Clearwater Police Department (Florida) <BR> 1-727-562-4422 or <BR> NCMEC 1-800-THE-LOST<P><P> ZACHARY MICHAEL-COLE BERNHARDT<BR> Missing Since September 11, 2000<P> ANYONE HAVING INFORMATION SHOULD CONTACT : Clearwater Police Department (Florida) -<BR> 1-727-562-4422 <P> Case Type :Endangered Missing<BR> Birthdate: December 18-1991 Age :8 years<BR> Height : 4' 6" - 137 cm Weight : 60 lbs - 27 kg <BR> Eyes :Blue Hair : Blonde<P> Circumstances : Zachary was last known to be sleeping in his bed on the night of September 10,<BR> 2000. At approximately 4 a.m. on September 11, 2000, he was discovered missing and is missing<BR> under suspicious circumstances. He goes by the nickname Zach. <P> He has a scar under his chin, a scar between his eyes on the bridge of his nose and on the right side<BR> of his top lip.<P> Date Missing :September-11-2000 <BR> City of Report :CLEARWATER, FLORIDA USA <BR> Case Number :894757 <P> National Center for Missing & Exploited Children <BR> ANYONE HAVING INFORMATION SHOULD CONTACT<BR> National Center for Missing & Exploited Children<BR> 1-800-843-5678 (1-800-THE-LOST) <BR> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------<BR> Clearwater Police Department (Florida) <BR> 1-727-562-4422 <P> Click SEARCH at link below NCMEC Zachary might be traveling. YOU CAN HELP ! Print / Post flyers,<BR> hang them on your car windows, take them to sporting events, parks, malls, beaches and everywhere<BR> you go! Send link by e-mail !<a href="http://www.missingkids.com";>http://www.missingkids.com<;/a> <P> Thanks Lovely Pigeon for your suggestions and images, the previous thread with graphics was slow<BR> to load, much interest and posts. Yes you and all are making a difference!<BR> Attention New Viewers Please see first thread Zachary M Bernhart (sp?)Clearwater, FLA <P> <BR> <BR> <P><BR> Table of Contents <P><BR> I'm baaaack!, Satin, 00:28 AM, Nov-16-00 <BR> Americas' Most Wanted , LadyBug, 00:46 AM, Nov-16-00 <BR> the 10/19 article, LovelyPigeon, 08:13 AM, Nov-16-00 <BR> Mystery deepens as birthday passes, Ishtar93, 05:54 PM, Dec-18-00 <BR> Reward offered, police refused it, LovelyPigeon, 12:23 PM, Dec-27-00 <BR> This is how I see it...., Ashley, 05:08 PM, Jan-01-01 <BR> Investigation Continues , LadyBug, 05:34 PM, Jan-18-01 <BR> I'm intrigued, LovelyPigeon, 06:11 PM, Jan-20-01 <P><BR> <P> <BR> <P> Messages in this discussion <P> <BR> 1 . "I'm baaaack!"<BR> Posted by Satin on Nov-16-00 at 00:28 AM (EST)<BR> Sorry guys, I just got back my internet access today for the first time since Oct. 26. It's a long story<BR> that I'll rant about in Coffee, but I'm glad to see that the Zach thread is still thriving!<P> This past Sunday night (first night we had the TV hooked up in 2 weeks), the Clearwater/St Pete<BR> NBC news reported that Zach's story had just been on America's Most Wanted the night before (Nov.<BR> 11) and a brief radio report on Monday said that a couple leads had resulted in some followup.<P> That is ALL that I've heard on the case locally...so the story FINALLY got onto AMW. I still maintain<BR> my stance that what may look bad about the mother is our imaginations at work because we really<BR> know nothing about her situation or her reality. <P> Now that I'm back online, I have tons of catching up to do in many aspects. Zach's story is one of<BR> them....Regarding the posters being taken down from Savannah Trace, it's my understanding that<BR> those were taken down by apartment staff the very day that Leah moved out.<P> The links to all St. Pete Times stories about Zach's disappearance remain available at<BR> <a href="http://www.sptimes.com/News/webspecials/zacharybernhardt";>http://www.sptimes.com/News/webspecials/zacharybernhardt<;/a>/ <P> <BR> <BR> <P> <BR> 2 . "Americas' Most Wanted "<BR> Posted by LadyBug on Nov-16-00 at 00:46 AM (EST)<BR> I watched the AMW TV November 11. It was very short and nothing we didn't already know, however<BR> there are many that follow AMW that may have heard the story for the first time, had never heard of<BR> Zachary that might be able to help. <P> Watch for the new show coming up, "Searchlight", from what I understand it will be one full hour<BR> featuring missing children. There just isn't enough time on the regular AMW time slot to do justice for<BR> the missing children and AMW is constantly asked to feature another child. <P> Wish the very best of luck and success as this new show launches !