Ep 22. The House on Badger Lane

The episode of Dateline season 24, titled "The House on Badger Lane," follows the perplexing case of a California family who mysteriously vanished from their home. In 2015, Julie and Jeremiah "Jerry" Christensen and their kids, 13-year-old Natalie and 11-year-old Josey, were living in an idyllic neighborhood in the small town of Bonita. One day, they simply disappeared without a trace.

Their friends and family were immediately concerned, as it was completely out of character for the Christensens to just disappear. The police were notified and began investigating, but there were no clues as to where they might have gone. The house was locked up, the family cars were in the driveway, and their phones had been left behind.

As the days turned into weeks and then months, the mystery deepened. There was no evidence of foul play, no signs of a struggle, no activity on any of their bank accounts or credit cards. It was as if the entire family had vanished into thin air. Friends and loved ones started to fear the worst, but they held out hope that the family was still out there somewhere, alive and safe.

The community rallied around the Christensens, organizing searches and spreading the word about their disappearance. Tips came in from all over the country, but none of them panned out. It seemed as though the family had disappeared without a trace.

Then, in 2017, a breakthrough in the case came when a woman named Andressian Sr. was arrested in Las Vegas for the murder of his son, Andressian Jr. He had killed the boy as revenge against his ex-wife, who had recently divorced him and was seeking custody of their child.

As investigators looked into Andressian Sr.'s background, they found a connection to the Christensen case. He had been one of Jerry's closest friends in high school, and they had reconnected in the months leading up to the family's disappearance. Andressian Sr. had even introduced the family to a real estate agent who had shown them a house on Badger Lane, a quiet street in nearby Chula Vista.

The investigation into Andressian Sr's involvement in the Christensen case led to the discovery of the family's bodies, buried in a shallow grave in the Mojave Desert. The truth about what happened to the Christensen family was finally revealed.

"The House on Badger Lane" is a riveting episode of Dateline that explores the shocking case of the Christensen family's disappearance and the painstaking investigation that ultimately led to the discovery of their bodies. Through interviews with family members, investigators, and friends, viewers get an inside look at the heartbreak and trauma that haunted the community for years. This powerful episode is a must-watch for anyone interested in true crime and the pursuit of justice.