June 22, 2026 | By: Osaremen Uwaifo

This story is part of a collaborative project between Project: Cold Case and the University of North Florida’s Applied Journalism class.

Sabrina Mae Kahler’s life began as part of a family that moved from place to place. As the youngest of a blended family, Sabrina spent her early years surrounded by love and a few quirks that would become lasting and cherished memories.

Sabrina was born and raised in Erie, Pennsylvania and lived there until she was five. From there, her family moved briefly to Pleasant Run, Ohio, before settling for a while in Harrison, Ohio. To those closest to her, she was simply “Bree,” a nickname that captured her easygoing spirit.

Sabrina went missing in 2002 from Erie, Pennsylvania and was declared deceased by authorities eight years later. The mystery of what happened to her, though, has never been solved. While her life was filled with many phases and transitions, she is remembered for her tenderheartedness, even over two decades after her disappearance.

Her brother Scott was in his 20s when his younger sister went missing. He recalls small, tender moments from their childhood, moments that leave him with both warmth and melancholy.

“She used to say ‘wetteded’ instead of to wet something,” he said. “That’s something that’s always stuck with me; it was something cute that we would joke about.”

Growing up, Sabrina faced challenges. She attended the Barber National Institute in Erie for speech therapy and received support under a 504 plan that would allow her to work at her own pace in school.

Her mother, Susan, described her as tenderhearted. Her brother remembers her as friendly and loved by many. “She didn’t make waves or cause any problems,” he said. “She had at least three or four friends everywhere she went.”

Sabrina was a Girl Scout, participated in JROTC during high school, and once played an angel in a play at the Barber Center, a fitting role for someone her family saw as gentle and good-natured. She often sang in the church choir.

“She could sing and swim,” her mother said. “She was a real fish. Swimming was one of Sabrina’s greatest joys, and she was known to enjoy swimming with her friends in the pool in her backyard.

When Sabrina was 15, her parents divorced. She lived with her father for a while but eventually moved back in with her mother during her senior year of high school and the year that followed.

Sabrina graduated from high school in 2001, with the same hope and uncertainty that follows many young adults into their early 20s. But just a year later, that hope turned into loss.

On June 24, 2002, 20-year-old Sabrina was last seen at a swimming hole at Eagley Park in western Erie County, Pennsylvania. She was there with a man named David Sherman Heck. That afternoon, there was reportedly an altercation between Heck and his ex-girlfriend. Later, Sabrina and Heck went to the Tasty Twist ice cream stand, where he called the police about the fight with his ex. According to Heck, he gave Sabrina some money and dropped her off at the West Erie Plaza Movie Theater.

She was never seen again.

In 2010, after years of uncertainty, she was declared dead by authorities.

To her loved ones, Sabrina is remembered not only because of her disappearance but by the tenderness she brought into their lives. Scott still recalls their playful fights as kids. “She was always gentle, always trying to ease the burden on others.”

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Anyone with information in the disappearance of Sabrina Mae Kahler is asked to contact the Erie Police Department at (814) 870-1191. To remain anonymous, and possibly be eligible for a reward, you can submit a tip to Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers at (800) 472-8477.

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