and Kristi's parents of practicing satanic rituals and other crap that was entirely false. As far as I remember, the day the grandparents were to testify, they dissapeared along with Bobbi and Kristi. Though this case was updated, it was only a pseudo-update because a viewer who owned an apartment complex called UM and had pictures of both Bobbi and Kristi in a swimming pool, where they were living temporarily before they fled again. No further sightings have been seen and the case is already nearly 20 years old. However, besides being a sad case, this was also, IMO, one of the scariest and most sinister cases on UM ever profiled. Actually, the update is more like that for the following reasons:

-First off, anything superimpsoed on that UM black marble background is creepy, for me at least. Unfortunatly, they had to show the pool pictures of them behind the marble background.

-Robert Stack and the entire update seemed really rushed and short, which also contributed to it's overall creepiness.

-I don't know why for the life of me, but those age progression photos of the children scared the crap out of me. Maybe it's just the fact that they have unnatural smiles, but whatever it is they just are eerie.

-And of course, as always, GARY REMAL MALKIN'S SCARY MUSIC!!!!!!! In this case, he chose a nice little piece, which had a sinister shrieking "EEE-EEE! EEE-EEE!" combined with a sinister and harsh sounding drum machine. This, IMO, makes the UM theme seems like Love Is A Very Many Splendor Thing. Heck, how does that guy sleep performing such creepy music. I mean it was so horrifying sounding that I wanted to change the channel!

-Finally, the most scariest thing is the fact that this case hasn't been solved so far. That leads me to belive in some way, that Bobby and Kristi are dead and that those Maples are having the time of their lives. I mean, both would be in their 20's now and would have control. But, I'm not a pessimistic guy, so I hope for the best.

I hope this case will someday get updated, as I hate watching the update right now. I haven't seen the Winneabago murders nor Little Miss Panfoskee or the Dale Kersherrter case, but for me, this is the scariest case on UM ever. Heck, I knew something was wrong when the UM logo came up out of nowhere after the final segment had been over. Even though I have forgotten their names, I pray for those parents who have missed their kids for all this time.

No case on Unsolved Mysteries has ever angered me more than this one involving Sandra and Marvin Maple. LOL, I've talked about this case here so much that people are probably sick of me!

I wrote a letter to Mark and Debbie Baskin (Bobbi and Kristi's parents) last year just to tell them that I'm praying for them and hopefully that their children would some day reunite with them.

And YES! The update music was pretty damn freaky if I do say so myself.

Here is an article that I found on the net about this case that was written in 1998....

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MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) -- The agonizing wait continues for Mark and Debbie Baskin, whose two oldest children were kidnapped by her parents nine years ago. There have been few solid leads since Christi Baskin, now 17, and Bobby Baskin, now 16, were taken by Marvin and Sandra Maple of Murfreesboro.
Their disappearance came near the end of a nasty custody battle. The Maples claimed their daughter and son-in-law were members of a satanic cult that practiced animal sacrifices and bizarre sexual rituals. Investigators found no evidence the children were abused. The grandparents, who had been awarded temporary custody of the youngsters, fled about a week before the Baskins were to have regained custody. "We don't know so many things, not the least of which is where they are right now," said Mrs. Baskin, who lives with her husband in Barbourville, Ky.
Even though the Maples told investigators the Baskins abused the children, the youngsters never corroborated the accusations. An attorney in the case said the youngsters told incredible tales that were not believable. "The things they were describing were fantastical. And each time I talked to them it got worse and worse," said Karen Hornsby, an attorney who was appointed to represent the children in the custody battle. Sgt. Anita Flagg of the Murfreesboro Police Department said she often is reminded of the case. "There doesn't come a time when I'll be out in the public, where there's a large group of people, and someone will ask me, 'What about those kids? Have they been found yet?" Flagg told The Tennessean. "That case still sticks with people. It was just an unusual one." Marvin Maple is now 62 and his wife is 60. Occasionally, FBI agents will call the couple to say they are working on a tip. The TV show "Unsolved Mysteries" featured the case in 1990. There is sketchy evidence to suggest the Maples and their grandchildren disappeared with help from an Atlanta-based "underground railroad" that hides children who allegedly have been abused. Eight years ago, Christi and Bobby were believed spotted at an apartment complex in California. But the occupants had moved by the time investigators arrived.
"For our FBI agent's benefit, it's extremely difficult to work a case when you don't have any leads, or the leads are nine years old," Mrs. Baskin said. Mark Baskin, a one-time student at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., withdrew from the seminary after the kidnapping and took a job as an insurance salesman. The couple moved to Barbourville with their remaining son, Michael, now 15. "People ask us how can we go on knowing that our children are missing, and we say we don't have a choice," Mrs. Baskin said. "Life goes on. We have to continue."
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My theory is that while the Maple's have threatened to kill Bobby and Kristi rather than see them returned to their parents, it will never happen. The Maple's are apparently good liars, after all, they were able to convince a judge that the children were abused by their parents leading to a investigation with ABSOLUTELY NO PROOF.

I believe the Maples' have told Bobby and Kristi that their parents have died, therefore, they will have no reason to go looking for them never knowing that they were in fact, kidnapped.

