“It’s almost been 10 years since 17-year-old Blake Chappell disappeared after the East Coweta High School homecoming dance, just to be discovered de*ad months later. The still-unsolved case proceeds to frustrate investigators. According to his friends and family, Chappell was the sort of kid who was friends.
Blake Was A Funny Guy
He was overjoyed. Blake’s childhood friend Max Gibbs described him as “one of the funniest people I knew.” “He was never more than a step or two away. He could make you laugh even when you were feeling awful,” Gibbs said. Melissa Becker, Blake’s mother, is likewise filled with nostalgia for her son’s early years. “He always saw the best in people,” the woman remarked. He had a strong desire to assist others. He placed great value on his friendships with his friends. “I doubt he had any enemies in his lifetime.”
This is just one of many reasons, according to Becker, why she finds it hard to accept that her son was kil*led. She said she could remember that October 15, 2011, evening clearly. She waved her baby off to homecoming, her face full of smiles. Austin was going to host Blake for the night. Following the dance, Blake called from Austin’s as scheduled. Becker remembered the conversation clearly, when he called her and said, “Mom, I had so much fun, it was the best day of my life, I got to hang out with my friends and dance.” What transpired following that phone call, though, is still unknown. While Blake was travelling to see his girlfriend, someone noticed him. Shortly afterward, he strolled back to his friend’s residence.
But Blake never made it
“I couldn’t understand when the friend he spent the night with called me at around 11 a.m. and said Blake was missing,” Becker recalled. “What do you mean Blake’s missing?” I ask. He spent the evening in your house. He left for his girlfriend’s house and never returned.
We spent two gruelling months looking. As he remembered that day, Gibbs’ voice broke. “We didn’t know where he was.” Eventually, the names we gave him stuck. Nor was there a way to get in touch with anyone. Blake, it seemed, had disappeared. Becker said, “It’s like he dropped off the face of the earth.”
In December 2011, two months after Becker had reported her son missing, she got the call she had been dreading. Her son’s body was discovered in a creek near her Summer Grove home in East Newnan. He was only wearing his panties due to the gunshot wound. Repressing his tears, Becker said, “It’s inexpressible,” using his words. Be brought back to that moment every day. Everything I had ever known and loved ended on that day. And I was so overcome with fear that I would not accept it. The likelihood that it’s him is very low. I still keep waiting for him to pull into that driveway.
Most of the case’s specifics have been kept secret by the Newnan Police Department. Instead of acknowledging that any forensic evidence had been collected at the scene, the police contested 11Alive’s request for the medical report.
Lieutenant Chris Robinson, who took over the case for the Newnan PD in 2019, said, “As suspects are developed, a lot of elements would only be known by those people, so we can’t release too much.” Robinson did offer proof indicating that the inquiry resulted in the determination that Blake’s death was the consequence of a mur*der. Still, in the almost ten years since the cr*ime was committed, not a single person has been arrested.
Run Away
He stated that every piece of information we’ve received up to this point has been carefully examined. Without community support and guidance from those at the forefront of the field, progress is currently nearly impossible to achieve. Blake’s phone, wallet, and clothes were never found.
Becker frequently makes the assumption that he was abducted. The authorities have declared that they are unable to verify if he was k*illed the night he vanished or if his remains were later disposed of in the creek. Lt. Robinson doesn’t know how long he was in the creek. The amount of time that elapsed between his disappearance and his discovery made gathering tangible evidence more difficult.
From the moment her son went missing, according to Becker, she had asked the police to triangulate his phone several times. Blake texted his girlfriend to let her know that he had been pulled over by police and was being questioned about his whereabouts after leaving her house for the evening. Becker enquired as to whether the man’s mobile had been found through triangulation. I would like to know if all the police cars that might have texted him had their GPS systems checked.
11Alive’s Savannah Levins brought up those concerns with the Newnan police. Lt. Robinson announced the recovery of certain phone records. We were unable to confirm that phone records were used for triangulating the location. There’s a lot of leeway for interpretation there, though.
He added that they were never able to confirm if any of their officers had seen Blake that evening or stopped him. He said, “We’re still kind of hazy as to what that interaction was.” “However, it didn’t appear that our organisation communicated with him.”
Investigation
There are no conclusions from the investigation about who could have done this. But they are relying on the willingness of anyone with knowledge to come forward.
There might be a clue out there, Robinson surmised. We require you to bring this information to us. It is an issue that we plan to deal with.
In the almost ten years that have passed, more queries and demands for justice have been made.
Becker broke down in tears, saying, “I may never find out who did this to him, and I’ve had to forgive this imaginary person.”
Just one quick query: “Why?” Please allow us to have a little quiet moment. There was no need to worry, he was just a child. He didn’t do anything improper.
In Blake’s case, there is a $20,000 reward for information that results in an arrest. By calling (770) 254-2355, callers can leave tips for Cri-mestoppers of Greater Atlanta or the Newnan Police. Tippers can choose to stay anonymous.
