Will This Minnesota Mystery Ever Be Solved?
If you were growing up in the 90s and watched a lot of television (like I did), you probably saw the face of Christopher Kerze. That's because Chris was one of a handful of kids immortalized in the massively successful music video "Runaway Train" by the Minnesota band Soul Asylum.
While many of the teens whose pictures appeared in the music video have since been found, Christopher, sadly, has not. In fact, investigators have made few strides in this cold case in the 'Land of Ten Thousand Lakes'.
The Disappearance of Christopher Kerze
Christopher was from the Twin Cities suburb of Eagan and was a high schooler at the time of his disappearance. On April 20th, 1990, Chris reportedly told his parents that he was staying home from school as he was feeling under the weather. By the time his parents returned home from work later that day, one of their vehicles (a 1988 Blue Dodge Caravan) was missing. Left behind was a note from their 17-year-old son.
In the note, Chris stated that something had come up and unless he got lost, that he would be back home around 6 pm that night. The word LOST was underlined twice in the bizarre note. Christopher Kerze was never seen by his parents again.
A few days later, Chris's family received another letter, postmarked Duluth, Minnesota. This note claimed that Chris lied about being sick that day so he could use the family's Dodge Caravan. The note went on to state that Christopher intended on committing suicide somewhere up in the north country of Minnesota. He had brought a 20 gauge shotgun along with him, however, his father said he didn't believe he had taken any ammunition. Just two days after his disappearance, the family's Dodge Caravan was found near Grand Rapids, Minnesota.
At first glance, this might appear to be an open and shut case, but there have been several theories pop-up about Chris throughout the years. Not to mention, his family believed that he made numerous calls to their house (and his best friend's house) for the next six months after he went missing. To this day, the family of Christopher Kerze believe he may be alive, somewhere.
To learn more about the disappearance of Christopher Kerze, you can read a detailed write-up from the Bemidji Pioneer from a few years back.
You can check out the video from Minnesota rock band, Soul Asylum in the YouTube link below.
Story Source: Christopher Kerze Wikipedia Page