Illinois woman goes missing after house burns in fire

A post in June 2018 stated that the family said Kristen was found alive in another state. NAMUS.gov still shows her as missing as of March 2019.

Original story: Kristen Marie O’Brien, 39, has been missing since May 5, 2017 from Springfield, Illinois.

Before she went missing she was seen arguing with a man in her driveway on April 30. Then on May 1, her house located at the 800 block of east Clay Street was broken into and set on fire around 5 a.m. Kristen was supposed to meet a fire marshal at her home, but she never showed up. She was last seen driving her white Ford F-150 on May 5 around 3 p.m. leaving her boyfriend, Chris Russell’s home, where she was staying more often since her home burned.

I spoke with Chris Russell, Kristen’s boyfriend and he stated that Kristen’s phone is now disconnected after non-payment of the bill, although it was still active till about the middle of June. The last text outgoing was around 8 p.m. on May 5.

“What does not make sense to me is that she left without packing anything that would suggest she was leaving town,” said Russell.

Leaving without any clothing or personal belongings, even a toothbrush would make anyone wonder if she intended to leave in the first place.

Russell also said that the authorities were supposedly monitoring her bank account and there were no transactions made after May 17, but the transactions between the 5th and 17th are all online.

“But, the authorities were not able to get a physical location,” said Russell.

At this point there is no way to say if it was Kristen or someone else that was accessing her account or even where it was being accessed from.

Posted on June 4, on the Help Find Missing Kristen O’Brien Facebook page it reads:

“Unfortunately there is very little to update. Kristen left her significant other’s residence at 3:55 pm stating that she was running an errand. At 8:55 pm she sent a text stating she was spending the night at a friend’s. Private investigators have determined that she did not spend the night at friend’s house.Prevailing theory is she left on her own accord, but what cannot be determined is if she left under duress. The fact that she left with no belongings is troubling.

Private investigators also attempted to look into any electronic records they could find, in order to confirm proof of life. Unfortunately, the only thing they could find since the fifth of May….cannot confirm.

Based on this information, the answer to the question, “Is she in trouble?” cannot yet be determined.

At this point, we are hoping and praying that the social media campaign will turn something up…a teller at the Pet Smart where she was on the 4th of May remembering her stating she was going somewhere…a Facebook friend that heard from her in the last Month…anything.

Also hoping and praying that the six degrees of separation works in this case, so please share with friends and tell friends to share with friends.”

Kristen’s white Ford F-150 has a large tie-dye frog peace sign sticker above the Ford emblem on the back of the truck and has not been located at this time. Keep an eye out for this truck, as it may prove to be a good lead to where Kristen is.

Kristen also goes by the name Kristen Hill or Kristen Braschi and was a resident of Vacaville, Calif. before moving to Illinois. Kristen is 5’2″ to 5’3″ tall and 125 to 135 pounds.