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

<a href="http://www.geocities.com/lovelypigeon/zachary.html";>http://www.geocities.com/lovelypigeon/zachary.html<;/a> <BR>To me, it looks as if the mystery child could be Zachary. The hair color is right, the nose and chin structure are very close. <P>11 months went by from the time Zachary disappeared and the photo of the unidentified boy was found.

See the photos of Zachary taken at a pool just two weeks before he disappeared. IMO,the 'school type photo ' was when he was a bit younger. Return to Post #11 (recent photos at Polly Klaas Org). Thanks LovelyPigeon

<b>Clearwater, FLA</b> I have only a few details, however on December 31 a kidnapping took place of a 5 year old male child (unidentified) from his yard. The child was lured by the offering of ice cream.<P>There was a flashing photo of Savannah Chase apartments, which may have been in reference to Zachary, ( not clear why)but there was a mention of recent kidnappings. <P>The perps truck is white and may have pictures of ice cream painted/drawn or pasted on.<P><b><font size= 2>CHILD HAS BEEN FOUND ALIVE</font size></b> in a dumpster approximately 80 miles from his home. He appears physically okay, however still in shock. He is safe at home with his family, thank God! <P><b><font size= 2>NOW Florida catch that stinkin' monster !<P>

who is the five year old boy????<BR>do the suspect his abducter to have taken zachary??

Tampa Tribune article - <a href="http://www.tampatrib.com/MGA4RJPMYVC.html";>http://www.tampatrib.com/MGA4RJPMYVC.html<;/a><P><a href="http://www.mycfnow.com/orlpn/news/stories/news-116009420020101-150111.html";>http://www.mycfnow.com/orlpn/news/stories/news-116009420020101-150111.html<;/a><P>St. Petersburg Times article - <a href="http://www.sptimes.com/2002/01/02/TampaBay/Abducted_5_year_old_b.shtml";>http://www.sptimes.com/2002/01/02/TampaBay/Abducted_5_year_old_b.shtml<;/a>

Ourputer thank you very much for the links, I had only heard bits 'n pieces.<P>Birgitta I don't know the child's name (which was being withheld privacy matters)<P><b><font size= 2>YES Savannah Chase </b></font size>is where the child lives! Same as Zachary, darn it!

Thanks to God that the 5-year-old was found. A good description of his kidnapper and his vehicle should lead to his arrest soon. <P>The same apartment complex is just toooo much coincidence not to be related to Zach's disappearance! It still makes me mad that Clearwater police say there is no evidence of a crime even though Zach was only 8 and IS STILL MISSING. <P>It's unusual, isn't it, for a white man to kidnap a black male child? It could be the reason the child wasn't "kept" by the kidnapper.

...but i´d think the name would be inportant to know incase people are searching for the boy...<P>would a white man take both blond boys and black boys??<BR>i think it´s possible but maybe unusual....i just get to think about mikelle biggs...when i hear of the ice cream car....and mikelle is a female....it´s probably not the same abducter but i get her stucked in my mind...<BR>

is that there was nothing at all in the news about the black boy...yes it´s quite a coincidence that both boys got missing from the same apartment complex....but nothing about any connection in the news or anything about the black boy...

I didn't realize he was, he was being carried over a shoulder with back to the screen and wrapped in a blanket. I did see his Mother on television and she said the same, ' hold your children close' ( not exact quotes) and further directed a message to the monster, 'we will find you for what you have done to our child'.<P>NO <b>Birgitta</b> it isn't necessary to name the child...he was found before it hit our news. We don't need childs' name. Need to find the monster before he strikes again, black, white or whatever color of skin or age. Same here I thought of Mikelle Biggs in regard to the ice cream. Kids are so easily lured especially with sweets or little animals.

<img src="http://www.sptimes.com/2002/01/02/photos/home-kid2.jpg";> <P>This is the photograph that make me think the boy was Afro-American. I could be mistaken.<P>I was hoping that perhaps the kidnapper might be more easily identified if he dislikes Afro-Americans, or even if he's been know to be overlyfriendly to children of color. The relatively unusual circumstance of a white male kidnapper taking a black child might help lead to an arrest. I certainly hope something leads to a speedy arrest.

