BERRIEN COUNTY, Mich. – A 12-year-old boy who vanished more than 20 years ago while walking his dogs in his Berrien County neighborhood is still missing.
Steven Earl Kraft, Jr. was last seen near his home in an area of Benton Harbor, Michigan, called Benton Heights on Feb. 15, 2001. He was last seen with his two dogs between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. The two dogs were located later, but Kraft was never found.
The FBI featured Kraft’s case on its “Inside the FBI” podcast last year. In the podcast, Kraft was described as a “rough and tumble” kind of kid who was used to roaming around his neighborhood. Special Agent Trisha Kovac from the FBI’s Detroit Field Office has been working on this case. She described the neighborhood as the type where everyone knew each other.
“They were very close and very social. He knew a lot of people. He had a lot of relatives. So, he would go door-to-door down on his street. They lived on a dead-end street off of, kind of a well-traveled highway. He would just stop by peoples’ houses, get something to eat, hang out with family or friends. So, Steven was well-known out in the area,” Kovac said.
The night he vanished, Kraft was supposed to play with a friend down the street while his mother prepared dinner. He took his two dogs with him. He was expected back home around 8 p.m. When his parents realized he was missing, they asked around the neighborhood.
At 1 a.m. they contacted police to report him missing and a few days later the FBI joined the investigation. The FBI questioned neighbors and investigators searched ponds and small lakes. One of Kraft’s dogs returned home after a few days and the second dog was later found several blocks away.
The FBI still considers this an active case. Both of Kraft’s parents died shortly after the 20-year anniversary of his disappearance. The house Kraft grew up in has since been torn down and an airport was built in that area.
Kraft was last known to be wearing a blue-green Charlotte Hornets basketball team jacket, a tan and white striped t-shirt, tan parachute pants, and black boots. He would be 35 years old now. He has ties to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Lexington, Kentucky.
| Steven Earl Kraft, Jr. | Details |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | Jan. 11, 1989 |
| Place of birth | Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
| Hair color | Sandy brown |
| Eye color | Green |
| Height (at time of disappearance) | 5′2′' |
| Weight (at time of disappearance) | 100 lbs |
Anyone with any information about this case can contact the Benton Township Police Department at 1-269-926-8221, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-342-7867, or a Crimes Against Children Investigator at their local FBI office.
Kraft’s case was recently featured on the FBI’s “Inside the FBI” podcast. You can listen to that episode in the video player below: