Do you know who murdered me?
Chris Giauque
$200,000 Reward for
Information on Missing
Medical Marijuana
Advocate, Chris Giauque
Contact Chris’ Father, Bob Giauque at 707-865-0933 or bob@chrisreward.org
Mail at P.O. Box 609, Monte Rio, CA 95462
Or
Private Investigator Doug Newton at
707-473-9110 or newtonslawpi@gmail.com
Mail at 401 Center St. #19, Healdsburg, CA 95448
On
the evening of Saturday August 9, 2003, Chris Giauque went to the Spyrock area
and met with a business partner, Ben Lomax, near the Iron Peak lookout point.
This area is north of Laytonville, CA in Mendocino County.
Chris was on probation for cultivation of marijuana and reportedly left
his vehicle, a 1994 blue Toyota extra cab pickup truck, at this location as he
did not want to be seen in his truck on the property that he, Ben Lomax, and
Adrian Vasquez owned at 8500 Simmerly Rd., Covelo.
Reportedly, Ben Lomax gave Chris a ride into and out of the property.
Chris was reported as last seen in this area around 9:00 p.m.
It is presumed that he became a robbery-homicide victim.
Chris had made this trip to pick up a substantial amount of cash from Ben
Lomax. Ben had apparently let a
number of people in the area know of the pending business transaction.
In
an apparent attempt to steer the initial investigation away from Mendocino
County, Chris’ vehicle was dropped off the following day in Humboldt County
approximately fifty miles north of Spyrock Rd. and two miles south of Myers Flat
on the Avenue of the Giants near Elk Creek Rd.
This is north of the Salmon Creek area where Chris had his home. Most
likely his vehicle traveled along Bell Springs Rd. to the site where it was
dropped off. Another vehicle driven
by a second person followed Chris’ Toyota extra cab pickup truck and after
Chris’ vehicle was abandoned, the driver was picked up by the person following
the Toyota.
Among
the individuals of interest in this case are Ben Lomax and Scott McKinney.
Scott also owned a property on Simmerly Rd.
On Sunday, August
10, 2003, Scott was seen with one of
his upper arms heavily bandaged and apparently he had sought medical attention
late Saturday night or early Sunday morning.
When Scott was seen on Saturday afternoon, the day Chris went up to the
property, Scott’s arm was not bandaged. Unfortunately, Chris went to the
Spyrock area alone and did not take his dog or anyone with him. However, Chris
always carried a knife in his fanny pack. It
is possible that Chris used his knife to defend himself.
During
the afternoon of Monday, August 11, 2003 Chris was reported missing by Rebecca
Smiley Giauque, his wife of two weeks. Rebecca
was accompanied by Ben Lomax and Ron Sinoway, a southern Humboldt County lawyer.
The report was taken at the Humboldt County Garberville Sheriffs’
substation. Needless to say, it is
rather unusual that a spouse reports her husband missing while being accompanied
by a lawyer and the last person who admits to seeing Chris before his
disappearance.
Bob
Giauque, Chris’ father, was notified of Chris’ disappearance the evening of
August 11, 2003. When Bob made
contact with Rebecca, her first comment was that she was considered a suspect in
Chris’ disappearance. The
following day when Bob again made contact with Rebecca, he was told that she was
advised by her lawyer not to have any further communication with him.
Less than a month after Chris was reported missing, Rebecca, with the
assistance of Humboldt County civil lawyer, Kelly Walsh, filed papers in
Humboldt County Superior Court to request that she be given control of Chris’
assets and be named the conservator of Chris’ estate.
Although Bob Giauque contested this action, the court awarded the
conservatorship to Rebecca because a spouse is usually given precedence.
On September 9, 2010 an order that established the fact of death for
Chris was signed in Humboldt County Superior Court.
This order was kept confidential.
It
is extremely sad to lose a family member to a robbery-homicide. To this date,
Chris’ body has not been located. What
happened to Chris can also happen to other individuals who grow and process
marijuana in the Spyrock area. A
life is worth substantially more than whatever money is gained.
Chris
was a Caucasian, six-feet tall, weighing 145 lbs with blue eyes.
He had a full beard and sandy blond hair in dreadlocks, which were
four-feet long. Chris was a very
high profile individual. A number of
people are aware of the events and the circumstances that led up to his
disappearance. The perpetrators of
this crime should not be allowed to go on with their lives as though nothing
happened.
Bob
Giauque, the father of Chris Giauque, is offering a $150,000 reward for
information leading to the arrest and subsequent conviction of the individuals
responsible for this homicide. An
additional sum of $50,000 is being offered for information that leads to the
recovery of Chris’ remains. A
trust account with these funds has been established at Luther Burbank Savings in
Santa Rosa, CA. If anything should ever happen to Bob Giauque, the reward funds will
remain available until 2018 from the person responsible for handling Bob’s
estate.
