On December 4, 2001, three Kansas State University students—18-year-old Christopher Nathan Shipley (known as Chris), Kyle Chapman, and Timothy Michael Bennett—left campus to sail on Tuttle Creek Lake from the Blue Valley Yacht Club in a yellow 15-foot racing sailboat owned by Chapman. The friends left their shoes on the dock, suggesting a brief outing. They failed to return; a friend reported them missing on the evening of December 5.

Two days after they were last seen the sailboat was found adrift with its keel and rudder detached. Timothy Bennett’s body was recovered in Carnahan Creek the same day; he was still wearing a life jacket. Conditions on December 4 are described as having been windy and hazardous on the water, while air temperatures had been unseasonably warm. Water temperature was about 49 degrees, and authorities believe the men were likely dressed for warm air rather than cold water, increasing the risk of hypothermia. Despite search efforts, Christopher Shipley and Kyle Chapman were never located and are presumed to have drowned.

Chris was a freshman majoring in animal sciences and active in the university marching band; all three were Eagle Scouts. Does anyone have information about that day on Tuttle Creek Lake or remember seeing the boat after December 4, 2001?