Name: Christopher Nathan Shipley
Case Classification: Endangered Missing
Missing Since: December 4, 2001
Location Last Seen: Riley County, Kansas
Date of Birth: June 23, 1983
Age: 18 years old
Race: White
Gender: Male
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 130 lbs.
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Brown
Nickname/Alias: Chris
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Unknown
Dentals: Unknown
Fingerprints: Unknown
DNA: Unknown
Clothing: Presumably shorts and a t-shirt; no shoes
Jewelry: Unknown
Additional Personal Items: Unknown
Chris and two of his Kansas State University classmates, Timothy Bennett and Kyle Chapman, were last seen on December 4, 2001. The day was unseasonably warm, and after a day of classes, the three students decided to go sailing at Tuttle Creek Lake between 2 and 3 p.m. They were reported missing the next day at about 5:15 p.m. by a friend when they failed to return to campus. The three had stayed overnight at the lake several times before to camp, and it was assumed that's what they had done this time.
Kyle's truck and empty boat trailer were found parked at the lake, with the students' personal belongings in it and their tennis shoes sitting on the dock. On December 6, Timothy's body was found in Carnahan Cove, on the east side of the lake and about a 1-1/2 miles north of where the students had launched the boat. He was wearing a life jacket. A helipcopter spotted Kyle's capsized 15 1/2-foot yellow Snipe sailboat on the main lake, at the mouth of the cove. Despite extensive ground and air searchers, the bodies of Chris and Kyle were not found. They are presumed drowned.
Agency Name: Riley County Police Department
Agency Contact Person: N/A
Agency Phone Number: 785-537-2112
Agency E-Mail: N/A
Agency Case Number: N/A
NCIC Case Number: M932656695
KBI
The Manhattan Mercury - Dec. 6, 2001
The Kansas City Star - Dec. 8, 2001
Added: 4/21/22; Last Updated: 4/21/22 - By: hb
Questions or comments? Please contact appropriate member of the Area Team
** Listed information is from the time of disappearance.
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