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As
a consequence of the above posting on the internet, Scott McKinney wrote the
following Letter to the Editor for the Anderson Valley Advertiser. The newspaper published the letter on February 29,
2012.
REGARDING DISAPPEARANCE OF CHRIS GIAUQUE
I am writing in
response to the article regarding the disappearance of Chris Giauque. The
article was composed of some facts, some theories, and the ludicrous speculation
that I was somehow involved.
A critical fact left
out of the article is that I, Scott McKinney, have passed a polygraph
examination proving that I had nothing to do with Mr. Chris Giauque’s
disappearance, and the results of this polygraph examination have been provided
to law enforcement. Let the record be clear: I had nothing to do with this
tragedy. I love this community very much, and I have worked hard to earn
respect. I have a family of my own, and I empathize with the anguish suffered by
all involved. My heart goes out to Mr. Giauque’s family, and I wish the family
closure on this issue. Accordingly, I am willing to add to the reward money so
that whoever is involved can be brought to justice. I, too, want justice for
Chris Giauque and his family.
Again, I have passed a
polygraph on this matter, and I am willing to add to the reward money. That
should be part of the discussion.
Scott McKinney
Humboldt County
It should be mentioned that Scott McKinney obtained legal counsel after
Chris Giauque was reported missing. Scott
was not interviewed by law enforcement regarding Chris’ case during the months
immediately following the disappearance of Chris Giauque. Additionally,
it appears that Scott McKinney does not have any connection with Humboldt
County. Scott presently owns two properties in Mendocino County in the Fort
Bragg area.
Additional
Information
As
stated above, on the evening of Saturday August 9, 2003, Chris Giauque went to the
Spyrock area of Mendocino County and met with a business partner, Ben Lomax,
near the Iron Peak lookout point. Reportedly,
Chris had gone to meet with Ben Lomax to collect over $100,000 owed to Chris.
Ben
Lomax was the last person who has admitted to seeing Chris. Two days after Chris
met with Ben Lomax, Rebecca Smiley Giauque (Chris’ wife of two weeks) reported
Chris missing at the Garberville Sheriff Substation in Humboldt County. She was
accompanied by Ben Lomax and Ron
Sinoway, a Southern Humboldt County lawyer. A spouse reporting her husband
missing accompanied by a lawyer and the last person who admitted to seeing the
missing individual is very unusual.
During
the first two weeks after Chris went missing, law enforcement had hoped to
interview Victor Suarez, Freddie Delgado, Scott McKinney, and Eric Barnett.
Reportedly, these individuals were with Ben Lomax on the afternoon of August 9th,
the day Chris went missing. When law enforcement eventually made contact with
Scott McKinney a number of weeks later, they were told to talk with his
attorney. Reportedly the attorney faxed a letter stating that he was
representing Scott McKinney, Freddie Delgado, Victor Suarez, and Eric Barnett
and that none of his clients had any information regarding
Chris’ disappearance. Apparently, other than Ben Lomax and Freddie
Delgado, none of the above individuals of interest were interviewed by law
enforcement in the months immediately following Chris’ disappearance. Except
for Eric Barnett, all of the named individuals had interests in properties
either on or very close to Simmerly Rd. Chris with Ben Lomax and Adrian Vasquez
owned over 400 acres on Simmerly Rd.
On
Sunday, August 10, 2003, Scott McKinney was seen with one of his upper arms
heavily bandaged. Apparently he had sought medical attention late Saturday night
or early Sunday morning. When Scott
was seen on Saturday afternoon, the day Chris went up on Spyrock to meet with
Ben Lomax, Scott’s arm was not bandaged. Unfortunately, Chris went to the
Spyrock area alone and did not take his dog or anyone with him. However, Chris
always carried a knife in his fanny pack. It
is possible that Chris used his knife to defend himself.
Approximately
one year after Chris was reported missing, Doug Newton, a private investigator,
was hired to seek information regarding Chris’ disappearance. Subsequently,
Doug was in contact with Scott McKinney and was told by Scott that he would
assist in any way possible to help solve Chris’ case but that he did not have
any information. When Doug asked Scott if he was willing to sign a release for
the medical attention that he received on August 9th or 10th,
Scott refused. Scott’s reply was to the effect that if he signed a medical
release, it could open a can of worms.
In
a separate matter, two years after Chris disappeared, four of the above
individuals were included in a federal indictment out of Fresno, California. The
indictment of 15 individuals was for a very large-scale conspiracy to cultivate
and distribute 4,400 pounds of marijuana. Pursuant to the execution of search
and arrest warrants in Mendocino County, agents arrested Freddie Allen Delgado.