I'm hoping that the Maple's can get arrested for all the pain they have caused before it is too late. Here's hoping that Kristi and Bobby and some day be reunited with their parents. They have suffered long enough.

Here's some links...

http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PubCaseSearchServlet?act=viewPoster&caseNum=721027&orgPrefix=NCMC&searchLang=en_US

http://bannerkids.com/MissingKids/View_Case.php?STATE=TN&CaseNumber=721027&PersonID=763

Thanks for replying Dynoguy! I nearly forgot this post. :)

It's OK if you keep on talking about this case here. After all, the more it's mentioned, the better chance that Bobbi and Kristi or someone that hopfully knows them could stumble upon one of those links. It was much better to see the age progression photos on the sites than on UM. I think they did composites if I'm not mistaken, and those are always creepy.

That was very good of you to write a letter to the Baskin's. You know, I wonder about them a lot of times. I hope that one day they will be reunited with their children and hopefully the Maples will be put in jail and remain until they die, which probably won't be too long. But then again, it's been 14 years since their kidnapping, and though I hate to think negativly, the Maples' could have done the "rituals" they accused the Baskin's of doing. :(

Maybe with Robert Stack's recent passing, Lifetime will air this segment and someone will be watching who may know the truth. All we can do is hope and wait...

I think one of the reasons this case always stuck with me was for a couple of reasons...

1. I'm in the same age group as Kristi and Bobby - 5 months older than Kristi, a year older than Bobby.

2. It's one of the very few kidnapping cases featured on the show that's never been solved.

3. The Baskin's seem like such a nice couple and it's heart breaking to see bad things happen to good people.

I think the judge that ruled the kids to be put in temporary care of the Maple's and to start an investigation against the Baskin's deserves part of the blame in this story. How on earth can a couple in their late 50's walk into a judges chamber WITHOUT ANY PROOF, WITHOUT TALKING TO THE CHILDREN OR THE BASKIN'S and simply take the Baskin's rights away as parents? Heck, I can say that the sky is pink, but that doesn't make it true. You need proof/evidence to back up such statements.

I don't know what would ever cause an elderly couple to destroy the lives of their daughter and son-in-law by making up cruel lies and to just run off with their children. It boggles the mind. I just don't know how they can sleep at night knowing what they have done. And how on earth have they been able to hide all this time without getting caught?

The sad thing about a family abduction case, especially where a parent or grandparent has taken a child and ran like this one, is that the kidnapper fills the children's heads with so many lies about how their mom/dad/parents making them out to be the bad guys so that they eventually believe it and then never want to look for them. At the end of the segment, Debbie's final statement really breaks your heart (I have it on tape) ...

"You get up every morning and you think to yourself, perhaps this is the day that our FBI agent will call or somebody will call and say that we have found the kids. And then it doesn't happen and you have a little boy who will go to bed at night and say, "Please don't let Grandma and Grandpa come and take me too." I don't have a family anymore. I don't know if they are alive or if they are dead. They have threatened to kill the kids before they restore them, so, it's fear, it's constant fear. Sometimes when people ask me how many children I have I just want to say "Michael," so I don't even have to deal with it. But it's always there, the fact that my parents have stolen my children. It wasn't good enough just to kidnap them, they had to destroy any love the children had for me by making them think I was some kind of a monster."

That's some sad stuff. With Kristi and Bobby being missing for 14 years now, I fear the only way they will ever learn the truth about their evil grandparents is for one of them to sit down one day and catch a rerun of their story on Unsolved Mysteries. Only then can they learn the truth, but it's a long shot.

Has this case aired on America's Most Wanted? Good grief, there are FOUR people here in this case so why cant America spot even one of them? Something aint right. Hiding or not, they had to have been and/or continue to be interacting with people. AGH!!!!! Cases like this drive me nuts. The case just needs to continue to be exposed until solved.

Here it is three years later and I just saw the re-run on Lifetime. I really can't believe these children have never been found. What is so strange is that there is virtually nothing about this case on the internet. Anybody have any news?

Here it is three years later and I just saw the re-run on Lifetime. I really can't believe these children have never been found. What is so strange is that there is virtually nothing about this case on the internet. Anybody have any news?

I wish there was new news but as of right now, there is still no update to the case. Here are a few links -

http://www.forthelost.org/family/baskin.html

http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PubCaseSearchServlet?act=viewPoster&caseNum=721027&orgPrefix=NCMC&searchLang=en_US

Various thoughts:

1) I have a degree in psychology as I might have mentioned a few times on this board. The Baskin case interests me from both a professional and a personal standpoint. From a personal standpoint the actions of the Maples makes me ill but from a professional standpoint there are portions of the segment that don't make sense.

The segment made it seem like The Maples just suddenly snapped and turned into these crazed liars who accused Debbie and Mark Baskin of doing all sorts of horrible things to the kids and started this whole custody battle. There has to be MORE to this story. I think the reason lies in something that Sandra says to Debbie early on in the segment when she says "I thought you'd be the one who'd never leave me". In some cases I've seen elderly parents have trouble transitioning from a stage where their life revolved around their family to a point where their children have grown up, moved away and began lives of their own seperate from them.

