Summary
Episode 6 shows a sad state of affairs — children that are terribly neglected by their mother which resulted in a murder and the disappearance and likely murder of one of the sisters.
This recap of Netflix series Unsolved Mysteries season 1, episode 6, “Missing Witness” contains information of the disappearance Lena Chapin.
How does Unsolved Mysteries, season 1, episode 6, “Missing Witness” open?
Episode 6 opens up with Lena’s sister Brandi Petersen showing a photo of her sister. She misses her and she had no idea what her mother was capable of. The episode then flits to Ozark Mountains, Missouri. Apparently, Lena Chapin fled with her boyfriend but the sisters did not believe it as she left her son and most of her possessions. Lena was reported missing. Brandi talks about how she misses the mother she had when she was younger. The family consists of six sisters.
Constantly moving
Lena was the one that always got in trouble. One of the sisters said growing up was hard as they didn’t know when they were going to move again. Their mother Sandy was always meeting a new man. Sandy’s ex-husband Albert was a good stepfather to the children — Sandy slept with his brother Gary. The family moved again with Gary. Sandy begins having an affair with Kris a few years later. Gary realised that Sandy was accessing his cheque books and asked for a divorce. A couple of months later, Gary went missing. Before he went missing, Sandy tried killing Gary. Episode 6 presents a mother constantly on the move with her 6 children.
Find a body
Two days into the investigation, Kris moves into Sandy’s house. The investigators ask Sandy to do a polygraph. She said, “You find a body and I’ll do a polygraph”. Lena Chapin was very hostile towards the investigators and was clearly number two in the house. The mother had the sisters lying for them all their lives. Brandi caught her mother scrubbing the floor with bleach the day Gary went missing. At night, Sandy told her children what to say if anyone asks about Gary. One of the sisters saw her mother dragging a body bag in the middle of the night but she was scared and had to keep quiet.
Moving again
At the midway point of Unsolved Mysteries season 1, episode 6, Sandy and Kris are married and the family has moved to Sligo, Missouri. Lena Chapin lost herself and got into drugs — the sisters could tell she was really lonely and holding something inside. Lena was the witness to what her mother had done — she told Albert everything and it was recorded.
Showing her true colours
The police had enough evidence and Sandy lawyered up. Lena suddenly retracts her statement. Lena tells Brandi everything what happened the day Gary went missing so she approaches her mother about it. Her mother and Kris drive Brandi out in the middle of the night and Kris threatens her with a gun. Brandi hugged her mother tight and begged her to not hurt her. This account shows the depth of how evil this mother is.
Lena goes missing
Later in life, Lena had her first son and no longer wanted to talk about Gary. When the civil lawsuits are filed from Gary’s family, Lena had gone missing. Sandy claimed Lena had gone to Florida with “some guy”. It was obvious Sandy had done something. The sisters knew that Lena went missing because of the confession tape. Sandy also wanted Lena’s son Colter because she never had a son — she wanted rights to the boy and filed abandonment charges.
How does Unsolved Mysteries, season 1, episode 6, “Missing Witness” end?
At the trial, Sandy and Kris were ordered to pay $7 million to Gary’s daughters. The family still hasn’t received compensation. Brandi hasn’t seen Colter since Kindergarten who now lives with Sandy. Brandi vows to spend every single day of her life to find Lena and put her mother in prison. The sisters are liaising with detectives to find Lena’s body and they miss her terribly. Episode 6 shows a sad state of affairs — children that are terribly neglected by their mother which resulted in a murder and the disappearance and likely of murder of one of the sisters.
