Disappearance of Christopher Kerze


Christopher Matthew Kerze is a missing American teenager from Eagan, Minnesota, who was last seen on April 20, 1990. His abandoned vehicle was found two days after his disappearance. He is one of many missing persons featured in Soul Asylum's music video for "Runaway Train".

Disappearance

On April 20, 1990, Kerze reportedly stayed home from school indicating that he was sick. The family vehicle, a blue 1988 Dodge Caravan, was missing when his parents returned home later that day. They found a note from Kerze stating that he would be back by 6 pm unless he got lost – which was unusual, as the word lost was underlined twice on the note. The family then received a letter from Duluth, Minnesota, on April 21, 1990, that indicated that Kerze may have lied to gain usage of the van and the writer indicated they did not know where Kerze was going. Kerze had an O.F. Mossberg & Sons 20-gauge shotgun with him, although he had not taken any ammunition. Authorities have speculated that he may have discarded the gun but they are not certain of that. The van was located abandoned two days later on April 22, 1990, near Grand Rapids, Minnesota.

Searching for Christopher

After Christopher's disappearance, posters were distributed and extensive searches were made in an attempt to find him. In 2004 an anonymous letter was received by the Eagan Police Department suggesting they should stop trying to find Kerze and he would return home when he is ready. The police were unable to authenticate the communication.
There was renewed interest in the case in late 2016 after Jacob Wetterling's case was resolved. New age-progressed photos of Kerze were created and missing persons posters were distributed with those photos. The family also gave media interviews regarding the case.