After 26 Years, Christopher Kerze's Parents Have Renewed Hope He Could be Found
February 20, 2018 04:56 PM
The news about the break in the Jacob Wetterling case this past summer has given the families of other missing children hope they may finally get answers, too. Christopher Kerze disappeared from his family's home in Eagan in 1990 and hasn't been seen since. Of all the children missing in Minnesota, Chris Kerze is the only one featured in a music video.
"Runaway Train" by Minneapolis' own Soul Asylum showed the photographs and names of missing children. The video was released three years after Chris drove away from his parent's home in Eagan. "Of course it gave us hope” Chris' mother Loni Kerze said. “Anything that got the message out there that you're missing your son and you want him back, that's good."
The story of Chris Kerze's disappearance is one of pain, intrigue and mystery.
The last time Loni and Jim Kerze saw their son was Friday, April 20, 1990. They left in the morning, but 17-year-old Chris said he was sick and stayed home from school. That night he was gone and so was the family van.
The next day they reported him missing.
On Sunday, the van was found more than 200 miles away, north of Grand Rapids at the Laurentian Divide wayside rest on Highway 38.
On Monday, the Itasca County Sheriff's Office searched the area with dogs.
Soon after, Jim Kerze says a letter arrived from Duluth. "That was his last communication with us. And basically it said I'm not coming home." Then, Jim says the phone calls began. "Now there was a person who called us from northern Minnesota, who hedged around the fact he picked up somebody on Highway 38 around that time and they took him to Duluth." Within a week, they started getting hang up calls at the house. "So we'd pick up the phone” Jim said. “There would be a noise in the background, often it would sound like a party. We would try to talk and there would be a hang up."
Loni believes it had to be their lost son on the other end of the line. “And that's what I'm guessing, because we never had calls like that before. And his best friend, our neighbor kid, was also getting hang up calls," she said.
The Kerze’s even worked with police to put a tracer on the phone to track the calls, but no luck.
The hang-up phone calls went on for an agonizingly long six months. Then they stopped, and seemingly, so did leads in the investigation, for decades.
That changed a year ago with the bombshell news that a person of interest had been named in the disappearance of Jacob Wetterling. Jim says it gave them optimism. "Yes, in that respect it gives you renewed hope. You know, 26 years after the fact that still, it's still possible." The Jacob Wetterling case has families like the Kerze's asking law enforcement all over the country to take another look at missing persons cases.
Officer Aaron Machtemes is with the Eagan Police Department.
"We never give up. Any small clue, any tip. At one point we were looking in Canada, we were pouring over maps in Canada to try and find some type of lead. So any little piece of information can help break these cases and lead us to an answer.” Recently, the Eagan Police Department returned to the Grand Rapids area to hand out a new flyer from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. It includes a new age progression picture of what Chris might look like today. "Our investigator was up there handing out posters, talking with hunters in the area. Alerting them to the items that we are looking for"Machtemes said.
Chris had a 20 gauge Mossberg bolt action shotgun with him. And he was wearing a unique watch with a zebra pattern on the wristband. "We want people's memories to be jogged” Machtemes added. “Think about that time period of 1990, or even now, to try and remember some of the items he had with him." It's an opportunity the Kerze's are seizing to try and find their son. Loni’s heart still aches after 26 years.
"I want him to know that we still love him. And I'm still looking for him. I want to open the door and hear him say Mom, and I’ll say Chris, and just give him a big hug." Jim says they are hoping for some magic to happen. "We will know nothing about what happened to Christopher until, kind of, like the Wetterlings, magically we will know something and possibly everything.”
"You know you find a new normal and you go on,”Loni said. “And you've got grandkids that make you happy and everything. But one, in your heart you always have this sense of something is really, really missing." The Soul Asylum "Runaway Train" music video ends with the plea, "If you've seen one these kids, or you are one of them, please call." Chris Kerze's parents are waiting for another call, and looking forward to the day when they see him again.
The Soul Asylum "Runaway Train" music video debuted in May of 1993 and was directed by Tony Kaye.
The original video featured 13 missing children, including Christopher Kerze of Eagan. It received heavy airplay on MTV and VH1 during its duration. Several versions of the video were made. Depending on what country the video was being broadcast, they would show children from that area who are missing. The band had an agreement with families that when/if a case was resolved they would change the video and use new faces.