I believe we all go through "seasons" in our lives and some people have more trouble than others adjusting to the changes. I can easily see Marvin and Sandra Maple's abduction of their grandchilden as a way of creating some type of psuedo-family for themselves. Its a twisted sense of logic but is the only motive I can think of. It doesn't EXCUSE their actions by any means but is an ATTEMPT to explain them.

2) Underground Railroad: There is a site (link provided at the bottom of the post) that deals with what is known as an "Underground Railroad" which helps women and children in crisis disappear from abusive situations. These groups have fallen under harsh criticism because they often result in the abduction of children from their custodial guardians on trumped up and often false charges of neglect and abusive behavior such as what The Maples accused The Baskins of doing. Both Kristi and Bobby Baskin are featured on this site and it is widely believed that they and their grandparents "went underground". Marvin and Sandra don't strike me as articulate enough or savvy enough to keep their grandchildren in hiding for this long period of time without having some aide. I believe their abduction of Kristi and Bobby started by the grandparents taking off with them to California (as shown in the segment) but when they saw that Debbie and Mark had enlisted the help of the FBI that probably spooked The Maples and they went underground with the children.

3) They are probably outside of the USA: These "underground railroads" operate with a secrecy similiar to the witness protection program. The parties are given new identities and relocated. We know from people who have been part of these "underground railroads" and later resurfaced that the chief priority of these groups is to protect the anonymity of the group which means that even if the people who initally wanted to disappear have second thoughts they are held against their will (usually by threats of violence) and essentially are forbidden to return to their lives prior to entering the group.

In essence their past is erased. It is also very common for people in these groups NOT to be in the United States where they can be commonly spotted and identified. Top places where children who have been "hidden" by these groups have been located include France, The Netherlands and various islands such as Bermuda. I would highly doubt that either Kristi or Bobby are in the continental US at the moment.

I know this doesn't provide the best outlook for a reunion between Kristi and Bobby and their parents but I hope I helped to answer some of the questions that have been floating around about this case. For more about "underground railroads" check here:

http://members.aol.com/underwatch/

I agree. At this point it's doubtful that the children are still in the US. After UM profiled the case more than likely the Maples did go "underground" and exited the USA. In 1989 it would have been a bit easier to go underground as things weren't linked by computer like they are today.

My thoughts and prayers are with the parents. I can't imagine what things were like for them.

One other thing to keep in mind is the advanced age of the grandparents by this point in time. It is by no means out of the question that one or both of them may have passed on or be in ill health. Given the age of the children at this point, it is truly baffling that no sign of them has surfaced anywhere.

I agree with others here that the children were fed lies and convinced that their parents were either abusers or dead. This would explain why they have not contacted anyone (especially if they are outside the U.S. which is a strong possibility).

The segment did not mention any other family members. One would think that a sister, brother, aunt or uncle of the wife/mother would have had some contact with the grandparents - over so many years, it would be hard to believe that the grandparents would have completely cut themselves off from all of their kin. You have to ask, what possibly could drive the grandparents to make this choice - let alone stick with it for so many years?

When you are as old as they would be at this juncture, you would think that conscience would catch up with at least one of them. I hope that someday these parents get an answer to this mystery.

The segment did not mention any other family members. One would think that a sister, brother, aunt or uncle of the wife/mother would have had some contact with the grandparents - over so many years, it would be hard to believe that the grandparents would have completely cut themselves off from all of their kin. You have to ask, what possibly could drive the grandparents to make this choice - let alone stick with it for so many years?

When you are as old as they would be at this juncture, you would think that conscience would catch up with at least one of them. I hope that someday these parents get an answer to this mystery.

My thoughts exactly! And I would really like to know what other family members think about this. The show mentioned that the Maples had three daughters. How could they give up contact with their own children & their other grandchildren for all these years. And separating those kids from all their relatives especially their little brother.

I guess what upset me the most about this case is that I got it mixed up with another one from Tennessee, Morristown, I think. In that case, the grandparents tried to take custody of the grandkids and it was in the national spotlight. On Donahue and there was a made-for-tv-movie about it. So I was stunned to learn that this was a different case where the grandparents abducted the kids and are still missing.

Thanks for the links in the earlier post. I realized that I was searching Maples when the actual name is Maple. Thank you.

In some cases I've seen elderly parents have trouble transitioning from a stage where their life revolved around their family to a point where their children have grown up, moved away and began lives of their own seperate from them.

I believe we all go through "seasons" in our lives and some people have more trouble than others adjusting to the changes. I can easily see Marvin and Sandra Maple's abduction of their grandchilden as a way of creating some type of psuedo-family for themselves. Its a twisted sense of logic but is the only motive I can think of. It doesn't EXCUSE their actions by any means but is an ATTEMPT to explain them.

I get the idea of seasons. When I got married years ago, my in-laws did some really weird things almost as if they wanted to sabotage the wedding. When my husband asked his grandma about their behavior, she said, "Honey, some people can't accept getting old." This helped me not to take their actions personally but I'm glad it never escalated into something like this. It is scary what people can do to someone they love.

One other thing to keep in mind is the advanced age of the grandparents by this point in time. It is by no means out of the question that one or both of them may have passed on or be in ill health. Given the age of the children at this point, it is truly baffling that no sign of them has surfaced anywhere.

