Ghislaine Maxwell’s Sister identified by witnesses in 2018 Texas church trafficking scandal at Stonebriar Church in North Dallas

Witness accounts describe a 2018 interaction at Stonebriar Community Church involving Christine Maxwell and Alan Hightower, including reported introductions to Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein and references to prior academic and professional connections.

DALLAS, TX—Christine Maxwell, sister of convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell, lives just 20 minutes down the road from Stonebriar Church in Frisco, TX, a north Dallas area megachurch. Why is this important? Stonebriar Church was the center of what witnesses and independent reporting have described as an escort and trafficking scandal in 2018, and Ghislaine Maxwell was reported by witnesses to have been present at the church during this period.

Investigations going on at the time were largely composed of multiple undercover outlets and organizations and were focused on the activities and whereabouts of Jeffrey Esptein and Ghislaine Maxwell, to gather evidence for their arrests. Both Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell were seen at Stonebriar Church on multiple occasions in 2018, often under surveillance they were most likely not aware of.

They were seen with associates they appeared to be training, a man by the name of Kevin, and a woman who identified herself as “Bri.” Witnesses reported that the woman who called herself “Bri” looked so much like Ghislaine Maxwell, that it was hard to tell the two of them apart, and they sometimes got them confused. The “Kevin” who was sometimes seen operating alongside “Bri” has also been identified by witnesses as Kevin Maxwell.

Because of this, due to the activities reported by witnesses who attended Stonebriar Church in 2018, they have been identified by witnesses as individuals of concern with suspected involvement in connection with the reported trafficking and escort activity that occurred at the church. Though, at this time authorities have not officially accused either one of them or their siblings of these crimes or any related crimes.

Yet, witnesses who attended Stonebriar Church in 2018 demand answers.

Witness Identification of Suspects in the Stonebriar Church trafficking scandal

The following interaction described by a witness took place in the Stonebriar Church lobby on a Sunday morning in 2018 following a church.

According to the account, the setting was consistent with typical post-service activity, where attendees gather in small groups, converse, and make introductions. Multiple individuals were present, with some actively participating in the conversation and others standing nearby within the same group. The interaction appeared open and routine, with no indication there was anything to conceal. Nothing about it appeared unusual at the time.

The witness observed Christine Maxwell speaking with Alan Hightower, a Stonebriar Church choir director. She spoke openly and celebratory about prior contact that had occurred between Hightower and her husband, Roger Malina. It was clear they had encountered one another previously in professional and academic contexts.

The witness recalls that the interaction did not appear to be a first-time introduction between those individuals, noting a level of familiarity and engagement during the exchange.

The witness further reports that Ghislaine Maxwell was introduced to Hightower in this setting by Christine as “her sister,” and that Jeffrey Epstein was introduced to Hightower as her sister’s boyfriend, stating they were both in town visiting from New York. According to the account, Hightower appeared visibly enthusiastic during the interaction, and vigorously shook Epstein’s hand.

The witness, along with others, has identified Christine as the individual often referred to as “Bri” in other DCN reporting about the 2018 Stonebriar Church trafficking and escort scandal. This identification is based on multiple observations.

Witness accounts regarding the identity of the individual referred to as “Bri” have not been uniform. While some witnesses have identified “Bri” as Christine Maxwell, others have associated the alias with Isabel Maxwell, another sister of Ghislaine, thought most believe “Bri” to be Christine.

Earlier reporting noted that Ghislaine and “Bri” were described as having a similar appearance, which, according to witness accounts, made it difficult at times to distinguish between them in social settings.

“They looked so much alike, it was hard to tell the two of them apart,” said the witness. “I’m sure it was her sister, one or both of them, that told us at the church that her name was Bri.”

Others report they may have also seen Ghislaine’s sister Anne Maxwell once or twice at the church, as well as her brothers, Ian Maxwell and Kevin Maxwell.

According to public records, Christine Maxwell resides in the North Dallas area near the Richardson city line, (a suburb of Dallas) often described as part of the University of Texas at Dallas corridor. Travel between this area and Stonebriar Community Church typically ranges from approximately 20 to 35 minutes by car depending on traffic conditions.

