Divers Discover Volkswagen at Bottom of Farmer's Pond, Find Themselves in Middle of Town's 7-Year-Old Mystery
Some questions were answered for Ethan Kazmerzak’s parents when the remains of their 22-year-old son were found in a pond near Hampton, Iowa, more than seven years after he disappeared. Others still linger.
According to KWWL-TV in Waterloo, Kazmerzak went missing on the morning of Sept. 15, 2013, after attending a party in the area. He reportedly called his mother about 12:15 a.m. to let her know he was on his way home.
Unfortunately, the young man never arrived.
Following his disappearance, anonymous donors offered a $100,000 reward for information on Kazmerzak’s whereabouts. His family also created a Find Ethan Facebook page for friends to spread the word.
Despite those efforts, the young man was not seen or heard from until last fall, when a team of divers from the Story County Sheriff’s Office Dive Team recovered Kazmerzak’s 2006 Volkswagon with human remains inside on Oct. 27, 2020.
They were assisted by divers with the YouTube show “Adventures with Purpose,” whose search efforts resulted in the vehicle’s discovery, according to KWWL.
Upon further inspection of the remains, the Iowa State Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed that they belonged to Kazmerzak.
The medical examiner said at the time it had not yet been able to determine a cause and manner of death in the case.
Franklin County Sheriff Aaron Dodd declined to say whether criminality was suspected, according to the Des Moines Register. Dodd was awaiting a final report from the medical examiner.
On Dec. 4, 2020, “Adventures with Purpose” shared video of the car being pulled out of the pond.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, there were 250,000 unsolved murders in 2019 — a statistic that increases by approximately 6,000 per year, on average.
“Nearly every community has a family who seeks a measure of closure to a missing person case, murder, sexual assault, or another unsolved crime,” the department says on its website.
Cold Case Investigation Working Group expert Tom McAndrew told the DOJ that unsolved violent crimes — commonly referred to as “cold cases” — remain a matter of profound concern within the law enforcement community.
“Cold cases constitute a crisis situation, for all unsolved homicides potentially have offenders who have never been apprehended,” McAndrew said.
“History and research show that a violent offender will likely repeat.”
Kazmerzak’s disappearance was just a drop in the bucket of cold cases yet to be solved. However, the discovery of the young man’s body after seven years proved a major development for investigators in Hampton.
The family expressed its appreciation in a Nov. 5, 2020, post on the Find Ethan Facebook page.
“We are so thankful to everyone who has kept us in their thoughts and prayers over the years,” they said. “Thank You doesn’t begin to show you our gratitude.”
The investigation is ongoing, and officials are urging those who can offer any information on his disappearance or death to come forward.
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