CA CA - Van and Chantra (deceased) Chanpenxi, 64 & 51, Hogback Island, 28 Nov 2013

New Posts

Reader

Reader

New Member
Joined
Jan 26, 2004
Messages
7,033
Reaction score
93
Son seeks help finding parents missing since Thanksgiving fishing trip

Mystery surrounds the disappearance of a California couple who vanished while out on their boat on Thanksgiving.

Van and Chantra Chanpenxi were last seen launching their fishing vessel from the Hogback Island access point onto the Sacramento River Delta on Thursday afternoon.

Hours later, however, the boat was found running in circles on the water — with no sign of the couple whatsoever.

Their son Jim is now speaking out in the desperate hope someone holds the clue to his parents' whereabouts.....

Family members said they were set to meet with cops on Monday evening — and will expand their search outside of the delta area.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nat...-fishing-trip-article-1.1535787#ixzz2mWvTb2rv
 
picture.php


Sacramento County Sheriff's Department
Van, 64, and Chantra Chanpenxi, 51, were last seen launching their fishing boat on Thanksgiving Day.
 
Family Searching Delta After Couple’s Boat Found Abandoned On Thanksgiving
December 1, 2013 11:45 PM

The couple went out on the Delta on their fishing boat Thanksgiving afternoon, but hours later their boat was discovered empty.

“The boat was running, going in circles is what the Coast Guard said,” said Vue.

The Coast Guard and deputies searched the area but the only evidence they’ve found is the couple’s truck, which still sits in the parking lot.......

According to the family, Van mentioned he was going to meet a friend that day. But they don’t know who that friend was and haven’t been able to locate anyone who knows anything about that meeting.
Click to expand...
 
By now they should know via phone records who he had spoken to. I guess it could have been someone he spoke to in person. So odd.
 
http://www.news10.net/news/article/...latives-conduct-search-along-Sacramento-River

.......Chanpensai was one of the last people to speak to his parents, who disappeared Thursday sometime after they parked their truck and launched their fishing boat from Hogback Island.

"I talked to my mom around 12:30, noon time," Jim said.

His mother answered his father's phone and explained that he was busy dealing with his fishing gear.

"Since my dad was busy, she told me to call him back maybe at night time after they're done fishing," Chanpensai said.

But a few hours after that phone call, the couple's empty boat was spotted.

"The Coast Guard found his boat was just spinning around the river," the couple's nephew, Joe Chanphenxi said.

Chanphenxi explained his uncle was a stickler for safety and always insisted that everyone wear life jackets........
 
The mention of the meeting with a mysterious friend makes me think of foul play, but you'd have to be some kind of gymnast to jump into a boat, murder two people, throw them overboard, leave the boat going round in circles and jump back into your own boat and get away. I can't see anyone being able to lean over from another boat and start the motor after, either.

This sounds like a terrible accident - maybe his line got caught on something and he went overboard, and she didn't stop the engine first before trying to help him and went over too. Once they were both in the water, the boat went over them. That would have been enough to rip the life jackets - not that either of them could have got back in the boat anyway, even if they'd lived, with the thing going in circles.

However, the mention of the 'friend' does play on my mind a little, because with another boat with two men in it, not one, it just might have been possible to stage foul play as an accident, with the boat still running. I haven't seen any mention of what was found in the boat - fishing gear, clothing, life jackets, phones?

If there turns out to be big business or money issues/disputes in Van and Chantra's lives, I would rethink the possibility of an accident though.
 
Actually, it is funny that they told a family member they were going to meet 'a friend' but didn't name that friend. Usually, family who are in regular contact know each other's friends and would say 'We're meeting John/Fred/Harry etc'. If I was chatting with a family member and they mentioned a nameless friend, I'd automatically ask, 'Who's that then?' to see if I knew them. But maybe that's because I'm perpetually curious - nosey, if you want to put it like that.
 
Pulling some info for reference:



http://www.regionalparks.saccounty.net/Parks/SacramentoRiverandDelta/Pages/HogbackIsland.aspx

"The expansive parking lot and grassy picnic area slopes down to a handsome lagoon with a dock and two-lane boat launch. "


********************************************


http://www.arpf.org/passport.shtml

"Sacramento County Parks Pass

The Sacramento County Parks Pass allows entry for a Annual Parks into all parks of the Sacramento County Park system.
Click here to other locations where you may purchase your annual parks pass.
Click here for a map of the locations to purchase park passes.
Pass is valid at the following locations:
<snipped by me>
2. Sacramento River Delta. Cliffhouse, Hogback Island and Sherman Island.
 
Thanks for the additional comments and information on the park!

Does anybody know how deep the water is in the area where the boat was found. Is there some reason the authorities have not had divers in to look for them, or did they? It wasn't clear to me.

