Unsolved Mysteries: What Happened To Lena Chapin? Every Update

What happened to Liehnia “Lena” Chapin, the focal subject of the Unsolved Mysteries episode “Missing Witness”? Now streaming on Netflix, the docuseries reboot has sparked new interest in various cold cases, including Chapin’s. Various Unsolved Mysteries interviewees believe that Chapin’s alleged murder was orchestrated by her own mother, Sandra “Sandy” Klemp. For context, “Missing Witness” shows that Sandy cheated on her second husband, Albert McCullough, with his brother, Gary.

In 1999, Sandy began a relationship with Kris Klemp while still married to Gary, who subsequently requested a divorce and disappeared shortly after. “Missing Witness” – the sixth episode of Unsolved Mysteries season 15 – reveals that Lena told multiple people Sandy shot Gary three times in the head. She disappeared three years after giving birth to her son, Colter, and after providing an official confession to investigators (which was later recanted).

Two of Lena’s sisters are featured prominently in Unsolved Mysteries, including Brandi Petersen, who recalls her mother’s influence over men and women alike, while Robin Shoemake discusses her mother’s romantic relationships, and how Lena was concerned about being separated from her siblings. Overall, Unsolved Mysteries heavily implies that Sandy was responsible for Lena’s disappearance, presumably because she knew too much about Gary’s murder and planned to cooperate with authorities. Interviewees also theorize that Sandy – the mother of six daughters – wanted to gain custody of Lena’s son, Colter. In 2013, a civil court ruling (via Monett Times) stated that Kris and Sandy Klemp were liable for the disappearance of Gary McCullough. Unfortunately, in the years since, there haven’t been any major developments in Lena’s case.

However, Netflix released an un-aired Unsolved Mysteries clip from “Missing Witness” in which investigator Brian Martin recalls a telling interview with Lena about Gary’s disappearance. According to Lena, she didn’t want to be seen with her step-father on the night he left Sandy, and so she sat on the passenger seat floor of his vehicle. But according to Martin, Gary’s floor was littered with garbage. The investigator reportedly told numerous colleagues that “nobody has sat on that floor for a long time,” with the implication being that Lena’s official story wasn’t legit, and would thus make her testimony less reliable in court. Martin also stated (via Radio Times) that Kris Klemp’s then-wife, Jennifer, suggested that he was indeed involved with Gary’s murder: “She said they were having a screaming match and he said something to the effect of ‘I can’t worry about this stuff right now. I’ve got to worry about killing a man.'”

Because Sandy and Kris Klemp don’t appear on camera in Unsolved Mysteries, there’s only one side provided in the Netflix docuseries. For many viewers, however, the evidence may seem to indicate that not only did Sandy presumably murder her second husband, but that she’s also somehow responsible for Lena’s disappearance. If Lena’s story would’ve theoretically been picked apart in court, then that would have benefited the the Klemps. But it’s certainly plausible that Lena used her story as a defense mechanism, whether she was speaking with her mother, her sister, or investigators. Lena Chapin disappeared at age 20, and Unsolved Mysteries shows that she was under intense pressure long before during her formative years as a teenager.

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Q.V. Hough
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Q.V. Hough is a senior writer at Screen Rant. He’s also the founding editor at Vague Visages, and has contributed to RogerEbert.com and Fandor.

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