Getting Away With Murder Twice

This particular case is unfathomable. After watching this on Unsolved Mysteries I immediately felt sick to my stomach and bawled my eyes out. I literally had to pick my jaw up off the floor because I was baffled at the circumstances in which it “concluded.” I became deeply invested and needed to know more! I soon found that I wasn’t the only one with that common interest. With a simple Google search I found article after article of others discussing the case ranging from Reddit, Bustle, to Men's Health. The disappearances of Gary McCullough and Lena Chapin remain an Unsolved Mystery 10+ years later. Without a doubt upon learning the facts you will be stunned on how the investigation never led to a conviction. Knowing something and proving something are two totally different things. Sandy Wink not only got away with murder once but twice! This situation is the epitome of how far somebody is willing to go in order to get what they want.

Overview

Lena Chapin confesses on tape in great detail how her mother Sandy killed her stepfather Gary McCullough. Years later Lena is issued a subpoena to testify in court but then vanishes without a trace.

Missing Witness

Liehnia “Lena” Chapin disappeared on Valentine’s Day of 2006 from Dent County, Missouri where she was living with her boyfriend Jason and her three year old son Colter. On a whim Robin (one of Lena’s younger sisters) arrived at Lena's house to discover her sister was nowhere to be found. That’s when Robin learns from Jason that Lena supposedly “took off with a boyfriend to Florida.” Puzzled by this insane accusation Robin skims through the house to find Lena's belongings untouched and is informed Colter was left behind with their mother Sandy. Jason also reveals the story at hand was relayed to him by Sandy and not Lena herself. This was extremely concerning to Robin considering how devoted Lena was to her son Colter. “As soon as I heard that my mom had Colter I knew something was wrong, I knew my mom had done something.”

Detective Rick Letchworth of Dent County Sheriff’s Office reached out to Brandi Lena’s older sister to learn what happened the day of her disappearance. Brandi went into great depth about her childhood growing up and her theory of what she believed happened to Lena.

Childhood Trauma Leading to Drama

“We were poor all of our lives and really had to struggle,” Brandi recalls. She goes on to tell how Sandy did whatever it took to have food on the table for dinner. My mom was a good mom growing up. She would always say “we gotta stick together and we’ll get through it.” Every night she would tell us “god bless you and I love you,” “that’s the mom I remember and that’s the mom I miss.” Growing up in a household of six girls was a challenge. Lena was second to oldest and was outspoken and took charge. Despite the typical sibling squabbles everybody loved one another and appreciated Lena’s leadership. The girls mentioned how Sandy had a behavioral pattern that caused them to move around frequently. She used men to her advantage and would sink her claws into anyone willing in order to have her needs met. Once she had her man just where she wanted him she would repeat the cycle and move on to the next greatest catch. She was known for usually not staying with a man longer than two years.

November 17, 1994 - Sandy Marries Albert McCullough

(This is where it starts to get interesting)

Before Sandy took a twisted turn the girls describe this time period with Albert as a cheerful one. He was a great stepfather who they could confide in and he had a great influence on them since Sandy was gone a lot for nursing school. The first year or so wasn’t bad until Sandy started fooling with ALBERT’S BROTHER Gary McCullough. After a short scuffle between the two brothers Albert told Gary “that girl ain’t nothing but trouble you better leave it alone.” Gary disregarded Albert’s advice and pursued his relationship with Sandy, putting him on the trajectory to his demise.

May 22, 1996 - Sandy Leaves Albert for Gary

December 21, 1996 - Sandy Marries Gary

After a couple of years of being together Sandy’s ravenous appetite for a new mate resurfaces.

March 1999 - Sandy Begins An Affair with Coworker Kristopher “Kris” Klemp

Gary was aware of his wife’s infidelity but what really sent him over the edge was when he was arrested and wrongfully accused of passing bad checks. It was not Gary who passed those checks, it was Sandy as she had access to those checkbooks. Gary then phoned his friend and attorney Richard Anderson expressing his frustrations and heartache about the situation. Gary told Richard that he was “going to have to file for a divorce.” After that phone call Gary was missing and Anderson never heard from him again.

