Christina McKechnie

Status:

Open

Missing From:

Arizona

Summary:

Christina "Licorice" McKechnie, born October 2, 1945, is a Scottish musician who was a singer and songwriter in the Incredible String Band between 1968 and 1972. Her whereabouts have been unknown since 1987, when she was last seen hitchhiking across the Arizona desert in the U.S. As of November 2025, she has been located alive and living in complete obscurity in Sacramento, California.

Vital Statistics

Circumstances of Disappearance:

Most accounts say Licorice left Los Angeles in 1987, with a few accounts reporting her living in Arizona two years later, and two in Sacramento after that. Music journalist Mark Ellen wrote in Mojo magazine in 2000 that she was "last seen in 1987 hitchhiking across the Arizona Desert. Not even her family has heard from her since." Her elder sister Frances reports receiving a letter in 1990 which she says was "certainly from Sacramento" - her last verified location.

Additional Details:

In her teens, McKechnie left home intending to marry Bert Jansch, a British folk musician. The banns were published but the wedding never took place. Jansch left her behind to travel to Morocco in 1963, and according to Williamson, "she fell into [my] arms". She was asked by Williamson to join the Incredible String Band as a vocalist and percussionist in 1967. Her first contribution came as backing vocals on the track "Painting Box" on the 1967 album The 5000 Spirits or the Layers of the Onion. By 1968, she was a fully-fledged band member and performed with them at the Woodstock Festival. She left the band in 1972 when she and Robin Williamson parted ways. At some point she married Brian Lambert, who played guitar in Robin Williamson's band. In an interview many years later, her ex-husband, Brian Lambert, revealed that McKechnie "just wanted to have a new life". One source claims she had a history of depression. As of November 2025, McKechnie has been confirmed alive at age 80, residing reclusively in a one-bedroom apartment in low-income elderly housing in Sacramento, California, where she uses a walking aid and maintains a low profile.

Case Last Updated:

Oct 19, 2026