Justice Denied? The Disappearance of 5-Year-Old Corrine

 

On June 1st, 1992, 5-year-old Corrine Leanne Erstad disappeared from her neighborhood in Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota.

That evening, around 7:30 p.m., Corrine went to play at Skyline Park, just a short walk from her family’s home. Only a few minutes later, her two older brothers went to bring her back, but she was already gone. Corrine was never seen again.

Her mother and stepfather reported her missing two hours later. Witnesses at the park told police they thought they saw a little girl matching Corrine’s description talking to a man with a dog, but it was never confirmed.

From the very beginning, police focused on a family friend named Robert Guevara. He often stayed overnight at Corrine’s home when he was drunk, and disturbingly, witnesses said he sometimes slept in the same bed as the little girl. On the very day she disappeared, Corrine had reportedly told her mother that Guevara had molested her. Shockingly, her mother didn’t mention that to police until several days later, saying she had “forgotten.”

When police investigated, Guevara’s trailer and locker revealed disturbing evidence. Inside his locker, investigators found a sundress identical to the one Corrine was last seen wearing, along with a pair of little girl’s underwear. Both were stained with blood and semen. Blood was also found on his shower curtain. Early DNA testing at the time suggested the fluids could have come from both Guevara and Corrine.

Police charged Guevara with kidnapping, rape, and murder just four days after Corrine went missing. But his defense argued the case was flawed. They claimed his locker and trailer weren’t secured and that evidence could have been planted. Guevara’s attorneys even went so far as to suggest Corrine’s mother may have arranged her daughter’s disappearance in hopes of ransom money, pointing to her troubled past, struggles with drug addiction, and the fact that Corrine had spent time in foster care as a baby.

In 1992, Minnesota law didn’t allow full DNA evidence to be used in trials the way it is today. Because of that limitation, Guevara was acquitted of all charges. He walked free and has maintained his innocence ever since.

Tragically, Corrine’s case has never been solved. In 1994, just two years after she vanished, she was declared legally dead. If she were alive today, Corrine would be 38 years old.

Decades later, the truth about what really happened to 5-year-old Corrine Erstad remains a mystery. Was justice denied because of weak forensic laws at the time—or was the wrong man accused?

What do you think—was Robert Guevara guilty, or is there another explanation for Corrine’s disappearance?