<BR> We pray it will help bring missing children home safe again...<P> " Ultimately, we've got to ask ourselves as a society if there's still anything sacred. And if the<BR> answer to that question is yes, then I hope the lives of innocent children are always at the top of<BR> the list." <P> John Douglas, Former FBI Profiler<P><BR> <BR> <BR> <P> <BR> 3 . "the 10/19 article"<BR> Posted by LovelyPigeon on Nov-16-00 at 08:13 AM (EST)<BR> As far as I can tell, this remains the "latest" article on the Zachary Bernhardt case.<P> Leads keep running dry in search for boy, 8<P> Police are continuing traditional investigative work to find Zachary Bernhardt, who was<BR> reported missing 38 days ago. <BR> By LEON M. TUCKER<P> © St. Petersburg Times, published October 19, 2000 <P> CLEARWATER -- The yellow ribbons that once hung from an oak tree at the Savannah Trace<BR> apartment complex, urging searchers not to give up hope, are gone. <P> Also gone is the white plastic bag with "Bring Zack Home" scrawled on it in black ink and the<BR> "MISSING" posters bearing the 8-year-old's picture. <P> Thirty-eight days have passed since Leah Hackett told Clearwater police investigators that she<BR> returned to apartment No. 634 after a 15-minute walk at 4 a.m. and found that her son, Zachary<BR> Bernhardt, had disappeared without a trace. <P> Police launched a massive search for the boy that covered hundreds of acres of land and water.<BR> Although the search has turned up little in the way of clues, it continues on a smaller scale with what<BR> Clearwater police spokesman Wayne Shelor called "traditional police work." <P> "Running down leads, analyzing information and comparing notes," he said. "It's not particularly sexy,<BR> but historically it has proven effective." <P> Shelor said the dozens of officers and investigators initially assigned to the search have been<BR> returned to their regular duties because the hundreds of tips on where to look have dried up. <P> At the height of the search, Shelor said, about 50 investigators from the Clearwater Police<BR> Department were working around the clock looking for clues that would help find the boy, who<BR> disappeared Sept. 11. <P> Police have found no evidence that suggests the third-grader at Eisenhower Elementary School ran<BR> away. None of his belongings are missing. <P> "There were no significant leads as far as leading to closure of this case," Shelor said. "We had over<BR> 500 calls into our tip line early on, which has dwindled to a trickle at best." <P> The Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney's Office, Manatee County Sheriff's Office, Tampa Police<BR> Department, Clearwater Fire Department, Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the FBI also<BR> helped cover hundreds of acres of woods, knocking on doors and searching the waterways looking for<BR> the child. <P> Shelor said detectives have no evidence that a crime was committed, and they do not view Hackett<BR> as a suspect. However, police said last month that they think she knows more than what she had<BR> said about what happened to Zachary. <P> "It's not beyond comprehension," Shelor said of the child's disappearance. "But it is certainly<BR> confounding to deal with a situation of having an 8-year-old child disappear with no indication of<BR> where he is or what happened to him." <P> Hackett, who faced eviction for not paying two months' back rent, moved from her apartment at<BR> 2690 Drew St. On Wednesday, through the unit's window shades, a stained carpet, a half-empty<BR> 20-ounce bottle of Pepsi and a couple of end tables were visible. <P> Shelor said investigators know where Hackett lives now but would not release that information. <P> Zachary has blond hair and blue eyes. He is 4 feet 6, weighs 60 pounds and was wearing a T-shirt<BR> and boxer shorts at the time he was reported missing. <P> Anyone with information is asked to call the Clearwater Police Department at 562-4242. <BR> <BR> <BR> <P> <BR> 4 . "Mystery deepens as birthday passes"<BR> Posted by Ishtar93 on Dec-18-00 at 05:54 PM (EST)<BR> Mystery deepens as birthday passes<BR> The missing boy is 9 today, but investigators can give no solace to his family. Is he alive or dead?