Washington Woman Vanishes After Mysterious Portland Visit – Now The FBI Are Looking For Her

When we think of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)'s most wanted list, we tend to think of hardened criminals and dastardly fugitives running from the law. So why is this older woman from Vancouver, Washington on the "Most Wanted" list of FBI - Seattle?

The short answer: the "Most Wanted" list also includes missing persons.

But as it is with most missing persons cases, the complete answer is harder to piece together.

Who is Cristina Ase?

Cristina Ase was born in 1962 (making her 62 years old in 2024) in Argentina. An NBC report indicates that Cristina, a biochemist in Argentina, chose to move to the United States in the mid-2000s, starting first as a nursing facility cook before completing her BSN, RN, and DMS (Doctor of Medical Science) degrees. Cristina had taught herself English.

Cristina had worked in West Linn, Oregon at the Rose Linn Care Center since 2009. Her coworkers thought of Cristina as family, telling NBC, "She was just a very kind person. She never had a bad word to say about anybody. . . She gave her whole life to helping others.”

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The Timeline of Cristina's Disappearance

February 27, March 1, and March 5, 2024: Cristina leaves her home at 6:30 AM to go to work. On each day, Ase texts her boss at about 6:50 AM that she would arrive at work about an hour late (8:30 AM, instead of 7:30 AM).

March 26, 2024: Cristina repeats the pattern of leaving her home, and then texting her boss that she would be at work at 8:30 AM. However, she did not arrive at work. Later, Cristina's family and coworkers reported her missing. Police would later trace her phone to the Glenwood Park neighborhood of Southeast Portland, Oregon, sometime later in the morning, according to WestLinn Tidings. Investigators claim the phone was in the area for about three hours, and shut off around 10 AM in the area of Southeast Flavel Street and 92nd Avenue.

March 27, 2024: Cristina's vehicle was found unoccupied in Vancouver approximately one block from her home. There was evidence the car had been cleaned.

April 9, 2024: Vancouver Police Department files an affidavit for a search warrant. In it they reveal new details the public had not known, such as Cristina's phone's location, the discovery of her car near her home, and evidence she had 'mislead' friends and family about her late work arrivals.

October 18, 2024: The FBI issues a request for assistance in locating Cristina Ase.

Unexplained Clues in Cristina's Disappearance

As the timeline above shows, we have very little information about Cristina Ase's disappearance. Reports indicate that the police have expressed little public concern about Cristina's husband, who moved to Argentina a few weeks after Cristina's disappearance. The police have indicated in their affidavit, however, that "there is probable cause to believe that Cristina’s sudden disappearance is related to a serious crime or immediately dangerous medical emergency."

There are a few more clues that have been revealed to the public through media coverage:

• Cristina's car was found to have a "substance consistent with a cleaning agent" in it, an askew rear view mirror, a green straw, a roll of duct tape, and several hairs. (WestLinn Tidings).
• Per the affidavit, "The SE Foster Rd exit of I-205 is an exactly 20-minute drive from Cristina’s home." This indicates that Cristina's 6:50 AM texts on four mornings indicated she may have been in the same area those days as well, giving a pattern to her late work attendance.
• Cristina's excuse for her late arrival at work on March 5 was to go to a mammogram appointment; however, her appointment was not scheduled until 4:30 PM that day.
• Cristina's doctor's appointments were at Kaiser Sunnyside Medical Center, about 3.3 miles from Glenwood Park.

Possible Clues about Cristina Ase from Social Media

As the public is left puzzling, and police and FBI continue to investigate, we are left with just one last source of information: social media. Note that information cannot be easily verified and should be treated as speculation.

Facebook group members offer more potential insights to Cristina's behavior:

A Facebook group called "Cristina ASE MISSING" has been around since her disappearance. Created by Cristina's co-workers, the group has been urging people to get the word out and share information with investigators. These comments might offer further insight into Cristina's disappearance.

"The police are aware of her activities and demeanor the week before she went missing,she did have friends her in the states, and she did not wear a wedding ring... her demeanor was the same as any other day." - Kelly N Amy Schauer

"I only remember that a week before I saw her leaving her office for her regular daily meeting just before 10 am, with an angry face, but very angry, not common in her, always so kind, so in control of her own emotions, always smiling and kind, that it surprised me, that I didn't even greet her when we passed each other... I just thought omg, one of those annoyances that aren't work-related... but when someone does you some very personal harm... when she didn't come back that Tuesday it reminded me of that unusual or not usual moment in her." - Carmina Estrada

A reddit thread in r/TrueCrimeDiscussion offers these things to think about:

"The intersection between Flavel and 92nd is one of relatively ill repute. It is the location of a large and sprawling encampment, and is in the Johnson Creek floodplain, which is unfortunately a hotbed for crime and drug use. It is located right next to I-205, a major highway which runs through the entirety of east-central Portland. The corridors around 205 are also considered some of the more crime-ridden areas in the city-- including the Gateway Transit Center, 82nd Avenue, and the neighborhoods of Lents and Centennial. This isn't to suggest that any of this has any correlation to Cristina's disappearance, but it's some background information that certainly is worth noting." -bluelizardK

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One final note about internet "sleuthing":

The internet can offer so much good in the world when it comes to solving cases. However, it's also important to remember that the average person doesn't have the tools that law enforcement does, and that police usually withhold some details from the public during an ongoing investigation.

Much of what was read in social media on this case was highly speculative and implied either Cristina Ase was addicted to drugs, or that her husband had killed her. While either of these things could be true, and police have not ruled anyone or anything out, these are also avenues that investigators are already reviewing and are no more than speculative without evidence to support them. Aggressively sharing opinions that accuse others of criminal or unethical activity can cause unnecessary harm and make investigations more difficult.

Opinions are everywhere, but it's evidence that solves cases - not gossip.

More Washington Missing Person Stories:

• A long goodnight: What happened to Asia Wilbon?
• Missing Tacoma toddler’s mother says “they killed my baby”
• Where Is The Missing Boy Of Washington’s Tiger Mountain?
• In 2012, a man disappeared from Elma, Washington. Did he die – and if so, how?
• Lost in Washington: The mysterious disappearance of Leah Roberts

Keep scrolling to see more missing adults and children in Washington State.