Fairfield police re-examining 1991 cold case following arrest of ex-pastor

ByTim Johns KGO logo
Thursday, July 27, 2023
Fairfield police re-examining 1991 cold case after arrest of ex-pastor
Fairfield Police Department is re-examining the 1991 cold case of Amanda 'Nikki' Campbell following the arrest of ex-pastor David Zandstra.

FAIRFIELD, Calif. (KGO) -- It's a case that's been unsolved for over 30 years. Back in December of 1991, then 4-year-old Amanda 'Nikki' Campbell vanished while riding her bike in Fairfield. Decades later, Campbell's disappearance still lives on in the memories of many in the community.

"It was a big deal. A very big deal. I'm sure if you went to any neighborhood in Fairfield, you would talk to people who remember it," said Fairfield resident, Kathleen Perez.

Now, though, a possible new lead. The Fairfield Police Department saying they're following up on Campbell's case once again.

The reason Fairfield police say they're re-examining this case isn't because of anything that happened here in the Bay Area. Instead, it's because of developments that happened thousands of miles away in Pennsylvania and Georgia.

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Those developments include the arrest of 83-year-old David Zandstra.

Investigators say Zandstra, who currently lives outside of Atlanta, recently admitted to killing an 8-year-old Pennsylvania girl back in 1975.

"This man is evil. He killed this poor 8-year-old girl he knew and who trusted him," said Delaware County, Pennsylvania District Attorney, Jack Stollsteimer.

After leaving Pennsylvania, he then moved here to California. From 1990 to 2005, he was the pastor of the Fairfield Christian Reformed Church - just a short drive from where Campbell went missing.

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"Everybody was scared. Everybody was very protective of their children. Everybody held them a little closer, a little tighter," said fellow Fairfield resident, Karen Hardy.

Fairfield police will be looking to see if Zandstra could have been involved in Campbell's case, too.

In the meantime, local neighbors say they just want the mystery to be over.

"This family needs closure. It's been 32 years," Hardy said.

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