MN CHRISTOPHER KERZE: Missing from Eagan, MN - 20 April 1990 - Age 17

110DMMN - Christopher Matthew Kerze

The three images on the right are age-progressed to 36, unknown and 43.

Name: Christopher Matthew Kerze
Case Classification: Endangered Missing
Missing Since: April 20, 1990
Location Last Seen: Eagan, Dakota County, Minnesota

Physical Description
Date of Birth: February 19, 1973
Age: 17 yrs old
Race: White
Gender: Male
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 135 lbs
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Brown
Nickname/Alias: Chris
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Brown, straight hair; Small scar in hairline on left front of head. Severe acne; small red birthmark on bottom of one foot/unknown which foot.

Identifiers
Dentals: Available
Fingerprints: Available
DNA: Available

Clothing & Personal Items
Clothing: Light denium blue trench coat length is between knee and ankles; black sweatshirt, size Large blue jeans, Bugle Boy brand, size 29M black leather belt; white crew sweatsocks; Underwear is JCPenney's brand, size 30 elastic band has a blue stripe; Brown leather boat shoes, size 11 or 11 1/2.
Jewelry: Black "Swatch" watch. Half of the wrist band for the watch is black & white (zebra-like stripes).
Additional Personal Items: Glasses or hard contacts/glasses are blue tinged wire rims; Prescription: right eye 20/400 left eye 20/400; Black leather wallet which folds in half containing Kerze's MN drivers' license.

Circumstances of Disappearance
Chris stayed home sick from school and left home taking the family van, a blue Dodge Caravan on April 20, 1990 in Eagan, MN. A note stating he would be back around 18:00 was found. The van was located two days later abandoned near Grand Rapids, Minnesota.

Investigating Agency(s)
Agency Name: Eagan Police Department
Agency Contact Person: Detective Stefanie Bolks
Agency Phone Number: 651-675-5842/651/675-5700
Agency E-Mail: sbolks@cityofeagan.com
Agency Case Number: 90005916
NCIC Case Number: M-476470786
NamUs Case Number: 6261
NCMEC Case Number: 738703

Information Source(s)
NamUs
BCA
NCMEC

Doe Network: International Center For Missing and Unidentified Persons

Doe Network is an all-volunteer organization dedicated to bringing awareness to missing persons and unidentified persons throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Europe, and Australia.

www.doenetwork.org

edited by staff to add media link

CHRISTOPHER KERZE has been missing from Eagan, #Minnesota since 20 Apr 1990 - Age 17

Chris stayed home sick from school and left home taking the family van, a blue Dodge Caravan on April 20, 1990 in Eagan, MN. A note stating he would be back around 18:00 was found. The van was located two days later abandoned near Grand Rapids...

www.crimewatchers.net

*CLICK THE REPORT BUTTON IF YOU'D LIKE THIS CASE MOVED TO THE GENERAL DISCUSSION AREA TO BE OPENED FOR COMMENTING.

 

[ariel]

yes! now we got 2 forums pertaining to the case. what do we all think? good news?

 

[Tresir]

Am posting this music video because it features Christopher as one of the missing children. The comments say the video helped to track over 20 missing children.

Warning - violent and upsetting images included in video.

 

[ariel]

to anyone whos just stumbling onto this thread about missing teen, christopher kerze, we may have found out what happened to him. though, were not sure.

in 1995 a man who looked near identical to christopher was hit by a car. he was put into a coma due to his injuries and never once had the chance to speak or even be awake from the moment he was hit, meaning that he was never identified.

but, we think this man might be christopher! as of now were actually waiting for confirmation from the detective working on the case that the two's DNA is being sent off to a lab to be manually compared.

im linking the thread discussing the unidentified man, so make sure to check it out and give your opinions!

TW: post mortem images are included in the thread.

GA - ATLANTA JOHN DOE: WM, 20-30, found on the side of I 75 in Atlanta, GA - 20 Jul 1995 *STEVEN SHELTON*

178UMGA - Unidentified Male Reconstructions of the victim by Marla Lawson and Wes Neville; victim's tattoos. Date of Discovery: July 20, 1995 Location of Discovery: Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia Date of Death: June 24, 1996 State of Remains: Recognizable face Cause of Death: Hit and run...

www.crimewatchers.net

178UMGA

 

[ariel]

are these the only photos of Christopher we have?

 

[Summer_Breeze]

The missing: A look at long-term missing-persons cases from Ramsey, Dakota, Washington counties

A list of missing people from the east metro ranges from cases less than two years old to more than 50 years old. The Minnesota Missing and Unidentified Persons Clearinghouse is based on information f...

news.yahoo.com

Mara H. Gottfried, Pioneer Press
Fri, January 13, 2023 at 11:35 PM EST

A list of missing people from the east metro ranges from cases less than two years old to more than 50 years old.

The Minnesota Missing and Unidentified Persons Clearinghouse is based on information from local law enforcement. Authorities ask anyone with tips to call the investigating agency or the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension at 877-996-6222.

