In the vast, serene wilderness of Canada’s Rainbow Falls Provincial Park, a young woman went for an early morning jog and vanished into thin air. There was no evidence of a struggle, no sign of an accident, and no trace left behind. The massive, high-tech search that followed found nothing, leading police to a startling and deeply unsettling conclusion. The disappearance of 20-year-old Christina Calayca on August 6, 2007, remains one of Ontario’s most baffling and heartbreaking cold cases.

Christina was a beacon of warmth and responsibility in her Toronto community. Born to Filipino immigrant parents, she was raised by her devoted mother, Elizabeth. A devout Catholic, Christina was deeply involved in her church, volunteering with youth groups and helping to organize large conferences.

She had recently graduated with a certificate in early childhood education and was happily working at a daycare center, living out her dream of helping children. She was a dutiful daughter, giving half of her salary to her mother to help with rent, and was beloved by all who knew her for her kind and caring spirit.

In early August 2007, feeling overwhelmed and stressed from her busy schedule, Christina and three close friends—Eddie, Faith, and JB—decided to take a relaxing camping trip. They chose Rainbow Falls Provincial Park, a remote but beautiful destination in Ontario. After a long drive, they set up their tent at a secluded campsite on August 5. They spent the evening cooking, talking, and taking photos, documenting what was supposed to be a peaceful getaway.

The mystery began in the pre-dawn hours of August 6. Around 6:30 AM, Christina and her friend Eddie decided to go for a jog. According to Eddie, Christina declined to run along the nearby Trans-Canada Highway, opting instead for a trail that led into the park toward the waterfalls. They agreed to go their separate ways. Eddie saw her run onto the park trail, a cheerful figure heading into the woods. It was the last time anyone ever saw her.

When Eddie returned to the campsite, Christina wasn’t there. At first, neither he nor the other two friends were overly concerned, speculating that the introverted and spiritual Christina may have simply wanted some time alone to pray. But as the hours passed, their casual concern grew into full-blown panic. By 2:00 PM, they reported her missing to the park staff.

The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) immediately launched one of the most extensive search and rescue missions in the region’s history. For 18 grueling days, they scoured the park. Helicopters and planes equipped with infrared cameras and sonar detectors surveyed the landscape from above.

K9 units searched for a scent on the ground, while teams of officers and volunteers combed through 53 square kilometers of dense forest, rugged trails, and shoreline. They found absolutely nothing—no torn clothing, no footprints, no sign of a struggle, no trace that Christina had ever been there beyond the campsite.

This total lack of evidence led the OPP to a startling and controversial conclusion when they officially called off the search on August 23. They announced that they were confident that Christina was not lost or injured anywhere within the boundaries of the park.

With the search exhausted, the investigation turned to a labyrinth of baffling theories. Police thoroughly interrogated her three friends multiple times and, finding no inconsistencies in their stories and no conceivable motive, cleared them of any involvement.

The theory of an animal attack was also dismissed by experts; a bear or wolf attack would have left behind a significant amount of physical evidence, none of which was ever found.

Could she have simply jogged out to the highway and been taken? A witness did report seeing a woman who matched Christina’s description walking along the highway miles from the campsite later that morning, but this lead was never substantiated.

The idea that she voluntarily disappeared also seemed unlikely, given her close bond with her mother and her deep commitments to her job and church.

The case of Christina Calayca remains frozen in time, a collection of unanswered questions. How can a person vanish so completely from a well-traveled park? The police don’t believe she’s in the woods, but there is no evidence she ever left.

All that remains is the enduring pain of her family, especially her mother, Elizabeth, who has never stopped searching for answers. More than fifteen years later, the ghost of Rainbow Falls remains a haunting and unsolved Canadian mystery.