The Strange Disappearance of Zachary Bernhardt
The 8-year-old was home alone when he vanished without a trace.
Zachary Bernhardt was a sweet and cheerful little boy whose positive outlook on life was evident to everyone who met him. The 8-year-old, who lived with his mother in Clearwater, Florida, was a third-grade student at Eisenhower Elementary School, where he got good grades and never acted out in class. His calm, cheerful demeanor hid the fact that his home life was often filled with drama and turmoil. He had no relationship with his father, and he and his mother were constantly moving from one apartment complex to another. None of this seemed to negatively affect Zach.
Zach’s mother, Leah Hackett, wasn’t a morning person and liked to stay up late. She was used to working at night, so even though she was off on the evening of Sunday, September 10, 2000, she found herself unable to fall asleep after she put Zach to bed. Around 3:00 am, feeling restless, she decided to go outside and smoke a cigarette. She glanced into Zach’s room to make sure he was sleeping soundly, then walked out into the humid night air.
It was a hot night in Florida, so Leah made a spur-of-the-moment decision to jump into the pool located in the center of the apartment complex despite the fact that she wasn’t wearing a swimsuit. She swam a…
