Grandmother offers $200K reward to find missing man, Chance Englebert

In recognition of Chance’s 29th birthday, his maternal grandmother, Linda Kluender, is making a dramatic effort to increase the reward offered for information in the case. Kluender has donated $200,000 to the reward fund, which has now grown to $220,000. 

Kluender explained that her donation to the reward fund came as the result of a conversation she had with her husband after she inherited some money after the death of a family member.

“My husband said to me, ‘Linda, you can buy anything you want.’ And I told him, ‘Well, there’s only one thing I want, and I can’t buy that. And that’s finding out where Chance is and what happened to him.'”

They discussed her wanting to increase the reward, she said, and her husband “totally agreed” with her.

“There’s no price to be put on a baby boy,” Kluender said of Chance. “He would have been 29 on Dec. 2.”

Englebert was 25 at the time of his disappearance. He, his wife, Baylee, and infant son, Banks, had traveled to Gering from Moorcroft, Wyoming, for the July Fourth holiday. After an argument with relatives of his wife, Englebert left on foot and his wife reported last seeing him walking in the 700 block of O Street.

Chance is described as Caucasian, 5’9″ with a medium build, and has brown, sun-lightened hair and hazel eyes. He was last seen wearing a short-sleeved, button-down Wrangler shirt, blue Wrangler jeans, a belt with an NRCA buckle, Roper boots, and a black-and-white trucker cap. Video footage of Englebert was recorded at two businesses in Gering, including near Domino’s Pizza, and in the area of Terry Boulevard and Stable Club Road. 

Kluender echoed statements that Chance’s mom, Dawn, has previously shared with the Star-Herald about the tragedy that still envelopes the family in grief every day.

“It’s been like living a nightmare,” she said. “Not knowing where he is, what happened to him. It’s just overwhelming. … You wake up with it, and then you eventually go to sleep with it, if you can go to sleep. He is missed very much. He is such a big part of our lives.”

Dawn, who has made friends with other parents and family members of missing men, told the Star-Herald that she thinks that cases involving missing men aren’t handled with the same attention as cases involving missing women.

“No matter what the reasons are, they are still someone’s child and deserve to be home,” she said, saying that she just can’t let Chance be forgotten and wants him home. Many people will imply that Chance left of his own accord, which she said she doubts knowing his love for his family and his ranch. His brother, Miles, who Chance had a close relationship with, also feels like he would have known if the man planned to leave or heard from him by now.

Kluender said she is hopeful that the significant reward will bring a resolution to the case. 

“If it doesn’t, I don’t know what else would,” she said.

The $200,000 reward will only remain available for one year — until Chance’s 30th birthday. Kluende is hoping the timeline will help bring the case to a close more quickly.

It’s not the first time that Kluender has donated to the reward fund, Chance’s mother, Dawn said. Initially, the family announced an $8,000 reward, with that split between funds raised by family and friends and the other half matched by Kluender. Over the last three years, the family had raised an additional $12,000 with funds from donations and pledges and sales of caps and shirts to help spread awareness about the case. 

Kluender is spreading the word about the reward through ads circulating in the area, including in today’s Star-Herald, and a billboard on Avenue I, which is located in the general area where Chance’s phone last pinged on a tower on the night of his disappearance. Information will also be shared on the “Help Find Chance” Facebook page, which is run by Chance’s mother, Dawn.

The Englebert family is asking that anyone with information about Chance’s disappearance contact the Gering Police Department. Kluender said she feels that is the best way to help ensure that tips are legitimate and followed up on. Conditions for receiving the reward will include information that leads to locating Chance, as well as working with law enforcement during an investigation and any prosecutions, if warranted.

Gering Police investigator Brian Eads is currently overseeing the investigation. He told the Star-Herald that the case remains open, and the department continues to follow tips in the case. 

Tips can be provided anonymously to Scotts Bluff County Crime Stoppers, 308-632-STOP (7867); by calling the department, 308-436-6667; via the department’s Facebook page or via its website on gering.org.