Mugshot photo provided by the Genesee County Prosecutor’s Office
Written by Tanya Terry
At the Flint Motel, located 5452 N. Dort Highway, in the city of Flint, on March 3, Genesee Township Police would start to witness what was discovered to be a disturbing, gruesome and tragic reality.
“At the motel, investigators observed Room 18 was open, and outside of the open door was a comforter laying on the ground, soaked in what appeared to be blood,” said Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton at a March 11 press conference.
According to Leyton, there was also a blood-stained mattress and kitty litter on top of that blood-stained mattress to mask the smell– and there was kitty litter on the floor, just to the left of bed where the mattress likely had been. Blood was also on the wall behind and to the left of the bed, and there was another set of blood-stained sheets on the right side of the bed. In the bathroom, there were blood stains on the floor.
So, investigators made contact with the motel’s manager. They asked him who had rented out the room.
“The answer was Christina Elizabeth Barber,” stated Leyton.
The day before police witnessed the horrific sights, an individual is noted to have called 9-1-1, asking for a welfare check on a coworker. That coworker was also 48-year-old Christina Elizabeth Barber.
The caller said Barber had not been to work in a week at Burger King. The caller said Barber was not answering her telephone.
“The caller also reported that Ms. Barber also had been having trouble with her boyfriend, a gentleman named Christopher.”
Follow-up interviews with coworkers revealed that Barber’s boyfriend had threatened to kill Barber on multiple occasions.
Additionally, the interviews revealed Barber’s boyfriend had worked with her at a Burger King restaurant, just south of Beecher High School – and he had been violent in the workplace.
“In one instance, he got angry with the manager of the Burger King and actually ripped the handles off the door of her car.”
On West Boulevard and Massachusetts Avenue, along the banks of the Flint River, a fisherman saw a body and it was reported to police. The body was found just miles from the Flint Motel – and just one day after police first saw the blood-stained mattress.
“When Genesee Township officers arrived at the Flint River bank, there were already Flint city police officers on the scene. The Flint Police officers stated they responded to a 9-1-1 call from a person that was looking to fish and that he had found a black garbage bag with what appeared to be toes from a person sticking out of the bag.”
Surveillance from the motel showed the victim and what appeared to be 34-year-old Christopher Astin Motry go into room 18 of the motel.
“Later, Motry and only Motry comes out with what appears to be a body in a plastic bag in a fireman’s carry and puts it into the bed of his truck. You never see Ms. Barber again.”
Based on that information, Motry was charged with first-degree murder – premeditated, which is a felony punishable by life in prison without the possibility of parole. He was also charged with tampering with evidence in a criminal case, punishable by up to 10 years, as well as concealing the death of an individual – a felony punishable by up to five years in prison. His last charge was domestic violence, a misdemeanor, punishable by up to 93 days in jail.
According to Leyton, Barber had seven adult children and was divorced. Motry was married. He was having an affair with Barber, which Barber was trying to get out of.
Motry was arraigned on Friday, March 8 and was being held without bond as of the time of the press conference. The probable cause conference will be held at 8:30 a.m. March 21 at the Genesee County District Court.
