Found Deceased TX - Michael Chambers, 70, Hunt County, 10 March 2017 #1

[eekasaur]

Oh, Pmerle...first of all, thank you for the updates. They are much appreciated...so many of us care about your Papaw. I know words don't help ease the pain, but I just wanted to let you know that I've been thinking of you, your Papaw, and your family for these past few weeks since we last saw you here on the boards. Wishing you lots of love and strength from California...

 

[SavetheQueen]

How could the family submit an inquiry to find this out? I'm assuming you can't just call my bank and say "hey - does anyone by THIS NAME/SSN/BIRTH DATE have an account with you?"

Basically, yeah. Look through every shred of paper at the home. Bank statements. Pass codes. Anything that could lead you to it possibly existing. Look at the larger banks with branches nationwide. He'd need to access it from wherever he is, right? And look at the online banks such as Simple, Aim, etc. He could access an account with an online bank from anywhere. Look on the Texas Comptroller missing money site. Unclaimed funds. It may give you a clue to an unknown account.


*All statements are that of my own opinion unless otherwise specified.*

 

[SavetheQueen]

Argh! This frustrates me for you and your family. Papaw isn't old news! I've followed many cases on here and yes, some do drop off the radar. Something isn't sitting well with me about the lack of media coverage.

Have any specific reporters or media contacts responded with why they won't do a follow-up story?

Very frustrating. Have a media blitz. Contact every media outlet that you can think of.


*All statements are that of my own opinion unless otherwise specified.*

 

[QueenBea13]

I know it sounds crazy but could LE be involved?


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[sassyblue]

Pmerle00, the following is going to take a long winded path but in dealing with some problems my parents have had recently it has made me think of your Papaw.

My parents are elderly and live in a very rural setting and still trust everybody that shows up at their door, everybody that calls on their phone etc....despite my constant harping to trust no one ever, ever, ever!

My father had a man show up a few weeks ago asking if they needed anything done around their farm as he was looking for work and needed money as his family was in a bad situation and they were all starving. My dad is a kind man so he thought of several things the stranger could do like cutting down some dead trees for firewood. He paid the guy upfront for the trees (the amount the man asked for to complete the job since he had his very own chainsaws and tools with him) and took him to the back forty to the trees he wanted cut down and was surprised to check later to find the man was gone and no trees were cut. My dad's belief in humanity was dented but not destroyed yet. He thought surely the man had an emergency and got called on a cell phone and would be back.

A few weeks later the man showed up again and asked if there was anything else he could do for money and my dad promptly told him he could actually do what he paid him to do a few weeks ago. The man said well I did that so do you have anything else I could do. Dad said hmmm you did it already? Well then fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice shame on me so just go on and get out of here or go cut down those trees I already paid you for. The man left.

That night the doorbell rang at midnight and my mother who walks with a walker or rides in a wheelchair depending on how she feels couldn't wake my dad so she got up and went to the door. No one was there so she tried to go out into the yard calling is someone there but she couldn't get far with her walker and no one answered so she went inside and went back to bed. Thank God.

The next morning my father's truck was gone. They live in the middle of nowhere and he leaves the keys on the floorboard. It was found days later, many miles away, missing the tires, his tool box and a few other things from the cab, the transmission was blown and it was out of gas.

When the sheriff came that morning to write a report on the stolen truck he asked if anything strange had happened recently and dad said no. Dad called to tell me about the stolen truck and I said what about that guy that took your money weeks ago and then showed up again that morning. Dad said oh I forgot about him. Then I asked did anything strange happen that night and Dad said no. And then Mom said oh there was a knock on the door at midnight and I went outside and called but no one ever answered and Dad and I both said WHAT?

I can not tell you how upset I was to hear my invalid mother went to the door at midnight and tried to get off the porch into the yard with her walker because she was concerned someone was in trouble and needed help.