<BR> By CHRIS TISCH <P> © St. Petersburg Times, published December 18, 2000 <P><P> CLEARWATER -- It's an annual tradition that on a day near Christmas, Carole Bernhardt's 15<BR> grandchildren gather for a family holiday party. <P> Bernhardt's daughters and their children exchange gifts. The younger kids scream and play. <P> The grandchildren gathered again Sunday. But one child was not there. <P> That child received no gifts from his aunts, uncles and cousins; he ate no cake and ice cream to<BR> celebrate his ninth birthday, which is today. <P> That little boy, Zachary Bernhardt, has been missing since Sept. 11, when he vanished from his<BR> Savannah Trace apartment in Clearwater. <P> Police say they are stumped. They don't know whether Zachary was abducted or ran away, whether<BR> he is alive or dead. <P> Family members say they are just as puzzled. The mystery adds to their woe. <P> "I try to figure it out, to make sense of something that doesn't make sense," said Denal Donnelly,<BR> Zachary's aunt. "I think it's more the uncertainty, the not knowing." <P> Another family member also wasn't expected at the party Sunday. <P> Zachary's mother, Leah Hackett, hasn't ventured into public much since her son's disappearance.<BR> Hackett reported that she went for a 15-minute walk around the complex at about 4 a.m. When she<BR> returned, her boy was gone. <P> She quakes and cries when she sees little boys, particularly ones with sandy blond hair like Zachary's.<BR> To pick up her children at a dance once, Donnelly said, she took Hackett, who broke down upon<BR> seeing the crowd of children. <P> "I can make it sometimes a day without crying, but I don't think she can make it a day without<BR> crying," said her mother, Carole Bernhardt. "She misses him. <P> "It will be 99 days (today)," she said. <P> The ordeal has left the family in limbo. How can a little boy simply disappear? Where is he? Is he<BR> okay? <P> "When it's cold or it rains, I wonder if he's in shelter or in the rain," Donnelly said. <P> Every bite she takes, every drink she swallows and every smile she can manage to crack makes her<BR> wonder whether Zachary can do the same. <P> "When you get a drink of water, you think, "Does he have one?' " she said. "You're afraid to laugh." <P> A team of six detectives continues to work full time on the search for Zachary. Initially, 50<BR> investigators were assigned to the case. The current contingent is a fresh batch of officers who are<BR> retracing the steps of the investigation, searching for holes or new leads. <P> Almost 700 tips and leads have been chased. A segment about Zachary that appeared on America's<BR> Most Wanted last month generated only a handful of leads, none of them useful. <P> The investigator in charge of the search, Lt. Mark Teunis, declined an interview request last week.<BR> He also declined to disclose additional information about the search other than what already has been<BR> released, said Clearwater police spokesman Wayne Shelor. <P> Family members, who compliment the investigators, said that for the most part, they have been left<BR> in the dark. Donnelly and Bernhardt said they understand that the police must keep some information<BR> secret from everyone. <P> Zachary's family also has avoided the spotlight. Some say they haven't appreciated media reports<BR> that have thrown suspicion on Zachary's mother. <P> Shelor said Hackett has talked with detectives every time they have asked. <P> "We maintain a constant dialogue with Leah Hackett," Shelor said. <P> There were no signs of a struggle in the apartment the morning Zachary disappeared. None of his<BR> belongings had been packed or taken. <P> Clearwater police launched a massive search of the surrounding area. Nine agencies, including search<BR> teams from the FBI and Florida Department of Law Enforcement, pitched in. Helicopters, boats and<BR> dogs were used. Nothing was found. <P> Bernhardt said Hackett is living in Hillsborough County. She works at times as a food server and<BR> receives support from her mother. Family members said Hackett, who goes to weekly counseling<BR> sessions, declined to comment. <P> Though posters and fliers with Zachary's photo once adorned the area around Savannah Trace<BR> Apartments, there are few now. In an investigative effort designed to fan the embers, police planned<BR> to place an electronic sign near the apartment complex reminding people that Zachary still is