She lived with her mother, Janet Carter. Janet was originally from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She was employed with an insurance company in Birmingham, Alabama in September 1973. Janet disappeared at the same time as her daughter. She and Christina's father had gotten divorced two months before, and Christina's father was seeking custody. Janet was dating a married man at the time of her disappearance, and said she was going on a trip to the Great Smoky Mountains with him. On October 7, Janet's body was found inside a duffel bag alongside Clingmans Dome Road in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. She had been killed the same day she was found. Her remains were not identified for a month, after this authorities realized Christina was missing. An extensive search of the park turned up no indication of Christina's whereabouts. According to Janet's family, her married boyfriend was in the area where her body was found around the time of her death, but his wife provided an alibi for him. He is now deceased.