One Block Away: Kristopher's Story

Feb. 4, 2014, began like most others for Kristopher “Kris” Lewis and his family. At the time, they lived in Boston, and that morning, like most others, Kris and his mother, Nina, walked together to the bus stop, following their usual routine before school.

That day, the family was especially excited. Nina had just landed a new job, and the plan was to celebrate with a dinner out. Whoever got home from school the fastest got to pick the restaurant and Kris made it his goal to be home first.

At 13, Kris was an active, bright teenager who loved playing football and basketball, watching cartoons and practicing karate. He excelled in school, took pride in being a big brother and cherished spending time with his mom.

Kris with his mom and siblings and Kris at karate. (Credit: Nina Cancel)

Nina says that nothing seemed unusual the morning of Feb. 4. Kris boarded the bus like he always did, went to school and attended all of his classes. Except for his extracurricular activities, Nina says that Kris was always either at school or at home.

That afternoon, Kris was expected to be home by 5:30 p.m. and when he didn’t arrive, Nina knew something was wrong. According to Nina, Kris always came home on time. At first, she thought that maybe the bus was running late. She stepped outside and walked down to the street, where she could see the bus stop, but there was no sign of Kris. She began making calls to the school and transportation division, only to learn that the bus had arrived on time, already passing Kris’s stop.

The bus driver confirmed that Kris had been on the bus that day and had gotten off at his usual stop. A friend of Kris told Nina they had walked together until Kris was only about a block away from his home. But when Nina stepped outside to look for him that day, he was nowhere to be found.

Panicked, Nina called the police—a call that marked the beginning of an 11-year search she never imagined she’d still be fighting today.

Photos of Kris before he went missing. (Credit: Nina Cancel)

“I love him,” Nina told NCMEC. “I miss him. And I just want him to come home.”

In the years since his disappearance, Nina has tirelessly searched for her son. She has never stopped raising awareness for his case or seeking answers. Although more than a decade has passed, a part of her still feels frozen in that moment, waiting for Kris to come home from school, just like he always did.

“I go over that day all the time,” Nina said. “The last 11 years have been hard on our family. They’ve been really hard.” 

Kris and his mom, Nina. (Credit: Nina Cancel)

Since 2014, there have been few leads in Kris’s case. But now, 11 years after Kristopher Bryan Lewis vanished from a Boston sidewalk, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) is renewing efforts to bring him home by releasing a new age-progression image, offering a glimpse at what he may look like today at 24.  

Newly released age-progression for Kristopher Lewis. (Credit: NCMEC)

Nina hopes this newly released image and Kris’s story will encourage someone out there to call.

“As a mom, who is missing her son, if anyone knows anything, please say something,” Nina said. “Imagine if it was your child, wouldn’t you want someone to say something?”

And until the day Kris comes home, she’ll keep saying his name, sharing his story and holding onto the hope that one day her family will be together again.

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When Kristopher was last seen, he was 5-foot-1 inches and weighed 87 pounds. He is biracial. Kristopher is Black and Hispanic. He has a scar on his upper lip.

If you have any information regarding the whereabouts or the disappearance of Kristopher Lewis, please call the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST or the Boston Police Department at 1-617-343-4687.

You can view Kristopher’s Missing Poster here: https://www.missingkids.org/poster/NCMC/1230071/1.