Overview

Full Name: David Christopher Kempker

Nickname: DK

Age at Disappearance: 27

Date Last Seen: March 11–12, 2018. The California Department of Justice lists March 11; contemporary news reports and other missing-person records identify March 12.

Last Known Location: Sherman Island area, Sacramento County, California, near Highway 160.

Home City: Concord, Contra Costa County, California.

Case Classification: Missing person; classified as endangered missing by The Charley Project.

Current Publicly Documented Status: Unresolved. David remains listed in California’s official missing-person database.

Investigating Agency: Concord Police Department.

Official Police Case Number: 184028

David Christopher Kempker disappeared during a nighttime trip to the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta in March 2018. He reportedly became separated from people accompanying him near Sherman Island. His truck was discovered abandoned on March 14, and extensive searches failed to locate him. More than eight years later, the publicly available record does not establish what happened to David or where he went after his companions last saw him.

Detailed Case Breakdown

Case Summary

Full Name: David Christopher Kempker

Nickname: DK

Age at Disappearance: 27

Date Last Seen: March 11–12, 2018. The California Department of Justice lists March 11; contemporary news reports and other missing-person records identify March 12.

Last Known Location: Sherman Island area, Sacramento County, California, near Highway 160.

Home City: Concord, Contra Costa County, California.

Case Classification: Missing person; classified as endangered missing by The Charley Project.

Current Publicly Documented Status: Unresolved. David remains listed in California’s official missing-person database.

Investigating Agency: Concord Police Department.

Official Police Case Number: 184028

David Christopher Kempker disappeared during a nighttime trip to the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta in March 2018. He reportedly became separated from people accompanying him near Sherman Island. His truck was discovered abandoned on March 14, and extensive searches failed to locate him. More than eight years later, the publicly available record does not establish what happened to David or where he went after his companions last saw him.

Background and Circumstances of David Kempker’s Disappearance

A Young Electrician From Concord

David Christopher Kempker was born September 15, 1990, and grew up in Concord, California, a city in Contra Costa County northeast of San Francisco. At the time of his disappearance, he was 27 years old and working as an electrician. Missing-person records indicate that he worked in Truckee, California, and lived with his mother in Concord.

Family members and friends described David as adventurous, outgoing, and deeply connected to the people around him. He enjoyed outdoor activities, climbing, and extreme sports. Those who knew him spoke about his willingness to take risks and his enthusiasm for physical challenges.

His familiarity with outdoor environments would later become an important consideration in discussions about his disappearance. Friends knew he enjoyed exploring challenging places, but that knowledge alone could not explain why he vanished without contacting anyone.

David was also remembered for his close relationships with family and friends. Following his disappearance, loved ones repeatedly emphasized that prolonged silence was inconsistent with how they knew him to behave.

The Trip to Sherman Island

During the night of March 11 into the early hours of March 12, 2018, David traveled to the Sherman Island area of the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta with other people. The location is part of a network of waterways, levees, and rural roads in southern Sacramento County.

According to accounts reported during the investigation, the group had gone to the area for an early-morning fishing trip. At some point, David became separated from the others. The people accompanying him returned, but David did not.

The precise circumstances of that separation have never been fully established in publicly available investigative records. It remains unclear exactly where David was standing when he was last seen, what direction he traveled afterward, and what happened during the hours before his family realized he was missing.

His family questioned the fishing explanation. Relatives and friends noted that David reportedly did not have fishing equipment, and his mother expressed doubts about the account of the trip. These concerns were publicly reported, but they did not establish that a crime had occurred.

The Missing-Person Report and Abandoned Truck

When David failed to return home, his family reported him missing on March 13, 2018.

On March 14, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office located his Toyota truck abandoned on a roadway off Highway 160 in the Sherman Island area. Publicly available missing-person records place the discovery near the 18400 block of Highway 160.

The discovery of the truck gave investigators a geographical starting point, but it did not establish David’s subsequent movements. A search of the surrounding area failed to find him.

