Account
Aug 05, 2014
Jan 08, 2024
Walter
Cierley
114
88
68 inches
170 lbs
White / Caucasian
Male
In the summer of 1998, 88-year-old Walter Andrew Cierley was seen for the last time. It was July when his nephew, John Henry Shipman, reportedly helped him move out of his apartment in Prineville, Oregon. Shipman told others that his elderly uncle was setting off to travel the country in a motor home. After that, Walter Cierley was never seen or heard from again. His disappearance was the start of a deeply troubling family mystery that would only grow more complex with time. Mr. Cierley was a white male with gray hair and blue eyes, and he wore a full set of dentures. The circumstances surrounding Walter's disappearance became more suspicious when another family member vanished. In May 2001, a report was filed for the disappearance of Frances Brewster, who was John Henry Shipman's mother and Walter Cierley's sister-in-law. She had last been seen in October of 1999 while she was living with her son, Shipman. Shipman claimed to authorities that his mother had left to travel with Cierley. This explanation, however, began to unravel as investigators delved deeper into the situation. The investigation took a dark turn when police discovered that Shipman had been cashing both his mother's and his uncle's Social Security checks after they had supposedly left to travel. This financial fraud raised immediate red flags and pointed to a more sinister reason for their absences. Before he could be fully held to account, the case culminated in a tragic event. In September 2001, when police attempted to arrest Shipman on unrelated domestic violence charges, he took his own life. The situation grew even more grim with the revelation that just two weeks before his death, Shipman had allegedly confessed to an acquaintance that he had killed both his mother and his uncle. Despite this confession, the remains of Walter Cierley and Frances Brewster have never been found, though authorities suspect their bodies are buried somewhere in central Oregon. The case is considered a homicide, and foul play is strongly suspected due to the deeply disturbing circumstances surrounding their disappearances and Shipman's subsequent actions.
Jul 01, 1998
Prineville
Oregon
Deschutes County
No
23403
Bend Police Department
Bend
Oregon
Deschutes County
97701
555 Northeast 15th Street, Oregon
5413222960
Local
Law Enforcement
2000-3656
Bend Police Department
Gray or Partially Gray
Blue
Blue
06/03/2026
