KY CHIPLEY SANDERS & JAMES BESS: Missing from Ashland, KY - 4 Oct 1984 - Ages 13 & 14

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Chipley Sanders and James Bess ran away from a boys' group home in Ashland, KY on October 4, 1984. Both boys have never been heard from again.

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

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www.namus.gov

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

By bringing people, information, forensic science and technology together, NamUs helps resolve cases.

www.namus.gov

edited by staff to add media link

CHIPLEY SANDERS & JAMES BESS have been missing from Ashland, #KENTUCKY since 4 Oct 1984 - Ages 13 & 14

Chipley and James were last seen together at a home in the 1300 block of 13th Street in Ashland, Kentucky on October 4, 1984. Their whereabouts are still unknown.

www.crimewatchers.net

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[Scorpio]

Have you seen this child? Chipley Charles Sanders

Missing From: Ashland, KY. Missing Date: October 4, 1984. Chipley's photo is shown age-progressed to 50 years. He and James were last seen together at a home in the 1300 block of 13th Street in Ashland, Kentucky on October 4, 1984. Their whereabouts are still unknown. Chipley has a pale...

www.missingkids.org

Chipley Charles Sanders

• Missing Since: Oct 4, 1984
• Missing From: Ashland, KY
• DOB: Apr 10, 1971
• Age Now: 49
• Sex: Male
• Race: White
• Hair Color: Brown
• Eye Color: Hazel
• Height: 5'5"
• Weight: 150 lbs

Chipley and James were last seen together at a home in the 1300 block of 13th Street in Ashland, Kentucky on October 4, 1984. Their whereabouts are still unknown. Chipley has a pale birthmark on his back over his left shoulder. James' eyes are grayish blue and he has a scar on the right side of his waist. They may be in need of assistance.

 

[Scorpio]

Have you seen this child? Chipley Charles Sanders

Missing From: Ashland, KY. Missing Date: October 4, 1984. Chipley's photo is shown age-progressed to 50 years. He and James were last seen together at a home in the 1300 block of 13th Street in Ashland, Kentucky on October 4, 1984. Their whereabouts are still unknown. Chipley has a pale...

www.missingkids.org

James Eric Bess

• DOB Dec 18, 1969
• Age Now 50
• Sex Male
• Race Black
• Hair Color Brown
• Eye Color Grey
• Height 5'6"
• Weight 110 lbs

Chipley and James were last seen together at a home in the 1300 block of 13th Street in Ashland, Kentucky on October 4, 1984. Their whereabouts are still unknown. Chipley has a pale birthmark on his back over his left shoulder. James' eyes are grayish blue and he has a scar on the right side of his waist. They may be in need of assistance.

 

[Scorpio]

http://charleyproject.org/case/chipley-charles-sanders



Missing Since: 10/04/1984
Missing From: Ashland, Kentucky
Classification: Endangered Runaway
Sex: Male
Race: White
Date of Birth: 04/10/1971 (49)
Age: 13 years old
Height and Weight: 5'5, 150 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian male. Brown hair, brown/hazel eyes. Chipley has a light-colored, oblong birthmark on his back over his left shoulder. His nickname is Chip. His birth name was Chipley Dale Lay.

Details of Disappearance
Chipley and his friend, James Bess, lived in a boys' group home in the 1300 block of 13th Street in Ashland, Kentucky at the time they went missing. They ran away from the home on October 4, 1984 and haven't been seen since. Few details are available in their cases.

Chipley and one of his siblings were adopted by a Radcliff, Kentucky couple in 1980. Chipley went to live in the group home in 1983.

 

[Scorpio]

James Eric Bess – The Charley Project

Missing Since: 10/04/1984
Missing From: Ashland, Kentucky
Classification: Endangered Runaway
Sex: Male
Race: Black
Date of Birth: 12/18/1969 (50)
Age: 14 years old
Height and Weight: 5'6, 110 pounds
Clothing/Jewelry Description: A blue denim jacket, a sport shirt, blue jeans and gray sneakers.
Distinguishing Characteristics: African-American male. Black hair, blue/gray eyes. James has a scar on the right side of his waist, a scar just above his right hand and a scar above his right elbow.

Details of Disappearance
James and his friend Chipley Sanders, lived in a boys' group home in the 1300 block of 13th Street in Ashland, Kentucky at the time they went missing. They ran away from the home on October 4, 1984 and haven't been seen since. Few details are available in their cases.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Chipley age-progressed to 50 (he turned 50 April 2021).
James age-progressed to 51 (he turned 51 December 2020).

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Our Porch Light Stays On Until All Missing Kids Come Home

Most missing children are found quickly. But sometimes decades pass without answers, leaving loved...

www.missingkids.org

Decades of Silence: The Unresolved Fate of Two Missing Boys​

James “Eric” Bess grew up in Louisville, Kentucky, with his two siblings. Although his family described him as a good kid, he often found himself in trouble. At 14, he was sent to the Ashland Group Home in September 1984. There, he quickly befriended Chipley Charles Sanders, a 13-year-old from Hardin, Kentucky, who had been living with a foster family before his transfer to the group home earlier that year.

On the morning of Oct. 4, 1984, James and Chipley decided to leave the group home together. They managed to slip out and remain undetected for several hours in the nearby town, but their adventure was cut short when they were apprehended by the police and returned to Ashland. However, the boys were determined to flee and made another run for it at 9:30 p.m. that same night.

A search was launched, but this time, no one could find the boys.

Days turned into months and months into years. Now, 40 years later, their families are still wondering where they are. James’s mother, Sarah Bess, has vowed never to stop searching for her son.

“James, I want to know where you are. Please reach out to me. I have been missing you for so many years. I have been crying and struggling since you disappeared. You have so many people that love you. I am 72 years old, and I want to see you before God calls me home.” – Sarah Bess, James’s mother

James, now 54, has a scar on the right side of his waist and his eyes are grayish blue. Chipley, now 53, has a birthmark on his back left shoulder.