GA GA - Christoph Zahn, 21, Atlanta, 28 April 1992

. Viewed so as to support the jury's verdict, the evidence showed that Zahn, a 21-year-old student who lived in Switzerland but held joint Swiss-American citizenship, embarked on a tour of the United States in September 1991, staying with numerous friends. Zahn did not like alcoholic beverages and did not drink, except for an occasional glass of wine with dinner at home. Zahn also did not drive or have a driver's license. He had a MasterCard with him for expenses. He stayed over the Christmas holidays with the Van Nordens of St. Simon's Island until January 1992, when he continued touring. Zahn kept in touch with the Van Nordens by phone and letter from then until April, when the contact ceased. The last known contact by Zahn with anyone was a telephone call from Atlanta on April 29th to his travel agent, verifying plans for a bus trip of national parks, leaving from Atlanta. In May, the Van Nordens notified Zahn's mother in Switzerland that they had lost contact with Zahn. She also had not heard from him after receiving letters from him in April and a telephone call that month telling her he was returning two days early. His prepaid plane ticket was never used or cashed in. Zahn was reported missing in May and, in August 1992 after the police had not found him or any leads, Mrs. Zahn, through the Van Nordens, hired Select, Inc. of St. Simon's, a private investigation firm composed of former federal agents, to search for her son.

Select's Richard Jones, former Secret Service agent and instructor at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, obtained a number of credit card receipts for Zahn's MasterCard and other documents bearing his purported signature from numerous Atlanta area businesses, including three in Cobb Countya charge slip for food and beverage at Bimbo's Saloon & Eatery on April 30, 1992 (Count 1), a Red Roof Inn guest registration *874 card for May 2, 1992 (Count 2), and a charge slip for Minks Package Store on May 7, 1992 (Count 3). Jones obtained from Minks the security videotape for May 7 and, by matching the cash register receipt with the charge slip, was able to find a picture of a white male, slightly balding, using the Zahn MasterCard. Zahn had a full head of long brown hair, over his shirt collar. This was the first lead obtained and Jones had photos of the man made from the videotape. The photos were taken from overhead and the side of the man using the card.

Jones also obtained a motel receipt from a Carrollton motel, showing a room rental in May in Zahn's name. He determined that three phone calls were made from that room, including two local calls traced to Musick and Turner, two local teenagers. Talking to these young men, Jones discovered that they had met a man using the name "Christoph" while on a visit to Cumberland Mall in the spring of 1992. They said he had a "funny accent" and told them he was from Switzerland. They talked with him for about 15 minutes and gave him their phone numbers.

Law enforcement authorities from Cobb and Carroll Counties and the GBI were contacted and the two young men were brought to Atlanta on October 13th in order to prepare a composite drawing of the man they met

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Seeking Justice for Walter and Christoph
Harry Eugene Hale, 1992
Special Thanks to
"Anon"
with www.whokilledtheresa.blogspot.com
for transcribing this episode

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Archangel85 said:

Did Harry Eugene Hale explained how he got Christoph credit cards?

Also, Harry Eugene could also be linked to the murder of Walter J. Cropper. The first time they conducted the search warrant, they saw a Seiko walk-along recorder that Walter had had when he disappeared,

http://missingpiecesshow.homestead.com/MissingPiecesEpisode80Archive.html

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Richard said:

Detectives found a camera belonging to Christoph Zahn and a quilt Zhan had purchased as a gift for his mother when they searched Hale's Kentucky home.

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