There were three original versions of the video in the United States, totaling 36 missing children shown. According to Kaye, 26 missing children were found after being featured in the video.
Kevin Doran
Updated: February 20, 2018 04:56 PM
Created: November 22, 2016 02:54 PM
Date Of Birth: February 19, 1973
Age at Time of Disappearance: 17 years old
Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'11; 135 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: White male. Brown hair; brown eyes. Kerze wears eyeglasses or contact lenses. He has acne and walks with his feet pointed outward. He has hay fever and is allergic to sulfa drugs. Marks, Scars: He has a one inch scar on his forehead near his hairline, and a small red birthmark on the bottom of his foot.
Clothing: He was wearing a long acid-washed blue denim trench coat; a large black cotton sweatshirt; Bugle Boy jeans with pockets on the knees and brown leather boat shoes. He had a black leather wallet and wore a black and white zebra striped swatch wristwatch.
Dentals: Available
DNA: Available
Fingerprints: Available
Nickname/Alias: Chris, Rick-O
Investigators
If you have any information concerning Kerze's whereabouts, please contact:
Eagan Police Department
Detective Stephanie Bolks
651-675-5700
You may remain anonymous when submitting information.
Christopher Kerze disappeared in 1990. Simple suicide or something more than that?
On April 20, 1990, 17 year old Christopher Kerze stayed home from school indicating that he had a headache. His parents left him alone at their residence in Eagan, Minnesota. When his parents returned to home that day, they noticed that the family vehicle, a blue 1988 Dodge Caravan was missing, as well as Kerze. The family dog was also running around loose.
Kerze left a note behind, which says:
Mom,
Something important came up + feeling somewhat better.
Back by six. (Unless I get lost.)
Love, Chris
What makes this pretty terrifying is the fact that the word 'lost' was underlined twice on this specific note. Despite saying he would be back at six, Kerze never arrived home and has never been heard from again.
Kerze withdrew $200 from his savings account the day he disappeared. The next day, a handwritten note arrived at his parents' home. This note said that Christopher had lied about being sick, so he could use the family's car to get away "to not even I know where". He said he intented to commit suicide and apologized for hurting his family and loved ones. Many would maybe call this "an obvious suicide case", but I don't believe it's something as simple as that.
Two days after Kerze was last seen, the Dodge Caravan car was found on the roadside in Itasca County in northern Minnesota, abandoned, near the George Washington State Forest and the Chippewa National Forest, about twenty miles north of Grand Rapids, Minnesota. Christopher left a note inside explaining who owned the van. His grandparents lived in Grand Rapids. An extensive search of the area turned up no indication of his whereabouts; it's possible he hitchhiked to an unknown destination.Apparently Christopher hasn't given any indications that there were any problems with his life. He was an excellent student and had been invited to join the National Honor Society, and was a National Merit Scholar semi-finalist, and he was a member of his school's swimming team and played the clarinet. His other hobbies included skiing, camping, reading, laser tag and computers. Certainly doesn't feel like he was that suicidial but everyone can draw their own conclusions.
At the time of his disappearance, Kerze was carrying his father's 1954 to 1956 model Mossberg 20-gauge bolt-action shotgun with a three-shell clip, but apparently didn't take any ammunition with him. Authorities believe this gun may have been abandoned somewhere in the rural area. Investigators would like to hear from anyone who found such a gun in 1990 or afterwards. Christopher's case remains unsolved and many agencies classify it as a runaway. His parents still live in the house where they lived in 1990, and have kept the same phone number.
Shocking details regarding the case that you should know:
In 2004 an anonymous letter was received by the Eagan Police Department indicating they should stop trying to find Kerze and he would return home when he is ready. The police were unable to authenticate the communication.
Christopher's parents say they started getting hang up calls at the house. "So we'd pick up the phone” Jim (Christopher's father) said. “There would be a noise in the background, often it would sound like a party. We would try to talk and there would be a hang up."
Loni (Christopher's mother) believes it had to be their lost son on the other end of the line. “And that's what I'm guessing, because we never had calls like that before. And his best friend, our neighbor kid, was also getting hang up calls," she said.
The hang-up phone calls went on for as long as six months. Then all suddenly, they stopped, and seemingly, so did leads in the investigation, FOR DECADES. Chris Kerze's parents are constantly waiting for another call, and looking forward to the day when they see him again
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