You can look up missing person bulletins at bit.ly/MnMissing.

Long-term missing-person cases from Ramsey, Dakota and Washington counties include:

Christopher Kerze, Eagan​

Kerze was 17 when he told his parents he needed to stay home sick from school on April 20, 1990. He left his Eagan home in his parents’ minivan and never returned. Although he sent his parents a suicide note, his body wasn’t found. Their vehicle was found about 20 miles north of Grand Rapids, Minn.

Kerze’s father said in 2016 that he believed his son was still alive — “In the absence of evidence of the contrary, you have to,” he said.

Christopher Kerze at 17 and in an age-progression photo

 

[Mel70]

are these the only photos of Christopher we have?

The top photo is the only one I have seen.

 

[kdg411]

Christopher Matthew Kerze – The Charley Project

Details of Disappearance​

Christopher stayed home from school on April 20, 1990. He said he had a bad headache and planned to stay home from school. His father went away on a business trip that day and his mother left him alone at their Eagan, Minnesota residence, after giving him an over-the-counter pain medication for his headache.

When they came home, the family's light blue 1988 Dodge Caravan was gone, the family dog was running around loose, and there was a note on the kitchen table from Christopher reading: "Mom, Something important came up + feeling somewhat better. Back by six. (Unless I get lost.) Love, Chris" The word "lost" in the note was underlined twice. Christopher's mother believes his statement about getting lost was just a reference to the fact that he occasionally got lost while he was driving.

Christopher never arrived home and has never been heard from again. He withdrew $200 from his savings account the day he disappeared. The next day, a handwritten note arrived at his parents' home.

The note said 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 intended to take his own life, and apologized for hurting his family and loved ones. The note was postmarked Duluth, Minnesota; that town is about two and a half hours from Eagan.

Two days after Christopher was last seen, the Dodge Caravan was found abandoned on the roadside in Itasca County in northern Minnesota, near the George Washington State Forest and the Chippewa National Forest, about twenty miles north of Grand Rapids, Minnesota. Christopher's grandparents lived in Grand Rapids. Inside the van were the keys and a note from Christopher explaining who owned the van.

An extensive search of the area turned up no indication of his whereabouts; it's possible he hitchhiked to an unknown destination. After Christopher's disappearance, his family got a tip from someone who claimed they'd picked up a hitchhiker resembling him who asked to be taken to Duluth, the place where the suicide note had been mailed from. This story has not been verified.

The family also got a lot of strange calls where the caller would not speak and there would be background noise like a party. Christopher's mother believes the strange calls were from him. They continued for six months before stopping abruptly.

In 2004, the Eagan Police Department got an anonymous letter postmarked Seattle, Washington that asked them to stop looking for Christopher. The letter writer said Christopher was a "guardian angel" and that he would return home when he was ready. Police eventually concluded the letter was a hoax.

Prior to his disappearance, Christopher hadn't given any indications there were problems in his life. He was an excellent student who'd 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.

Christopher was carrying his father's 1954 to 1956 model Mossberg 20-gauge bolt-action shotgun with a three-shell clip at the time of his disappearance, but he apparently didn't take any ammunition with him. Authorities believe the gun may have been abandoned somewhere in rural Minnesota and was possibly found later by a hunter.

Photos of a similar gun, and watch similar to what Christopher was wearing, are posted with this case summary. 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. Police believe it's likely he took his own life and that his body has not been found yet.

 

[Mel70]

Christopher Matthew Kerze – The Charley Project

Details of Disappearance​

Christopher stayed home from school on April 20, 1990. He said he had a bad headache and planned to stay home from school. His father went away on a business trip that day and his mother left him alone at their Eagan, Minnesota residence, after giving him an over-the-counter pain medication for his headache.

When they came home, the family's light blue 1988 Dodge Caravan was gone, the family dog was running around loose, and there was a note on the kitchen table from Christopher reading: "Mom, Something important came up + feeling somewhat better. Back by six. (Unless I get lost.) Love, Chris" The word "lost" in the note was underlined twice. Christopher's mother believes his statement about getting lost was just a reference to the fact that he occasionally got lost while he was driving.

Christopher never arrived home and has never been heard from again. He withdrew $200 from his savings account the day he disappeared. The next day, a handwritten note arrived at his parents' home.

The note said 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 intended to take his own life, and apologized for hurting his family and loved ones. The note was postmarked Duluth, Minnesota; that town is about two and a half hours from Eagan.

Two days after Christopher was last seen, the Dodge Caravan was found abandoned on the roadside in Itasca County in northern Minnesota, near the George Washington State Forest and the Chippewa National Forest, about twenty miles north of Grand Rapids, Minnesota. Christopher's grandparents lived in Grand Rapids. Inside the van were the keys and a note from Christopher explaining who owned the van.

