The Disappearance of Christopher Kerze

Did he kill himself? Was he murdered? Did he run off to meet a friend about whom his family knew nothing? Did he join some cult and if so, is he still a part of it? Did he die while a member of this unnamed, unknown group? Did he leave it, and has for decades been too ashamed to admit his error?
Is he indeed dead, but his demise has nothing to do with his departure from an apparently loving, caring and tight knit home?
His parents have no idea. Since his disappearance, they have not moved hom...