What happened to Zachary Bernhardt? Family, police still searching 22 years after he vanished from Clearwater

CLEARWATER, Fla. - It’s been 22 years since 8-year-old Zachary Bernhardt disappeared from an apartment in Clearwater, but his family’s efforts to find him haven’t ceased. 

Zachary was reported missing just before 5 a.m. on September 11, 2000. He was living at the Savannah Trace Apartments in Clearwater with his mother Leah Hackett, who told police she went for a walk and a swim in the middle of the night and when she came back he was gone.

"I do believe that my nephew is still out there," said his aunt Billie-Jo Jimenez. "I've never not believed that he's not out there. There's a big world out there and he could be anywhere."

The area was searched in and out by hundreds of people but Zachary never turned up.

"You don't believe that it's happening to you," Zachary's grandmother Carole Bernhardt recalled. "You think he's hiding somewhere around the corner."

Fast forward more than two decades later - police are continuing to follow every lead, hoping new information will help them find that goofy, fun-loving boy who is 30 years old now.

Age progression photo of Zachary Bernhardt next to a photo of him at age 8. Courtesy: FDLE. 

His family says each glimmer of hope along the way has been a rollercoaster of emotions and keeping his story alive has been met with challenges.

"There were kids that had DNA pulled on them to prove it was not him," Billie Jo explained. "On 9/11 in Pennsylvania, there was a Zachary Bernhardt that they couldn't get to, to investigate, to see if it was him... it's been very hard to have coverage for him since he is missing on 9/11."

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: For Zachary Bernhardt's family, 'nightmare' continues 20 years later

They've also shown constant support to Zachary's mother, who faced her own obstacles being questioned in her son's disappearance early in the investigation.

"We kind of felt that it was best for her to get out of the state in order for her to be able to try to find herself mentally," Billie Joe added. "People have no idea what it's like. Don't judge somebody else's situation till you walk in my sister's shoes one day."

Zachary Bernhardt's family goes through photo albums and still have hope of finding him. 

Zachary's family is grateful for support from others in similar situations, and attend missing Children's Day events annually. They will never give up hope that he will find his way home.

"We're all in the same place, none of our phone numbers have changed, our address has never changed, we're all still right here waiting," Billie Jo stated. 

The Clearwater police released this statement on Zachary's investigation: 

"Just as much as the day this case was first reported, Clearwater police detectives remain committed to finding out what happened to Zachary. We urge anyone with information on this case to contact us."

A photo of a young Zachary Bernhardt sits in a gold frame at his grandmother's house. 

Zachary remains listed as an active Amber Alert with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and is the longest-running Amber Alert in the state.

Anyone with information is asked to call Clearwater police detectives at 727-562-4242.