Remains discovered in October 2025, in rural western Nebraska, are those of Chance Englebert. Authorities have now declared Englebert’s official cause of death as “accidental,” the result of a fall from as high as 290 feet.
Despite the official ruling, Englebert’s family, friends, and some online followers of the case, remain unconvinced. “This is not closure to us at all, but only more whys,” his mother, Dawn Englebert, told Cowboy State Daily. “Our hearts hurt more than ever.” Hikers discovered Englebert in mid-October on a rugged, remote cliff on the north side of Scotts Bluff National Monument, not on a well-used hiking trail. The hiker then alerted the authorities. Investigators found personal items nearby that matched those of Englebert, prompting DNA testing that confirmed the identity.
