The Mysterious Disappearance of Chance Engelbert: A Search for Answers

Discover the chilling story of Chance Leslie Engelbert, who disappeared under mysterious circumstances in July of 2019. A young father, just 25 years old, with dreams of working on the family ranch in South Dakota, Chance's tale is one that has left his family – and us – grappling for answers. A cryptic text message, a flurry of phone calls, and then nothing but silence. What really happened to Chance Engelbert?

Want to lend a hand? We're not just sharing his story; we're also supporting the Engelbert family's pursuit for the truth. Tune in to learn about the various ways you can help, from joining the 'Help Find Chance Engelbert' Facebook group to signing a petition for FBI involvement in the case. Let's gather our collective strengths and use the power of community to seek justice for Chance. Subscribe to our podcast, follow us on social media, and share this episode to keep his story alive. Together, we can make a difference.

Anyone with information can contact the Gering Police Department at 308-436-5088. Anonymous tips can be reported to the We Help the Missing tip line at 866-660-4025 and also to CrimeStoppers.

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Transcript

Mysterious Disappearance of Chance Engelbert

Speaker 1 0:46

Hey guys , today , to begin with , you can take struggled… Let me try another thing… . Hey guys , welcome back to another episode of Dark Crossroads . This is your host , jackson Fletcher , and today we're doing another unsolved case . If you are into true crime or if you listen to True Crime Podcast , I'm sure that you've heard of this case . If not , I hope that you learned something , and if you have heard of it , I hope that you get some more out of today's story . But with that said , I'm just going to jump right in .

Speaker 1 1:44

Chance Leslie Engelbert was a 25 year old husband and father who mysteriously disappeared while visiting his in-laws in Gearing , nebraska , on July 6 , 2019 . Chance was born on December 2 , 1993 , near Edgmont in South Dakota . Chance grew up on his family's ranch in Burdock with his parents and his two brothers . His mother says that he was an athlete and a cowboy at heart . Chance competed in rodeo competitions in high school , earning a bull riding scholarship to Laramie County Community College in Cheyenne , wyoming . It was there that he earned his reputation as a champion rider and a degree in welding and diesel mechanics . His interest in welding led to his love for demolition , derby cars and racing . Chance's mother describes him as a good kid , shy and hardworking . He was a smart kid . She doesn't believe that he disappeared intentionally , saying I never felt that Chance would leave his family . Chance's wife , bailey , also agrees , describing Chance as such a good father who was excited to share his passion for demolition , derby , with his son . Just a week before Chance disappeared , he lost his job . The coal mine where he had worked as a welder laid off 600 employees . Chance knew that he had to find a job and had to do so quickly , so he ended up accepting a position with a local propane company . He would start his new job when he returned from a 4th of July visit with Bailey's family in Garing , nebraska .

Speaker 1 3:17

Chance , his wife Bailey and their three-month-old son made the 220-mile drive to visit her grandparents in Garing , nebraska , from their home in Moorcroft , wyoming . On Saturday , july 6 , chance went golfing with Bailey's dad and her sister's boyfriend . Bailey spoke to Chance while he was on the course and at the time he seemed to be in a good mood . She said that the guys were drinking and having fun together . But a short time later he ends up calling her back and asking her to come pick him up . He states that he was upset over a comment that one of the golf partners made about his new job . According to Bailey , the couple had an argument while in the car before Chance ends up exiting the car at her grandparents' house and takes a walk . Bailey later explains that at first she wasn't concerned because when Chance would get upset he would sometimes just take a walk to cool off . However , this time he never returned . After Chance walks out of view , bailey tries calling him and when he didn't answer she went looking for him but she couldn't find him . He did finally pick up the phone around 7.46pm and he told her he was walking south toward Kimball . And then he hangs up the phone Now I just want to make a little note here to remember that he tells Bailey he's walking south .