Christine Maxwell’s presence in Texas became a subject of public interest following her sister Ghislaine Maxwell’s transfer to the Federal Correctional Institution in Bryan, Texas in 2025. This move was widely reported as a way to bring Ghislaine closer to members of her family, including Christine, whose Dallas home is roughly a three-hour drive from the Bryan facility.

Public Background of Individuals Referenced:

Alan Hightower

Dr. Allen Hightower serves as the Adult and Student Music Ministry Associate at Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, Texas.

He is also Director of Choral Studies at the University of North Texas, where he leads the master’s and doctoral programs in choral conducting and conducts the UNT A Cappella Choir, Vox Aquilae, and Grand Chorus. UNT’s College of Music profile identifies him as conductor of the A Cappella Choir and Grand Chorus, and as a member of UNT’s Early Music faculty leading Vox Aquilae.

Hightower joined the University of North Texas in 2016. Under his direction, the UNT A Cappella Choir has received invitations to perform for the Texas Music Educators Association (2020), the National Conference of the American Choral Directors Association (2021), and the Southwestern Division of ACDA (2022).

His professional career spans both academic and performance settings. He has served as Choral Director of the Houston Symphony Chorus for the 2022–23 season and has been appointed Artistic Director and Conductor of the Plano Civic Chorus for the 2025–2026 season. Prior to his work in Texas, he held the Weston Noble Endowed Chair in Music at Luther College, where he conducted the Nordic Choir.

Additional biographical materials indicate that Hightower has served churches in Texas, California, and Minnesota, and currently serves at Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, Texas.

He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Conducting from the University of California, Los Angeles, as well as graduate degrees in orchestral and choral conducting from Baylor University and the Eastman School of Music. He earned his undergraduate degree in music education and piano from Sam Houston State University.

Public biographical information further indicates that he is a seventh-generation Texan and resides in North Texas with his wife, Dr. Kristin Hightower, who also serves at Stonebriar Community Church as a Music Associate for children and student choirs, and their two daughters.

Christine Maxwell

Christine Maxwell (born Christine Yvonne Malina-Maxwell on August 16, 1950) is a British-born technology entrepreneur and educator.

She is best known as co-founder of the McKinley Group, which launched Magellan in 1993, one of the earliest professionally curated internet search and directory platforms. Magellan was later acquired by Excite in 1996.

She also co-founded Chiliad, a software company focused on data access and data-mining technologies, with reported applications in government and counterterrorism analysis.

Maxwell is the author of The Pergamon Dictionary of Perfect Spelling, a reference work designed to assist learners, including those with dyslexia.

Her academic work has included roles at the University of Texas at Dallas, where she has been identified as Program Manager of Learning Technologies. She has also pursued doctoral-level study in the History of Ideas at the same institution.

She holds a Master’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of Texas at Dallas and a Bachelor of Arts in Latin American Studies and Sociology from Pitzer College.

Roger Malina

Roger Malina (born July 6, 1950) is an American astrophysicist and educator.

He serves as Distinguished Professor of Art and Technology and Professor of Physics at the University of Texas at Dallas, and is co-founder of the ArtSciLab, an initiative focused on collaboration between scientists and artists.

Malina previously served as Principal Investigator for NASA’s Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE) satellite project, which produced the first comprehensive map of the sky in the extreme ultraviolet spectrum.

His international leadership roles include Director of the Observatoire Astronomique de Marseille Provence and Directeur de Recherche at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS).

Since 1982, he has served as Executive Editor of Leonardo publications at MIT Press.

He earned a Ph.D. in Astronomy from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Bachelor of Science in Physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Editorial Note

The information presented in this article combines witness testimony with publicly available background information. The witness account reflects observations of interactions and reported introductions within a church setting. Public biographical details are included to provide independently verifiable context regarding the individuals referenced. The identities and activities described in witness accounts have not been formally confirmed by authorities, and no official charges related to these specific allegations have been publicly filed.