(NewsNation) — Thursday marked 25 years since 8-year-old Zachary Bernhardt went missing from his home in Clearwater, Florida.
A quarter of a century on, the Clearwater Police Department is continuing to ask anyone with information on his disappearance to help them solve the case once and for all.
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In the early hours of September 11, 2000, Bernhardt’s mother, Leah Hackett, called the police department just before 5 a.m. to report him missing. Hackett, who worked overnight and kept a late schedule, told police that Bernhardt had been sleeping in her bed in their unlocked apartment when she went for a walk and swim. When she returned, the boy was gone.
Bernhardt’s grandmother told NewsNation that initially, the family thought Bernhardt was hiding somewhere in the apartment complex. In the days, weeks and months that followed, the Clearwater community canvassed the area by air, brush and even Waverunner trying to locate the boy but to no avail.
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Authorities have investigated multiple theories surrounding Bernhardt’s disappearance, including a kidnapper who went out to serve time for a different case. There has even been speculation over a photo of a man in Mexico with a striking resemblance to the age-progression photo showing what Bernhardt might look like now…