I am hopeful my parents are a bit less innocent at this point in time because when my father called the sheriff back with the guy's name he found out there are multiple warrants out for this man's arrest with several involving meth houses and an attempted murder and the guys wife has warrants too and those two are completely and totally bad news in many many ways. That guy's prints turned out to be all over their stolen truck.

My parents bad experience made me think of Papaw. I could easily see a stranger approaching him and asking for money for odd jobs and the situation going south from that point on. My dad has a workshop where he builds custom furniture and other handmade wood items as a hobby. He said that at one point he thought he would invite him in to help him run some lumber thru a planer but decided he didn't want the stranger in his private space but yet he showed him around and took him all over his property to the back end where the dead trees were. It can be foolhardy to be a big-hearted, decent person in this day and age.

I don't know if this will help in any way but I just wonder if someone stopped by with a "sad story" for Papaw and perhaps came back later or did something bad that first day. I still wonder why that creep knocked on my folks front door at midnight before stealing the truck. And I am thankful it took my mom a long time to reach the door. I think they were very lucky even though the truck was pretty much destroyed. I think they are very lucky to be alive.

So my question would be did anything strange happen in the days or weeks leading up to his disappearance. It may not have had any significance then as my father sure didn't think his experience had significance until much later and that was aided by my pointing it out. I thought my parents knew better but never truly realized they still see everyone...even total strangers as good people that mean them no harm.

God bless Papaw and I truly hope he is found safe and sound. Prayers for your entire family. I can not imagine how you all feel. I try to imagine it and I freeze up with dread and fear so I know what you feel must be 10,000 times worse. God bless you all.

 

[roadrunnermt]

The buses don't run at the times LE has given for his disappearance.

The Walmart cameras captured Papaw leaving without being followed.

The question is - what did he cut himself ON? There's no blood on the equipment or cars, no bits of skin or anything.

Could something have fell and hit him on the head causing injury/bleeding and even confusion, memory loss, etc?

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[Suglo]

1. VERY true

2. Or that a perp struck before he took off his hat and after he took out his keys/wallet. (not saying it's one way or another, just analyzing options as objectively as I can)

3. It's more blood than a finger cut - there's a small pool and big fat drops to the door. LE may have downplayed that, but I will not. It was from an injury that would have required attention more than a bandaid, IMHO.

4. I really can't answer most of that, I just don't know enough details. I will try to find out.

5. Yes, that's a possibility. I would not call it probable, but possible yes.

6. No grudges that we know of - he got along with nearly everybody. Even if someone needed help, why only take the DL, phone and hat?

The pool of blood and drops sounds like more than an accident. I truly feel like he met up with foul play now after reading that part. I'm praying that someone comes forward and gives LE and your family the information you need to bring him home.

 

[SavetheQueen]

@sassyblue WOW. [emoji15][emoji15][emoji15]


*All statements are that of my own opinion unless otherwise specified.*

 

[inmyhumbleopinion]

Pmerle00, the following is going to take a long winded path but in dealing with some problems my parents have had recently it has made me think of your Papaw.

My parents are elderly and live in a very rural setting and still trust everybody that shows up at their door, everybody that calls on their phone etc....despite my constant harping to trust no one ever, ever, ever!

My father had a man show up a few weeks ago asking if they needed anything done around their farm as he was looking for work and needed money as his family was in a bad situation and they were all starving. My dad is a kind man so he thought of several things the stranger could do like cutting down some dead trees for firewood. He paid the guy upfront for the trees (the amount the man asked for to complete the job since he had his very own chainsaws and tools with him) and took him to the back forty to the trees he wanted cut down and was surprised to check later to find the man was gone and no trees were cut. My dad's belief in humanity was dented but not destroyed yet. He thought surely the man had an emergency and got called on a cell phone and would be back.

A few weeks later the man showed up again and asked if there was anything else he could do for money and my dad promptly told him he could actually do what he paid him to do a few weeks ago. The man said well I did that so do you have anything else I could do. Dad said hmmm you did it already? Well then fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice shame on me so just go on and get out of here or go cut down those trees I already paid you for. The man left.

