The search for Sabrina Kahler, 20, who vanished on June 24, 2002, after a visit to an ice cream shop, continues with a new suspect in custody. A grand jury indicted David Heck after new information was presented, and it was recommended that he be charged with murder, rape, and kidnapping.

A Mysterious Disappearance

Kahler was hanging out at her Pennsylvania home on the day she went missing in 2002. A surprise visitor, David Heck, later identified as the cousin of her boyfriend, Christopher Lee, stopped by. He showed up unannounced and asked if she wanted to go swimming. After she agreed, the two traveled to a popular lakefront hangout known as Eagley Park.

Once they arrived at the park, just 75 miles east of Cleveland, near the border, Heck got into a confrontation with a group of girls, including his ex-girlfriend. He and Kahler left to avoid the drama and got ice cream. 

Heck made a report to the police about the confrontation because he was in the midst of allegations of abuse that his ex-girlfriend made days prior. Officers arrived to speak with him at the Tasty Twist ice cream parlor, with Kahler present. This was the last known public sighting of Kahler before she was never seen again.

Heck later told police that he gave Kahler money for a movie and dropped her off at a local shopping center; however, two new eyewitnesses claim that his recollection of events was false. 

New Eyewitnesses

A local fisherman came forward and told police he saw Heck that day at Fairview Gravel Pits, a heavily wooded area with multiple bodies of water. 

The fisherman recalled hearing a “blood-curdling scream” that sounded like it came from a woman before seeing a man matching Heck’s description walk alone out of the woods and speak with him briefly. Witnesses also reported seeing the victim in Heck’s Chevy Blazer not far from the area. 

A former cellmate of Heck’s also came forward saying that years after Kahler’s disappearance, Heck allegedly claimed: “he raped and killed a girl at Fairview Gravel Pits and that she screamed.”

The final piece of evidence that helped a grand jury indict Heck on several criminal charges came from Douglas Heim, who was at a bowling alley the day that Kahler disappeared. He told police that Heck approached him shortly after the supposed killing and asked for his help to move and bury her body.

Grand Jury Indictment

The state brought in a grand jury and presented them with these new pieces of evidence, and they returned with their conclusions, recommending Heck be charged with murder, rape, and kidnapping. He was arrested on September 21, 2026, in Indiana by police who said he was hiding in a friend’s home under blankets.

Heck is scheduled to be extradited to Pennsylvania, where he will be formally charged and tried for the murder of Sabrina Kahler, whose body police continue to search for. “A totality of evidence that included key grand jury testimony from previously reluctant witnesses led to a single conclusion — that David Heck raped and murdered Sabrina Kahler 24 years ago,” Attorney General Dave Sunday said.

“This is a historical development that brings some answers for Sabrina’s loved ones and the Erie community, but it is not a day of celebration as we have not yet brought Sabrina home. Efforts will continue to answer that one remaining question of “where is she?”

Sabrina Kahler Was Never Forgotten

The search for answers behind Sabrina Kahler’s disappearance continued for years. Attorney General Sunday recently formed a Cold Case Section, which increased the search efforts and eventually led to the arrest and indictment of her accused killer. 

“I commend the many investigators who worked this case over the years and want them to know that their work contributed to this charging result,” Sunday added to his statement. “Those public servants, for years, made this case a part of their lives and longed for the day — today — when they could bring a measure of justice to Sabrina’s family.”

“Sabrina Kahler has never been forgotten. Her family never stopped remembering her; this community has never stopped seeking answers,” Erie County District Attorney Elizabeth Hirz, who joined Sunday in announcing the charges, said. “This case has represented more than an unsolved homicide. The homicide of a young woman leaves a lasting mark on the community.”