NE NE - Chance Englebert, 25, Gering, 6 July 2019 (new father)

Such a shame that little Myra Lewis was not included in this.

 

Hey, I'm new to this forum but have been following this case since day one. I still can't believe he hasn't been found yet or that foul play has never been suspected. I remember watching the press briefing and thinking how cold and emotionless the wife was. I know she was holding her baby so much of the focus needs to be on him but still. And the moment her, Chance's brother, and baby had was odd to me. Really makes me wonder what the argument at the golf course was about.

 

@Jayembee welcome!

 

I have always, from the beginning, felt that this would only be solved by a confession and not by discovered evidence. And, a confession will most likely never come because the person and the circumstances will not be brought out into the open.

 

I think this was a tragic mishap fueled by alcohol, Chance's wounded pride, his anger/rage, self pity, and confidence.

I think he tried to cross the N Platte from Owl Rd to Kolt Lane. There are lots of rocks and logs to step on - but also heavy rapids which would have been made worse by the recent torrential 2 hour downpour.

My guess is that Chance underestimated the power of the river (or overestimated his ability to cross it) at this location.

I'm shocked however that no body has yet been found down river. Could he have been caught up in a violent hydraulic or hole of some sort, and still be around - or even still trapped under - at that location?

Jmo

 

Thing is Chance was seen on security video around 8 pm on Terry Blvd. Owl Rd is a few blocks from there and once on Owl Rd it's approximately 3 miles to Kolt Lane. It didn't rain hard until a little after 9 pm. A person walks about a mile in 15 minutes. So why would Chance take Owl Rd., a private Rd and cross the river after it stormed? He would have made it to the crossing from Owl to Kolt before the storm. I guess he could have taken shelter on Owl and waited the storm out but he sent a text to his Aunt Katy at 9:08 and it was a strange text with mostly just letters and an emoji. If you try and fit all of this together doesn't really add up that he went into the river trying to cross it from Owl to Kolt after the storm.

 

I just took a look at a map of Kolt, Owl and the river, do you live in the area? Wondering where the river flows to from there, is there any place the body would have gotten stopped? I know in normal conditions the Platte River runs pretty shallow. I have pretty much counted out he is in the river because of this but now you've got me considering it again. Maybe that crazy text happened when he fell into the river. Possibly he tried to cross right before the storm hit. Lots of debris in the river from all of the flooding and the body could have gotten caught up under debri. You would think the Pro's would have some idea where his body would have ended up. I post in groups for Chance and never have gotten much info on the river.

 

I do not live in the area, and I'm not certain, but I believe the river flows from W to E, out of the mountains of CO and WY and into NE.

The following is all just my opinion.

To me, the most logical explanations for CE's disappearance are: foul play by the in-laws, or, CE is in the N Platte River.

I think if there had been foul play by the in-laws, LE would've found digital evidence of spur-of-the-moment, angry phone/text communications between at least two members of group. Also, imo the other men were probably laughing it up after CE left (I think it had been a verbal bullying: a two-or three-on-one kind of thing).

The only thing that I think could've really angered any of them (the father, maybe) was when CE said to his wife (who I think had just gotten out of the car with the baby and was walking toward the men): "Get the **** back in the car, we're leaving!" (that's what I recall reading, anyway). Some father's might think those are fighting words. But again, these guys weren't master criminals. They were **** faced. I think it was just too spur-of-the-moment for their continued involvement. And CE was a Sil.

There are several reasons why I think CE might be in the river. 1.) his phone pinged near there (River View Golf Course), 2.) if on foot, the timing of his travel fits with him being at about that location, 3.) I don't think CE would've been walking the busier (higher speed) roads through town if he could help it, 4.) if he was headed toward home, the direction he was traveling makes sense (and going that direction, he would've had to cross the river somewhere, via bridge or on foot), 5.) the "thunderstorm" was not just a little bit of rain.. from what I recall reading, we're talking a hellacious downpour that lasted for over two hours (and maybe longer or earlier further to the west?), 6.) CE's judgement was impaired (not only was he probably still intoxicated at least to some degree, but he probably was still p***ed), 7.) CE was familiar with that part of the country and its geography (he was an outdoorsman and probably was very familiar with the N Platte R or rivers like it, and 8.) no matter how familiar you are with creeks, streams, and rivers - the power, depth and speed of the water following a sudden heavy rainfall/downpour can be indescribable (IMO you have to have experienced it to know what I mean). In fact, I think the more familiar you are with a river's normal condition, the more likely you are to underestimate it's power and danger during high flow conditions.

I'm not talking about a flood, but rather a torrential heavy rainfall lasting for several hours (possibly in the more mountainous areas west of Gering). Huge volume.

Once when I was a teenager and out camping with friends in the N GA mountains, one morning (after a 6 hr. deluge the night before) I almost got swept away in a raging 4-5' deep 'creek' - a creek which the day before had been all of 6" deep. We had walked barefoot in it, grabbing pebbles.. I was somehow able to grab an overhanging tree limb or I'd have been gone.

Rapids in a river like the N Platte with that kind of flow can be extremely dangerous. In fact, in CO and WY where the N Platte is more canyon-like, the river is known for white water rafting. It may get shallower and slow down as it crosses Nebraska, but Gering is almost on the state's western border. I think the river and its rapids at that location could be very dangerous indeed, especially after such a downpour.