Today Marvin would be 70 and Sandra would be 69. Much as I think the Maples are off their nut, I would hate to think they have passed away before facing the music for what they have done. You steal your grandchildren and pretty much destroy your daughters life and you get away with it? That's not only heartless but it's completely unfair.

The segment said that the Maples had two other daughters besides Debbie. I wonder what they think about all of this. When the Maples chose to take the children into hiding, they abandoned their other daughters as well. It makes you wonder what kind of parents they were while their children were growing up. Were they always this horrible? Or did DarkDante's theory of them not handling their children growing up come into place?

However, besides being a sad case, this was also, IMO, one of the scariest and most sinister cases on UM ever profiled. Actually, the update is more like that for the following reasons:

-First off, anything superimpsoed on that UM black marble background is creepy, for me at least. Unfortunatly, they had to show the pool pictures of them behind the marble background.

-Robert Stack and the entire update seemed really rushed and short, which also contributed to it's overall creepiness.

-I don't know why for the life of me, but those age progression photos of the children scared the crap out of me. Maybe it's just the fact that they have unnatural smiles, but whatever it is they just are eerie.

-And of course, as always, GARY REMAL MALKIN'S SCARY MUSIC!!!!!!! In this case, he chose a nice little piece, which had a sinister shrieking "EEE-EEE! EEE-EEE!" combined with a sinister and harsh sounding drum machine. This, IMO, makes the UM theme seems like Love Is A Very Many Splendor Thing. Heck, how does that guy sleep performing such creepy music. I mean it was so horrifying sounding that I wanted to change the channel!

-Finally, the most scariest thing is the fact that this case hasn't been solved so far. That leads me to belive in some way, that Bobby and Kristi are dead and that those Maples are having the time of their lives. I mean, both would be in their 20's now and would have control. But, I'm not a pessimistic guy, so I hope for the best.

I hope this case will someday get updated, as I hate watching the update right now. I haven't seen the Winneabago murders nor Little Miss Panfoskee or the Dale Kersherrter case, but for me, this is the scariest case on UM ever. Heck, I knew something was wrong when the UM logo came up out of nowhere after the final segment had been over. Even though I have forgotten their names, I pray for those parents who have missed their kids for all this time.

I agree with all of this. That video and those pictures mixed with the music and abruptness of the update was completely creepy.

At ages 70 and 69, the Maples could be living as well as they were in 1989, but think about the children. I am about the same age as Bobby is today, and there's a lot of paperwork we all have to have like SSNs. However, maybe the underground assists others in faking paperwork to get appropriate identification.

Lastly, Bobby and Kristi are now majority age, and it's notable that they haven't seen themselves or attempted to contact their parents.

Maybe, Bobby & Kristi are afraid to contact their parents or anyone else because they think it will get their grandparents in trouble. Even if the grandparents have turned the kids away from their own parents, you would think they would still want to see their little brother and their other relatives. And speaking of the little brother, I never understood the reason for splitting up the kids in the first place. Were the two older ones in school? Is that why they stayed with the grandparents while the youngest went with his parents?

And speaking of the little brother, I never understood the reason for splitting up the kids in the first place. Were the two older ones in school? Is that why they stayed with the grandparents while the youngest went with his parents?

The segment never specified why the youngest child stayed with Mark and Debbie. I assumed they just wanted to have at least one of their children with them but I'm not sure. The original plan was for Kristi and Bobby to stay with the Maple's during the Summer while the Baskin's looked for jobs in Louisville. (It was a way of saving money because Mark Baskin was going back to school to get his Masters Degree) However, finding work in Louisville proved to be very difficult so the children stayed with the Maples all the way through until Christmas.

It was at Christmas where all the drama started because Debbie told her mother that they would be taking the children back home with them and the Maples got all angry. At that point, for reasons unknown, the Baskins didn't take the children home with them which I think was a mistake. I guess they were trying to keep some kind of peace within the family but the segment said eventually that it got to the point where the Baskin's were no longer welcome to stay in the Maple's house while visiting their children...so I don't know. I think the segment might have left out a couple facts here and there because that time frame sounds so odd. Why wouldn't they just take the children with them anyway?

During the whole investigation of the Baskins being accused (by the Maples) of molesting their children and being members of a satanic cult, the third child, Michael, stayed in the custody of his parents. Why? I don't know. There's too many strange things about this case.

I can't help thinking that none of this would have happened if Debbie had told her mother to back off at Christmas. During that dinner scene where her mother tells her, "Debbie you can't do this to me," I wanted to go into the TV and smack her. It's like, "Get over yourself, lady!"

Well the Judge (Robert Corlew III) has proven himself to me at least to be incompetent in his handling of the case. Some would call it "Dixie law" but I think its just a simple case of Corlew not being fit to wear his robe. His ruling in the case besides leading to the abduction of two children left many loose ends un-tied.

A few side notes anyone notice that the Baskin children in the home movies never seem to smile as both Kristi and Bobby seem very anxious or upset. Kristi looks very nervous or bored at all times while Bobby just looks upset or angry at something. Just always struck me as odd.

Also I noticed that Debbie and Mark portrayed themselves in the segment which must have been hard to do reenacting playing with their kids in the park with actors. It must have been rough. God bless them.

