What happened to Christopher Kerze?

Christopher Kerze should have been an ordinary Minnesota high-school senior in the city of Eagan, Dakota County. Instead, on April 20, 1990, he left his parents a note saying he’d “be back by six,” took the family’s minivan, and vanished.

Two days later, the van was found abandoned up in northern Minnesota, but Christopher was nowhere to be seen. And nobody has definitively heard from him since.

What follows is everything we know so far, the last known movements of a seventeen-year-old, the clues left behind, and the investigations and theories that have followed for well over three decades.

Who was Christopher Matthew Kerze?

Christopher Kerze, sometimes known as Chris or Rick-o, was born on February 19, 1973, to parents Loni and Jim Kerze. The family lived in Eagan, Minnesota. By all accounts, he had a happy childhood, a great sense of humor, and an intelligent mind.

Christopher was a brilliant student who rarely missed classes. He had been invited to join the National Honor Society and was a National Merit Scholar semifinalist.

He also played the clarinet in the school’s band and was a member of the swim team, so it made sense that his other hobbies included camping, skiing, laser tag, and computers.

By April 20, 1990, Christopher was 17 years old. Standing at 5’11” and weighing just 135 pounds, Christopher cut a tall but slender figure. He had brown hair and brown eyes, although he suffered from severe acne throughout his teenage years.

Without his glasses, Christopher was virtually blind (his eyes were both nearsighted and both measured at 20/400). As a result, he wore 90s-style glasses with blue-tinted wire rims.

Overall, though, he seemed to have it all, with a bright future beckoning. That’s what made the events and circumstances surrounding his disappearance so strange.

When did Christopher Kerze disappear?

Friday, April 20, 1990, dawned just like any other school day. Except today, Christopher complained of a headache and decided to stay in bed instead of going to school.

That was unusual, but anyone can get sick, so his parents gave him some over-the-counter medication for the headache and left him at home to go about their usual days.

They left the family dog and the family’s light blue 1988 Dodge Caravan at home with him. When they said goodbye that morning, neither Loni nor Jim could ever have imagined that they wouldn’t see their son again.

When his parents got back to the house, they immediately realized something was wrong. The light-blue Dodge Caravan had gone, and so had Jim’s Mossberg 20-gauge bolt-action shotgun. The dog was also running around free.

They found a note on the kitchen table, written from Christopher to his mother. It read as follows: “Mom, Something important came up + feeling somewhat better. Back by six. (Unless I get lost.) Love, Chris”

Strange notes

Loni was used to Christopher getting lost while driving, but even then, it seemed strange to underline the word “lost” twice. She didn’t think too much of it – until Christopher didn’t come back that night.

Then, the next day, Christopher’s parents received a handwritten letter in the mail via USPS. In it, Christopher confessed that he had faked being sick so he could take the family car and leave, saying he was going “to not even I know where.”

The envelope was postmarked from Duluth, Minnesota, more than 150 miles north of his home in Eagan. He wrote of his intention to end his life and expressed sorrow for the pain he knew this would cause his loved ones.

**Christopher Kerze and BW Bowser, the family dog.**

Alarmed, Loni and Jim informed the police and filed a missing person’s report. But Christopher has never been heard from since.

The light-blue Dodge Caravan turns up

On Sunday, April 22, 1990, the family’s Dodge Caravan was discovered abandoned along the Minnesota 38 roadside in Itasca County, northern Minnesota. It was only about twenty miles north of Grand Rapids, where Christopher’s grandparents lived. But they hadn’t seen him or heard from him either.

Inside, the police found another note from Christopher. This one explained who owned the van and how to get it back to them.

The family later received a tip from someone who claimed they had picked up a hitchhiker matching Christopher’s description on that fateful day and dropped them off in Duluth. That matched the postmark on the letter the family received, but the police were never able to verify the story.

The minivan had been found, and police launched an immediate search of the area, but Christopher was nowhere to be seen. And neither was the shotgun.

But something didn’t quite add up. He had withdrawn $200 from his savings account on the day he disappeared, and it appeared he had outlined his intentions in the note sent to his parents. And yet, although he had brought along his father’s shotgun, he didn’t take any ammunition.

His motive, too, seems unclear. Christopher doesn’t seem to have had any notable problems at home or at school, and would likely have been a high achiever. So why would he feel so distraught as to want to take his own life?

The official investigation

From the moment Christopher disappeared, the Eagan Police Department treated the case as a serious ongoing investigation (NamUs MP6261). They made an NCIC entry to alert law enforcement nationwide. Even today, the case remains open, and investigators continue to monitor leads and tips decades later.

In the weeks following his disappearance, Christopher’s family reported receiving a number of phone calls of uncertain origin. The caller never spoke, and sometimes they could hear party-like background noise.

Loni believed these calls were probably made by her son. Investigators documented these calls as potential leads, but none were confirmed to have been made by Christopher. After about six months, the calls ceased – and never came again.

The days turned into weeks, the weeks turned into months, and the months turned into years. Nothing.

Then, in 2004, more than a decade after Christopher vanished, the Eagan Police Department received an anonymous letter postmarked from Seattle, Washington.

The writer urged authorities to stop searching for him, claiming that Christopher was a “guardian angel” who would return home when he was ready. After investigation, the police determined that the letter was a hoax.

The police have never found Jim’s Mossberg 20-gauge bolt-action shotgun. Christopher almost certainly took it with him. Investigators have speculated that it may have been discarded or found by a hunter, but its ultimate fate – and what it was used for, if anything – remains unknown.

**Christopher Kerze’s parents, Loni and Jim, still hoping for answers decades after their son’s disappearance.**

How the family responded

Christopher’s family has never given up hope. As soon as he disappeared, they posted flyers and organized searches. The story reached national attention when Christopher’s photo appeared in the music video for Soul Asylum’s song Runaway Train.

Jim and Loni still live in the same house as they did all those years ago. They have even kept the same phone number, in case Christopher ever reaches out.

In returning the car to his parents, Christopher may have been trying to show consideration, even if his mind was unsettled or conflicted at the time. The same goes for the notes he sent. The true motivation behind it all will likely never be known.

Sadly, the leading theory is that Christopher took his own life, and the body has never been found. But there’s very little evidence to support this theory. In fact, there’s very little evidence to support any theory.

Christopher’s fate may never be known unless he turns up one day. At the time of writing, Christopher would be 52 years old. Police have released composite sketches estimating what he might look like today.