Anyone with information should call the Clearwater Police Department at (727) 562-4242 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-TIPS (8477). <P><b><u>THE SUSPECT </b></u><P>White male, 5-foot-7 to 5- foot-11, thin build; possibly shoulder-length black hair. Last seen wearing a black and white jacket, dark blue jeans and brown dress shoes. <P><b><u>SUSPECT'S VEHICLE </b></u><P>Older model white pickup with extended cab and tinted windows; a ``Stone Cold Steve Austin'' decals on either the rear window or on the quarter panels; ice cream cone decals on the side. <P><P> <BR> <BR> <P> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <P><BR>

...what will pop up...this kidnapper has to be found and put in jail....he might have taken more children....i´m glad this litle boy was found alive....and i hope some more miricles about the missing children will happen!!<P>ladybug you too are thinking of mikelle biggs...well we don´t know but maybe it´s the same guy...probably those guys drive from state to state...

Where did you find the photo of the bound boy ? Where is the link or what do we have for an update? Was it hoax? Kids goofing off or a TV, movie set? AMW ?

the bound boy on the picture if you look at the left side of the picture you see a large stone and something that looks like a hocky club....does anyone see that too??<P>ladybug why do you think it is a hoax???<BR>

Can't make out a hockey club, not too clear from here. I would like to know where that photo was downloaded, might be in one of the links above...strange picture. <P><b>Birgitta</b>, kids will be kids and even I have kids in my neighborhood that would play a hoaxy trick such as this might be. Some kids have no respect, they haven't had the training from parents because the parents are exactly the same. Not an iota of respect for anything or anyone. It's a fact, an ugly fact <img src="http://64.225.95.82/dcf/Images/sad.gif";><P>I'd like to know exactly where that photo was found. Which PD was it reported? Need more information, thanks.

LB,<BR>The link in posting #8 works. It goes directly to the newspaper article about the photo of the bound child. Very odd case. I wonder if there have been any updates on it.<BR>

..what are you telling me...that children around there play this kind of games???<BR>i do have one kid or she´s a teenager and i know many kids and i´we newer seen kids here play such games...i´m more than shocked...!!!

I've finally got around to renewing my "membership". I've been busy with school, work, etc. I checked in to see about Zachary, but am sad to see he's still missing.<P>I'm glad to hear about the other little boy who was found alive!

