Ethan Kazmerzak was a 22-year-old man who disappeared from a party in Hampton, Iowa, on September 15, 2013. His car, a silver 2006 Volkswagen Jetta, also vanished with him. For seven years, his family and friends searched for answers, hoping to find him alive. But in October 2020, a shocking discovery was made that revealed his fate.
The Night He Disappeared
According to True Case Files, Ethan was seen at a few different local pubs in the Hampton area on the evening of September 14, 2013. He later went to a party at a gravel pit pond located behind a house on 190th Street. Around 12:15 am, Ethan called his mother and told her that he was on his way home. He never made it there, and was never seen or heard from again.
Ethan’s vehicle vanished with him. Due to this, many theorized that Ethan might have driven his car into a body of water located in the rural area near the party. A pond near Olive Avenue was searched just days after Ethan’s disappearance, but nothing was found. Divers returned to that same pond in November 2013 and still did not spot any evidence.
Eventually, investigators began to separate from that theory. In fact, during September 2019, reporters asked Hampton police Chief Bob Schaefer what he thought about the theory that Ethan had driven into water–to which he replied, “Based on what I know of that night, I don’t think so.”
The Breakthrough in the Case
In October 2020, seven years after Ethan disappeared, a scuba diver and YouTuber named Jason Leisek went diving into the pond near Olive Avenue–where searches for Ethan had previously taken place. Leisek runs a YouTube channel called Adventures with Purpose, where he documents his underwater explorations and recoveries of missing vehicles and people.
During his dive, Leisek spotted a vehicle. The car was located about 90 feet from the edge of the water, and only approximately 8 feet from the pond’s surface. All the windows on the vehicle were rolled up, but the front windshield was missing. Once the car was removed from the water, investigators discovered human remains inside. Police later announced that those remains were that of Ethan Kazmerzak.
The Mystery Remains
It’s unclear why the vehicle was not spotted during the professional investigative searches that occurred years earlier. The car was found relatively close to the pond’s surface and was reportedly very easy for Leisek to spot. Due to this, some have theorized that the vehicle somehow entered the pond at some point after those 2013 searches were conducted. This has not been confirmed and the investigation is still ongoing.
The cause of death has not been released yet, but foul play is not suspected. According to The Charley Project, Ethan had bipolar disorder and was taking medication for it at the time of his disappearance. He also had a history of alcohol abuse and had been drinking heavily on the night he went missing.
Investigators are encouraging anyone with information about Ethan’s disappearance and death to come forward. If you have any information that could help solve the case, please go here to submit an anonymous tip.
Ethan Kazmerzak’s case is a tragic example of how a night of fun can turn into a nightmare. His family and friends finally have some closure, but many questions remain unanswered. What happened to Ethan on that fateful night? How did his car end up in the pond? And why did it take so long to find him?
