Police Still Search for Answers in 14-Year-Old Missing Child Case

What happened to Zachary Bernhardt?

That’s a question Clearwater Police say they remain committed to answering as the 14th anniversary of his disappearance arrives Thursday.

Zachary was 8 years old when his mother came home from a walk around 4 a.m. to find her third-grader missing from his bed. The family lived in an apartment complex on Drew Street, just east of U.S. 19 at the time, an email about the case from police spokesman Rob Shaw said.

Zachary would be 22 today.

Det. Thomas Dawe doesn’t let a day go by without thinking of the case. The homicide and missing persons cold cases detective keeps a photograph of the blonde haired, blue eyed boy right by his desk.

“I keep the photo there as a reminder,” Dawe was quoted in Shaw’s email as saying. “It’s always a reminder to me that I have work to do.”

Chief Dan Slaughter met with Zachary’s grandmother in Tallahassee on Monday, the observance of Florida Missing Children’s Day. Slaughter told her his agency is “committed to finding out what happened to Zachary.”

Police are asking for anyone who knows anything about Zachary’s Sept. 11, 2000, disappearance to please come forward. Anyone with information about the case can call Clearwater Police at 727-562-4242, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-TIPS.

Photo Credit: Clearwater Det. Thomas Dawe keeps a photo of Zachary Bernhardt by his desk. The child was reported missing Sept. 11, 2000. Photo courtesy of the Clearwater Police Department