Kathey Horn, David Paul Czinki: ID’s ‘Nightmare Next Door’ Chronicles Death Of Missing Traverse City, Michigan, Teen
Kathey Horn, the 16-year-old teen who was found dead after she disappeared over 20 years ago, is the subject of a dramatic documentary tonight on Investigation Discovery. The crime show Nightmare Next Door will tell Kathey Horn’s story through interviews with law enforcement officials and others who were close to the investigation. Nightmare Next Door dramatizes a new murder case every Thursday.
Kathey Horn’s story made news headlines back in 1994 when the Traverse City High School student disappeared after a night out with friends. According to Horn’s mother, she had plans to attend a dance and meet up with friends at a coffee house. When she didn’t return home, it was revealed that she and some friends had accepted a ride with an older acquaintance after leaving the coffee shop, according to the Los Angeles Times.
A massive search was launched to find Kathey Horn but nothing turned up, until mushroom hunters found her clothing in a heavily wooded area along Pike School Road two years later. The missing girl’s human remains were discovered about 10 days later. An autopsy report concluded that the body was that of Kathey Horn. Examiners were unable to make an exact determination of death. Law enforcement officials were later able to link David Paul Czinki to the crime. He was eventually convicted of her murder.
In an eerie turn of events, it came to light that just after Czinki murdered the teenager, he was seen by a couple who was driving along Pike School Road late that same night. According to court records from the Michigan public records directory, the witness stated that he observed a disheveled-looking man with a shovel behind a parked van as if he was digging something. He also noticed a woman, who appeared to be “propped up,” inside the car. The woman wasn’t moving and had a grayish-looking appearance. The witness did not report the incident because he had no phone signal. He didn’t think about the incident again, until he happened to see a photo of the missing girl almost two years later.
Timeline For Kathey Horn, aka Katheryn Lynn Horn.
Friday, September 23, 1994 — Kathey Horn attends classes at Traverse City High School. After school, she spends the night with a friend.
September 24, 1994 — Katheryn Horn meets up with friends to attend a dance, then the group gathers at a coffee shop. For reasons unknown, the group gets into the vehicle of David Czinki, a shady man who offers them marijuana. At around 2 a.m., several friends get out of Czinki’s car, leaving Kathey Horn with him. This is the last time she is seen alive.
David Paul Czinki states that after leaving the group, Kathey decided to get out of the car. By that Monday, a missing persons report is filed. Missing posting fliers state that Kathey Horn was last seen wearing a blue shirt and blue jeans with black sneakers. She also has two tattoos of a star and moon.
May 2001 — The murder trial for David Paul Czinki begins.
January 2002 — David Czinki is found guilty of second-degree murder and sentenced to 32 to 55 years in prison. He tries to appeal his conviction in 2003. His conviction is upheld.
Nightmare Next Door episode Bewitching Hour airs tonight at 9 p.m. on Investigation Discovery. Here is the tease. Last week, Inquisitr reported on the Lauren Gidden murder case, which was also aired on Nightmare Next Door.
“In Traverse City, MI, 16-year-old Kathey Horn vanishes into the night. As police work tirelessly to find her, they uncover an underworld in their majestic town filled with nomadic hippies, witches and cults. Could Kathey have fallen under their spell?”
[Photo Credit: Facebook]
