Christi Troiano, 56, of Souderton.
With the search for 56-year-old Christi Troiano entering its fourth week, police and area volunteers are ramping up efforts and exploring all investigative options in the hopes of bringing her home safely. Leading the charge on the civilian side is Troiano’s daughter, Nicole, whose days and nights have been consumed with search efforts since her mother disappeared on April 25.
“If I could say one thing to my mother, it would be that she is so loved by many and we are not giving up until she is found,” said Nicole, in an interview with North Penn Now.
Troiano was last seen on surveillance footage leaving her home on April 25, and her vehicle was observed in Hatfield Township approximately one hour later. Since that time, no one has heard from Troiano, her vehicle has not been captured by stationary license plate readers, and there has been no activity on her credit cards or bank accounts.
“My mother’s disappearance has impacted my family in many ways. Her disappearance was sudden and abrupt,” said Nicole. “We are experiencing grief unlike any other. Feelings of guilt, helplessness, frustration, and lack of closure are prevalent. We have been living in limbo for the past few weeks due to a fluctuation of feeling hope and hopelessness.”
Since the day her mother disappeared, Nicole has been actively searching the area, contacting local hospitals and hotels, posting flyers in person and online, and conducting various other methods of outreach to bring attention to Christi’s disappearance. However, to date, all efforts from Nicole, police, and civilian volunteers have failed to locate Troiano, her vehicle, or generate any pursuable leads.
“Members of the community are pertinent in cases like this,” Nicole said. “Every little thing is appreciated in an effort to keep my mother’s name and information circulating through each and every platform.”
To that end, an army of volunteers has been built on social media in recent weeks, including the “In Search of Christi Troiano” Facebook group, where everyone from concerned citizens to amateur internet sleuths are banding together to share information and generate leads.
“I am very humbled and grateful for all the efforts of volunteers that have dedicated their free time to help in finding my mother through social media groups,” Nicole said. “I believe social media has had a great impact in this case thus far. These women and men have been most helpful in sharing messages, posts, and comments in order to get the word out there and connecting with others in an effort to get closer to finding her.”
For Nicole, her mother’s disappearance comes four years after her brother — 32-year-old Eric Otto, who is Christi’s son — and the mother of his children both died unexpectedly in March 2019. In the wake of their passing, Nicole and Christi worked to have Eric’s two children — Justin, 6, and Meela, 9 — placed in their custody, and the two purchased a home in Souderton Borough in 2021 to raise the children.
“We became a team together in raising Justin and Meela after that,” said Nicole.
With the disappearance of her mother, Nicole is now tasked with being the primary guardian for the two children, while also conducting her own search efforts and meeting with investigators. As a result, Nicole is also worried about how she’s going to provide for the kids and make ends meet. [Editor's note: a GoFundMe was launched after this article was published.]
“[The situation] has put the household under tremendous financial distress,” Nicole said. “I cannot work currently due to these circumstances and am fearful of falling behind on the household bills.”
Despite the added concerns, Nicole said she intends to press forward in the hopes that her mother is located safely, and she hopes the public will continue their efforts to assist in the search.
“[I hope] the public continues helping my family and I in the search,” Nicole said. “Volunteering to be a part of the search and rescue team, keeping an eye out for my mom and her car’s whereabouts, getting the word out there with a simple share on social media, and continuing to spread the word through the community with flyers, posters, signs, etc.”
About Christi Troiano’s Disappearance
Christi Troiano is described as a white female with blonde hair and blue eyes, standing 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighing approximately 130 pounds. She drives a black 2009 Acura TL that bears Pennsylvania registration GJN-7484.
Investigators do not know what Troiano was wearing when she disappeared. Troiano is known to visit the Jersey Shore, casinos in Atlantic City, and parks in Bucks County, per police.
“At this point, there is still no evidence to imply that anything criminal had happened, so we are still treating this as a missing person case,” said Souderton Police Chief Brian Newhall, in an interview with North Penn Now last week. “We have every agency who uses license plate readers looking for us, our social media has been viewed by over 140,000 people, and we’ve gotten assistance from Google and other non-law enforcement agencies.”
Investigators previously said the GPS tracking system within Troiano’s vehicle had not been activated, though they are working to do so. Troiano has an active involuntary commitment order due to mental health issues, and she indicated she intended to harm herself prior to her disappearance.
Police said they aren’t conducting an active physical search at this time, because they do not have a solid starting point to conduct such a search.
Anyone with information about the disappearance of Christi Troiano or her vehicle is asked to immediately dial 911. Tips can also be submitted to the Souderton Borough Police Department at 215-723-6500.
Additional images of Christi Troiano can be viewed below.
See also:
Investigators Continue to Seek Leads as Search for Missing Souderton Woman Enters Third Week
Police Provide Update as Search for Missing and Endangered Souderton Woman Continues
Souderton Police Seek Assistance in Locating Missing and Endangered Woman
