Crystal Dittmeyer

Twelve-year-old Crystal Dittmeyer was last seen on June 13, 1996 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She was seen near the swimming pool of the apartment complex she and her family lived at.

Crystal's stepfather, Benjamin Crider Jr. was considered a suspect in her disappearance. The day after Crystal went missing, police noticed human bite marks on one of Benjamin's arms and bruises on one of his shoulders. Benjamin claimed that he got the injuries while he was replacing the brakes on the car owned by Crystal's mother, Tammi Jean Crider; however, police couldn't find anything in the car's brake system that would've caused Benjamin's injuries.

Two weeks after her disappearance, Crystal's younger half-brother told the police that he wandered into his parents' room after overhearing his parents arguing and found Crystal lying motionless in the room. Tammi took the boy out of the apartment and took him shopping. When they came back, Crystal was gone.

At the time of Crystal's disappearance, Benjamin worked as a registered nurse for the Oklahoma State Health Department. The police suspect that he carried Crystal's body to his health department vehicle inside of a garment bag while Tammy and their son were at the store and disposed of her remains. Tammi revealed that Benjamin purchased a new garment bag the day after Crystal went missing.

DNA evidence was found inside of Benjamin's health department vehicle consistent with Crystal's blood type and blood stains were discovered on the carpet, a table leg, a towel, jeans, a bra and a bedspread inside of the family's apartment. Authorities also found an empty bottle of hydrogen peroxide inside the home as well.

Tammi failed a polygraph test while Benjamin refused to take one. Shortly after Crystal went missing, their other two children were removed from the house by the Oklahoma Department of Human Services, and Tammi and Benjamin end up separating. DHS discovered five complaints about Crystal from the caretakers who were hired to look after her, saying that Crystal was neglectful of her daughter; but the complaints were dismissed after they were deemed unfounded or due to lack of evidence.

In 1998, Benjamin was charged and convicted of Crystal's murder and sentenced to life in prison; however, he was retried in 2004 where Tammi testified against him and the judge declared a mistrial.

In September of 2005, while awaiting his third trial, Benjamin admitted that he struck Crystal in anger which caused her death, but told the police that he didn't know where her body was. He pled guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to ten years in a prison, but was released after a short time because he was already incarcerated for nine years. Benjamin died from a heart attack in Kentucky in 2008.

Crystal is classified as an endangered missing person due to the circumstances involved in her case.