The Missing
Celina Janette Mays
Burlington County
Celina Janette Mays was 12 years old and 9 months pregnant when she disappeared from her home on Crestwood Drive in Willingboro New Jersey on the night of December 16th, 1996. That day, Celina went to church with her family, then she ate ice cream and went to bed at 11p.m. She allegedly told her family “Thanks for everything” before heading to bed. Celina’s step-mother was making breakfast the next morning, and she told 4 year old Nori Mays to wake Celina up for breakfast. Nori says she remembers pulling back the covers on her stepsister’s bed, only to reveal a bunch of pillows in her place. All of her belongings were left behind, even her purse, CD player, and the prenatal vitamins/medications she was taking for her pregnancy.
Celina’s father Crenzonzo “C.J” was the one to report her missing on December 17th.
Celina had a troubled life. Two years prior to her disappearance, her mother Lynn passed away from a brain aneurysm. Her parents were never married, and their relationship was said to be tumultuous, with both people having histories of drug abuse. The death of Lynn led to a custody battle between Lynn’s family and CJ. Ultimately, Cj was granted custody of Celina, insisting he had left his life of drugs behind him.
Celina moved in with her father CJ, her aunt Cerita,(some sources spell her name “Serita” or “Cirita”) her step mother Evette, and several siblings along with other unnamed relatives. CJ was working as an accountant and bookkeeper for the Gospel of Christ Ministries Inc., based in Mount Holly, NJ. Cerita was the pastor of the church and the rest of the Mays family frequently attended.
Celina was homeschooled at the church, and she had to endure her family’s strict religious beliefs. Regardless, Celina became pregnant while still being a child herself. Family reports that Celina would not reveal who the father was, only claiming he was 16 years old and he was not from the church. She refused to provide his name. Celina was due to give birth on December 29th, and because of her age it was unlikely she would be able to give birth naturally and should have required a C-section. Unfortunately, December 29th came and went without a word. Investigators contacted hospitals in the area to see if Celina had been admitted but none of the hospitals had seen her.
CJ has several theories. He believes that his daughter planned her disappearance because he threatened to have a paternity test done to learn the identity of the baby’s father. He also mentioned that maybe the father of Celina’s child had harmed her to prevent his identity from being revealed. He also stated the possibility of his daughter dying from an “amateur” abortion.
However, authorities claim that CJ had not been cooperative during the investigations, and they ultimately lost touch with him. He passed away in 2019.
What happened to Celina Mays? Some say she was tired of her religious upbringing and planned to disappear. This would obviously mean she needed help from an adult. Celina’s family has ties to New Jersey, Michigan and Florida. Hopefully this is the case and she is living happily with a different name.
Another theory was that CJ was the father of Celina’s child and she may have been murdered before the baby was born in fear of getting charged with rape. However, CJ had gotten a vasectomy years before Celina disappeared. His doctor confirmed this with the police.
The next theory is that Celina was impregnated by her cousin Sean Smith who was in his early twenties at the time. Over a year after Celina’s disappearance, Smith was charged with aggravated sexual assault of two young congregants at his mother’s church, the Gospel of Christ Ministry. The victims were 13 and 16 years old. Smith was held on a $50,000 bail and barred from any communication with the victims or their families.
Sean was interviewed several times but denied having any knowledge of Celina’s whereabouts.
The most terrifying theory is that the church had part in her disappearance. Many people have complained, calling the church organization a “cult.” Cerita Smith was accused of using brainwashing techniques on its members. To others, it seemed she was controlling every aspect of the Mays’ lives. Cerita has since passed away.
According to police, the Gospel of Christ Ministries is now an abandoned building. They are still actively seeking community members and people who worked at the church to share their stories.
Celina is a black female (some sources state she is also Hispanic), standing at 5 feet tall and weighing 120 lbs at the time of her disappearance. She has brown eyes and long black wavy hair.
Celina would be 40 years old today and her child would be 27. When she turned 18, she was eligible to receive money from her late mothers life insurance policy. It was never collected.
Both sides of the family have accused the other of hiding Celina. Many of her relatives believe foul play occurred.
If you have any further information, please contact the Willingboro Police Department at 609-877-2200 or you can call the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST.
Sources:
https://www.missingkids.org/poster/NCMC/827787/1
https://www.missingkids.org/blog/2024/celina-40th-birthday-still-missing
https://uncovered.com/cases/celina-mays
https://www.solvethecase.org/case/1996-1/celina-janette-mays
https://allthatsinteresting.com/celina-mays
https://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1577dfnj.html
https://6abc.com/new-jersey-news-willingboro-missing-person-child/2421342/
The Lost & The Taken 
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