An extensive search of the area turned up no indication of his whereabouts; it's possible he hitchhiked to an unknown destination. After Christopher's disappearance, his family got a tip from someone who claimed they'd picked up a hitchhiker resembling him who asked to be taken to Duluth, the place where the suicide note had been mailed from. This story has not been verified.

The family also got a lot of strange calls where the caller would not speak and there would be background noise like a party. Christopher's mother believes the strange calls were from him. They continued for six months before stopping abruptly.

In 2004, the Eagan Police Department got an anonymous letter postmarked Seattle, Washington that asked them to stop looking for Christopher. The letter writer said Christopher was a "guardian angel" and that he would return home when he was ready. Police eventually concluded the letter was a hoax.

Prior to his disappearance, Christopher hadn't given any indications there were problems in his life. He was an excellent student who'd 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.

Christopher was carrying his father's 1954 to 1956 model Mossberg 20-gauge bolt-action shotgun with a three-shell clip at the time of his disappearance, but he apparently didn't take any ammunition with him. Authorities believe the gun may have been abandoned somewhere in rural Minnesota and was possibly found later by a hunter.

Photos of a similar gun, and watch similar to what Christopher was wearing, are posted with this case summary. 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. Police believe it's likely he took his own life and that his body has not been found yet.

Being this case is in the next suburb to my south. It has baffled me since day one. I always had the feeling he never made it out of Minnesota. Bit I've been wrong many times. Many, Many, Many, " " " " " -----‐-‐---‐-‐---------->
" " infinite number. Etc.

 

[Mel70]

If Christopher is alive. Which unfortunately I doubt. IMO. He will or would have been turning 50, February 19th. Born 2/19/1973.

 

[Mel70]

IDK If we can. But it would be pretty cool to have a missing or unsolved murder victims DOB Come up each day like the birthdays. Just a suggestion I thought was cool Or not. Zzzzt. OWWWW!!!!

 

[kdg411]

IDK If we can. But it would be pretty cool to have a missing or unsolved murder victims DOB Come up each day like the birthdays. Just a suggestion I thought was cool Or not. Zzzzt. OWWWW!!!!

@SheWhoMustNotBeNamed would be the best to suggest this to.

 

[ariel]

I found some more existing photos of Christopher if this helps. Or, at least the uncropped images of existing images. He does remind me of the Atlanta john Doe/Jessie doe minus the fact that his nose doesn't look broken.

 

[ariel]

IDK If we can. But it would be pretty cool to have a missing or unsolved murder victims DOB Come up each day like the birthdays. Just a suggestion I thought was cool Or not. Zzzzt. OWWWW!!!!

I think that's a good idea! His birthday would be coming up quickly. Quite easy for me to remember because mine is coming up too. his was 2/19 and mine is 2/20. Soon I'm getting a part time job so I can shell out money to NCMEC and hopefully help out a little with funding

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Family of missing Eagan teenager profiled in popular music video remain hopeful for answers

Seventeen-year-old Christopher Kerze vanished on April 20, 1990, from Eagan.

kstp.com

Family of missing Eagan teenager profiled in popular music video remain hopeful for answers​

Seventeen-year-old Christopher Kerze vanished on April 20, 1990, from Eagan.

To this day, his family and Eagan police continue to search for answers in his disappearance.

“It always affects you even if it’s been 35 years,” said Loni Kerze, Christopher’s mother. “You always love him.”

Kerze left a note for his parents the day he left with the family’s minivan that reads: “Mom, Something important came up + feeling somewhat better. Back by six (unless I get lost.) Love, Chris”

“You cling to good memories,” said father Jim Kerze, who shared about the family’s many camping trips in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area.

Christopher’s image and case details were included in the 1990s music video by the Minneapolis-based band Soul Asylum.

“I saw this opportunity to reach beyond the boundaries of doing a promotional thing for my record,” said Dave Pirner, lead singer of Soul Asylum. “Lot of people are watching this… what could we do to make a difference?”

Pirner said their director came up with the idea to show the faces of missing kids from around the country in the music video.

“He said let’s put real kids in the video, and it just clicked for me,” Pirner said. “Let’s try to find them.”

Pirner said some of the children profiled in the video have been found.

The Kerze family’s van was later found about 200 miles from the metro, north of Grand Rapids, on Highway 38, but there was no sign of Christopher.

“There have been a lot of searches,” said Eagan Police Detective Angela Casey, who leads the missing person investigation. “We’re committed to our community, it shows the message, we don’t give up easily.”

Detective Casey feels there are people out there who could have information. She said that she can be reached at angela.casey@eaganmn.gov with any information regarding the case.

Christopher’s parents have never given up hope of finding their son.

“The underlying thing for me is faith and hope,” said Loni Kerze.

The Kerze family hasn’t changed their phone number in 35 years, in case, maybe Christopher calls.

“He needs to call, that’s what I want him to hear, we really need him to call home,” said Jim Kerze.

 

[Kimster]

I wouldn’t change my phone number, either.