The Enduring Mystery of the Christopher Matthew Kerze Disappearance
On April 20, 1990, 17-year-old Christopher Matthew Kerze vanished from his home in Eagan, Minnesota, leaving behind a trail of questions that linger to this day.
What started as an ordinary Friday—Christopher staying home from school with a headache—quickly spiraled into one of Minnesota’s most perplexing missing person cases.
When his mother returned home that afternoon, the family’s blue 1988 Dodge Caravan was gone, along with Christopher.
A note on the counter read:
“Mom, something important came up + feeling somewhat better. Back by six. (Unless I get lost.)”
The word “lost” was underlined twice, a detail that still haunts investigators and his family. He never returned.
The next day, a handwritten letter postmarked from Duluth, Minnesota, arrived at the Kerze home. In it, Christopher confessed he’d faked his illness to take the van and intended to end his life, apologizing for the pain he’d cause.
He’d withdrawn $200 from his savings and taken his father’s Mossberg 20-gauge shotgun—though, oddly, no ammunition. Two days later, the van turned up abandoned near Grand Rapids, Minnesota, close to his grandparents’ home, with the keys inside and a note identifying its owner.
Despite extensive searches, no trace of Christopher or the gun has ever been found.
Was it suicide, as police suspect, or something more? Strange phone calls with party noise plagued his family for months after, and a 2004 anonymous letter claimed he’d return when ready—a hoax, authorities say.
An honor student and National Merit Scholar semi-finalist, Christopher showed no overt signs of distress, making his disappearance even more baffling.
Thirty-five years later, his parents still hope for answers.
If you know anything about Christopher Matthew Kerze’s fate, contact the Eagan Police Department at 651-675-5700. Somewhere, a truth waits to be uncovered.