missing. <P> Shelor said there are no suspects in the case because there is no evidence of a crime. There has<BR> been no ransom demand. None of the clothes Zachary was wearing that morning -- a T-shirt and<BR> boxer shorts -- have shown up. <P> "They're frustrated," Shelor said of the investigators."They flat don't know. They absolutely don't<BR> know where Zachary is or what happened to him." <P> Still, Shelor said detectives are keeping active. They chase sightings on the beach and at malls from<BR> here to Ocala. <P> "It's not like they have nowhere to go," he said. "They still have avenues to follow. Since we don't<BR> know what has happened to Zachary, nothing has been ruled out." <P> Bernhardt said she does not feel anyone in her family -- including Zachary's mother -- had anything<BR> to do with his disappearance. She also doesn't think Zachary ran away. She said she thinks someone<BR> abducted him, though she does not know whom. <P> "Every hope in my heart thinks he's alive," Bernhardt said. "He would never run away or walk away.<BR> So somebody had to take him. Zachary would never leave his mother. And if things ever got rough<BR> enough . . . he would come to his grandma or to his aunt. I think someone definitely took him." <P> Donnelly tries to talk of Zachary in the present tense. She clings to hope, but also feels a sense of<BR> doom. She says half of her thinks Zachary is fine, the other half thinks he is not. <P> "Quite honestly, as each day goes on, you start to question it," she said. "But you hold onto the<BR> hope that you'll get him back. Is it a false hope? Yeah. But there's that chance. I don't ever want to<BR> give up on that hope. It's such an emotional roller coaster. The only thing certain is that an<BR> 8-year-old boy, soon to be 9, is out there. And we have to find out where he is." <P> Zachary's 19-year-old cousin, Aimee Simpkins, said 75 percent of her thinks Zachary is fine. <P> "That's what gets me through the day," she said. <P> Bernhardt said if Zachary "is being treated mean, I pray to God he's dead. But it's easier not to think<BR> on that line. I pray to God he'll walk down the street tomorrow. So the easiest thing to say is, it's in<BR> God's hands and that God is taking care of him no matter where he is." <P> Simpkins said she planned to celebrate his birthday. <P> "He's missing. He's not gone," she said. "And I think we should celebrate it in some way." <P> But Bernhardt says the family didn't plan on celebrating his birthday Sunday because it would be too<BR> wrenching. <P> "It's going to be quite an experience this year. Everyone has mixed emotions," Bernhardt said on<BR> Friday. "There won't be Zachary around to play with and tease. We really don't know what to do<BR> because it is so hard. The kids want to go and buy him a present and everything. But the adults<BR> aren't sure. If I had my way, I would go to bed and stay there. <P> "We decided that at our Christmas party, Zachary would not want us crying," she added. "So we're<BR> going to do our best to have a happy day for Zachary." <P> Donnelly said she will keep a birthday cake in her freezer. Even if she doesn't unthaw it for Sunday,<BR> she hopes to present it to Zachary soon. <P> "And when we get him back, I can say: "Here's your cake, Zachary,' " Donnelly said. <P> - Chris Tisch can be reached at (727) 445- 4156. <P> Call with any tips<BR> Anyone with information about the disappearance of Zachary Bernhardt can call Clearwater police at<BR> 562-4422. <P><BR> <a href="http://www.sptimes.com/News/121800/NorthPinellas/_Mystery_deepens_as_b.shtml";>http://www.sptimes.com/News/121800/NorthPinellas/_Mystery_deepens_as_b.shtml<;/a><P> <BR> <BR> <P> <BR> 5 . "Reward offered, police refused it"<BR> Posted by LovelyPigeon on Dec-27-00 at 12:23 PM (EST)<BR> Reward for lost child<P> A businessman offers a $5,000 reward in the Zach Bernhardt case, but police turn it down,<BR> saying they have a policy not to offer money for information. <BR> By CHRIS TISCH<BR> St. Petersburg Times, published December 24, 2000 <P> CLEARWATER -- A few days after 8-year-old Zach Bernhardt vanished from his mother's apartment in<BR> September, local businessman Michael Capestany called Clearwater police with a proposition. <P> Capestany offered to donate $5,000 as a reward for anyone who came forward with information that<BR> helped find the