Last Seen: September 12, 1987
There is never a wrong time to visit northwestern Pennsylvania, especially if you love all that nature offers. From the hottest days of summer to the bone-chilling cold of winter, it is a paradise for the outdoors enthusiast.
And that’s what Dale Kerstetter was. A man who loved being outdoors and enjoyed living a simple life on the edge of the Allegheny National Forest. He had an acoustic guitar to strum his favorite country songs. He loved his mother and his children and a typical Saturday evening involved sitting in the living room with his family while Hee-Haw played on the television.
He loved to camp and would often walk through the forest. He could name every plant and the animals that lived among them.
This is the Dale Kerstetter I remember, and from the moment I heard about his disappearance, the mystery behind it has never been far from my mind.
I have a personal interest in this case. Dale was married to my aunt for a few years, and I have several fond memories of my time spent with him and his children. Camping, holidays, cookouts, and weekend sleepovers meant fun times with my cousins.
It’s been 35 years since he disappeared, but his family has never stopped searching for answers.
So, let’s dive into the facts surrounding his disappearance. And, if you’re like me, you’ll discover for every answer, there are only more questions.
Ready? Let’s set the scene.
The date: Saturday, September 12, 1987
The time: approximately 10:30 PM
The place: Corning Electronics in Bradford, PA.
Bradford is a quiet town near the Pennsylvania-New York border. In 1987, the crime rate was relatively low and consisted of petty burglary, domestic violence, or a drunken brawl outside one of the downtown bars.
Corning sat a couple of miles outside the city limits. Tuna Creek and Route 219 were on one side of the plant, while High Street and miles of hills and forest were on the other.
Corning Glassware built the Bradford Corning Electronics plant in 1958. At one point, it ran three shifts and employed hundreds of people. However, by the 1980s, Bradford was on an economic decline as manufacturers downsized their American workforce, and Corning Electronics was no exception.
Until a short time before his disappearance, Dale had worked in one of the trade shops in the plant. He had recently taken a cut in pay and a job as the night security guard.
This Saturday night was like any other night that Dale came to work. He parked his red Jeep pickup in the parking lot and made his way into the plant, carrying his lunch pail and a pack of cigarettes. Once inside, he spent a few minutes speaking with the security guard he was relieving, his good friend, Art.
After that, Dale was utterly alone in the plant.
The following day, security guard John Lindquist arrived to relieve Dale. Considering that Dale’s truck was still in the parking lot, John likely assumed that Dale was in the plant, waiting to go home.
John found Dale’s lunch pail, newspaper, and key ring in the break area. However, Dale was nowhere to be found. Bradford Township Police were called, and a police dog from Cattaraugus County (NY) was brought in to assist with the search. However, the dog lost the scent on the plant’s second floor.
Several days after the disappearance of Dale, the management at the Bradford plant reviewed the surveillance footage. It revealed that shortly after Dale started his shift, a masked man entered the back of the building. Dale could be seen walking up and speaking with the man for a short time. On another camera, the man followed Dale closely. Dale briefly looks directly at the camera. There is no more footage of Dale after that. The last sighting of the masked man was when he was seen on camera wheeling out a large bag on a flat cart.
On the evening of September 16, 1987, four days after Dale’s disappearance, Corning reported that $460,000 of platinum was missing (at some point, that number was adjusted to $250,000). On September 18, The Bradford Era reported the theft; however, there was no mention of Dale.
A couple of blogs have written on Dale’s disappearance, so I will not try to recreate their already excellent reporting. You can read them by clicking on the links below:
https://lostnfoundblogs.com/f/dale-kerstetter-gone-platinum
https://lostnfoundblogs.com/f/dale-kerstetter-gone-platinum-2-the-mystery-deepens
Here is a link to the Unsolved Mysteries episode:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POiW93TKNug
Now, it’s time for a couple of my opinions.
First and foremost, Corning was negligent, and Dale’s family would have been justified in pursuing several lawsuits. Not only did the plant’s management completely malign Dale’s character in the Unsolved Mysteries episode, but they also did not ensure the safety of their employees. Consider the following:
- Dale was to check in to the main office every hour. However, that didn’t happen. Corning’s excuse was that a new employee was at the main office and didn’t know the protocol.
- Corning plants throughout the United States and other manufacturers had been robbed of platinum worth millions of dollars over the years. Yet, several doors of the plant were unsecured, allowing anyone to enter the plant.
- Dale’s family had to fight Corning to get Dale’s pension and 401(k)
Another interesting point to consider is that the sale of the Bradford plant was announced in the New York Times on September 9, 1987 – THREE DAYS BEFORE THE THEFT AND DALE’S DISAPPEARANCE.
https://www.nytimes.com/1987/09/09/business/company-news-corning-glass-sells-electronics-units.html
I don’t believe that Dale was involved in the theft. He was not a man with a lot of material needs. As I stated, he lived a simple life. And according to the “Gone Platinum” article I referenced earlier, his debt was not as large as initially reported.
Furthermore, his minor son, Al, lived with him at the time. Dale loved his kids. He would not have willingly left his son, and he would not have gone all these years without contacting any of them.
What I do believe is that it was an inside job. The thief knew when the plant would be empty, and there was an unlocked door.
I also believe that Dale knew the thief’s identity. And that person was willing to kill Dale for $250,000.
It has now been over 35 years.
Somebody, somewhere, knows something. Now is the time to bring the truth to light. If you have a tip, you can call the Pennsylvania State Police at (814) 938-0535 or the Bradford Township Police at (814) 368-3564.
You can also reach out to Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-4-PA-TIPS or online at pa.crimestoppers.org. You will remain completely anonymous.
The family deserves answers, and Dale deserves to have his name cleared.