That night the doorbell rang at midnight and my mother who walks with a walker or rides in a wheelchair depending on how she feels couldn't wake my dad so she got up and went to the door. No one was there so she tried to go out into the yard calling is someone there but she couldn't get far with her walker and no one answered so she went inside and went back to bed. Thank God.

The next morning my father's truck was gone. They live in the middle of nowhere and he leaves the keys on the floorboard. It was found days later, many miles away, missing the tires, his tool box and a few other things from the cab, the transmission was blown and it was out of gas.

When the sheriff came that morning to write a report on the stolen truck he asked if anything strange had happened recently and dad said no. Dad called to tell me about the stolen truck and I said what about that guy that took your money weeks ago and then showed up again that morning. Dad said oh I forgot about him. Then I asked did anything strange happen that night and Dad said no. And then Mom said oh there was a knock on the door at midnight and I went outside and called but no one ever answered and Dad and I both said WHAT?

I can not tell you how upset I was to hear my invalid mother went to the door at midnight and tried to get off the porch into the yard with her walker because she was concerned someone was in trouble and needed help.

I am hopeful my parents are a bit less innocent at this point in time because when my father called the sheriff back with the guy's name he found out there are multiple warrants out for this man's arrest with several involving meth houses and an attempted murder and the guys wife has warrants too and those two are completely and totally bad news in many many ways. That guy's prints turned out to be all over their stolen truck.

My parents bad experience made me think of Papaw. I could easily see a stranger approaching him and asking for money for odd jobs and the situation going south from that point on. My dad has a workshop where he builds custom furniture and other handmade wood items as a hobby. He said that at one point he thought he would invite him in to help him run some lumber thru a planer but decided he didn't want the stranger in his private space but yet he showed him around and took him all over his property to the back end where the dead trees were. It can be foolhardy to be a big-hearted, decent person in this day and age.

I don't know if this will help in any way but I just wonder if someone stopped by with a "sad story" for Papaw and perhaps came back later or did something bad that first day. I still wonder why that creep knocked on my folks front door at midnight before stealing the truck. And I am thankful it took my mom a long time to reach the door. I think they were very lucky even though the truck was pretty much destroyed. I think they are very lucky to be alive.

So my question would be did anything strange happen in the days or weeks leading up to his disappearance. It may not have had any significance then as my father sure didn't think his experience had significance until much later and that was aided by my pointing it out. I thought my parents knew better but never truly realized they still see everyone...even total strangers as good people that mean them no harm.

God bless Papaw and I truly hope he is found safe and sound. Prayers for your entire family. I can not imagine how you all feel. I try to imagine it and I freeze up with dread and fear so I know what you feel must be 10,000 times worse. God bless you all.

Oh my goodness, sassy, a chill ran down my spine as I read your story. Something very similar happened to my late grandmother about 20 years ago. She lived in a 100 -year-old farmhouse she grew up in, alone as a widow in southwestern Indiana. It is in a very remote area, with the nearest "town" of about 100 people five miles away, closest neighbor a couple of miles, at the end of a half-mile-long gravel road. The area was already raveged by meth.

One day a young man showed up at her door, asking for work. She had been having a family of farmers farm her land for years, so she declined. That same evening, she heard a noise coming out of her detached garage, while she read in her recliner (good thing she didn't have the TV turned on). She stayed in the chair, terrified.

The next morning, she went to look inside the garage, and her riding mower was gone (she always left her key in ignition, too). She didn't hear anything, other than the noise coming from the garage, so her theory was that someone -most likely the man who had come to the door- parked his truck down the gravel road, pushed the mower back to the truck and took it.

The thing about PaPaw's case, though, is that it appears nothing was taken, except for perhaps a modest amount of cash.

