Suvechha Sarkar
Christin Rochelle Lamb was a bright and spirited young girl, but her life turned upside down when she suddenly disappeared in July 1998. Weeks later, her remains were found in a communal landfill in Powell, Wyoming. The horrific crime left the community completely stunned, and her family members grief-stricken. Investigation Discovery’s ‘Killer Carnies: House of Mirrors’ delves deeper into the events surrounding the murder and how the investigation brought the killer to justice. It also features emotional interviews with her loved ones and the officials who helped bring justice.
Christin Lamb’s Remains Were Found in a Landfill Near Her Grandparents’ House
Christin Rochelle Lamb was born on September 30, 1989, in Powell, in Park County, Wyoming. She arrived as a ray of sunshine in the lives of her parents, Laura Lampman and Tim Lamb. Although her parents’ relationship was already strained by the time she was born, they remained involved in her life. Besides her loving parents, her sister Jessica was also her closest companion. After Laura and Tim divorced, he moved on to marry Megan Lamb. By 1995, Laura had tied the knot with her childhood sweetheart, Eric Lampman. Eventually, Christin’s life became more fulfilled as Laura and Eric welcomed their daughter, Kyrie, into the world. Christin was the beloved granddaughter of her grandparents, Edward Aka Ed and Peggy Smith, and D.W. and Jody Lamb. Her family described her as a meritorious student who always held her top spot in the class.
Christin had immense faith and was known for her caring and friendly nature. Furthermore, she was also an active participant in groups like 4-H, Girl Scouts, and AWANAS. In 1997, she moved to Laramie, Wyoming, with her mother, stepfather, and sisters. Christin’s life was going perfectly when everything changed on July 19, 1998. She was visiting her maternal grandparents’ house in Powell, Wyoming, during the County Fair Carnival. There, she was attending Vacation Bible School with a friend, Lucy, who lived just across the street. On that fateful day, her grandfather, Ed, noticed it was getting dark. However, the sprinklers in his garden, located one and a half blocks away from their house, were still on. He first asked Jessica for the favor, but when she did not want to go outside, Christin gladly took up the job.
Christin took a red scooter and drove off towards the garden. When she didn’t return by 10 pm, Laura informed the police that she was missing. As the search began, officials first looked for her bike. By the next day, search dogs had picked up her scent in the garden but lost it halfway. It indicated she had reached there to turn off the sprinkler, but she might have been taken away. After days of searching and no leads, detectives scoured a local landfill. On August 3, 1998, her bike was discovered dismantled in the debris. Unfortunately, two days later, on August 5, they found her remains in a duffel bag placed inside another plastic bag. It turned the missing person case into a full-blown homicide investigation. The autopsy reportedly revealed that Christin was sexually assaulted before she was brutally killed.
The Search for Christin Lamb’s Killer Led Detectives Closer to Home
During the initial investigation, the detectives found tire pressure marks on the road near the garden. When a neighbor came forward and informed them that a red Camaro had driven by that area 8 times on the fateful day, it raised their suspicions. However, it turned out to be a neighbor’s relative who was just visiting at the time. They next focused on the Carnival workers, since they moved from place to place. Despite multiple leads regarding the workers, it led the officials to a dead end. They had received a tip about an individual who had allegedly made a suspicious remark after watching a few girls playing outside. A search warrant was executed at that person’s home, where the police dog did a “death roll” on a carpet. That particular action meant that someone had died at that spot.
However, when the lab test result for the carpet came back, it was not a match for Christin. Based on their investigation, detectives determined that the perpetrator was most likely someone with a prior history of sexual assault and someone who failed to maintain employment. Consequently, they began looking into the list of previous sex offenders and realized that there was a name missing. The said person, James Eric Peterson, had previously committed sexual assault. Since he was a juvenile then, his name was not on the registry. Moreover, he lived across the street from Christin’s grandfather’s home in a trailer court and was divorced, an alcoholic, and unemployed. Meanwhile, on August 5, 1998, detectives discovered Christin’s remains in a communal landfill near the trailer court.
When James was finally brought in for questioning on August 8, 1998, he alleged that he was taking care of his stepdaughter, Lucy, and son at his ex-wife’s trailer on the day of the murder. However, detectives knew that Christin was Lucy’s playmate and had contact with him. After a failed polygraph test, he confessed that he had sexually assaulted Christin, and during the act, she passed away. To hide his crime, he disposed of her remains in a duffel bag in the trailer court’s dumpster. He also admitted that he had dismantled her bike before disposing of it. Lucy had informed the police that she might have seen the duffel bag under the bathroom sink. James was arrested on the same day and charged with Christin’s murder, abduction, and molestation.
James Peterson Has Been Brought to Justice and is Currently Serving His Time in Prison
The prosecution presented all the available DNA evidence and James’ confession before the court. They reportedly pointed out that Christin might have gone to Lucy’s house to invite her to a church event, when Peterson captured her and proceeded to commit sexual assault. When she died during the heinous act, he disposed of her remains and scooter in an attempt to cover up his crime. On October 27, 1998, James entered into a plea deal and pleaded guilty to the abduction, second-degree sexual assault, and murder charges in exchange for avoiding the death penalty. Right then, James was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
As of writing, at 48 years of age, James is incarcerated at Tallahatchie County Correctional Facility in Tutwiler, Mississippi. There has been no further information available about any subsequent appeals. Speaking about the loss of her daughter, Laura expressed, “Parents say they would give their lives for their children, and it’s true. If there was a way I could go back and let her live and me die, I absolutely would have done that and still would. There’s not a day goes by that I don’t miss her.” James Peterson’s conviction may have brought legal closure, but for Christin’s loved ones, the ache of her absence is present every single day.
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