On August 9, 2003, 36-year-old Chris Robert Giauque, a prominent figure in the Northern California cannabis industry, vanished after heading to a business meeting in a remote area of Mendocino County. Giauque, who had recently been released from federal prison for marijuana cultivation, left his home in Salmon Creek, Humboldt County, to meet his business associate, Ben Lomax. The purpose of the meeting was to collect a substantial sum of money, reportedly around $150,000, owed to him from a property in the Spyrock region. Because he was on probation, Giauque parked his 1994 blue Toyota pickup truck near the Iron Peak lookout and was given a ride by Lomax to the property on Simmerly Road in Covelo. He was last seen in the Spyrock area at approximately 9:00 PM and never returned.
The circumstances surrounding the reporting of Giauque's disappearance raised immediate suspicion. On August 11, 2003, two days after he was last seen, Giauque's wife of just two weeks, Rebecca, reported him missing to the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office. She was notably accompanied by Ben Lomax and a lawyer, a detail that Giauque's family and investigators found highly unusual. Four days after his disappearance, on August 13, Giauque's truck was discovered abandoned about 50 miles north of the Spyrock area along the Avenue of the Giants. The vehicle had been wiped clean, removing any potential evidence. Despite extensive searches, Giauque's body has never been found, and in 2010, he was legally declared dead.
The investigation into Giauque's disappearance has been complex and fraught with challenges, largely due to the illicit nature of the cannabis industry at the time, which bred a culture of silence and mistrust of law enforcement. A significant development in the case came in June 2014, when Giauque's father, Bob, received a series of anonymous phone calls. The caller claimed to have witnessed Giauque's murder and implicated four individuals: Ben Lomax, Scott McKinney, a person known as "Vic," and the caller himself. According to the caller, a confrontation occurred during which Giauque stabbed McKinney in self-defense before being killed with his own knife. His body was then allegedly wrapped in a tarp and transported from the property. While the caller provided specific details, law enforcement has considered the possibility that it was a ploy to extort money from the grieving father.
In the years following his son's disappearance, Bob Giauque has remained a relentless advocate for justice, employing a private investigator and offering a substantial reward for information. The reward, funded by his son's estate, stands at $400,000—$200,000 for the recovery of his remains and another $200,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible. The case officially remains unsolved and is being investigated as a homicide by both the Humboldt County and Mendocino County Sheriff's Offices.
Last Seen: Aug 09, 2003
