KX NEWS

Chase Hurdle’s story coming to Paramount+ docuseries ‘Never Seen Again’

NORTH DAKOTA (KXNET) — Chase Hurdle’s story is coming to Never Seen Again, a docuseries on Paramount+ where families share about their missing loved ones and reach out to the public for help.

In May, producers from Never Seen Again contacted KX News after hearing of Chase’s story — an 18-year-old who was last seen on video walking out of Bismarck High School in November of 2021 and hasn’t been seen again since.

Never Seen Again Director and Producer Anthony Cantor was looking through Facebook groups across each state in an effort to find missing persons whose stories don’t get that “wall-to-wall” national coverage when he stumbled upon a story from KX about Chase.

Every case, he says, is compelling, heartbreaking and different and he wishes this docuseries could cover them all — but Chase’s stood out.

“You can see the anguish [in the community],” Cantor said, “Chase’s personality, big-heartedness…”

Never Seen Again is seen as a “vehicle” to raise awareness, uncover new information, collaborate with local communities and form relationships while bringing closure or support to family members of those missing.

And Cantor hopes by sharing Chase’s story, they can do just that.

Anchor Brooke Williams, who’s been following Chase’s story since he was reported missing, will be featured in the two-part episode to detail all she’s heard and seen.

“It’s important since he’s still missing. We’ve done local coverage, but nothing nationally. It’s a good opportunity to raise awareness,” said Williams.

Chase has been missing for nearly 11 months — and his family, and our community, is still looking for answers.

“Our goal is to present the person who’s gone missing in full,” Cantor added, “We work hard on these; we really form relationships with families…and there’s a lot of people who don’t know what actually happens when someone goes missing.”

What we know about Chase

Chase is an 18-year-old from Bismarck, who police reportedly say has a history of amnesia. He’s African American, 5’8″ and weighs 130 pounds. He has brown eyes; black, shoulder-length hair and wears plastic-framed glasses.

In July 2021, Bismarck police took to the department’s Facebook page, saying they located a person who didn’t remember anything — including his own name. That person was soon identified as Chase. Thankfully, this incident took place in just a single day and Chase was soon reunited with his family.

His father, Darius, said Chase has been a straight-A student and has a close relationship with his siblings.

He said recently, he started experiencing some depression but sought help from the community and at school.

Where was he last seen?

Chase was last seen around 9 a.m. on Nov. 2, 2021, walking out of Bismarck High School. He was wearing a blue, long sleeve shirt and blue jeans. He was also seen around 9:45 a.m. in the area of the Memorial Bridge.

His cell phone did leave a trace at a nearby cell tower that led in the direction of the bridge as well, and another place he was last seen was around the Bank of North Dakota.

What do police say/think?

Bismarck Police Department Investigator Mark Gaddis said in December 2021 that the department had received some calls, but they still haven’t been able to find him.

“People say they’ve spotted him, but no leads have panned out,” said Williams.

On Nov, 2, 2021, there was a report the morning he went missing of someone jumping from Memorial Bridge. The description didn’t exactly match Chase’s, so the police couldn’t say it’s the same person. However, they couldn’t discount it either because they haven’t been able to locate the person who was reported to have jumped.

Then, in early May, police concluded that Chase was the one who jumped from the bridge — citing witness statements and a North Dakota Highway Patrol K-9 tracking Chase’s scent to the bridge, then losing it.

Since the reported jumping, water searches have been conducted but so far have turned up empty-handed; nothing has been recovered.

It’s always tougher to locate someone the longer they’ve been gone.

A community search for Chase is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 1 at 9:00 A.M near the Memorial Bridge. Volunteers are being sought to assist in the search.

Talking to Chase’s family

Despite what the police believe, Chase’s family is still hopeful and believes that he may just be hanging out with friends and laying low, out of the public eye.

“We love you and we miss you and we can help you. Let others help you find me. I want you to come home,” Darius said in an interview with KX.

Darius added that he’s still hopeful for his son’s return, especially since Chase received an acceptance letter to the University of North Dakota.

He holds onto hope that his son will be found safe once more.

Who is Daniel?

Daniel Olson is a 38-year-old man from Fargo. Daniel is 5’9″ and 160 pounds, with blonde hair and blue eyes, according to a missing person flier; it’s unknown what he was last seen wearing. He was reported missing on Nov. 3, 2021, after failing to show up to work.

His vehicle was found abandoned in early November 2021, near Cottonwood Park.

According to Daniel’s family, he was dealing with PTSD after serving in the North Dakota Army National Guard in Iraq. It also appears there was talk of suicide from Daniel.

So far, the only connection between Chase and Daniel is the coincidence of their disappearances happening in the same town and just a day apart.

Like Chase, Daniel was reported missing in early November with his vehicle located in Bismarck around the same time.

Some of Daniel’s story will be featured in Chase’s Never Seen Again episodes, in an attempt to also bring solace to his family too.

When will the episodes air?

Never Seen Again premiered on May 10. The episodes on Chase and Daniel are slated to be released on Oct. 11. The docuseries has three goals:

To portray the person in full, not just as a statistic; to make a push for anyone with information to come forward, as some people may have no idea they hold that “missing puzzle piece” — no matter how insignificant they may think it is; and to give families a platform to tell the public what they want to say, all from their perspective and from the people involved (journalists, police, family, archival content) — not a narrator.

Chase’s story will be a two-part episode in the third installment of the docuseries, with more information to be revealed that hasn’t been shared yet.

North Dakota’s missing

On Wednesday, March 9, in lieu of a statewide missing person database, former Digital Producer Hannah Woosley-Collins created a running story, titled The names and faces of those still missing across North Dakota, by combing through missing person reports in an attempt to again share their information and help bring them home to their families.

Chase and Daniel are included.

Attorney General Drew Wrigley’s office said in March the project for a statewide database is in development. But in the meantime, their names and faces shouldn’t be forgotten. To see them:

If you know of someone who’s missing and isn’t featured in this story linked above, please reach out to us at ndfirst@kxnet.com.