Missing for 36 Years: The Search for Margaret Chauncey

Video Description

Margaret Jane Chauncy was 24 years old when she vanished from Texarkana, Texas, in 1987. She was a nurse, a mother of two, and—despite her quiet life—became the center of a mystery that remains unsolved nearly four decades later. On the night of October 20th, Margaret finished her shift at the old St. Michael’s Hospital and confided in a coworker that she believed someone was following her—a tall white man in a black car. Concerned, the coworker followed her home to make sure she got there safely. That was the last confirmed sighting of Margaret Chauncy. Two days later, she didn’t show up for work. Her apartment was intact, locked, and quiet. But something was off. Her red 1983 Pontiac Fiero was missing. So was her uniform. That missing vehicle became the central clue for decades, and it still hasn’t been found. When we took on the case, we knew from the beginning that solving it would mean locating that Fiero. If it was an accident, a cover-up, or something more sinister, the car could hold the answers. With sonar equipment and a network of local knowledge, we set out to clear the waters that had never been fully searched—or searched in the way we could now. Our first step was to re-trace Margaret’s last known routes. We analyzed whether she was heading home, toward her family, or attempting to avoid someone. We broke down accident theories, foul play, and the possibility she left on her own—though that last one always felt unlikely. Her two daughters, Brandi and Ashley, were just seven and two years old at the time. Margaret wouldn’t have walked away from them. We combed through multiple potential locations. We worked with local residents and landowners, including Jody and Ricky, who helped guide us to lakes and private areas that had never been scanned thoroughly before. We met with Brandi, Margaret’s daughter, who’s now a nurse herself. Hearing her tell the story of her mom’s disappearance—from a child's confusion to a grown woman’s aching questions—grounded the entire search in something deeply human. This wasn't just a case. This was a mother. We brought sonar over locations like Beards Bluff and Millwood State Park. The goal: find that car. At one site, sonar picked up something promising. A submerged vehicle, size and shape similar to what we might expect from a Fiero. We dove in. What we found, unfortunately, wasn’t Margaret’s car. It was a 1999 Dodge Stratus, upside down in the silt. Not the era. Not the model. But still—one more possibility crossed off the list, and one more answer we could give the family. Alongside that discovery, we marked and identified other submerged vehicles—pickup trucks, SUVs—but nothing matched the make and era we were hunting for. We also explored long-circulating local theories, including whether she could have been dumped in the Red River, a difficult area due to shifting sands and river movement. For now, we’re keeping that as a backup. It's nearly impossible to search effectively, but not out of the question. We also tried to gain access to a retention pond near the old mill—a spot mentioned in whispers for years—but ran out of time before the legal clearances came through. That search remains on our radar for a future return. What became clear throughout the investigation is how much had *not* been done in the early years. Local police departments had overlapping jurisdictions, and Margaret’s case seems to have fallen through the cracks. A private investigator hired by the family passed away, and with him, many early leads faded. Even today, rumors swirl—about a doctor she was involved with, the man she was dating, or people in power who might have wanted her silence. We can’t confirm those theories. But we can confirm what we searched, what we ruled out, and what remains. At the end of the day, Margaret’s family isn’t necessarily looking for someone to blame. They’re looking for her. For a resting place. For closure. Our search didn’t find her—but it ruled out key areas, and it brought awareness back to a case that had faded from headlines. If someone out there knows something—if a memory stirs, or a secret weighs heavy—now’s the time to speak up. Shoot us an email: support@adventureswithpurposecom or call the Texarkana Police Department 903-798-3135 with any clues. ➦ Share this video to SPREAD AWARENESS of the service AWP provides for FREE! ❤️.. JOIN THE AWP MOVEMENT ..❤️ (Get Videos Early)... ➤ http://bit.ly/AWP-Team-Member 🎯 Subscribe to AWP on YouTube (It's Free)...➤ http://bit.ly/SubAWP 🎬.. Watch Other Cases We've Solved ==================== SOLVED: Missing 23-years Underwater (Samantha Hopper, 22-month-old Daughter Courtney, Unborn Baby) https://youtu.be/isqd8OOcJpQ SOLVED: 💔 Missing 24-year-old Jacob VanZant Found https://youtu.be/xrHE70g7h4c SOLVED: How We FOUND Kiely Rodni: MURDER or ACCIDENT? https://youtu.be/bPwnDyW26gk #Missing #MissingPerson #ColdCase