Christopher Robin Coan's Two-Year Disappearance Finally Solved: The Criminal Report Daily : Investigation Discovery

May 18, 2009

I first wrote about the mysterious disappearance of 18-year-old Christopher Robin Coan in September 2007. Now, nearly two years later, I can finally write the conclusion to that story. Unfortunately, there is no happy ending, but, in these kinds of cases, there seldom is.

On the night of Sept. 3, 2007, Christopher completed a three-hour shift at a Subway sandwich shop in Cedar City, Utah, and walked out the front door, never to be seen again. Christopher's girlfriend, Sasha Turner, worked a double shift on the night of Christopher's disappearance, and did not return home until 8:00 am on Sept. 4. It was then that she discovered that Chris was missing, at which time she alerted the authorities.

"The manager [of Subway] watched him leave," Enoch Police Chief Dave Browning said in a September 2007 interview with Suujournal.com. "There was no one around, because the Subway is in a shopping area where the rest of the stores aren't built yet."

In the days and weeks that followed, Christopher's family, local authorities, and community volunteers conducted several aerial and ground searches for Chris and his 1994 Chevrolet S-10 Blazer. Unfortunately, none of the searches turned up any evidence related to the case.

When Christopher first went missing, authorities speculated that a head injury that he sustained when he was seven years old might have caused him to lose focus and drive off, perhaps not knowing who he was or where he was going. However, those close to the investigation did not consider that a plausible theory, as Christopher had not exhibited that type of behavior in the past. They also believed that if that were the case, either Christopher or his vehicle would have resurfaced.

"He did not exhibit any sign of depression or stress that would cause him to leave," private investigator Marquita "Marki" Davis said in a November 2008 interview with Investigation Discovery. "He was in love with his girlfriend and happy with his life."

The mystery surrounding Christopher's disappearance continued until April 9, 2009, when a man walking a dog near Highway 14 spotted Christopher’s badly damaged SUV in some brush at the bottom of Right Hand Canyon. When police arrived on the scene, they found Christopher's remains inside the vehicle.

Investigators believe that Christopher lost control of his vehicle and slid down the 1000 foot canyon. The area had previously been searched; however, heavy brush and snow drifts had made it virtually impossible to spot the wreckage.

Christopher's family held a memorial service for him on April 25 at Southern Utah Mortuary in Cedar City. According to Christopher's father, Dave Coan, the event helped bring closure to the family.

The findchirs.org Website has since been updated and now contains a copy of his obituary and a link to a newly created memorial page.

"It has been a long hard search for Chris but we never gave up the search nor did we give up hope that we would get answers," reads a statement on the Website.

While the way Christopher was found was perhaps not the most ideal, it has answered many questions for the folks who loved him dearly. At least now they will no longer have to continue to wait and wonder...

Photo Credits: Contributed

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