Well the Judge (Robert Corlew III) has proven himself to me at least to be incompetent in his handling of the case. Some would call it "Dixie law" but I think its just a simple case of Corlew not being fit to wear his robe. His ruling in the case besides leading to the abduction of two children left many loose ends un-tied.

I couldn't agree more. I never understood how he could simply take custody of the children away from the Baskins just because an elderly couple walked in and made all of these wild accusations with NO proof whatsoever. He is partially to blame in this whole saga and in the interview, he didn't even seem to regret his ruling. I really hope its not that easy everywhere to take peoples rights away as parents.


A few side notes anyone notice that the Baskin children in the home movies never seem to smile as both Kristi and Bobby seem very anxious or upset. Kristi looks very nervous or bored at all times while Bobby just looks upset or angry at something. Just always struck me as odd.

Those home movies were shot about a month before the children were kidnapped. Everyone in the family was most likely extremely stressed out during that time period from court drama, police investigations and interviews - not to mention the Maples were still coaching the children to lie on their behave to investigators. The children were also upset because they missed their parents and probably weren't looking forward to going back with their wacko grandparents. But that's just a guess. The camera might have just caught them off guard or at an awkward moment...who knows? But you're right, they certainly don't look happy in those home movies.


Also I noticed that Debbie and Mark portrayed themselves in the segment which must have been hard to do reenacting playing with their kids in the park with actors. It must have been rough. God bless them.

I've noticed that seems to happen on the show whenever a child has been kidnapped by a family member. The parents almost always portray themselves. I'm guessing the UM staff wants them to have as much air time as possible to get their faces shown. It would certainly help if the child saw them on T.V. But I agree, that park scene must have been difficult to reenact, especially since that was the exact park they went to with their real children if those pictures were any indication. (That's one thing I always loved about the reeanctments on UM, they almost always return to the exact spot to recreate where their stories first took place. That's some nice detail.)

Another thing I always wondered was how were the Maples able to sneak out of town so easily and nobody noticed or knew anything until it was too late? Remember the attorney representing the children in court got suspicious when she failed to reach the Maples several times and when she visited the house, she found the FOR SALE sign on the front yard. I would think that police or childcare or someone would have kept in eye on these people. What makes this case even more sad is the fact that in the months leading up to the kidnapping, the Baskins repeatedly told police and the attorney that they were afraid the Maples might take the children into hiding... but their concerns were ignored every time and they were not believed. Look what happened in the end. Too many times in this whole saga, it looks like someone helped contribute to this mess even if they didn't know they were doing it. :(

Has anyone ever thought for ONE minute that maybe the Maples were honestly right about their kids being abused? Maybe the Baskins really were closet satanist freaks and the same inept law enforcement that split them up also couldn't uncover anything in the investigation.

Well, I don't believe that at all, myself ... but it is almost unfathomable that NO ONE, not (other) family, not anyone in any country in the world, has seen any of the four or has any idea what happened to them. Especially if you have the mindset that these NOW GROWN children WANTED to see their parents again. These weren't infants we're talking about, these kids KNEW who their parents vs. their grandparents were when they were taken.

A very intriguing case, but one that I think has a lot more facts than will EVER be known.

Actually its not that unfathomable - I mean the last time that there is a confirmed sighting (that we know of anyhow) of the two children was in California in 1989. By now they would be in their mid 20s and look very different than the children that we know from the segments.

Also we are not sure how much publicity this case has gotten abroad but I would likely say that only people who are avid viewers of UM or follow these types of cases via the DOE NETWORK and other sites have any idea who the Baskin children are. So the combination of a) low profile case b) age issues and c) the possibility the children have been taken "underground" as I described above is likely why nothing has been heard from them over the years.

Also remember that although most of us believe differently there is always the possibility that sadly the children are dead.

Has anyone ever thought for ONE minute that maybe the Maples were honestly right about their kids being abused? Maybe the Baskins really were closet satanist freaks and the same inept law enforcement that split them up also couldn't uncover anything in the investigation.

Like you, I don't believe that was the case myself either but it did cross my mind once. I tried to look at it from the perspective if the Baskins really were everything the Maples said they were. That would mean the Maples willingly left their 3rd grandchild, Michael, in the care of two crazy parents. Also, even if they were right, that means the Maples still abandoned their other family members (2 other daughters and other possible grandchildren) to live their lives on the run and in hiding. I just think staying and fighting might have been easier. Still, the investigations into the Baskins lasted an entire year. It's hard to believe that in a whole year, even with an inept law enforcement, that they wouldn't be able to find any evidence on a couple who have been accused of being members of a satanic cult.


Also we are not sure how much publicity this case has gotten abroad but I would likely say that only people who are avid viewers of UM or follow these types of cases via the DOE NETWORK and other sites have any idea who the Baskin children are. So the combination of a) low profile case b) age issues and c) the possibility the children have been taken "underground" as I described above is likely why nothing has been heard from them over the years.

That is very true. While I'm sure the case is still very well known and remembered in Tennessee, that's probably not the same elsewhere for the simple fact that there are countless abduction cases everywhere around the world.


Also remember that although most of us believe differently there is always the possibility that sadly the children are dead.

