After nearly two years without answers, Chris Harper’s mum say they will “not rest” until they discover what happened to her missing son.
The family of a man who has been missing for nearly two years is hiring a private investigator to uncover the truth about his disappearance, in the hope of preventing their son from being reduced to just “another number”.
In November 2024, Chris Harper, who was 37 years old at the time, vanished without a trace from Burlington, Vermont. There have been no sightings of him since he was last seen at a house he was staying in. But, the family still hold on to the hope he is alive, while simultaneously fearing the worst.
Now, his mum, Sandy Harper, 66 is offering a $5,000 reward for any information that leads to Chris being found. They are also placing their trust in a private investigator, hoping the specialist can uncover the answers and provide the closure the family so desperately seeks.
Sandy said: “When a child goes missing, it tears you apart. You become numb, but you try to move along with your day and do what you need to do. It is like your spirit is not what it used to be, your soul is hurting, and so is your heart.
In the time since he vanished, Sandy and her husband, Jesse Harper, 70, have made six emotional journeys to Burlington in a desperate search for Chris, despite these efforts, they haven’t had any luck.
Sandy said: “I feel like if Chris hurt someone, or stole from someone, they would have found him within a week. But because he walked out of his house and disappeared, it is like he is another number. We are not going away, we will not rest until we find him.”
Sandy recalled that her son, an “outdoorsy person” with a deep passion for music, had relocated to Burlington 18 months prior to his disappearance, finding a home in Vermont. She described their bond as incredibly close, sharing that they shared daily phone conversations before he vanished, “he would drop me a text to say ‘morning, and have a good day’ – then he would call me after I had finished work.”
Sandy explained that Chris had previously battled with alcohol addiction, which led him to check himself into rehab in July 2024, prior to his discharge later that same month. By November 2024, Chris was residing in a local halfway house, awaiting an available spot in a more permanent sober living environment.
On November 14, 2024, just a day before he vanished, Sandy said she had been texting with Chris on their family group chat and said he seemed in high spirits. Sandy said: “He sounded great, he was trying to get a more permanent job – his head was in the right direction. We were texting on the group chat with the whole family on Thursday night, and I didn’t hear from him on Friday, Saturday or Sunday.”
As Chris previously mentioned he was having phone troubles, Sandy put the no contact down to that. But on Sunday night, his on-and-off again girlfriend called to say she hadn’t heard from Chris. Sandy waited a few more days before reaching out to the Burlington Police Department on November 19,2024 at which point they initiated a search for Chris.
For the following month, Chris’s family remained in uncertainty regarding his whereabouts. The painful mystery of his disappearance loomed over both the Christmas holidays and his sister’s wedding in December.
“We had the wedding, we made sure the day was as special as we could for my daughter, but all our minds were on Chris,” Sandy said. “When we got back from the wedding, we didn’t decorate our home or anything for Christmas. It was a very surreal time.”
As the new year began, Sandy and Jesse persisted in their efforts, working alongside detectives and launching a personal search that included hanging flyers featuring Chris’s photograph. The family travelled to Vermont six times, and has searched Burlington, Winooski, Colchester, Jeffersonville and the Canadian/US border with no success.
Sandy said: “Every time we go up, we hang more posters and try to meet with the police department to see what is going on. Every day gets harder, you have to keep the faith and keep hope alive.
“We don’t want this case to go cold, to be put in a file and forgotten about. We want people looking for him – we need answers.”
On June 6, Chris’ family held a fundraiser in Morrisville, Vermont to raise money for their continued search for Chris. She added: “We just want to find him. We don’t want to give up hope that he is not alive, but we always know there could have been a serious accident.
“Chris, if you’re out there, we love you, we want to hug you, we miss you, and we hope to find you.”
If you wish to donate to the GoFundMe, visit: here