According to The Charley Project, searchers found a beanie hat and vest outside the vehicle. The public record does not establish precisely how these items came to be there or whether their placement was significant to the disappearance.

David was described by California authorities as approximately six feet tall and 160 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. His extensive tattoos provide important identifying details, including a full sleeve on his left arm featuring a Virgo symbol, the name Meghan, a California outline, a Burning Man logo, and a family tree. He also had a portrait of his grandmother tattooed on his rib cage.

At the time he disappeared, official records described his clothing as a dark blue shirt and blue jeans. Additional missing-person information mentioned a sweatshirt and beanie hat.

Investigation History and Evidence

Search Efforts in Sacramento County

The Concord Police Department assumed responsibility for the missing-person investigation and worked with the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office because David’s last known location was outside Concord.

After his truck was located, search-and-rescue personnel extensively searched the surrounding Sherman Island area. Friends and relatives also organized searches, distributed missing-person information, and appealed for assistance from the public.

The searches did not produce a publicly confirmed discovery of David or an explanation for his disappearance.

Interviews With the People Who Accompanied Him

Police interviewed at least one person who had accompanied David on the trip. Contemporary reporting identified that individual as someone David had known since childhood.

In March 2019, Concord Police Lieutenant Mike Kindorf told KTVU that investigators had cleared the other individuals of suspicion and had found no indication of foul play. He described information suggesting David had moved away from the others on his own.

That statement is an important part of the documented investigative history. Although David’s family continued to question aspects of the trip, the publicly reported police assessment at that time did not identify his companions as criminal suspects.

No verified public record reviewed for this article establishes that any individual has subsequently been arrested or charged in connection with David’s disappearance.

Phone and Financial Activity

During the initial investigation, Concord police reported no activity on David’s phone, debit cards, or credit cards after he disappeared.

This absence of activity concerned his family and friends, who believed David would ordinarily have contacted someone. However, the lack of recorded activity does not, by itself, establish whether he experienced an accident, deliberately disappeared, or encountered another unknown circumstance.

No publicly verified technical findings, such as a final phone-location analysis or forensic reconstruction of his movements, were located in the available reporting.

Human Remains Found in the Delta in April 2018

In April 2018, a separate discovery in the Sacramento Delta briefly raised fears among David’s relatives. Human remains were found in the Mokelumne River, and the possibility of a connection to David’s disappearance caused considerable distress for his family.

On April 11, 2018, KTVU reported that the remains were not David’s. The discovery was being investigated separately as a homicide.

There is no verified basis for linking those remains or that homicide investigation to David Kempker’s disappearance. The identification ruling out David was significant because it left his whereabouts unknown.

Theories and Unresolved Questions

Several possibilities have been discussed publicly since David disappeared. None has been established as the definitive explanation, and it is important to distinguish investigative observations from speculation.

Could David Have Experienced an Accident?

One possibility raised in reporting was that David suffered an accident after becoming separated from the group. The Sherman Island area includes waterways, embankments, and other potentially hazardous terrain.

In 2019, Lieutenant Kindorf specifically discussed the danger of fast-moving water and strong currents in the area during that season. Such conditions could complicate an emergency and make a search difficult.

David’s interest in climbing and adventurous activities also led one friend to express concern that he might have fallen while exploring. That was a concern voiced by someone who knew him, not a confirmed finding that he had climbed or fallen on the night he disappeared.

No publicly confirmed discovery of his remains, documented accident scene, or conclusive evidence of drowning was located. An accidental disappearance therefore remains a possibility rather than an established conclusion.

Why Did the Family Question the Fishing Account?

David’s family and friends repeatedly questioned the explanation that he had gone fishing. Their concerns centered partly on the reported absence of fishing poles and their understanding of David’s interests and habits.

His mother also questioned the relationship between David and the people who accompanied him, expressing uncertainty about how well she knew those individuals.

