In 1975, an eight-year-old girl in America went to a Bible summer camp in Philadelphia. 

Her name was Gretchen Harrington, and her family described her as “someone so kind and outgoing that anyone who met her would be her friend within two minutes.”

One night at Bible camp, Gretchen went missing. A concerned camp leader and minister immediately notified the police. 

Police, parents, the minister, and volunteers all set out to find the girl in the woods but were unable to locate her. 

It was only two months later that the terrible uncertainty Gretchen’s family had to go through came to an end when her body was found many miles away in another town. 

The same minister who alarmed the police and led search efforts, David Zandstra, led the memorial service. After the service, he remained close with Gretchen's family, consoling them in their time of need.

In July 2023, 83-year-old David Zandstra confessed to the police that he, himself, was the killer. 

He had taken the girl from the campsite and killed her when she denied his advances. Imagine taking a family’s daughter from them and pretending to be their best friend for decades.