<BR>Inquiry in missing child case scaled back<BR>The five detectives who have worked full time on Zach Bernhardt's case since <BR>November 2000 will work other cases as they wait for new leads.<BR>By CHRIS TISCH<P>© St. Petersburg Times, published March 8, 2002<P><BR>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------<BR>The five detectives who have worked full time on Zach Bernhardt's case since <BR>November 2000 will work other cases as they wait for new leads.<BR>CLEARWATER -- With leads on the 18-month old disappearance of Zach Bernhardt <BR>slowing to a trickle, police have decided the five detectives assigned to <BR>the case will no longer investigate the boy's vanishing full time.<P>Those detectives now will investigate other crimes, as well, though Zach's <BR>Sept. 11, 2000, disappearance will remain a high priority in their caseload. <BR>The investigators say they will quickly jump on any new leads that develop.<P>"If that phone rings tomorrow, we're on a plane, on a train, in a car, doing <BR>what has to be done," said Detective Joseph Egger.<P>Zach was 8 years old when he vanished from his mother's apartment at <BR>Savannah Trace, 2690 Drew St. There have been no confirmed reports of anyone <BR>seeing him since. There also was no sign of a crime, so detectives don't <BR>know if he was taken or if he ran away. They also don't know if he's alive <BR>or dead.<P>"The whole thing is very frustrating," said Detective Stephen Bohling. "It <BR>sticks with you every day. But we're fighters, and we're not going to give <BR>up. Our goal is to bring him back to his family."<P>Egger, Bohling and three other detectives have been investigating the case <BR>fulltime since November 2000. They were part of a second group of <BR>investigators assigned to the case to review what an initial group of <BR>detectives had uncovered.<P>Egger and Bohling, both fathers of young boys about Zach's age, said they <BR>devoted themselves to the investigation.<P>That's why Zach's grandmother, Carole Bernhardt, said she's not upset to <BR>hear the detectives will be taken off the investigation full time. She knows <BR>they will chase any promising lead.<P>"Whenever something comes in on Zach, they drop what they're doing and work <BR>on Zach," she said. "And as long as they do that, it's fine. There's no <BR>failure whatsoever. If someone called in today with a clue, they'd still be <BR>looking.<P>"They know Zach as well as we do by now," she added. "I think they ate, <BR>drank and slept Zachary for a long time."<P>Zach's mother, Leah Hackett, said she went for a walk about 4 a.m. the day <BR>of the disappearance. When she returned 15 minutes later, Zach was gone, she <BR>told police.<P>But Egger said he thinks she knows more. He declined to go into specifics as <BR>to why he believes that, or why she might be holding back.<P>"I feel she has more information about the case, yes," he said.<P>Hackett has since moved to North Carolina, married and divorced. She remains <BR>in North Carolina, but stays in touch with her family here, Carole Bernhardt <BR>said.<P>Investigators also devoted much time to a suspect named Kevin Jalbert, a <BR>Citrus County man who had boasted to a friend of abducting and murdering a <BR>child in Clearwater.<P>When detectives heard of Jalbert's claims, they got an undercover detective <BR>close to him. Jalbert then tried to solicit the detective to help him <BR>abduct, murder and rape a child in Clearwater, police said.<P>Jalbert was arrested on a murder solicitation charge. He is awaiting trial. <BR>His lawyer says Jalbert made the statements because he was living in a <BR>fantasy world, not because he abducted Zach.<P>But Bohling said detectives are still interested in Jalbert. "He has not <BR>been 100 percent eliminated as a suspect," he said.<P>Detectives also have chased almost 1,000 other leads. The paperwork <BR>generated by the investigation has filled 39 binders. Each is 6-inches <BR>thick. They hold tens of thousands of sheets of paper combined.<P>Leads have taken detectives to Washington, Colorado, Pennsylvania and other <BR>states.<P>Police spokesman Wayne Shelor said it's the most intensive investigation in <BR>Clearwater history. But the leads aren't coming in like they once did.<P>"What we've reached here is a point of diminishing returns," Shelor said. <BR>"Zach is a priority. They've become, in the last 18 months, quite devoted to <BR>this young man."<P>Said Egger: "Steve and I really take this to heart. To reunite the family <BR>was, and continues to be, our paramount goal."<P>-- Chris Tisch can be reached at 445-4156 or tisch@sptimes.com.<P><P>

This is truly bizarre. I wonder how many child abductions/murders are actually carried out by more than one person? It seems like a "private sort of crime" as in shameful, to me. I guess certain criminal types find acceptance in each other...sort of like alcoholics, recovering or not.<P>Copied from article posted by Jameson above:<P>"Investigators also devoted much time to a suspect named Kevin Jalbert, a Citrus County man who had boasted to a friend of abducting and murdering a child in Clearwater.<P>When detectives heard of Jalbert's claims, they got an undercover detective close to him. <b>Jalbert then tried to solicit the detective to help him abduct, murder and rape a child in Clearwater, police said.</b><P>Jalbert was arrested on a murder solicitation charge. He is awaiting trial. His lawyer says Jalbert made the statements because he was living in a fantasy world, not because he abducted Zach."<BR>

I want to know ...

Circumstances: Zachary was last known to be sleeping in his bed on the night of September 10, 2000. At approximately 4 a.m. on September 11, 2000, he was discovered missing and is missing under suspicious circumstances.

Age progression to 10 years

Missing Kids Photos taken 2 weeks before Zachary went missing
http://www.westillcare.org/bernhardt.htm
St. Petersburg Times ( Articles )
http://bucsgameday.com/News/webspecials/zacharybernhardt/

Americas Most Wanted
http://www.americasmostwanted.com/site/thisweek/20001111/bernhardtzachary20001111.html

Child Search Organization
http://www.childsearch.org/zachary_bernhardt.html

Find Missing Children Organization
http://www.find-missing-children.org/pages/poster313.htm

If you have information concerning this abduction, please contact:
The Clearwater Police Department - (727) 562-4422, or
The Polly Klaas® Foundation (800) 587-4357
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Note There is another thread of Zachary in thi sforum, click the search button.