14-Years MISSING, He Went to Collect a Debt… and Was Never Seen Again (Roger Chambers)

Missing for 14 Years After a Routine Trip: The Unsolved Disappearance of Roger Chambers

Rayford and Red Springs, North Carolina — Fourteen years after Roger Germaine Chambers climbed into his green 1993 Toyota Camry and drove away from Red Springs, his disappearance remains one of the most haunting unresolved cases in Robeson County. What was supposed to be a routine trip home after collecting a small debt ended without a single confirmed sighting, phone call, or trace of his vehicle.

Chambers was last seen in 2010 at what family members believe was either a gas station or a car wash on Main Street in Red Springs. Surveillance footage confirmed his presence in town, and witnesses recalled seeing him leave heading north, presumably toward Rayford, where his parents were expecting him for a family gathering. He never arrived.

Almost immediately, something felt wrong. When relatives tried calling his cellphone later that evening, every call went straight to voicemail. To experienced investigators, that detail raised an immediate red flag.

“When a phone suddenly goes straight to voicemail with no explanation, we start thinking water,” said Jeremy Sides, a civilian search-and-recovery diver who specializes in cold cases involving missing vehicles.

A Search Renewed by Modern Technology

More than a decade after law enforcement conducted its initial searches, Sides and fellow investigator Adam Brown traveled to the area to re-examine key locations using modern sonar, underwater drones, and depth-measuring equipment—technology that either did not exist or was rarely used when Chambers vanished.

“Ten or twelve years ago, sonar was nowhere near what it is today,” Brown explained. “Just because an area was checked back then doesn’t mean it was checked thoroughly.”

The geography surrounding Red Springs and Rayford makes the case particularly challenging. There are no large, obvious lakes near Chambers’ route—only a patchwork of ponds, black-water creeks, drainage channels, and swampy lowlands. Many of these bodies of water appear shallow at first glance but can drop suddenly to depths of eight to twelve feet.

“A small sedan like a Camry can disappear in places people would never expect,” Sides said.

Water That Deceives the Eye

Throughout the day-long search, the team systematically examined ponds near Chambers’ home, roadside creeks, and lakes close to Fort Bragg. In multiple locations, the water appeared to be only two or three feet deep. Depth readings told a different story.

“You throw a depth bobber in, and suddenly you’re looking at ten or eleven feet,” Brown said. “That’s more than enough to hide a vehicle completely.”

Several sites raised particular concern, including older bridges that lacked guardrails in 2010. Historical imagery showed that some safety barriers were not installed until years after Chambers disappeared.

“One bridge we checked had no guardrail at the time,” Sides noted. “If you drifted even slightly off the road on that curve, you could go straight in.”

The possibility of an accidental entry into water remains one of the strongest theories in the case.

A Disturbing Discovery Beneath the Surface

At one creek crossing, the team encountered something unexpected—and deeply unsettling. While scanning a deep section of water, they pulled up an object emitting an overwhelming odor of decay. Initial concern that the remains could be human quickly set in.

After a closer inspection, the object was identified as the decomposed remains of a large animal, possibly a dog, wrapped and discarded in the water.

“It’s one of the hardest parts of this work,” Brown said. “You never know what you’re going to find. The smell alone can be unbearable.”

While the discovery was unrelated to Chambers’ disappearance, it underscored a troubling reality: these waterways have been used before to dispose of evidence or conceal wrongdoing.

Clues That Lead Nowhere

In another creek near Red Springs, the team stumbled upon an unusual collection of items scattered along the bank and submerged just beneath the surface. Among them were a wallet, insurance cards, a Blockbuster membership card, a Toshiba laptop, assorted car parts, and what appeared to be a plastic gun magazine.

The identification cards belonged to a man named Francisco—someone unrelated to the Chambers case. The presence of outdated items suggested they had been in the water for many years.

“It’s like a pile of someone’s life,” Sides said. “But it’s not Roger’s.”

Despite the eerie nature of the discovery, none of the items provided a direct link to the missing Camry or its driver.

False Alarms and Lingering Hope

At one point during the search, sonar and a magnet suggested a large metallic object with dimensions similar to a vehicle. Tension rose as the team deployed an underwater drone to investigate.

The object turned out to be a massive tree root system buried in the sediment.

“That’s the heartbreak of this work,” Sides admitted. “Sometimes it feels exactly like a car—until it isn’t.”

By the end of the search, no vehicle had been located. No definitive evidence pointed to Chambers’ final resting place.

Yet for his family, the effort itself mattered.

“Closure doesn’t always come quickly,” Brown said. “But knowing that people are still looking means everything.”

A Mystery That Refuses to Fade

Roger Chambers’ disappearance remains unresolved, but the renewed attention has reignited hope that answers may still be found. Investigators believe additional creeks, drainage areas, and lesser-known water crossings remain unchecked.

“What keeps this case alive is that nothing ever contradicted the accident theory,” Sides said. “No confirmed sightings. No financial activity. No phone usage. Just silence.”

For Chambers’ loved ones, the silence has been the hardest part.

Fourteen years later, the green Toyota Camry has never been recovered. Whether it lies hidden beneath dark water or somewhere no one has thought to look yet remains unknown.

Until that vehicle is found—or new evidence emerges—the disappearance of Roger Germaine Chambers stands as a stark reminder of how easily a life can vanish, and how long the search for answers can last.