Speaker 1 4:38

Later on it is discovered that Chance was also in contact with some of his friends who he had told that he was walking north in a ditch towards Torrington , wyoming . Chance is calling several of his friends and family members during this time asking for a ride . However , he is not able to secure one due to his distance from his home in Wyoming . Shortly after Chance walks away from Bailey's family's home , he calls his friend Matt to ask him to come pick him up . Chance tells him that he needs a ride home and that he's going to start walking from Garing to Torrington , wyoming , which is only around 35 miles away . Matt is the last known person to talk to Chance that night at 8.46pm .

Speaker 1 5:22

The final text message that was sent from his phone was a cryptic text sent to his aunt at 9.08pm . This message was a random series of numbers and emojis and , according to Chance's mother , chance does not use emojis very often or at all , and she believes that the text may have been sent from someone other than Chance Before his phone turned off or the battery died . Chance's phone pings for the last time from a cell tower near Riverview Golf Course shortly after 9pm . This tower shows his phone pinging for the last time roughly 2-3 miles south or southeast of the tower . Shortly after it is assumed that his phone died or was shut off because his phone activity went dark , a strong thunderstorm blew through Garing around 9pm that evening that he disappeared . Bailey's family speculated he may have taken shelter inside a local business or nearby building . When the storm was over , bailey's grandfather ended up driving around town looking for Chance , but his search ended up coming up empty . A witness comes forward telling investigators that she seen Chance walking alone at around 7.49pm on July 6th walking past a Domino's Pizza restaurant On 10th Street in Garing . This sighting is also confirmed by surveillance video . According to a witness , chance is walking north towards Scotts Bluff , nebraska . No one has heard from Chance since .

Speaker 1 6:55

When Chance didn't return by the next morning , bailey notified local law enforcement and , after called from concerned families and friends , the Gearing Police Department launched an investigation and a wide-scale search on July 7 . According to Gearing Police Department , over 147 people participated in ground searches in the area he was last seeing along the North Platte River and also some railroad property that was in the area . Eighteen specialized agencies helped with wider search of multiple ground , air and water areas . These were conducted using drones , divers helicopters , airplanes , cadaver and scent dogs . Both Air Link and Nebraska State Police helicopters covered a combined 380 miles of air searches and canines were used to search around ten different local lakes and ponds , as well as the river . Searches for Chance continue throughout July 9 and investigators announce at the end of the day that the search will continue the following day . During this announcement , officials also asked the public and business owners to turn in any surveillance footage that may have been collected from 7.30 pm to around 11 pm on the evening of July 6 . In the end , over 2,400 acres were searched and finally the central Gearing Canal was drained , but there was no sign of Chance found . The night had disappeared . Chance was last seen in surveillance video around 10 pm , walking alone past local businesses near the intersection of Terry Boulevard and Stable Club Road , terry Town , nebraska .

Speaker 1 8:33

For months after Chance's disappearance , there were reports of possible sightings of him in Wyoming and Nebraska , including a possible interaction with a woman at a Walmart in Casper . Wyoming Investigators followed the lead and reviewed six whole hours of video footage from the Walmart store , but they were unable to confirm the sighting . As of today , the lead investigator from the Gearing Police Department stated that there are currently no persons of interest , but law enforcement continues to receive tips and they are investigating every single one of them . The department has enlisted outside investigators in K-19s . They have executed search warrants and conducted polygraph tests . Bailey , chance's wife and her family have been forthcoming and thoroughly investigated , and all of the family members have been interviewed and their properties have been searched by law enforcement . Both families , along with Chance's friend Matt , have conducted multiple searches along the river , in the water and across hundreds of acres of land , but not one of these searches has brought them closer to finding Chance .