boy. Capestany's theory was that money could motivate tipsters to come forward<BR> with information. <P> "Money is the root of all evil, but it motivates people," said Capestany, a general manager of the Car<BR> Shack on Seminole Boulevard in Largo. <P> But Clearwater detectives, neck-deep in a mystery that police officials say baffles them to<BR> this day, refused Capestany's offer. <P> "To me, this was very weak," Capestany said last week. "When a child is missing, you throw<BR> everything out the window and do what you can. Putting out a reward isn't going to hurt." <P> The Clearwater Police Department has had a longstanding policy not to offer money for information<BR> that might aid investigations, said Wayne Shelor, the department's spokesman. <P> "We're not funded to do it," Shelor said. <P> The department isn't prepared to accept donations and plow them into reward offers. If people call<BR> wanting to donate money, police will encourage them to establish a fund through the family of the<BR> victim or missing person, Shelor said. <P> Carole Bernhardt, Zach Bernhardt's grandmother, said friends have warned the family to be wary of<BR> charity from others. So far, the family has asked that donations be sent in Zach's name to<BR> organizations that help find missing children. <P> Zach, who turned 9 on Dec. 18, vanished from his Savannah Trace apartment at about 4 a.m. Sept.<BR> 11. Police say they don't know whether Zach was abducted or ran away, whether he is alive or dead.<P> None of his clothes were missing or packed when he vanished. There were no signs of a struggle. His<BR> mother, Leah Hackett, took a 15-minute walk that morning; when she returned, she told police, her<BR> son was gone. <P> Bernhardt thinks Zach was taken by a stranger. <P> She knew nothing of Capestany's offer until she was told about it Friday by a reporter. <P> Bernhardt said she would consult with family members and police before deciding whether to pursue a<BR> reward fund based on Capestany's offer. <P> "I don't know what harm or good it would do," she said. <P> Zach's family has been complimentary of investigators. Bernhardt said family members last week<BR> visited detectives who are investigating Zach's disappearance and gave them baskets of candy,<BR> cookies and nuts for Christmas. <P> "We couldn't give Zach anything, so we gave to the guys who are working for him," she said. <P> The Clearwater Police Department is not unique in its approach to rewards. Most law enforcement<BR> agencies in the Tampa Bay area rely on the Crime Stoppers program to offer rewards, said Debbie<BR> Carter, president of the Crime Stoppers of West Central Florida, which oversees the program in eight<BR> Suncoast counties. <P> Since 1988, about 5,900 cases in the Tampa Bay area have been solved through the program, said<BR> Susan Fraley, Crime Stoppers coordinator for the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office. <P> Carter and Fraley said police run into a slew of prickly problems if they offer rewards. <P> Where will the money be kept? What happens to the interest? What happens to the money if no one<BR> comes forward? What if more than one tipster offers help? What if the donor decides to balk on his or<BR> her pledge? Will the money be paid upon arrest or conviction of a suspect? <P> Crime Stoppers, which allows donors to remain anonymous, can provide the push people need to<BR> come forward. About half of tipsters collect their reward, Carter and Fraley said. <P> "The reality is law enforcement is faced with a lot of apathy, and people don't want to get involved,"<BR> Fraley said. "Money can talk, and it can get people to come out of the woodwork." <P> But Crime Stoppers is limited by bylaws that allow the organization to dangle no more than $1,000 for<BR> information. For information on Zach's whereabouts, for example, the reward is up to $1,000. <P> The agency caps the reward amount because it doesn't want assisting law enforcement to become a<BR> get-rich scheme, Fraley said. <P> Law enforcement agencies in Manatee County can offer larger rewards through a private organization<BR> established earlier this year. The group, called the Goldstar Club, has offered $5,000 rewards in 31<BR> unsolved cases, most of them homicides. <P> The program was launched after the September 1999 slayings of a mother ascar_24@hotmail.com