I suggested the Owl Rd./ Kolt Ln location because it is close to the River View Golf Course (where I understood CE's phone had pinged). Owl Rd also crosses a canal of some sort at that location (it appears to parallel the Platte for some distance). I think it's possible that CE may have attempted to cross the canal or the N Platte - at night, in the rain.

Logs and boulders that might have been visible on a normal day would have been several feet below the surface. Water could even have been flowing over the path which crosses the canal.. Combine that kind of volume with deep holes and elevation changes and you can get what (in kayaking) we used to call a "hydraulic", where an object could be held underwater and left tumbling in the turbulent back flow for hours (or even longer). I've seen boat oars and paddles never resurface.

In AK, my brother once watched an entire 8 man raft (full of coolers, fly fishing equip., and camping gear) literally disappear into just such a hydraulic, only to come out in pieces over the next few hours. He and his friends were lucky to have gotten out alive. They had somehow managed to get to shore when the raft had first tipped over.

In addition to the danger presented by rapids, if the water level was as high as I suspect it was, CE could've been carried much further downstream than anyone might expect (jmo).

Sorry such a long ramble. I don't know what happened to CE, but those are my best guesses. Such a sad case. I hope he is found soon.

All just my opinion

 

Rush, I liked your post. I am familiar with this area. The N. Platte does flow from Wyo into Nebraska, headed east. It is not a wide or fast or deep river. It varied of course by season. In July it had a good flow from snowmelt. The storms in the area, add to the flow, but not drastically. This is flat land, but it would have rose some with the storm. I do believe its likely that Chance ended up in the river. I think it was accidentally or on his own volition. He may have tried to cross at an odd area or simply slipped in for some reason. An experience outdoorsman and experienced swimmer can still easily drown in a river, especially if intoxicated. I am guessing he drowned, and his body just got pinned under a fallen cottenwood tree in a deep spot in the river. They searched the river, but they can't search an entire river thoroughly. I think foul play is unlikley. But i would like to know more. I don't think the family is forthcoming at all. If he died on land, I just don't see how he wasn't found by now. So I am just left with the idea he went into the river, and is still there.

 

FEB 4, 2021
Ex-state Senator DiSanto issued stalking protection order against wife of missing man | Crime & Courts | rapidcityjournal.com
Former state Senator Lyndi DiSanto has been ordered not to contact the wife of a missing Wyoming man after a judge ruled she was stalking the woman.

[...]

Disanto’s “conduct constitutes stalking” under Wyoming law, the judge wrote the following month in a document granting a protection order lasting until June.

The judge said DiSanto must stop stalking, surveilling and trying to contact Baylee and her son. She must also stay away from Baylee’s home and workplace. Baylee is the wife of Chance Englebert who went missing July 6, 2019, in Gering, Nebraska.

[...]

 

Honestly, I'm glad Baylee was able to get protection order against the former Senator. She owes her ZERO.

I believe this poor girl has been treated horribly for the actions of her husband walking away on foot and believe she has nothing to do with his disappearance, including her family. IMO

 

I completely agree. MOO

 

It’s a sad situation isn’t it? At first I was unsure what could’ve happened to Chance, but after looking at everything I feel like this is truly an accident. I do hope they are able to find him and bring him home soon. His poor family deserves that.

 

Agreed. I hope he is found. He was a young man who appeared to love his family. I think he walked off on foot to remove himself from the situation, cool off. When he walked off, I don't think it was meant to be forever. Terrible all around. IMO

 

Yes a lot of people have thought he may have tried to cross the river from Owl Rd. I was wondering about the irrigation canals and if he fell into the river trying to get to Kolt Lane would his body flow on down the river or get stopped because of the irrigation canals. They did drain those canals when they had the large search for him. His Mother has told us Chance did not like water and she doesn't feel that he would try to cross the river in a dangerous place. Also it didn't storm until around 9:15pm and his text that was a string of letters was sent at 9:08. Also it only rained a little over an inch. I looked it all up way back. But a lot of wind and lightening. Must have been a downpour during the storm but not as much rain as I would have thought. I don't know what that kind of rain or downpour would have done to the river as far as the depth or speed of the water at Kolt Lane. Many reasons to consider foul play, an accidental death from someone continuing the fight. The answers the Bewley family have given have not been so that anyone can make a lot of sense out of what really happened. Chances wife quit talking early on and none of them want to share many details for July 6th when Chance went missing. I also thought about Chances behavior toward Baylee at the golf course and wondered what affect that had on his in laws. There was more said than just one cussword, per the bartender a witness of the incident but Police didn't interview her. Seems Police haven't done the best job of investigating this case and could be because an Atty was hired early on.

 

I think about this case often. I noticed that his friend updated the large FB page with some updates. Am I allowed to post that here?

 

I say go for it ‍♀️

 

Best to read here to see what is and isn't allowed first:
Rules - Social Media - Facebook, Twitter, etc.

 

You are able to post the updates if it’s from the official “find” Chance fb page AND if they were shared/provided by the admin of that particular page.

 

Wow, that woman has too much time on her hands apparently.