May 11, 1999 - Gary Disappears

A Missing Gary & A Cover Up

People close to Gary knew he never missed a day of work mostly because he couldn’t afford to. When Gary didn’t show up to work for a couple of days it raised major suspicion all around. Gary’s friends and family knew the outcome was grim considering how out of character this was. Gary’s friend Jeff Allen said “I knew we weren’t looking for Gary, we were looking for Gary’s body.” Jeff Allen got in contact with the authorities to fill them in on a chilling story Gary had shared with him. A few days before Gary’s disappearance he brought his gun over to Jeff’s house and said to him “take this gun, put it somewhere, she let on like she was going to kill me. She stuck it in my belly and pulled the trigger.” When Allen took the gun and examined it he was startled to uncover that there was a live round inside. By some miracle of god the shell malfunctioned and Gary’s life was spared. “I will never forget the look on his face when I showed him that loaded gun”, says Jeff. Gary right then and there had the realization that Sandy indeed had planned to kill him that night. That was the last time Jeff Allen ever saw Gary.

May 13, 1999 - Gary’s Cousin Notifies Police Of Disappearance

Deputy Of Dent County Brain Martin is contacted by Gary’s cousin in relation to his disappearance. Martin drives to Gary’s property for a wellness check where he is intercepted by Sandy and Lena. Cutting to the chase he asks Sandy directly if there is anything he needs to know in which she responds “well yeah I’ve been meaning to call you my husband hasn’t been home for two days.” Sandy proceeds to tell Martin that Gary went to Diamond, Missouri to buy some fighting roosters. When Sandy is asked if she wants to make a missing person report she replies with “I probably need to do that.”

Authorities returned to Gary’s property where they made some startling discoveries. Upon searching the premises there was not one personal belonging to Gary as if he was never coming back, they also found some belongings to Kris Klemp. Two days after the investigation Kris Klemp strangely moves into the house with Sandy. Sheriff Mike Epperly asks Sandy to take a polygraph test and while looking him dead in the eye she says “if you find a body I will take a polygraph test.” Epperly instantly knew finding the body of Gary McCullough would be a needle in a haystack. Law enforcement needed answers and decided to interview the six girls hoping to gain intel. Lena, who was thirteen or fourteen at the time, was home when Gary vanished and police knew she knew more than she was willing to give up. In the room of questioning with all the kids present Lena was very defensive and discouraged the other girls from speaking. She was antagonistic towards the police and told her sisters to keep their mouths shut. Lena’s behavior showed her loyalty to her mother Sandy.

Sandy always had her daughters lie for her their entire lives regardless of what it was. On the day of Gary’s disappearance Sandy met the girls at the front door after school. In order to divert the attention of her children Sandy tells them that a cat had kittens in the field and for them to go find them. All the sisters eagerly ran in search of the kittens except Brandi who waited on the porch to gain access inside to retrieve her supplies to milk the cows. After waiting a bit Brandi barges in to see her mother on her hands and knees scrubbing the floor with bleach water. Later that day Sandy sits everybody down at the kitchen table and says “hey listen girls if anybody asks from anybody, Gary went to buy a fighting rooster and you guys had spaghetti for dinner and you haven’t seen him since. If you say exactly what I'm telling you everything will be fine.”

The Disposal Of A Body & A Confession

That night Sandy told Lena to not let any of her sisters exit the bedroom. When Lena fell asleep in front of the door Robin took a sneak peek out the window and witnessed something horrifying. She saw Sandy and Kris struggling to carry something big. “It was Gary, no doubt, he was wrapped up in something. You could see the boot he had on and it scared me...bad.” Lena would go on to tell her sisters if they spoke of what happened to Gary that they would be taken away and never see each other again.

August 2000 - Family Moves To Sligo, Missouri With Kris Klemp

Seventeen year old Lena’s behavior shifted and she became withdrawn. You could tell she had something that was eating up internally. Lena confides in her boyfriend about Gary and he convinces her to talk to Gary’s family as they deserved answers. Lena agrees to meet and talk with Albert.

June 26, 2003 - Lena Meets With Albert

Albert had recently purchased a recorder and had it recording during his meeting with Lena. After talking for some time Albert says “I want to know who in the hell killed my brother Gary.”

***The following accounts are based on court records and law enforcement documents*** Real Confession

Albert: Who killed Gary?

Lena: Mom. Okay. He was sitting on the couch eating scrambled eggs. She walked out and shot him three times in the head. It was there on the couch. Two, maybe three times and she couldn’t hack it until we got home. And then she wrapped him up with...paper. Um, plastic stuff and uh hay strings. And this is in the bedroom floor.

Albert: In the bedroom floor?

Lena: She dragged him to the bedroom and locked the door and everything. ...and then we got home...mom made me stay in the bedroom. She didn’t want me to see him, but I'd already seen him. ‘Cause I looked through the door, I didn’t believe it and I wanted to see. And she took him, she put him in the truck, and she left.

