A 12-year-old left his Michigan home to play outside with his dogs and disappeared.

Years later, his picture was found on the computer of a serial killer.

Is there a link or is that ankle just a wild goose chase?

I'm Charlie and welcome to Crime Lines.

Hello and welcome to this December bonus episode.

Today we are covering the cold case disappearance of a 12-year-old named Stephen Earl

Kraft. Just like I mentioned in the Ashley Martinez case that just came out, the local

press here stayed on this case. The Herald Palladium would do a big one-page spread rather than buried anniversary coverage,

and it was really great to see how much they covered this case. If you are one of the very few people

who check my sources list, you will see them listed frequently under this episode.

Let's get started with Stephen. He was born in January of 1989 to Stephen Sr. and Cheryl.

He grew up with three older siblings, and then when he was about five, his parents had another son.

Stephen had a few years between him and his older siblings,

and then a few years between him and his younger brother, but he was still really close to his family.

And actually, this age gap seemed to help when he got older, and he really needed someone to

confide in and vent to.

His sister was about six years older than him, and he would go right to her when he needed anything.

The family lived in Benton Heights, Michigan, which is a small community outside of Benton Harbor.

This is near Lake Michigan and about 45 minutes north of South Bend,

Indiana. So if you think of the Michigan Mitten, we are talking that southwest corner.

Stephen loved to draw. It's pretty much something he did all the time, except when he was out running around

the neighborhood, playing and exploring with his friends. The neighborhood here in Benton Heights

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