CRBC News
Politics
Conflict
Security
Economy
Science
Technology
Environment
Health
Culture
Society
Lifestyle
Society

Cause of Death Confirmed for Missing Rodeo Rider Chance Englebert — Remains Found Near Scotts Bluff

03:48 AM, 11/29/2025
Cause of Death Confirmed for Missing Rodeo Rider Chance Englebert — Remains Found Near Scotts Bluff

Authorities have confirmed that skeletal remains found in October near Scotts Bluff National Monument belong to 25-year-old Chance Englebert, who disappeared in October 2019. Investigators concluded his death was accidental, likely caused by a fall on the monument's steep bluffs. The remains were located several miles from the last known surveillance sighting; the site where he fell and where parts of the remains were recovered were separated by roughly 130 to 290 feet. Family and friends say the identification has not brought full closure.

Authorities have confirmed that skeletal remains discovered in October near Scotts Bluff National Monument belong to 25-year-old Chance Englebert, a former competitive bareback rider who vanished during a family visit in October 2019.

A joint investigation by the Scotts Bluff County Attorney's office and the Gering Police Department concluded there is 'no evidence that the death of Chance Englebert was anything other than accidental.' Investigators believe he died as the result of a fall on the monument's steep, rocky bluffs.

At the time of his disappearance, Englebert had been visiting his wife Baylee's family in Gering, Nebraska, with the couple's infant son. After an argument during the visit, he contacted a friend, Matt Miller, asking for a ride back to his home in Moorcroft, Wyoming. Surveillance footage later captured him walking alone through Gering in the early evening; he sent a final text with a grumpy-face emoji and scrambled letters before his phone went dark.

Search efforts over the following years involved multiple agencies, K-9 teams, volunteers and drones, but produced no trace of him until hikers reported what appeared to be human remains on the north side of Scotts Bluff National Monument in October. A volunteer private investigator working with the family said the remains were found roughly three to five miles from where surveillance cameras last saw Englebert.

Authorities determined the likely fall site was separated from where parts of the remains were recovered by about 130 to 290 feet, depending on the measurement point. Based on the terrain and evidence at the scene, investigators have characterized the death as accidental and have not identified any signs of criminal activity.

Englebert had been a promising bareback rider and spoke in earlier years about his goals in rodeo. The discovery and identification of his remains have answered a long-standing question for his family and community, but friends and relatives say the news has provided little emotional closure. A Facebook group created to help find him remains active, and moderators and loved ones say many questions remain.

Similar Articles

Trending