Bernhardt's mother, Leah Hackett, told authorities that she had insomnia during the early morning hours of September 11, 2000. She stated that she left the townhouse she shared with her son in Clearwater, Florida at approximately 2:00 a.m. and took a short swim and a walk sround the area. Hackett said that Bernhardt had disappeared from their residence when she returned home. He has never been seen again. Accounts as to when Hackett discovered him missing differ; some state that she was out of their apartment only fifteen minutes, others that she was gone as long as two hours.

An extensive search of the area produced no evidence as to Bernhardt's whereabouts. Authorities believe he disappeared under suspicious circumstances. Kevin Jalbert, who resides near Bernhardt's home, told an acquaintance that he was a child murderer and was prepared to find another victim in early 2001. Authorities learned about Jalbert's comments and began tracking his movements. He attempted to solicit an undercover officer for assistance in a child abduction, rape and murder in September 2001. He was arrested shortly afterwards. Jalbert's sister said that he is a chronic liar and exaggerates to receive attention.

DNA samples taken from Jalbert did not match available evidence in Bernhardt's case, but authorities looked into the possibility that Jalbert was involved in the child's disappearance. Investigators found child pornography Web sites on Jalbert's home computer. It was determined that he visited a nearby landfill approximately two weeks after Bernhardt's disappearance. Jalbert had also been considered a suspect in a child abuse case in Florida some time prior to 2000. He was never charged in connection with the unrelated case. Authorities have not publicly announced if they still consider Jalbert a suspect in Bernhardt's disappearance.

In January 2002, a five-year-old boy was kidnapped from the same apartment complex Bernhardt disappeared from. The boy said his abductor put him in a car and drove for ten hours. The boy was left alive in a trash bin in Bushnell, Florida and he was rescued by a passing motorist. He had been sexually assaulted. Investigators looked into the possibility that the 2002 kidnapping and the Bernhardt case were connected, but eventually discarded the theory.

Bernhardt is described as an intelligent and cheerful child who excelled in school, where he was a third-grader. His mother and his father, who was absent from Bernhardt's life, have both been ruled out as suspects in his disappearance. Bernhardt's disappearance remains unsolved.