Remains Identified as Missing Girl’s

Authorities said Thursday that the scattered remains found earlier this week in a Monterey County nature reserve were those of 13-year-old Christina Williams, who vanished seven months ago on a walk with the family dog.

The FBI, which has led the investigation since Christina disappeared June 12, announced that the Monterey County coroner’s office had made the identification from dental records.

Officials said the cause and time of death were unknown but that it appeared the remains of the girl had been in the rugged area of scrub and trees for some time.

After Tuesday’s discovery of the remains, 40 FBI agents combed the area looking for evidence. The search continued Thursday, said Bruce Gebhardt, FBI special agent in charge of the San Francisco division.

Although a number of people have been questioned in the case, no suspects have been charged.

“Since June 12, this community has poured out its support to the Williams family. This family needs our support now more than ever,” Gebhardt said at an afternoon press conference.

The skeletal remains were discovered Tuesday by an ecological surveyor in a small University of California reserve three miles from the Williams home at the former Ft. Ord Army Base.

The disappearance sparked a massive effort to find Christina. A World Wide Web site was created and volunteers answered phones at a center set up to receive tips. Photos of Christina and drawings of possible abductors--two unidentified men who were spotted in the area shortly before she disappeared--were disseminated nationwide and plastered throughout the Monterey Bay area.

Her family last saw Christina when she left for a walk with their dog. The dog later wandered home without her.