Well, everyone has their theories but Debbie Baskin said herself in the segment that she didn't know whether or not the children were alive or if they were dead. As it turns out, the children were alive at that time - living in Santa Clara, but that was then. Who knows what might have happened since then? If they are alive, they might even be living in another country.

Dynoguy and others, it was interesting how the judge let the youngest child stay with the Baskins. I believe that if the grandparents' story was true that they would have also taken the youngest child to protect him from the parents. Personally I think the grandparents weren't telling the truth, especially since the authorities thought the children were being coached by the grandparents.

It was at Christmas where all the drama started because Debbie told her mother that they would be taking the children back home with them and the Maples got all angry. [B] At that point, for reasons unknown, the Baskins didn't take the children home with them which I think was a mistake. [B] I guess they were trying to keep some kind of peace within the family but the segment said eventually that it got to the point where the Baskin's were no longer welcome to stay in the Maple's house while visiting their children...so I don't know. I think the segment might have left out a couple facts here and there because that time frame sounds so odd. Why wouldn't they just take the children with them anyway? "

Exactly!

Bobby and Kristi were [B]their [B] kids! They had every right to take their kids with them.

And what doesn't make sense at all was they had to stay at a hotel if they wanted to see their kids.

HELLO... wake up call!?! I would never have let that happen. I would have taken my kids and left.

They should have known right then and there that there was a problem and just left with their kids.

Big mistake that they made. And now they're paying for it by not being able to see their kids.

So very sad.

It would be great if this case is solved!!

Exactly!

Bobby and Kristi were [B]their [B] kids! They had every right to take their kids with them.

And what doesn't make sense at all was they had to stay at a hotel if they wanted to see their kids.

HELLO... wake up call!?! I would never have let that happen. I would have taken my kids and left.

They should have known right then and there that there was a problem and just left with their kids.

Big mistake that they made. And now they're paying for it by not being able to see their kids.

So very sad.

It would be great if this case is solved!!

There was something said, I think it was from this same scene, where Debbie was assuring Christi that she and Bobby would come home with them soon. Debbie said something about a test or exam (sounded like it was related to school) that the kids would take, and after that they would get them home. I don't know what state tests TN had at that time or what it was.

I too believe that leaving them there after that Christmas was a HUGE mistake, as I'm sure the family could see later in hindsight.

ok...in your guys opinion. honestly, will this ever be solved?

ok...in your guys opinion. honestly, will this ever be solved?


Well in my opinion this case is SOO solvable.

But do I think it'll be solved? Not sure.

The grandparents are in their early 70's now and they won't be around forever.

So I'd give the case 15 more years. If by then its not solved then I doubt it will be.

I say 15 years because Then the Maples will be in their late 80's and possibly either dead or going to die.

And with them no longer in the picture, Bobby and Christi 'might' look for relatives. And if so it'll be solved.

If by then no one comes forward then I wouldn't hold out much hope.

ok...in your guys opinion. honestly, will this ever be solved?


I'd also like to say that I have a few friends who are adopted.

And I know a few of them would love to meet their real families.

But they feel like if they try and find them that they're telling their adopted parents that they don't love them and they don't want to hurt their feelings. And so they don't look.

But 2 of them have said that once their parents die they will look.

They want to wait till their parents are gone so that no there are no hard feelings.

So another scenario with the kids would be that the grandparents told them all these lies about the family and thats why they don't look for them.

They could possibly be really really close with their grandparents and feel like they'd betray them if they searched for anyone.

So they may wait till they are gone before they look????

I'd also like to say that I have a few friends who are adopted.

And I know a few of them would love to meet their real families.

But they feel like if they try and find them that they're telling their adopted parents that they don't love them and they don't want to hurt their feelings. And so they don't look.

But 2 of them have said that once their parents die they will look.

They want to wait till their parents are gone so that no there are no hard feelings.

So another scenario with the kids would be that the grandparents told them all these lies about the family and thats why they don't look for them.

They could possibly be really really close with their grandparents and feel like they'd betray them if they searched for anyone.

So they may wait till they are gone before they look????

That's been another of my theories also. The kids might not look 'til Marvin & Sandra die, partly out of loyalty, partly that they might find the clues/information they need about this whole situation when cleaning out their grandparents (who they might think now are their parents) possessions.

Yes, I too think this is VERY solvable!

I just cannot escape the notion that the Maples have been in touch with family members this whole time. Just my opinion mind you, but it has been niggling at me for years, how can they stay gone for so long without being noticed by someone, anyone?

I had no idea this occurred in Murfreesboro. I live about two hours or so away from that city.

Nor have I actually ever seen this segment. It seems to be an oft-discussed subject on here, though---and for good reason. Reading the entire story and trying to make sense of it is nearly impossible. I'm not so sure that those kids will ever come forward, that they know their parents are alive, or that they've even gone by "Bobbi" and "Kristi" for many, many years now.

Nothing is impossible, however.

Imagine one of the children channel surfing one night and coming across a UM re-run on Lifetime and seeing their story when Lifetime aired em? There has be an update to this case considering the children are know grown and could be on their own. It would be good to see an update on Spike or this case featured on Spike TV to get the word back out there.