Albert: Well I need something to..verify Gary is gone, how would a person go about doing that? Is there any way we could do that?

Lena: There’s nothing. There’s nothing whatsoever left. There isn’t. He was completely burned. Completely burned. And everything...everything that was, you know, left at the burn pile...was put in buckets and spread all over. I was there. I am the only one that knows. I am the only one who knows exactly what happened. But there is nothing left...there is nothing. I burned my fingers..I burned the tips of my fingers picking up ashes and bones. I know that makes me sound like a bad person...but what was I supposed to do?

Albert: You were just a kid, doing what your mom told you to.

The Breaking Point, A Boiling Pot, & Another Missing Person

This was as good as a confession you’ll get! The next day Sandy and Lena are "lawyered" up. Their lawyer tells Lena to recant her confession making it just another “claim.” It turned it into a he said she said game.

One day Brandi and Lena were hanging out when Lena opened up to Brandi telling her the story of how their mother killed Gary. The next day Brandi gets into a fight with her mother and threatens to call the police to rat her out claiming she knows all the dirty laundry. Sandy looks straight through Brandi and tells her to “get in the truck” with her and boyfriend Kris Klemp. They in the darkness to a deserted road where Kris puts a gun to Brandi’s head. Screaming in terror, Brandi runs to her mother who tells Kris thirty seconds later to leave Brandi unharmed.

November 3, 2003 - Colter Is Born

After Colter was born he instantly became a priority and Gary was never spoken about again. In 2006 Lena planned on getting married and worked more jobs than she could handle to become financially independent from Sandy. Little did Lena realize that this was a huge threat to Sandy because once Lena was free she could no longer be controlled. The tension between the two hits a peak when Gary’s family files a wrongful death lawsuit against Sandy, Kirs, and Lena was in effect an accessory to rid the body. When delivering court summons Lena is nowhere to be found and that’s when the story of her running off to Florida with a boyfriend surfaces.

February 14, 2006 - Lena Is Missing

June 26, 2006 - Lawsuit Is Filed

Lies & Abandonment Charges

Sandy feeds the girls lies on how Lena bad mouthed them and no longer wanted nothing to do with them. Robin and Brandi waited and waited but Lena never returned. Robin went out posting missing persons flyers of Lena and discovered that Sandy was paying her younger sister $5 a piece to take the flyers down. “Why would somebody pay to have their daughter’s missing persons poster taken down. I called her and said, " I know you’re the reason why Lena isn’t here.”

Brandi believes Lena went missing because she made a confession tape and that scared Sandy. Even though her confession was recanted, what would make Sandy sure that Lena wouldn’t flip and tell the truth? Sandy had two motives for making Lena disappear. Lena had first hand knowledge of what happened to Gary and Sandy would also get Colter who she desperately wanted. Sandy being a mother of six always wanted a boy. When Colter was born Sandy became obsessive and possessive, having in her mind that she was his mom. When Lena disappeared Sandy filed abandonment charges and was victorious because Lena wasn’t there to defend herself. Sandy knew Lena had no chance of making that court appearance and got what she wanted.

July 2013 Judge Carr Woods heard the wrongful death lawsuit against Kris and Sandy. The jury watched as Sandy’s own daughters took the stand and testified against her. Sandy and Kris were found liable and were to pay seven million dollars to Gary’s family (who has not received a single payment).

Lena’s confession tape was not allowed to be used as evidence

Sandy divorced Kris Klemp in 2014 and remarried Joe Winx. Sandy has custody of Lena’s son Colter. Colter is now at least sixteen years of age and his aunts have not seen him since kindergarten. When he is old enough the girls plan on finding him and telling him the truth. It breaks their hearts that Sandy “gets to wake up everyday smiling and raising Colter like her own and Lena isn’t able to do that.” Lena’s sisters have tried to locate Lena’s body but have not been able to recover it. They obtained a ground scanning tool to check disturbances in the land but after two days of searching nothing once again.

Conclusion

This case is one that keeps you up at night. You know exactly what happened to Gary McCullough and can only assume Lena Chapin met a similar fate. What is the most heartbreaking and gut wrenching is that Colter is being raised by a murderer. Sandy pulled off the perfect murder and no doubt played a role in Lena’s disappearance. This case will forever be in my heart until Colter learns the truth from the other side of the story he’s been told.

If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Lena Chapin, please contact Dent County, Missouri Sheriff’s Office at 573-729-3241 or go to unsolved.com