Christopher Kerze

On November 20, 1990, twelve-year-old Christopher Paul Kerze disappeared from his family's home in Eagan, a suburb south of Minneapolis, Minnesota. His parents found a note in which Christopher said he had gone for a walk. He never returned.

Searchers found footprints in the snow leading from the Kerze home toward the Minnesota River valley. The tracks ended at the river's edge, leading investigators to suspect Christopher may have fallen through ice or entered the water. However, extensive searches of the river, including dragging operations, failed to find his body.

The absence of a body kept hope alive that Christopher might still be alive, though this grew increasingly unlikely over time. Some investigators speculated about foul play, while others believed the river explanation was most probable.

Christopher's case became linked in public discussion to the Jacob Wetterling abduction, which had occurred just a year earlier in the same state, heightening fears about child safety in Minnesota. The case remains open with the Dakota County Sheriff's Office.