Yes.. I'm so hoping that when UM airs again this fall that one of the children or one of their neighbors or one of their friends sees the show and puts an end to this missing persons case.

Now that would be awesome!!!!

I am so surprised that this case has not been solved! It seems the children would come forward!

I found it on the charlie project site and realized that the family lived close to me. I really don't think they would have gotten away with this had this crime happened today.

I am so surprised that this case has not been solved! It seems the children would come forward!

I found it on the charlie project site and realized that the family lived close to me. I really don't think they would have gotten away with this had this crime happened today.


I'm surprised too! My hope is that this case does get seen again on a wider basis and they do "find" themselves.

I think you're right, with the AMBER alert system and all of the expanded news coverage we have now, Bobby and Christi would have been found sooner and returned home. Even back in 1989, they were almost found in
time...

Yeah, wouldn't the children question that ¢rap their grandparents put out? Even if they believed it, why pass up an opportunity to cross-examine the parents as to their side?

Yeah, wouldn't the children question that ¢rap their grandparents put out? Even if they believed it, why pass up an opportunity to cross-examine the parents as to their side?

Yes, quite the mystery. So frustrating. I'd think they'd at least want to know about their brother, even if they were totally brainwashed into believing that at least one of them was molested.

Sometimes I think they have NO CLUE they are even missing/anyone is looking for them.

I just can't believe that if they did know they had been taken away to be protected from alledged abuse, that neither of them being 26 & 27 years old respectively, would have no curiosity about the entire situation of their life. That they would have no questions, no doubts, no concern for the fate of their brother, no desire to meet & question their parents, no conflicting memories...

So I conclude that they must not know who they really are, or that they ever had any other parents than whoever Marvin & Sandra Maple are pretending to be, no memory of their past. So they are not looking for themselves.

Other times I'm not so sure. How could a 9 year-old (at the time of the abduction) not remember ANYTHING about her first 9 years?:confused:

I just don't see how they couldn't have memories of their life before the granparents took them away. They were 7 and 8 at the time.
Gah!! I wish we could get a resolution to this!

I just don't see how they couldn't have memories of their life before the granparents took them away. They were 7 and 8 at the time.
Gah!! I wish we could get a resolution to this!

Yes, you're right, she was 8 at the time, not 9! :crazy:

Perhaps it was done in such a way as to make them believe their parents and brother had died. The repeated airings of the Unsolved Mysteries segment and TV interviews with the parents would have cleared this up, but perhaps the children were taken to some other country where these were never seen.

Perhaps it was done in such a way as to make them believe their parents and brother had died. The repeated airings of the Unsolved Mysteries segment and TV interviews with the parents would have cleared this up, but perhaps the children were taken to some other country where these were never seen.

Yes, that is the other theory that I dwell on!

You would think that by age 26 & 27(Christi turns 28 in Aug.) if you had been told your parents and brother died, that you would start to investigate about them. Want to see their graves or memorials, want to see your other relatives (unless you already secretly see them from time to time, which I don't think is really happening or their cover would have been blown by now with that many people knowing where you were or how to get in touch). Wonder why you had to move to another country when all your other relatives live in the U.S.A. Wonder why you have lived on the run, moved many times, changed your name several times, etc...

All of this of course leads the circle of thinking back to thinking that maybe they are deceased. I do not believe this. There was a "confirmed" sighting of them in 1993 in MA. I really don't think the Maples would harm them.

Arrghh! So frustrating!

Or they could have told them they were in the Federal Witness Protection Program and would be killed if they told the truth. But then, them seeing the truth on TV would blow that story.

We are forgetting one of the most obvious reasons why these kids have not tried to contact the family.

They have been told for 20 years that their parents abused them sexually and physically. They have been told how evil and nasty their parents are and they probably believe this to be true.

Could brainwashing or hypnosis techniques have been used to actually create false memories?

We are forgetting one of the most obvious reasons why these kids have not tried to contact the family.

They have been told for 20 years that their parents abused them sexually and physically. They have been told how evil and nasty their parents are and they probably believe this to be true.

Yes, that is one of the theories! If the past has continued to be spoken about to them, and Sandra & Marvin didn't try to just completely erase their parents by saying they'd been killed. Then YES, this is definately one of the reasons they haven't returned. Still by 26 & 27 years old, even if you grew up being fed this line that your parents are horrible, why would you not at least want to find your little brother? Fascinating.

Speaking about brainwashing that CoriCrush brought up, I don't think we're referring to any "professional" (for lack of a better term) brainwashing. Just the constant bad talking about their parents to them at a young age that would turn them against their parents. Also, the name changes, moves, lies, half-truths, and general possible chaos of living on the run.

they're probably too brainwashed to remember

Would it be theorically possible that Bobby and Kristy simply wanted to be left alone and quitely asked their parents to leave them in peace? That can be a possibility. If both grandparents are dead, they are no one left to prosecute... and perhaps both of them wanted to leave things at that?

Not pretending that they did... just asking what would be the implications. At least the parents would have said that they have found their children, but they asked to be left alone.

Would it be theorically possible that Bobby and Kristy simply wanted to be left alone and quitely asked their parents to leave them in peace? That can be a possibility. If both grandparents are dead, they are no one left to prosecute... and perhaps both of them wanted to leave things at that?

