On July 6, 2019, Chance Englebert was last seen on surveillance video walking north on 10th Street and then west through Terrytown. His phone last pinged near a tower near Western Travel Terminal, and the last thing anyone saw or heard from him was an incoherent text message. Several days later, massive search efforts were launched, but to no avail. Investigators say the case is still open, but there are no solid leads to help authorities figure out what happened that fateful Saturday night.

Background

Chance Leslie Englebert, a 25-year-old husband and father, had recently started a new job in Moorcroft, Wyoming, when he vanished on July 6, 2019. Chance, a native of Edgemont, South Dakota, competed in rodeos in high school and went on to study welding and diesel mechanics at Laramie County Community College in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Chance’s mother, Dawn, describes him as “… a good kid, shy and hardworking … a smart kid …” She doesn’t believe he disappeared intentionally, saying, “I never felt that Chance would leave his family.” Chance’s wife, Baylee, agrees, describing Chance as “… such a good father …” who was excited to share his passion for Demolition Derby with his son

The Disappearance of Chance Englebert

Chance and his wife, Baylee, were visiting her grandparents in Gering, Nebraska, on July 6, 2019, and Chance went golfing with some of Baylee’s family members. After an argument with his golf partners, he called her during the outing and asked her to pick him up so they could return to their Wyoming home. She drove back to her grandparents’ house instead of picking him up. Chance became upset and decided to go for a walk to calm down, as Baylee had suggested Chance do from time to time.

Baylee tried to find Chance after he walked out of sight, but she couldn’t find him. She called Chance around 7:46 p.m., and he told her he was walking south. According to later reports from his friends, he told them he was walking north toward Torrington, Wyoming. Chance’s last known contact was with his friend Matt Miller around 8:46 p.m. Chance’s aunt received a cryptic text message from him shortly after 9 p.m., and his phone promptly died or was turned off.

A strong thunderstorm passed through Gering around 9 p.m. that night, so Chance’s family suspected he sought shelter inside a local business or nearby building. Baylee’s grandfather drove around town looking for Chance, but he found nothing, and no one has heard from him since.

Chance was 25 years old at the time of his disappearance, a white male of medium build standing about 5’9″, with brown hair and hazel eyes. He was last seen wearing a Wrangler short-sleeved button-down shirt, blue Wrangler jeans, Roper boots, and a black-and-white trucker-style ball cap.

Still Missing After Three Year

When Chance didn’t return by the next morning, his family alerted local authorities, who launched an investigation and a large-scale search. At least 18 different agencies and hundreds of people were involved in the ground and air searches. Furthermore, authorities enlisted the assistance of K-9 teams and water search teams to look for Chance in nearby bodies of water, but all efforts were futile.

Chance was last seen in surveillance video around 10 p.m. the night he vanished, walking past local businesses near the intersection of Terry Boulevard and Stable Club Road in Terrytown, Nebraska. There were reports of possible sightings of Chance in Wyoming and Nebraska for months after his disappearance, including an interaction with a woman at a Walmart in Casper, Wyoming. Police followed the lead and reviewed six hours of Walmart video footage, but they were unable to confirm the sighting.

Where the case stands today

Brian Eads, the Gering Police Department’s lead investigator, stated that there are currently no persons of interest, but law enforcement continues to receive tips and is investigating all of them. He admitted that, while there is no evidence to suggest foul play in this case, there is also no evidence to rule it out completely. One theory his team has heard from multiple sources is that Chance’s disappearance was the result of a botched robbery. That possibility is being investigated by law enforcement.

A human arm bone was discovered near the North Platte River in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, in October 2021, which authorities initially thought belonged to Chance Englebert. Initial DNA testing efforts were unsuccessful, but the specimen is now being tested by a different lab, and results are still pending. Because the bone was discovered with a piece of fabric that did not match the description of Chance’s last-known clothing, the remains are unlikely to be his, but investigators aren’t ruling out a connection until they receive the final DNA testing results.

Investigating Agencies

There’s a $17,000 reward being offered for information leading to the discovery of Chance or the identity of the person or persons responsible for his disappearance. Anyone with information can contact the Gering Police Department at 308-436-5088 or private investigator Amanda Waldron at 307-797-0363. Anonymous tips can be reported to the We Help the Missing tip line at 866-660-4025.