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Unsolved Mysteries covered the case of Lena Chapin, who disappeared in Dent County, Missouri, at age 20 in 2006. Her fiancé, Jason Bryant, is reported to be the last one to have seen her on Valentine's Day. He explained that he had found out Lena was missing when he came back. Her mother, Sandra "Sandy" Klemp, was at home as her belongings were being removed.
Lena's vanishing was never reported to the authorities by her own family, and she was never heard from or seen again. Years later, the case was revived in the "Unsolved Mysteries" Season 2 "after-matter segment "Missing Witness." Lena was to testify in a civil case against her stepfather, Gary McCullough, who went missing in 1999. In an affidavit signed years later, Lena said she had seen her mother murder him and assisted in cleaning up after the crime.
She later took the statement back. But her planned deposition in the civil case never happened—because she disappeared before it could happen. Sandy Klemp subsequently asserted that Lena had left and moved to Florida with a boyfriend, but no records or sightings have ever validated this.
The 1999 disappearance of Gary McCullough
According to Unsolved Mysteries, Gary McCullough, Sandy Klemp's then-husband, went missing in 1999 under mysterious circumstances. Sandy led people to believe he had fled with another woman, but there was no proof of that ever being true. Lena, 13 at the time, stepped forward as an adult and signed an affidavit that claimed her mother killed McCullough and made her help with the cleanup.
As per court documents, the affidavit was filed in preparation for a civil case but was never presented in court because Lena herself disappeared later. The lawsuit, brought by McCullough's daughters, listed Sandy and her new husband, Kris Klemp, as defendants. Both Klemp and her husband were found liable by a jury in 2013 for McCullough's wrongful death and owed $7 million in damages to McCullough's children.
Lena's taped confession was not said to have been played at the trial, and her failure to appear at the witness stand because she is missing was mentioned during the proceedings.
The disappearance investigation of Lena Chapin
As per Unsolved Mysteries, police did not launch an investigation into Lena Chapin's disappearance when it happened in 2006. Sandy Klemp did not report her daughter missing, and no police report had been made for several years. The case only came to light after one of Lena's sisters reported her disappearance to authorities in an adjacent county, concerned about her vanishing. By then, important time had already lapsed, and no physical evidence remained.
Detectives have since labeled the case suspicious. Lena had a six-month-old son, Colter, and no financial or personal documents to back up the assumption that she had departed willingly. No suspects have been named by law enforcement, or any criminal charges been made, either in Lena's disappearance or Gary McCullough's death. Sandy Klemp has not assisted with the investigation, based on police reports.
Public interest after "Unsolved Mysteries"
The Unsolved Mysteries segment on Lena Chapin introduced her case to a broader public audience. "Missing Witness" was the name of the episode, which examined the chronology of McCullough's and Chapin's disappearances using interviews, public documents, and court documents to detail the course of events. The program also featured the psychological impact on Lena's surviving siblings, who have continued to speak out in demanding that more be done to solve the case.
Public reaction to the incident resulted in renewed media attention, but no new significant leads or developments have been reported by the police since. Lena is still listed as a missing person, and her son is still being brought up by other relatives.
Current status and continuing uncertainty
As shown in Unsolved Mysteries, up to 2025, Lena Chapin's case is open but unsolved. There are no recovered remains and no credible sightings. The indication that she moved to Florida with a boyfriend was not supported by any known documentation. Sandy Klemp has made no public remarks on her daughter's disappearance beyond the initial assertion and has stayed relatively in the background.
The civil court decision in the McCullough case remains the sole legal consequence of either disappearance. Despite that ruling, there have been no criminal convictions or indictments. Lena's family still pursues answers, and her vanishing act remains an open case of public interest.
The story of Lena Chapin, as reported on Unsolved Mysteries, highlights an overall trend of unanswered questions regarding complicated family relationships, lagging investigations, and contradicting testimonies. Almost two decades since her vanishing, Lena's fate remains a mystery, and the circumstances that preceded that day in 2006 remain under investigation by those in pursuit of closure.
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Lacking new information or testimony, both her disappearance as well as the previous case of Gary McCullough continue to be open with no definitive solution in view.
Also read: Unsolved Mysteries: Top 10 solved cases from the Netflix show
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