These statements reflect the family’s concerns and the unanswered questions surrounding the trip. They are not evidence that the companions harmed David. Police publicly stated in 2019 that those individuals had been cleared of suspicion.

Could David Have Left Voluntarily?

Because police reported that David appeared to have moved away from the group on his own, the question of his immediate actions remains relevant. However, leaving one’s companions does not necessarily mean intending to disappear permanently.

Family and friends consistently described David as someone who maintained contact with loved ones. His prolonged absence and the reported lack of phone or financial activity offered no publicly verified explanation for a voluntary disappearance.

There is no confirmed public evidence establishing that David deliberately began a new life or intended to sever contact with his family.

The Questions That Remain

The central unanswered question is what happened after David became separated from the people accompanying him. Other unresolved issues include his exact last-known position, his movements before the truck was discovered, and whether the clothing found near the vehicle provides meaningful evidence.

It is also unknown whether anyone traveling along Highway 160 or through the Sherman Island area saw David during the relevant period without realizing he would later be reported missing.

These questions warrant continued attention, but they do not justify assigning blame or treating an unproven scenario as fact.

Latest Publicly Available Investigative Updates

The First Anniversary and Community Vigil

On March 12, 2019, more than 100 people gathered near Wren Avenue Elementary School in Concord to remember David and renew appeals for information. The location had personal significance because David attended the school as a child.

Family members, friends, and neighbors participated in the gathering. David’s aunt, Anita Descalzo, spoke about the continuing emotional impact of his absence, while his mother appealed for information that might explain what had happened.

The vigil demonstrated the continuing support of David’s community one year after his disappearance. It was an awareness and remembrance event, not a confirmed investigative breakthrough.

Continued Missing-Person Listings

As of the October 31, 2026 research review, David Christopher Kempker remains listed as a missing person on the California Department of Justice website. The listing identifies the Concord Police Department as the reporting agency and gives official case number 184028.

His disappearance is also documented by The Charley Project and independent missing-person awareness resources. The available secondary listings identify NamUs reference MP43066, although that reference should be distinguished from the official Concord police case number.

The continued availability of these records is important for public awareness. However, the presence or maintenance of a database listing does not establish that investigators have recently discovered new evidence.

No Publicly Confirmed Recent Breakthrough

No publicly confirmed recent investigative developments were located in the sources reviewed through October 31, 2026. Specifically, no verified announcement was found establishing an arrest, criminal charge, identification of David’s remains, conclusive forensic result, or resolution of the disappearance.

No publicly documented new DNA or investigative genetic genealogy result was identified. The absence of a public announcement does not establish whether investigators have pursued these techniques privately.

The latest substantive investigative assessment located in the reviewed news coverage dates to March 2019, when Concord police reported no indication of foul play. The current California missing-person listing confirms that David’s case remains publicly recorded, but it does not provide a detailed account of subsequent investigative activity.

Conclusion and Public Appeal for Information

David Christopher Kempker was 27 years old when he disappeared in the Sacramento Delta in March 2018. He left behind family members, friends, coworkers, and a community that remembered him as energetic, adventurous, and devoted to the people in his life.

The discovery of his abandoned truck, the unsuccessful searches, and the unanswered questions about his final known movements have made this a particularly difficult case for those who love him.

Despite years of uncertainty, the available evidence does not establish that David was the victim of homicide, died in an accident, or disappeared voluntarily. His case must continue to be described as an unresolved missing-person investigation unless reliable new information establishes otherwise.

Anyone who was near Sherman Island or Highway 160 during the night of March 11 or early morning of March 12, 2018, and remembers seeing David, his Toyota truck, or anything potentially relevant is encouraged to contact the Concord Police Department.

Even information that seemed insignificant at the time may help investigators reconstruct his movements. People with firsthand knowledge should provide that information directly to law enforcement rather than relying on social media speculation.

David’s family has spent years waiting for answers. His disappearance remains unresolved, and credible information from the public could still help establish what happened during those missing hours on Sherman Island.