Thereafter, Victor Raul Suarez, Jr., Benjamin Jeffrey Lomax, and Scott Arthur
McKinney turned themselves into federal law enforcement authorities in San
Francisco. Information regarding this federal indictment was in a September 8,
2005 news release by a US Attorney for the Eastern District of California.
In
February 2012, a $200,000 reward was established for information regarding
Chris’ case. A reward of $150,000 is offered for
information that leads to the arrest and subsequent conviction of the
individuals responsible for this homicide. An additional sum of $50,000 is
offered for information leading to the recovery of Chris’ remains. A trust
account with these funds has been established at Luther Burbank Savings in Santa
Rosa, CA. Also during February 2012, the website www.chrisreward.org
was established. This website has received thousands of hits. In March of 2012,
information on Chris’ case was posted on the Mendocino County Sheriff’s
booking logs page www.mendocinosheriff.com/newbooking
. The Sheriff’s booking logs page receives on average 20,000 hits each week.
Information on Chris’ case
has been posted on the International Rewards Center (IRC) website www.internationalrewardscentre.com. Similar information has been
posted on www.rewardstv.net. This
last website is considering the possibility of establishing a TV Series,
Reward$TV. If this series is established, it is planned that Chris’ case will
be featured on the show.
The following letter was sent to more than 1500 residents of Laytonville.
Do
you know who murdered me?
My family called me Chris, and
everyone knew me as Chris Giauque. No,
I wasn’t some dumb “hippie” who drifted onto Spyrock Rd with a pile of
money to do a deal. I was one of
you; and most of you knew me. How
could you believe such a story? Does
it make you feel that the “bad karma” will go away if you believe a lie and
create an alternate reality? Even if
I had been some dumb outsider, was that an excuse for robbery and murder?
No, never.
I was a grower, like you.
I was no “snitch.” These
excuses were put out by murderers to justify betraying one of their own.
How could you fall for such a story?
Are you in denial? Where is
your memory? the voice of your
conscience? Remember, if it happened
to me, it can happen to you ...
I was young, and idealistic.
I really believed in the cause of medical marijuana.
And I fought for our right to have it.
I fought the Sheriff’s office and the Federal authorities.
And I did time for that. I
came back and tried to start up again, only to find myself betrayed by my own.
I was killed by those who wanted to replace me and take what I had worked
and fought for. Was it for turf?
Or was it just plain greed?
I know.
You know.
I
had my reasons for believing in medical marijuana.
I had open-heart surgery at age 4, and again at age 16. I broke my back
in my early 20s in an accident. I
genuinely liked to help people, particularly people who were handicapped. And
whether you like to admit it or not, I helped a lot of people get started in the
business.
This
situation has been very hard on my family, especially my handicapped Mother.
My family has looked for me for over 8 years.
Supposedly, I disappeared without a trace.
I am dead. But I will not go
away. As long as my body does not
receive proper burial I will haunt the back roads and the forests, and resurface
in your dreams. A crime like this
creates Bad Karma.
Resign
yourselves to it. Until I am found
and the perpetrators are behind bars, my family will never give up.
They love and remember me. They
stood by me during those life-threatening open-heart surgeries.
They have not forgotten me. And
some of you have not either. Rise up
against those who would corrupt our cause. If
you are truly idealistic about this cause, stand up and drive out the criminal
element. We know you are in
conflict, torn. The website with
information on my disappearance, www.chrisreward.org,
has been viewed many times, and over 120 times in one
single
day. Multiple newspaper articles
coupled with posters in a number of localities have attracted much attention. I
thank those of you who are trying to help by calling or writing my family.
My
family is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to the recovery of
my remains. An additional $150,000
reward is offered for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the
individuals responsible for killing me. And
now, an additional reward incentive is being made available to anyone bringing
in direct evidence of the crime. Be
advised, the International Rewards Center (IRC), www.internationalrewardscentre.com,
has posted this information on its website.
Failure to bring rapid
closure to this case will lead to a number of bounty hunters invading your
territory. They will scour the area, seeking information and asking questions.
Information
on the murder or the disposal of my body can be given to my Father, Bob Giauque,
at 707-865-0933 or mail at P.O. Box 609, Monte Rio, CA 95462. Additionally,
information can be provided to Doug Newton, a private investigator. Doug
can be reached at 707-473-9110 or he can receive mail at 401 Center St. # 19,
Healdsburg, CA 95448. The Mendocino
County Sheriff’s Department is extremely interested in solving this crime. Information
can be given to Sheriff Tom Allman, Captain Kurt Smallcomb, or Detective
Sergeant Greg Van Pattan at 707-463-4083.