When desperate, people will do anything, even for a few dollars. However, why take PaPaw with them and not his wallet, when it was right there in the garage? Plus, there were no signs of struggle, except for blood, which was found inside the garage only, with the man door locked and garage door down?

Maybe the perp realized PaPaw recognized him, prompting him to take PaPaw with them? But then why is there no trail of blood outside the garage? After attacking PaPaw, perhaps he panicked and just wanted out of there, thus not taking anything, by which point PaPaw was incapacitated, giving the perp time to at least close the door (he might have wanted to do that, so if anyone was to stop by, they wouldn't see the blood)?

Was anyone seen with at least some signs of injury -in case there was an altercation between the perp and PaPaw- around the time of his disappearance (but then again, no signs of struggle were found at the scene)? Anyone selling his car soon thereafter?

 

[Pmerle00]

If he did, it just seems so odd that a 70 yr old man would walk away from his wife, children, grandbabies, all that he's worked for, his friendships, his church, his passion (classic cars). That would be walking away from your entire life and everything you've worked hard to build. He looked like a young 70 yr old, in reportedly excellent health, very fit, mentally sharp as a tack. Even if there was another woman (that's often why someone walks away, to begin a new life with someone else), would another woman be worth walking away from your children and grandbabies? I just don't know.

Also, we can look at his past and see that is not how he would act. He divorced his first wife, married the girl he wanted to marry, and maintained relationships with his daughters. One of them even chose to go live with him for a time in his new home.

So why now - even if he fell in love with another woman, which if you ever saw the way he and Becca act together you would know is not likely - would he not do the same as he did before? Divorce, cut ties with ex-wife, maintain relationship with kids and now grandkids and great grandkids?

 

[Pmerle00]

I think he commuted suicide, hate to say it but if you were planning on leaving wouldn't you take your vehicle and wallet.


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If that's the case, then what's the reason? Medical records show no diseases that he'd recently found out about (I've disclosed high blood pressure before, nothing else was revealed when they got the records.). He was happy in his marriage, of course, it wasn't without its challenges - but who among us hasn't had a disagreement with their spouse? As far as his best friend and his son know (two people who he spoke freely and openly and often to about all things), there was nothing major recently that would have caused him concern. His car club associates all state that there were no issues, that everyone loves him and considers him family.

So what then?

 

[Pmerle00]

I do find it strange that BC and her sons are not pleading for MC to come home.


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Hopefully I have answered this sufficiently by now, but I wanted to tag you to go back and look at my post from yesterday regarding why Becca and the sons aren't speaking to press. Nothing nefarious - Becca can't handle it, one son HAS spoken and is a very private individual, the other son works 2 jobs and has a family a good distance from Quinlan. Internal to the family - they all are pushing US to do what we can since we are far more comfortable/capable than they are with press, social media, websites and organizing/mobilizing volunteers to action.

 

[Pmerle00]

<modsnip>

It's definitely not me! I do know who it is, though. I will say that he made those payments on his own as far as I know, and continues to make payments for the probationary period. According to what I know directly from him, the "drugs" (different people regard marijuana as medicinal or recreational, hence the quotation marks) were used for pain from an injury he sustained a long time ago.

 

[Pmerle00]

That is quit a theory. Did you ever think that every family member has already been questioned and investigated. Their where about on that day verified.

Not EVERY family member has been questioned, but those who LE has asked have ALL gone in for an interview. LE hasn't asked everyone in the extended family to come in, but all immediate family members have as well as those who have frequent contact with Papaw.

 

[Pmerle00]

I just think it's kinda of wild to bring up the fact that someone close to him had a drug charge then fabricate a theory that Papaw might have mailed in a payment for him and previously given him money. For all we know the individual sent that money in his self whether check or money order and made those previous payments on his own as well. I guess what I'm trying to say is it may not be dangerous or hurtful for you when folks fabricate these types of theories but it can hurt, ruin whomever your theorizing about. People have lives, families,kids and a job etc. People in that persons life might see this and come up with their own conclusions and that person could lose their job, kids get picked on at school. I think you know what I mean. I know people want answers. I'm sure nobody wants answers more than the family. But let's not drag their name through the dirt in the process until we know actuall facts that lead to Papaws disappearance. Just a suggestion.

