Missing
Manuel Chabarria Jr.
Chabarria, approximately 1997
Date and time person was reported missing : 04/01/1997
Missing location (approx) :
Arlington, Texas
Missing classification : Endangered Missing
Gender : Male
Ethnicity :
Hispanic
DOB : 02/24/1972 (49)
Age at the time of disappearance: 25 years old
Height / Weight : 5'5, 130 pounds
Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos
: Hispanic male. Brown hair, brown eyes. Chabarria has a scar on one of his shoulder blades from a muscle biopsy.
Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : Chabarria was last seen in Arlington, Texas on April 1, 1997. He attended a meeting at approximately 6:00 p.m. at Harrigan's Restaurant, his place of employment. Chabarria was driving his partially primed, red-striped 1987 Honda Civic at the time. He has never been heard from again.
Chabarria resided with a roommate in Arlington in 1997. He was reported as a missing person after his employer failed to make contact him. Chabarria and his roommate had different schedules and did not see each other often. His roommate stated, however, that Chabarria had been drinking heavily at the time of his disappearance and was also sleeping for extended periods. Chabarria's mother had noticed he looked sick and asked him if he was using drugs, but he denied it. All of Chabarria's personal belongings, including clothing and toiletries, were left behind in his residence.
Chabarria's vehicle was discovered abandoned on May 17, 1997, more than one month after his disappearance. The vehicle was located covered with mesquite in a brush-filled area on private property off of Farm Road 2119 in Culberson County, Texas. There was no sign of Chabarria at the scene. The keys were in the ignition and the windows were rolled down. A shotgun box was in the backseat, and six empty bottles, a pack of cigarettes, an empty picture frame and two boxes of shotgun shells were scattered around.
Authorities determined the shotgun that had been in the box had been bought at a Wal-Mart in Bedford, Texas a few days after Chabarria disappeared, but they were unable to determine the identity of the purchaser. Chabarria's loved ones do not believe he was suicidal at the time of his disappearance, and suggested he bought the gun for hunting.
Chabarria's parents resided in the Fort Worth, Texas area in 1997. They stated it's uncharacteristic of their son to leave without warning. His maternal grandparents lived in the Pecos, Texas area in the past. His mother theorized her son may have driven to Culberson County to search for their former home. The theory has never been proven.
Foul play is suspected in Chabarria's case, which remains unsolved.
Other information and links : ncy
Arlington Police Department
817-459-5316
September 2021 updates and sources
Texas Department of Public Safety
The Pecos Enterprise
October 12, 2004. January 10, 2008; Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : updated.
Interactive Missing Person Search Map
