In 2019, This 25-Year-Old Husband And Father Disappeared After Sending A Cryptic Text Message To His Aunt

Chance Leslie Englebert grew up in Edgemont, South Dakota, and was known by his mother as “a good, shy, hardworking, and smart kid.” Throughout his teen years, he competed in rodeo competitions while attending high school.
Then, following high school graduation, Chance enrolled at Laramie County Community College located in Cheyenne, Wyoming. While there, he studied diesel mechanics and welding.
By the time Chance was 25-years-old in 2019, he had already become a husband and father of a baby boy. That year, he also accepted a new job offer in Moorcroft, Wyoming.
Following a family gathering on July 6, 2019, though, Chance vanished– and his family has been left searching for answers.
That Saturday, Chance and his wife, Baylee, headed out to Gering, Nebraska, in order to visit Baylee’s grandparents. Upon arrival, Chance also decided to go golfing with some of his in-laws.
Shortly afterward, though, Baylee received a call from her husband– who was still on the course. He detailed how he had gotten into an argument with his golf mates and wanted Baylee to pick him up and drive him back home to Wyoming.
The 25-year-old did get a ride from his wife; however, she ultimately drove back to her grandparent’s home instead.
This frustrated Chance, and after he became upset, he opted to go on a walk to cool off. According to Baylee, this was not uncharacteristic of her husband.
After Chance began his walk and exited his wife’s view, though, Baylee set out looking for him. The spouses did speak on the phone at about 7:46 p.m., during which Chance claimed he was walking south.

Facebook – pictured above is Chance
Although, it was later uncovered during the investigation that Chance had told other friends he was actually heading north toward Torrington, Wyoming.
Nonetheless, the last person Chance spoke with on the evening of his disappearance was his friend, Matt Miller.
The pair talked at about 8:45 p.m.; then, just after 9:00 p.m., Chance’s aunt received a cryptic text message from his phone.
Following those points of contact, the 25-year-old’s phone either died or was turned off.
At the same time, a turbulent thunderstorm passed through the Gering region at 9:00 p.m. So, at that point, Chance’s family suspected that the 25-year-old might have looked for shelter inside a nearby local business.
This prompted Baylee’s grandfather to begin driving around town while looking for Chance. Tragically, though, this effort yielded no results, and he has remained missing ever since.
Local law enforcement officers were notified of Chance’s disappearance the following morning after his family members realized he still had not returned home.
Investigators then launched wide-scale search efforts– employing 147 people, 18 agencies, and covering 2,400 acres of ground.
Air searches, K-9 teams, and water search teams were also deployed to look for Chance. But, no evidence of the 25-year-old was ever uncovered.
Chance was last spotted on surveillance video at about 10:00 p.m. on July 6, 2019, when he walked past small businesses located near the intersection of Stable Club Road and Terry Boulevard in Terrytown, Nebraska.
And over the following months, investigators received numerous reports of possible sightings in Nebraska and Wyoming. Unfortunately, none of these leads have ever been confirmed or led investigators to answers.
Brian Eads of the Gering Police Department, the lead investigator on the case, revealed that there is currently no person(s) of interest.
While authorities do not have any evidence to suggest foul play, though, Eads did suggest that they do not have enough evidence to completely rule it out, either.
One specific theory that Eads and his team heard concerned the possibility that Chance’s disappearance might have been caused by a robbery gone wrong. This has not been confirmed, though, and investigators are looking into the theory.
In October 2021, there was also another possible break in the case. That month, a human arm bone was found in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, near the North Platte River. Upon discovery, investigators suspected that the bone might have belonged to Chance.
The initial efforts for DNA testing were unsuccessful. However, the bone is now in the custody of another lab, and the DNA results are still pending.
Since the specimen was discovered along with a piece of fabric that did not match Chance’s last-known outfit, though, it is not likely the bone belonged to him. Still, investigators are not ruling out this possibility until receiving the DNA testing results.
In the meantime, loved ones and community members have taken to social media in hopes of spreading further awareness about Chance’s case. A Facebook group entitled “Help Find Chance Englebert” was created and now has over 40,000 followers.
A Change.org petition was also launched in hopes of getting the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) involved in the case. The petition has since gained nearly 20,000 signatures.
According to Chance’s mother, Dawn, her son would not just disappear intentionally.
“I never felt that Chance would leave his family,” she said.
His wife, Baylee, agreed– detailing how Chance was “such a good father” who was eager to share his passions with his son.
At the time of his disappearance, Chance was five foot nine, of medium build, and had brown hair and hazel eyes. He was last seen wearing Wrangler blue jeans, a short-sleeve button-down Wrangler shirt, Roper boots, and a black and white trucker ball cap. There is currently a $17,000 reward being offered for any information that leads to the location of Chance or the identity of the person(s) responsible for his disappearance.
If you have any information, you are urged to contact the Gering Police Department at (307) 797-0363.
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