"Drug charge" is strong language for a small marijuana possession, I think, but...

No names were given in the theory, the person clearly stated that it was hard to understand the payments because of the language in the public records, it IS a matter of public record... And the poster clearly put it forward as a theory for poking holes in, which I immensely appreciate.

Putting everything out there is how we eventually find the truth. Sparking thoughts and memories is how we come to understand the whole picture.

I much appreciate your defense of our family and the names of those connected to us, but I can do nothing but ENCOURAGE new theories based on things uncovered that are part of public records or postings. We DO want answers, no matter what those answers may be.

 

[Pmerle00]

What about checking the credit bureaus to see if there are hits to apply for any credit with PAWPAWs name & id.?

We do have a flag on with all major credit bureaus on his name, ID, SSN, etc.

 

[Pmerle00]

In cases such as this one, I'd think hiring a PI could perhaps be helpful. Possibly shed some light on things that transpired up till he went missing.

Our family has engaged with additional resources since Hunt County has slowed their effort into the case, including a PI, Texas Equusearch, etc.

 

[Pmerle00]

Still no confirmation on the search for this weekend. I wonder if NBC didn't get that mixed up with another, past search. You'd think the family would be aware of it.

Just another passing unsubstantiated thought (And one I have never given much credit to):

But what if MC got tired of being everything to everybody. Maybe he met someone at these car shows who wanted nothing from him but to love and take care of him.

Maybe that day in March was the
day he decided he wanted and needed something different, called her (Have no clue who this would be) and said, " You"re getting nothing but me, but if you're still interested, come pick me up."

So, he took his license (wonder if they checked if his passport is missing) and left.

This would give him 7 years to change his mind if he decided to claim his benefits or if he wanted to return home. By leaving, he would not have to go through an awful divorce which would hurt everyone so he left everything behind to be disbursed among all his kin whenever they are able to do so.

This sounds unlikely but who knows? Still waters run deep and
he doesn't seem the type to discuss his feelings.

I'd check with car show people to see if there was a certain someone who seemed to take a great interest in him. IMO, this wouldn't have been a spur of the moment infatuation.




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But then, where are the call/text records?

His SIL, son, granddaughters (not me, sadly), and even Becca go to the car shows with Papaw and never witnessed anything like this. Car show buddies have been interviewed and to my knowledge never witnessed anything like that either. Also, as I've said before - he wouldn't have left, perhaps divorced, but he was supposed to be at his grandkid's soccer game the Saturday after he disappeared. He was excited about it, looking forward to it. He was working on a car, had just been talking about his next steps on it. So he just leaves it? One of his grandkids was about to graduate college. He just decides to miss that?

So much of that flies in the face of Papaw's character.

Perhaps it's true - but where's the evidence??

 

[Pmerle00]

Basically, yeah. Look through every shred of paper at the home. Bank statements. Pass codes. Anything that could lead you to it possibly existing. Look at the larger banks with branches nationwide. He'd need to access it from wherever he is, right? And look at the online banks such as Simple, Aim, etc. He could access an account with an online bank from anywhere. Look on the Texas Comptroller missing money site. Unclaimed funds. It may give you a clue to an unknown account.


*All statements are that of my own opinion unless otherwise specified.*

All computers, hard drives, etc. have been examined by LE - no electronic trail that they could find leads to anything online. :-(

We'll continue looking into this though.

 

[Pmerle00]

Pmerle00, the following is going to take a long winded path but in dealing with some problems my parents have had recently it has made me think of your Papaw.

My parents are elderly and live in a very rural setting and still trust everybody that shows up at their door, everybody that calls on their phone etc....despite my constant harping to trust no one ever, ever, ever!