Not pretending that they did... just asking what would be the implications. At least the parents would have said that they have found their children, but they asked to be left alone.


At some point I suppose that could be the case if the Grandparents were both dead. If not, as you acknowledge, they both have warrants out for their arrest. You are right that the parents/authorities would then notify agencies to get their names off of the missing persons lists.

So far though, this has not in reality occurred.

:birthday:
Sending out a birthday wish to Katharine Christine "Christi" Baskin!
She turns 28 on August 11th.

Hope this birthday sparks some curiosity on her part to find out
about her past.

:birthday:

Couple of points

1. It is not impossible that the Maples & the grandchildren are still in the US. They just might be split up. People are still looking for 4 people. I could imagine that after the UM update and spotting. The Maples may have split up and took one child apiece or even all 4 parties were split up. The grandchildren may even have been give to a foster home or an unsuspecting family who does not know of the case.

2.
If the Maples are as crazy as they seem. I would not put it above them to kill the children and then themselves to keep them away from the parents. I don;t know how they could do a 4 person murder suicide without the bodies being found though.

3. if the Grandchildren are alive now, we have to keep in mind that they and people they know may not necessarily be as big UM fans as we are. This case is not as high profile as we think. Theres a strong possibility that they and everybody that knows the, has never across this case. And the children themselves may be unrecognizable as adults at this point.

4. This case will ironically be solved IMHO by the very people that are the victims of this case. I think there will be a moment where the grandchildren will get curious about there past and why they had to move so many times. Especially should the grandparents pass away and their estate is looked into.
Somewhere down the line the grandchildren will investigate and realize who they really are. Hopefully before there own parents pass away. :(


5. keep in mind that we are not looking for 2 granparents and 2 grandchildren. we are now looking for and old couple and 2 grown adults that all could be living there own lives in separate parts of the world. For all we know the son could be seargent serving in Iraq, the daughter could be a single mother of 3 in Idaho , the grandfather could be buried in Tahiti, and the mother could be in a psychiatric ward in Naples, Italy.

Has the FBI ever released age-enhanced photos of Bobby and Christi? If there's any hope in bringing them home, it's important we know what they might look like today.

Couple of points

1. It is not impossible that the Maples & the grandchildren are still in the US. They just might be split up. People are still looking for 4 people. I could imagine that after the UM update and spotting. The Maples may have split up and took one child apiece or even all 4 parties were split up. The grandchildren may even have been give to a foster home or an unsuspecting family who does not know of the case.

2.
If the Maples are as crazy as they seem. I would not put it above them to kill the children and then themselves to keep them away from the parents. I don;t know how they could do a 4 person murder suicide without the bodies being found though.

3. if the Grandchildren are alive now, we have to keep in mind that they and people they know may not necessarily be as big UM fans as we are. This case is not as high profile as we think. Theres a strong possibility that they and everybody that knows the, has never across this case. And the children themselves may be unrecognizable as adults at this point.

4. This case will ironically be solved IMHO by the very people that are the victims of this case. I think there will be a moment where the grandchildren will get curious about there past and why they had to move so many times. Especially should the grandparents pass away and their estate is looked into.
Somewhere down the line the grandchildren will investigate and realize who they really are. Hopefully before there own parents pass away. :(


5. keep in mind that we are not looking for 2 granparents and 2 grandchildren. we are now looking for and old couple and 2 grown adults that all could be living there own lives in separate parts of the world. For all we know the son could be seargent serving in Iraq, the daughter could be a single mother of 3 in Idaho , the grandfather could be buried in Tahiti, and the mother could be in a psychiatric ward in Naples, Italy.

I like your theories! Especially #5. Yes, you are right in all your possibilities. Probably will be solved by Christi & Bobby finding themselves.

Has the FBI ever released age-enhanced photos of Bobby and Christi? If there's any hope in bringing them home, it's important we know what they might look like today.

Here are the most recent updated photos:

http://www.forthelost.org/family/baskin.html

Google "Robert Maple Baskin" to find many other photos from throughout the years.

It is quite possible their grandparents told them they were saving them from the personification of evil.

Here http://www.vivona.net/TonyCox.htm is a very famous case where the daughter KNEW her mother was shelling out big bucks to search for her, yet chose to believe her father and cooperate with his evasive efforts. Not until becoming a parent herself did she contact her mother.

This was one child. One wonders what would happen in the case of two. Would one child believe the brainwashing and the other doubt it, or would they reinforce each other in the beliefs, perhaps even forming false memories?

It is quite possible their grandparents told them they were saving them from the personification of evil.

Here http://www.vivona.net/TonyCox.htm is a very famous case where the daughter KNEW her mother was shelling out big bucks to search for her, yet chose to believe her father and cooperate with his evasive efforts. Not until becoming a parent herself did she contact her mother.

This was one child. One wonders what would happen in the case of two. Would one child believe the brainwashing and the other doubt it, or would they reinforce each other in the beliefs, perhaps even forming false memories?

Oh yes, I am quite sure that's the case! Whether or not they now know they are missing & that people are looking for them, I'm not quite sure, but they have definately been totally brainwashed against their parents.