Fairfield police reopen Nikki Campbell's disappearance case after break in another cold case
FAIRFIELD – Two cold cases are separated by more than 2,500 miles apart but may be closely tied.
In Fairfield, detectives just reopened a missing person investigation involving the disappearance of Nikki Campbell in 1991. This comes after Pennsylvania prosecutors announced a former pastor is arrested in a similar case.
That pastor, David Zandstra, served at a Solano County church around the time of Campbell's disappearance. A question that has eluded Fairfield police for more than 30 years is what happened to the 4-year-old?
The mystery still haunts neighbors living on Salisbury Drive.
"She was riding her bike down the street and then she just disappeared," Ann McKune said.
A former lead investigator told CBS13 that not a day goes by when he does not think of the Fairfield girl.
However, a breakthrough in a Pennsylvania cold case could also spark more clues into Campbell's disappearance. An age-progression photo shows what she would have looked like at 24 years old. If alive, she would be 36 years of age today.
Some neighbors only spoke to CBS13 under the condition of anonymity.
"Deep down, I feel she was kidnapped and murdered," a neighbor said.
On the day Campbell vanished, the neighbor said the young girl knocked on her door to see if her daughters could play but the mother explained the family was having dinner.
Never did she think that would be the last time she saw Campbell.
In Pennsylvania, prosecutors recently announced David Zandstra confessed to the killing of a girl in 1975.
"He killed this poor eight-year-old girl he knew and who trusted him," said Jack Stollsteimer, district attorney of Delaware County.
Pennsylvania investigators tracked the former pastor in Georgia. Records show the 83-year-old crisscrossed the country while serving at multiple Christian Reformed Churches — including in Fairfield.
CBS13 did reach out to the church but did not receive a response.
Next, his DNA will be submitted into a database to see if there are hits in other jurisdictions.
"You don't like to see that type of thing happen in your neighborhood or anybody's neighborhood really," another neighbor said.
CBS13 asked Fairfield police if investigators plan to reopen Campbell's case. The department said a detective from the Special Victim's Unit has been assigned to follow up after learning about the arrest of Zandstra.