ZEPHYRHILLS, Fla. — A Pasco County woman waits for answers 23 years after her 8-year-old nephew disappeared in Clearwater.
Zachary Bernhardt remains Florida's longest-running Amber Alert and is still active. According to the Amber Alert, the 8-year-old disappeared from an apartment complex under suspicious circumstances in Clearwater on September 11, 2000.
He was discovered missing from an apartment around 4:00 a.m. on Drew Street in the middle of the night. His mother went for a walk, and upon returning, Bernhardt was missing from his bed.
At the time of his disappearance, Bernhardt was 4 feet, 6 inches tall and weighed 60 pounds. He had straight blonde hair and blue eyes.
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On Monday, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement held its Florida Missing Children's Day, a ceremony to remember missing children across the state.
Billie-Jo Jimenez, Bernhardt's aunt, said her nephew was creative and loved to decorate for Christmas.
Jimenez and Bernhardt's grandmother attended the ceremony in Tallahassee. Jimenez encourages people to pay attention to missing children fliers.
"So anyone who has someone missing or was reported missing and then found murdered are also honored in Tallahassee," said Jimenez. "Please don't stop looking for Zachary. We haven't. We're not going to. He's out there. We just got to find him."
Jimenez believes Bernhardt may still be alive. She encourages people to contact the police if anyone has any information on the case.
"It's your worst nightmare, and we live it every day. You won't see it every day on our faces, but it's there every single day," she said.
If you have information about this case, call the Clearwater Police Department at 727-562-4200 or 911.
