Christopher Daniel Duntsch was born on April 3, 1971, in Montana. He spent most of his childhood in Memphis, Tennessee. His father, Donald, worked as a physical therapist and was also a Christian missionary. His mother, Susan, was a schoolteacher. Christopher was the oldest of four children, having two younger brothers named Nathan and Matt, and a sister named Liz.

He attended Evangelical Christian School in Cordova, Tennessee, where he played football. After high school, he went on to Millsaps College to play Division III college football. Later, he transferred to Colorado State University, where he played at the Division I level. While he trained hard, his former teammates noted that he did not have much talent in football. After exhausting his football eligibility, he returned to Memphis to attend Memphis State University (now the University of Memphis) and focus on his studies.

Duntsch switched his focus from football to medicine after completing his undergraduate degree in 1995. He then entered an MD–PhD program. In 2010, he finished both his medical degree and residency in neurosurgery at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. He also completed a spine fellowship program at the Semmes-Murphey Clinic in Memphis.

During his residency, Duntsch participated in fewer than 100 surgeries. This was much lower than the typical number for neurosurgery residents, who usually participate in over 1,000 surgeries. He was suspected of using cocaine while operating during his fourth year of residency. As a result, he was sent to a program for impaired physicians and spent several months there before returning to his residency.

In his personal life, Duntsch was known to frequent Memphis strip clubs. In 2011, he met an exotic dancer named Wendy Renee Young. After they met, Young moved in with Duntsch, and they had two sons together. However, they broke up just before the birth of their second child in September 2014.

At first, Duntsch focused on the PhD aspect of his training. His name appeared on several papers and patents, and he was involved in biotech startups. However, by the time he met Young, he was in debt for over $500,000. He decided to pursue a career in neurosurgery, which could be more financially rewarding. In 2010, he relocated to Dallas, Texas, and encouraged Young to move with him, as she was from the Dallas area.

When he began looking for work, Duntsch's resume made him seem highly qualified. He had spent fifteen years training in medical school, residency, and fellowship. He claimed to have graduated magna cum laude from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, which did not actually offer a doctorate degree in microbiology. Shortly after, he joined Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano as a minimally invasive spine surgeon, earning a salary of $600,000 per year, plus bonuses.

Christopher Duntsch worked at Baylor Plano where he performed surgeries that left many patients severely injured. His first patient, Kenneth Fennell, had surgery on the wrong part of his back. Fennell later became paralyzed after a second operation by Duntsch. Another patient, Lee Passmore, suffered chronic pain and complications due to misplaced hardware and a cut ligament during his procedure. Duntsch’s actions during surgeries were reckless, often leading to serious harm for those he treated.

Barry Morguloff ended up with bone fragments in his spinal canal after Duntsch's attempts to perform surgery. Jerry Summers, a friend of Duntsch, became a quadriplegic after Duntsch botched a procedure meant to fuse his neck vertebrae. Summers lost a large amount of blood and remained disabled until his passing in 2021 due to complications related to Duntsch’s operations.

Kellie Martin died after Duntsch made critical errors during a back operation, cutting through her spinal cord and ignoring massive blood loss. He failed to attend to her needs, resulting in her bleeding to death. Following these shocking incidents, Baylor Plano revoked Duntsch's surgical privileges, but he resigned before termination could occur.

Duntsch then moved to Dallas Medical Center, where he faced similar issues. He operated on Floella Brown, unintentionally severing her vertebral artery, which caused a stroke. He scheduled another elective surgery on Mary Efurd despite the complications with Brown. During Efurd’s surgery, he made grievous mistakes, leaving her paralyzed and in excruciating pain.

His record continued to worsen at various hospitals. Duntsch harmed multiple patients, including Jeff Cheney and Philip Mayfield, leaving them partially paralyzed due to his negligence during surgery. Even Jacqueline Troy suffered serious injuries, including damage to her vocal cords and trachea.

The Texas Medical Board took notice of his malpractice, ultimately suspending his medical license in 2013. Despite the complaints and terrible outcomes, many hospitals had failed to report him. In July 2015, Duntsch was arrested and charged with multiple counts of aggravated assault and injury to an elderly person after a lengthy investigation.

In 2017, he was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison for his actions. The case received significant media attention, marking a rare instance of a physician being convicted for malpractice leading to severe injuries and death. Duntsch remains incarcerated, facing a lengthy sentence for his crimes.