Authorities have contacted the family of a Wyoming man who disappeared in 2019 after unidentified human remains were discovered in Nebraska last weekend.
In a Facebook post shared on October 11 on the Help Find Chance Engelbert page, the family confirmed they had spoken with law enforcement, as reported by Cowboy State Daily, CBS affiliate KOLN, and the North Platte Post. The family emphasized that no formal evidence yet confirms the remains belong to Chance Engelbert.
“Early this morning, our family was contacted by law enforcement officials in Scottsbluff County [in Nebraska]. We were informed of a discovery that may be related to the disappearance of Chance,” they wrote.
“At this critical juncture, we need to emphasize that there is no positive identification or additional evidence to confirm that the individual is Chance,” the statement continued.
Engelbert was 25 when he went missing in July 2019, according to Cowboy State Daily. At the time, he was visiting his wife’s family with their infant son in Gering, Nebraska.
During the visit, an argument reportedly occurred, and Engelbert decided he wanted to return home to Moorcroft, Wyoming. He contacted a friend, Matt Miller, who lived in Gillette, Wyoming, to pick him up, the outlet reported.
In a 2022 interview with NewsNation, Miller recalled telling Engelbert to wait. “He got in a fight with his in-laws and he was wanting to come back to Wyoming, to his house here in Moorcroft and needed a ride immediately,” Miller said. “He sounded upset. He wanted to get the heck out of Nebraska.”
Engelbert was later seen in surveillance video walking through Gering in the early evening, NewsNation reported. His phone went dark after he sent a text message to his aunt that included a grumpy face emoji and jumbled letters. The next morning, Engelbert’s wife reported him missing.
Despite extensive searches using drones, K-9 units, and volunteers, no trace of him has been found in the years since.
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On Friday, October 10, an individual notified authorities in Nebraska about what appeared to be human remains near the north side of the National Park Service site at Scotts Bluff National Monument, according to Gering Police Capt. Jason Rogers, as reported by the North Platte Post. The scene was secured, and authorities returned the following day for further investigation.
Ryan Couch, a former volunteer private investigator who had worked with the Engelbert family, told Cowboy State Daily that the remains were found roughly three to five miles from where Engelbert was last seen on surveillance footage walking alone.
Rogers noted that it will take time for the remains to be identified and for the cause of death to be determined.
The Gering Police Department has not yet provided additional updates.
In their Facebook post, the Engelbert family urged patience and respect during the ongoing investigation.
“We ask the entire ‘Chance’s Army’ community for your patience and respect during this time. Please allow law enforcement to conduct their thorough investigation. Our family is waiting for official confirmation and further information from the authorities,” the family wrote.
“We ask for your prayers as we wait, hoping that this discovery brings closure, whether for our family or for another family searching for their missing loved one,” the statement concluded.