My father had a man show up a few weeks ago asking if they needed anything done around their farm as he was looking for work and needed money as his family was in a bad situation and they were all starving. My dad is a kind man so he thought of several things the stranger could do like cutting down some dead trees for firewood. He paid the guy upfront for the trees (the amount the man asked for to complete the job since he had his very own chainsaws and tools with him) and took him to the back forty to the trees he wanted cut down and was surprised to check later to find the man was gone and no trees were cut. My dad's belief in humanity was dented but not destroyed yet. He thought surely the man had an emergency and got called on a cell phone and would be back.

A few weeks later the man showed up again and asked if there was anything else he could do for money and my dad promptly told him he could actually do what he paid him to do a few weeks ago. The man said well I did that so do you have anything else I could do. Dad said hmmm you did it already? Well then fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice shame on me so just go on and get out of here or go cut down those trees I already paid you for. The man left.

That night the doorbell rang at midnight and my mother who walks with a walker or rides in a wheelchair depending on how she feels couldn't wake my dad so she got up and went to the door. No one was there so she tried to go out into the yard calling is someone there but she couldn't get far with her walker and no one answered so she went inside and went back to bed. Thank God.

The next morning my father's truck was gone. They live in the middle of nowhere and he leaves the keys on the floorboard. It was found days later, many miles away, missing the tires, his tool box and a few other things from the cab, the transmission was blown and it was out of gas.

When the sheriff came that morning to write a report on the stolen truck he asked if anything strange had happened recently and dad said no. Dad called to tell me about the stolen truck and I said what about that guy that took your money weeks ago and then showed up again that morning. Dad said oh I forgot about him. Then I asked did anything strange happen that night and Dad said no. And then Mom said oh there was a knock on the door at midnight and I went outside and called but no one ever answered and Dad and I both said WHAT?

I can not tell you how upset I was to hear my invalid mother went to the door at midnight and tried to get off the porch into the yard with her walker because she was concerned someone was in trouble and needed help.

I am hopeful my parents are a bit less innocent at this point in time because when my father called the sheriff back with the guy's name he found out there are multiple warrants out for this man's arrest with several involving meth houses and an attempted murder and the guys wife has warrants too and those two are completely and totally bad news in many many ways. That guy's prints turned out to be all over their stolen truck.

My parents bad experience made me think of Papaw. I could easily see a stranger approaching him and asking for money for odd jobs and the situation going south from that point on. My dad has a workshop where he builds custom furniture and other handmade wood items as a hobby. He said that at one point he thought he would invite him in to help him run some lumber thru a planer but decided he didn't want the stranger in his private space but yet he showed him around and took him all over his property to the back end where the dead trees were. It can be foolhardy to be a big-hearted, decent person in this day and age.

I don't know if this will help in any way but I just wonder if someone stopped by with a "sad story" for Papaw and perhaps came back later or did something bad that first day. I still wonder why that creep knocked on my folks front door at midnight before stealing the truck. And I am thankful it took my mom a long time to reach the door. I think they were very lucky even though the truck was pretty much destroyed. I think they are very lucky to be alive.

So my question would be did anything strange happen in the days or weeks leading up to his disappearance. It may not have had any significance then as my father sure didn't think his experience had significance until much later and that was aided by my pointing it out. I thought my parents knew better but never truly realized they still see everyone...even total strangers as good people that mean them no harm.

God bless Papaw and I truly hope he is found safe and sound. Prayers for your entire family. I can not imagine how you all feel. I try to imagine it and I freeze up with dread and fear so I know what you feel must be 10,000 times worse. God bless you all.

Papaw is a friend to everyone, but he is not without skepticism. He would rather help someone help themselves than just help them one time. And he is very situationally observant, level-headed and quick thinking.

As far as we know, nothing odd happened before he went missing. There was a work truck in the neighborhood across the street the week before, but no unusual for a power company to be out and working. That's as close as we can get to an odd occurrence.