Dateline: The Bridge - A complete investigation overview of the James Chambers case, explored 

Some true-crime cases are so disturbing and tragic that they stay with many people for a long time, and Dateline: The Bridge is one of them. It tells the story of a 28-year-old man named James Allan Chambers, who used to earn bread by working as a construction worker in Fayetteville, North Carolina.

One day, Chambers was nowhere to be found, and little did anyone that that his disappearance would soon shock many. It goes back to August 15, 2014 when Chambers vanished, and then suspicion fell on his co-worker, Howard Adrian Ashleman.

In Dateline's The Bridge, it retells the entire case of how it unfolded and the investigators' struggle to find evidence and solve the case without finding Chambers' body.

So if you're someone who's interested in exploring this case, find out the complete timeline below.

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Dateline: The Bridge explores the complete overview of the investigation in James Allan Chambers' case

August 15, 2014: The day James Allan Chambers disappeared

As explained in the Dateline episode, James finished his shift on August 15 at a construction job and was last seen by his roommate, Brandi Sugrue. He had been with his co-worker Ashleman, and the plan was that they were heading toward Lake Leamon, where James also worked as a lifeguard.

When Chambers didn't come back, Brandi thought he must be with his girlfriend. But then he didn’t show up for work for the following days, resulting in his family and close friends getting worried about him.

August 24, 2014: Chambers' family reported him missing

After more than a week with no word from him, his family contacted Fayetteville police. Search parties formed, involving both relatives and officials, but nothing turned up.

Because James and Ashleman had reportedly been having tensions, his father and Brandi told police that Ashleman could be involved. He was questioned, but he insisted he had simply dropped James off at home and left. And since there was no solid evidence proving that Ashleman was the culprit, he wasn't arrested that time.

Also Read: Dateline: Unforgettable - Where is Howard Adrian Ashleman now? Fate of James Chambers’ murderer, explored

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The private investigation for James Chambers revealed in Dateline: The Bridge

A private investigation began after 3 years

With no progress in the investigation, James’ parents hired a private investigator. That investigator tracked down Reno Parks, a friend of Ashleman who had seen him on the same day James disappeared. Parks didn’t want to speak with law enforcement, but he was willing to talk to the investigator.

What he shared was disturbing: Park said Ashleman shot James during an argument. He explained that Ashleman first tried to scare him with a gun but the issue got worse and turned violent.

According to Parks, Ashleman hid the body by burning it and burying it behind his home. As the police kept on pressurising Ashleman, he allegedly dug up the remains, dismembered them, and threw them into the Cape Fear River from a secluded bridge.

Howard Adrian Ashleman was arrested in 2018

After moving to Florida, Ashleman married a woman named Hannah Jones. Eventually, he admitted what he had done to her. Without his knowledge, she recorded his confession and turned it over to the authorities.

With this recording, the Fayetteville Police, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, and the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office had what they needed. Ashleman was arrested on February 12, 2018.

As mentioned in the Dateline episode, Ashleman pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. As part of the plea deal, he agreed to help reveal where James’s remains could be found. He was sentenced to 15–19 years in prison and is currently held at Columbus Correctional Institution in Whiteville.

Despite Ashleman's confession that he burned and buried the body in Cumberland County, then later dismembered it and dumped the remains into the Cape Fear River, Chambers's dead body remains were never found. The police and investigators searched around the Keener Road Bridge area and many spots in surrounding counties, but they still couldn't find where they were thrown.

This case has been detailed in NBC's Dateline episode "The Bridge" which came out in January 2021. It features interviews and explains how the tragic events unfolded.

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Also Read: Dateline: Out There in the Dark - A complete timeline of the Brandy Daniels murder case, revisited

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