More than 3 years after he went missing, Patrick Chapman has been found deceased in Wayne County, Missouri.
In a creek bed east of Mill Spring on October 13, 2023, the skull of a person was found. After three days, searchers found a shirt, shoes, and coveralls with a cell phone in the pocket.
A second search found the rest of the body parts on the east side of the creek. Later, it was found that the remains belonged to Patrick Chapman.
The police say they don’t think Chapman’s de*ath was caused by foul play.
Chapman was last seen in Mill Spring, Missouri, on May 10, 2020. He had left the house of a family friend early that morning.
Chapman was last seen in St. Charles, Missouri, where he lived and worked as a tow truck driver.
The Disappearance of Patrick Chapman
A text message from Patrick Chapman to his ex-wife on May 10, 2020, said “Happy Mother’s Day.” He told her he had to use his son’s laptop because someone had withdrawn money from his account and he couldn’t get to it on his phone.
In the late morning, Chapman went to her house in St. Charles, Missouri, but they got into a fight because his ex-wife thought he was accusing their son of stealing the money. After that, Chapman reportedly left, saying he was upset and confused.
Around 10 p.m., Chapman got to a family friend’s house in Mill Spring, Missouri, which was about three hours away. He planned to spend the night there.
His friend got up at 4 a.m. on May 11, 2020, to go to work, but Patrick wasn’t there.
Since then, no one has seen or heard from Patrick Chapman.
His abandoned Burgundy 1995 Ford Escort Wagon was found on a four-wheeler trail in the Mark Twain National Forest on May 29, 2020. It was near Mill Spring Cemetery and in a wooded area.
It was May 30, 2020, and Patrick Chapman did not show up. A family friend called the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department to report him missing.
Investigation
His car was found in a rural area of the county where there was no cell service, not far from where he was last seen in Mill Spring. All four tires were flat, and the bumper had a lot of damage.
The police found his wallet inside the car. It had his ID, medications, and bank cards in it. But the car keys and cell phone were not there. His family says that there were no fingerprints on the car and that his wallet did not have any cash in it.
Patrick was last seen, and his body was searched several times, but no clues as to where he was were found.
His family says he would never leave his son, so they don’t think he would have left on his own.
