34 Years Ago, He Wrote His Mom A Note And Disappeared: One Week Later, His Family Started Receiving Bizarre Phone Calls
In 1990, Christopher Kerze of Eagan, Minnesota, was 17-years-old and known as an excellent student with a circle of close friends.
He was a National Merit Scholar semi-finalist who had been invited to join the National Honor Society, played the clarinet, and was a part of his school’s swimming team. Plus, in his free time, Christopher enjoyed reading, camping, skiing, and computers.
“He was a guy who, when he decided to do something, he would do it. What you need to know is he’s always been a very great kid. He was a smart kid [with] a good sense of humor,” said his father, Jim Kerze.
There were no indications that Christopher had been experiencing problems in his personal life. Yet, on April 20, 1990, he left his home and has remained missing for over 34 years.
That morning, Christopher, who was the oldest of three sons, woke up and told his mother, Loni Kerze, that he had a headache and, since he didn’t feel well, he wanted to stay home from school.
Loni gave Christopher an over-the-counter pain medication and offered to stay home with him. He declined, and Loni went to work. This left Christopher home alone, as his father had been away on a business trip.
Later in the afternoon, Loni returned from her shift at a local elementary school and realized their family van was missing. Additionally, their family dog had been let off its leash and was running loose around the backyard.
Christopher was nowhere to be found, either, and Loni ultimately found a note he left in the kitchen.
“Mom, something important came up [and] feeling somewhat better. Back by six. (Unless I get lost). Love, Chris,” the note read.
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He’d underlined the word “lost” twice, but according to Christopher’s family, he’d only recently begun driving and would joke about occasionally getting lost.
Still, Loni was concerned and phoned her husband, who went back home and waited for any sign of their son. By midnight, they still hadn’t heard from Christopher and attempted to report him missing.
Authorities wouldn’t accept a missing person report until at least 24 hours had passed, so Christopher was officially reported missing the next day.
After filing the report, Loni and Jim got another handwritten note in the mail that was seemingly sent by Christopher and postmarked from Duluth, Minnesota, which was about two and a half hours away.
It claimed he’d lied about being sick in order to use the family’s van and go “to not even I know where.” Moreover, the note stated Christopher intended to take his own life, and he apologized for hurting his loved ones.
The note’s handwriting resembled Christopher’s, which shattered his parents. Still, they couldn’t understand why their son would do such a thing.
It was soon learned that, on the day Christopher disappeared, he withdrew $200 from his savings account. His father’s gun, an O.F. Mossberg & Sons 20-gauge shotgun, was also missing, but the ammo had been left behind.
The Kerze family van was discovered abandoned two days later in Itasca County, close to the George Washington State Forest. The keys and a note detailing who the van belonged to were found inside.
A search of the area was launched with the help of canines, and the dogs reportedly picked up on a scent that led from Highway 38 approximately one mile into the woods. Then, it stopped, and no further clues were uncovered.
Authorities believe the gun may have been abandoned in rural Minnesota and potentially found by a hunter.
A tipster then contacted authorities and explained how they’d picked up a hitchhiker who looked like Christopher and had asked to be brought to Duluth. Unfortunately, this tip has never been verified.
Christopher’s family and a neighbor started receiving bizarre phone calls one week after he disappeared. There was background noise, sounding like it was from a party, but the caller never said anything.
Loni believed the calls were from Christopher, and they continued for six months. Nonetheless, the source of the calls was never able to be traced.
Years later, in 2004, an anonymous letter postmarked from Seattle, Washington, regarding Christopher’s case was sent to investigators at the Eagan Police Department.
It asked authorities to stop the search for Christopher, referring to him as a “guardian angel” who would go back home when he was ready.
Who penned the letter has never been identified, and investigations concluded it was a hoax.
Given the circumstances of Christopher’s disappearance, the police think suicide is the most plausible explanation, and his case is classified as a runaway by many agencies. His loved ones, however, continue holding onto hope.
“We have never stopped loving you. Never stopped missing you. Never stopped praying for you. Come on home,” Loni pleaded.
In 2016, Jim also discussed how they keep trying to raise awareness of Christopher’s case to get answers and closure. He and Loni have kept their old phone number all this time, just in case their son ever wants to reach them.
“Resolution is a funny thing. We aren’t going to know anything about what happened to Christopher until one day when we’ll know everything that happened to Christopher,” he detailed.
“So the idea here is to generate enough noise so that we can begin to find resolution.”
Most recently, in May 2018, the Eagan Police Department shared an update on Facebook. Investigators conducted another day-long search with the help of other law enforcement agencies. Again, no evidence was found.
Christopher was five foot eleven, weighed 135 pounds, and had brown hair and brown eyes. He wore either blue wire-rim eyeglasses or hard contact lenses and had a one-inch scar near his hairline on his forehead.
Anyone with information regarding his case is urged to contact the Eagan Police Department at (651) 675-5700.
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