When Celina Mays disappeared in the New Jersey winter of 1996
she was twelve years old and nine months pregnant. Celina, who was biracial,
had gone to live with her father after the death of her mother.
Her father and his family were deeply involved with an
isolating, cult-like church called The Gospel of Christ Ministries. She lived
in a modest, middle-class ranch home with fifteen other members of the church
and was schooled at home with other young church members. Gospel of Christ
Ministries was headed by her father’s sister, her aunt and Reverend, Cerita
Smith.
According to the family, on the evening of December 16th,
around 11 p.m., Celina remarked to a cousin “thanks for everything” and went
off to bed. Celina’s father claims that he went to check on her in the morning
and found that instead of his daughter under the covers, he found strategically
placed pillows. None of Celina’s belongings were missing, and her purse and
prenatal vitamins remained in her room.
The paternity of Celina’s child is unknown. Her father
asserted that he was threatening blood tests after the child was born and
Celina’s obstetrician was given a potentially coached answer about it being a 16-year-old
boy she met at a skating rink. Former members of the GoCM insist that the
children there were never allowed unattended in public, let alone at a place
such as a skating rink.
Celina’s father thinks that she ran away because he was
demanding to know who her baby’s father was.
Celina’s aunt, the head of the church, believes that Celina
was hidden by members of the church who left.
Celina’s mother’s family believes that the girl met foul play.
Two years after Celina disappeared, her reverend/aunt’s son,
Sean, was arrested for aggravated sexual assault against two minor children in
the church. At the time of Celina’s disappearance, Sean Smith was 23 years old
and married. According to an unnamed lawyer embroiled in a lawsuit against the
church, Sean Smith was tapped to be a “stud” for the GoCM and given the
responsibility to impregnate young women in the church to boost the number of
members of the congregation.
No trace of Celina Mays was ever found, living or dead. Little details were given about unique identifiers that could help identify Celina, just that she had long wavy hair, tended to grow a unibrow, and might have been wearing a red coat when she left.
Usually I just present the facts and let our group discuss
theories, but there are a few more facts I’d like to leave here at the bottom.
Homicide is the leading cause of death for pregnant women in the United States.
Unmarried women of color under the age of 25 are the most likely victim.
Between one half and two thirds of these victims are killed by a current or
former romantic partner.
Links:
https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/187356569/
(turns into an article about the recent JonBenet Ramsay murder halfway through)
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