The missing couple is noted on the sheriff's FB page, on R, scroll down:
https://www.facebook.com/SacSheriff

Another article: (Has video and interview with the son; the sheriff did use cadaver dogs)

Deputy Sheriff Marc Warren of the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department told KCRA 3 investigators have not seen any signs of foul play and believe the couple likely drowned.

“The water temperature is 54 degrees. And it’s very difficult for people to survive in a water temperature that cold,” Warren said.

Family members told KCRA 3 that Van knew how to swim, but Chantra did not.

The Sheriff's Department said the vehicle and trailer that belonged to the couple was being processed at a marina in the area.

Crime scene investigators also went to the couple's home in Sacramento to search for any clues that may provide information in this case.


Read more: http://www.kcra.com/news/local-news...23242632/-/di7v6xz/-/index.html#ixzz2moI6rBsh
 
Reader said:
Thanks for the additional comments and information on the park!

Does anybody know how deep the water is in the area where the boat was found. Is there some reason the authorities have not had divers in to look for them, or did they? It wasn't clear to me.

The missing couple is noted on the sheriff's FB page, on R, scroll down:
https://www.facebook.com/SacSheriff

Another article: (Has video and interview with the son; the sheriff did use cadaver dogs)

Deputy Sheriff Marc Warren of the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department told KCRA 3 investigators have not seen any signs of foul play and believe the couple likely drowned.

“The water temperature is 54 degrees. And it’s very difficult for people to survive in a water temperature that cold,” Warren said.

Family members told KCRA 3 that Van knew how to swim, but Chantra did not.

The Sheriff's Department said the vehicle and trailer that belonged to the couple was being processed at a marina in the area.

Crime scene investigators also went to the couple's home in Sacramento to search for any clues that may provide information in this case.


Read more: http://www.kcra.com/news/local-news...23242632/-/di7v6xz/-/index.html#ixzz2moI6rBsh
Click to expand...

I'm wondering the same things.

Texas Equusearch could be really helpful here, imo.
 
I just did a search and nothing new, except it seems there is additional video on this link:

http://www.news10.net/news/article/...latives-conduct-search-along-Sacramento-River

The family was allowed to search the truck for any info to help. Apparently the cadaver dogs were used to find any scent to show where to search. Being called a recovery effort now.

Some comments from people that knew them saying how well liked they are.
 
How sad for the son.....He was calling his dad.
 
and why was the family allowed to search the truck? That seems really odd to me (is it?), unless LE had done whatever they needed to do to it first and then released it to the family. But why even include that detail? Weird. I hope they are safe, but well... its been a while now.
 
AzPistonsGirl said:
and why was the family allowed to search the truck? That seems really odd to me (is it?), unless LE had done whatever they needed to do to it first and then released it to the family. But why even include that detail? Weird. I hope they are safe, but well... its been a while now.
Click to expand...

I think the video said they were allowed to search the belongings for any leads, probably for the person the father said he was to meet, or any other contacts they've had recently. The LE had already searched it I understand.
 
margarita25 said:
Any updates?
Click to expand...

Another search and nothing shown is recent. In fact the first on the list is this thread.

Here is a blog that had a little more info. They had caught some fish. Unless, as the son suspects they were kidnapped, the only thing I can think is one of them fell over and the other went in to help and they didn't survive the cold water. That was a sturdy boat and the father was an experienced boater and swimmer. But neither apparently had life vests on.

http://www.jocosarblog.org/jocosarblog/2013/12/ca-search-continues-for-missing-couple.html

“The water temperature is 54 degrees and it is very difficult for people to survive in water temperatures that cold,” said Sacramento Sheriff’s Deputy Marc Warren.

Inside the couple’s boat investigators found freshly caught fish and enough life jackets to suggest the neither husband nor wife were wearing one.

“There’s campaigns for children wearing life jackets. However, it is the adults that we often find that become the victims of drownings,” said Warren.

The Sheriff’s Department searched the couple’s Sacramento area home and their abandoned pickup truck at the boat launch. For now volunteer crews and family members will continue the search for the Chanpenxis. The sheriff’s department says if the couple drowned it could be a week or more before their bodies surface, given the cold water temperature.
Click to expand...
 
New search and nothing new that I can find.

It's been over a month now. You would think if they drowned they would have surfaced by now.

Thoughts for the family during this holiday season without their loved ones.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

DNASolves

Who is Escambia County John Doe (1989)?

Members online

... and 168 more.
Total: 1,607 (members: 169, guests: 1,438)

Online statistics

Members online
169
Guests online
1,438
Total visitors
1,607
Totals may include hidden visitors.

Forum statistics

Threads
591,780
Messages
17,958,715
Members
228,606
Latest member
wdavewong
Back
Top