Mother-of-four missing for three weeks, family asks for help

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    ORANGEBURG, SC (WLOS) — Family members are asking the public for help locating 37-year-old Christina Eckler of Sumter, after she went missing in Orangeburg earlier this month.

Officials at the Orangeburg Department of Public Safety (ODPS) say Eckler was last seen at the Motel 6 on US 301 in Orangeburg on February 1, and hasn’t been seen or heard from since.

Family members told WACH FOX that Eckler was last seen in a light blue 2013 4-door Dodge Avenger with the license plate number TQW467 (ODPS officials put out a flyer that listed the license tag as YQW467, but family members say this is a typo).

Eckler has the word “John” tattooed on her shoulder and could be going by a fake name, officials say.

She may also be with a male subject, 57-year-old Brent Hamer.

Eckler’s mother, Miriam Collins, says the family has been worried sick since her disappearance and that she usually calls. Eckler has four kids who are currently staying with their father.

“It’s not her nature to just disappear,” Collins said.

According to Collins, the last time she spoke with her daughter was on January 31, and she was supposed to see her the following Monday. Eckler never showed.

After a few days passed, the family began to get worried.

It’s very out of her norm,” said Eckler’s sister, Cindy Pierson. “She usually calls my mom every single day. Period.
Family members later learned that Eckler was last seen at a motel in Orangeburg on February 1. They filed a missing person’s report with the Orangeburg Department of Public Safety shortly after.

ODPS officials say Eckler frequents small hotels.

Family members have put up flyers on social media and in the Midlands, hoping someone will recognize her. Soon after flyers went out, the family received a call from a woman who claimed to have seen her at a Waffle House in Florence, just off of I-95.

The family says Eckler’s phone has been disconnected since February 1 and they appreciate any help they can get.

It’s hard for a mother not to hear from your child,” Collins said. “Even when she was in the Air Force stationed near Afghanistan she facetimed me at least once a week when she could.
If you’ve seen Christina Eckler or know of her whereabouts, family members ask that you contact Detective Danny Brightwell at 803-533-4106 or call Miriam Collins at 803-968-3391.

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