EARLY LIFE: 1969-1988
“It’s like my life is fractured into different pieces. There’s the Tina growing up in the foster home, the Tina who is the paranormal freak of nature, the Tina with Amber, and the Christina in death, the years after Amber. The only time in my life I can say that I knew what love was, was with Amber.”
Christina, then Tina Resch, age 4.
Christina Boyer was born on October 23, 1969 in Columbus, Ohio. Christina’s biological mother struggled with drug addiction and could not maintain a stable lifestyle, so Christina was ultimately placed in foster care. Franklin County Children’s Services found Christina a home with Joan and John Resch, a well known foster care couple in the community, who sometimes housed as many as six foster children of varying ages in their home. They formally adopted Christina when she was 2.5 years old.
At age 12, Christina told her adoptive parents that her foster brother was molesting her. She claimed they did not believe her and slapped her in the face.
A 1984 newspaper clipping from the Columbus Dispatch, which mentions Bill Roll’s stay in the Resch home and describes the media hubbub surrounding Christina.
At age 14, Christina said she noticed strange things happening around her, seemingly without her control. Plates, chairs and other objects appeared to mysteriously move and shift when she got angry or upset. When local reporters and new outlets learned of these events, they began to visit her home, with the hopes of capturing an unexplainable event. The news labeled Christina the “Columbus poltergeist kid.”
Christina describing the happenings in the Resch household.
In 1984, parapsychologist Bill Roll took an interest in studying Christina’s “abilities.” Roll and an assistant moved in with the Resch family to observe Christina. Roll followed her around her home using a camcorder and dictation device. He later wrote in his book, Unleashed: Of Poltergeists and Murder: The Curious Story of Tina Resch, that Christina had “one of the most convincing cases of poltergeist activity” he had ever seen.
Interested in identifying the source of Christina’s “telekinesis,” Roll brought 15-year-old Christina to his home in North Carolina. Bill introduced Christina to Jeannie Lagle, a psychiatrist and experienced hypnotherapist, as well as a group of paranormal researchers. During her time with Roll and Lagle, Christina underwent brain scans, saw therapists, and participated in a parapsychology conference. When it was time for Christina to return to Ohio, Bill and Jeannie were not yet finished with their tests. They decided to put their research on hold, but remained in close contact with Christina.
Christina, age 15, participating in experiments with Jeannie Lagle and Bill Roll.
Upon returning to Ohio, Christina said she felt desperate to get away from the Resch family. In 1986, at 16, Christina ran away with a man named James Bennett. Christina recalled, “I basically ran away and got married– to get away from [the Resch household].” Christina said that James physically and emotionally abused her throughout their relationship – he threatened her, beat her unconscious, burned her clothes to keep her from leaving, stalked and tracked her down when she tried to run away, and raped her.
After several failed attempts, Christina managed to escape. She moved in with a roommate and had a brief relationship with another man. However, Christina was still married to James and she explained that he continued to stalk and harass her from afar. Christina’s mental health rapidly deteriorated – she was depressed and struggled with an eating disorder. Eventually, Christina ended up in the hospital because she could not keep water down; and there learned she was pregnant.