| In Memory of Christopher Edward Dixon |
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| Nine days of waiting and hoping for Christopher Dixon's safe return ended in sadness Saturday when volunteers discovered the 13-year-old's body near a bridge in High Point, NC. High Point Police Department officials confirmed in a Saturday, November 2nd press conference that Christopher's body was found at around 10:25 am near a construction site at the US 311 Bypass at the Eastchester Drive exit. Cops say Christopher disappeared on Thursday, October 24, 2002 at around 3:30 pm. They say that Christopher returned home from school that day around 3:15 pm and went to the foot of his family home's driveway to retrieve the trash cans, his regular chore on trash days. Cops say he had brought the trashcans back up the driveway and sat them next to the garage door. They say he went back down the driveway to retrieve some trash that had not been picked up and never returned. After 10 to 15 minutes passed, Holly Dixon (Christopher's mother) went to look for her son. When she couldn't find him, she called police. Christopher had not been seen since. One of the first tips that police received on the case came from a postman who said that when he dropped off the family's mail on Thursday, he saw a boy fitting Christopher's description darting into the woods behind the family home. Police believe the mailman's account was likely accurate and that Christopher was running away from home. An autopsy conducted on Sunday was unable to determine when exactly Christopher died. The medical examiner, however, did rule that he died immediately after suffering an accidental fall onto the dirt roadbed on 311. High Point Police Chief Blair Rankin said in a Sunday news conference that there were "no signs of foul play." He added that Christopher died from a combination of neck, lung and spinal injuries. Cops say there was a minor incident in school the day before, and Christopher was having a rough time adjusting two months after a family move to High Point from Greenville, South Carolina. |