Dateline NBC: Who was James Chambers?

The decade-long investigation into the missing case of Fayetteville construction worker, James Chambers, led the police to the horrific revelation of his murder. James Chambers was a well-respected individual in his community, who was employed at his father's construction company and also worked as a lifeguard on the weekends.

He was last spotted on August 15, 2014, in his Carol Street apartment, after he returned from his day job to change his clothes and feed the dog before he left with his co-worker, Howard Adrian Ashleman.

Dateline NBC shed light on his murder case in an episode titled The Bridge, which will re-air on January 21, 2024, at 8 pm EST. The synopsis of the episode reads:

"North Carolina detectives search for answers in the murder of 28-year-old Fayetteville construction worker James Chambers; featuring interviews with James' family members and investigators at the centre of the case."

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Who was James Chambers?

James Allan Chambers II was born to Pete Chambers and Rachel Wellhouser on July 8, 1986. He was a resident of Fayetteville in Cumberland County, North Carolina, and was known to be a "selfless and outgoing friend and son," as per NBC News. James Chambers had a younger brother named Michael, whom he was very close to. Michael passed away in 2008 from muscular dystrophy.

James Chambers worked as a civilian construction worker at his father's company, Chambers Concrete, at Fort Bragg (now known as Fort Liberty), as per The Cinemaholic. He also worked part-time as a lifeguard at Duplin County.

As reported by Dateline NBC, his loved ones recalled:

"James was smart. He was very witty. He cared about people. He was always somebody who was willing to help."

Chambers usually kept his family informed about his whereabouts and they grew concerned when he failed to turn up at his job as a lifeguard at Lake Leamon on August 15, 2014. They looked for him for about 10 days before they reported him missing to the Fayetteville Police Department on August 24, per the press release.

Chambers had left his dog and all his personal belongings at his home at Carol Street rented from Brandi Sugrue, per ABC 11 report. However, Brandi found evidence of Chambers having changed his clothes. He also reportedly fed his dog and took his cell phone with him before stepping out with his co-worker, Howard Ashleman, for his lifeguard job.

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What happened to James Chambers? Details explored

James Chambers (28) was last seen alive at his apartment by his roommate Brandi Sugrue on the evening of August 15, 2014. James' father notified the police about Howard Adrian Ashleman picking him up from his home but the 21-year-old denied any involvement in the case.

A break in the case came in 2018 when Ashleman owned up to his deeds and revealed that he had mistakenly shot Chambers on their way to the Lake on August 15 after a heated argument. He stated that he stopped the truck midway to fire a shot inside the car to scare Chambers but the bullet struck him and led to his death, as per The Fayetteville Observer.

Howard Ashleman allegedly burnt the body and then buried it in the Wade area of Cumberland County. He later dug it up, reportedly dismembered it, packed it in garbage bags, and tossed it into a waterway leading to the Cape Fear River, as per The Fayetteville Observer. He then had his pickup truck crushed at the salvage yard to get rid of evidence.

James Chambers' body has not been found to date.

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The Dateline NBC episode titled The Bridge will re-air on January 21, 2024, at 8 pm EST.