Speaker 1 9:36

Members of Chance's family , including his wife Bailey , make a plea to the public to come forward with any information regarding Chance's disappearance . While on the topic of Chance's wife Bailey , according to police reports , south Dakota ex-Senator Lindy DeSanto visits Bailey's home in Warcroft unannounced . During this visit , she ends up recording three videos of the visit . Bailey was very upset about this encounter and ends up calling police to file a complaint against her . In May of 2020 , a Crook County judge ends up writing a temporary protection order for Bailey against the South Dakota ex-Senator . The judge stated it appears there exists a clear and present danger of future stalking or of serious adverse consequences to Bailey .

Speaker 1 10:25

A detective with the Gearing Police Department acknowledged that , while authorities have no evidence to indicate foul play in this case , they also have no evidence to rule it out completely . According to Gearing Police Department , multiple reported sightings of Chance were reported in Casper , wyoming , in the week following Chance's disappearance . These reports stated that someone resembling Chance was seen walking and attempting to hitchhike along I-25 in Casper . Local law enforcement officials who arrived on scene were unable to locate any hitchhikers along I-25 . Nearly a week after Chance was last seen , officials released a new photo of Chance showing the clothing that he had been wearing on the night that he disappeared .

Speaker 1 11:08

In October of 2021 , mahondar was setting up a goosebind in the morning near the North Platte River in Scottsville , nebraska , not far from Link's 79th East on Nebraska 92 . This was one of the last places that Chance was last seen . While doing this , the hunter unfortunately stumbles upon a part of a lower human arm bone . Authorities originally thought that this could belong to Chance . A forensic pathologist did confirm that the bone belonged to a human . A lab tried to get DNA from the bone marrow , but because of the age of the bone and other factors , such as the bone having been under water , the lab was unable to return a valid result . But the specimen was then sent to another lab and results are pending to this day . The bone was found with a piece of fabric that was about 100 feet from it . This fabric is believed to be of a shirt . The fabric doesn't match the description of Chance's last known clothing , so , because of this , authorities believe it is unlikely the remains of him , but they cannot roll it out .

Speaker 1 12:13

In July of 2019 , a $10,000 reward was offered by officials for information in Chance's case . Following this , in honor of his 29th birthday , chance's maternal grandmother donated $200,000 to the reward fund , bringing the total to $220,000 . She hoped somebody will come forward with new information about her grandson's disappearance . Chance's mom is begging the Scottsbluff and Garan community to remember Chance , saying please , if you know anything , call somebody . A year after Chance disappeared , his friends and his family , as well as several members of the community , take a walk and hold a prayer vigil for Chance . The walk begins at the Domino's Pizza where Chance had been seen for the last time by a witness the night of his disappearance . The walk then continues to the last area he was seen on surveillance video . The prayer vigil is held at Terry's Lake at the end of their walk . It has been four years since Chance was last seen in Gehring , nebraska .

Speaker 1 13:22

He was wearing a short sleeved button-up wrangler shirt , dark blue jeans , a belt with a rodeo buckle , old-school roper boots and black and white trucker cap . He is 5 feet 9 inches tall , about 190 pounds , medium build , with sun-lightened brown hair , a mustache and a goatee . He was 25 years old when he went missing on July 6 , 2019 . Anyone with information is very much encouraged to contact the Gehring Police Department at 308-436-5088 . Anonymous tips can be reported to the we Help the Missing tip line at 866-660-4025 , and also to Crime Stoppers .

Supporting Chance Engelbert's Family

Speaker 1 14:15

There is also a Facebook page that I very much encourage everybody listening to this to follow to help support Chance's family and also be able to receive up-to-date information about his case . This Facebook page is titled Help Fine Chance Engelbert , and one other easy and free way that you can help this family is to sign their petition to help get the FBI involved In this case . This family deserves answers about their loved one . I have signed the petition myself . It only takes a few seconds . I will have a link to this and the Facebook page on our show notes and also on our Facebook and Instagram . Okay , guys , thanks for hanging out again today . Hopefully we can get more eyes on this case and get some answers for this family . Don't forget to follow us on social and like , rate , review and subscribe wherever you're listening to this episode , and don't forget to be weird , stay different and don't trust anyone .