Overview

Last Seen: June 1, 2013
Location: Williston, Williams County, North Dakota
Age When Missing: 44
Status: Endangered Missing
NamUs: MP21351
Williams County Sheriff’s Office Case: 131-625

Main circumstances: Lee borrowed a vehicle from a friend and was expected to return it but did not. The vehicle was subsequently discovered abandoned near the Epping-Springbrook Dam area, with Lee’s cellphone reportedly still inside. His boots and socks were found roughly 200 yards away near a creek. Extensive searches involving divers, sonar, cadaver dogs and an aircraft failed to locate him.

Detailed Case Breakdown

Joe Christopher Lee Missing in North Dakota: The Unsolved 2013 Williston Disappearance

Jose “Joe” Christopher Lee was 44 years old when he disappeared from the Williston, North Dakota, area in June 2013. More than a decade later, his whereabouts remain unknown, and his case continues to be classified as an endangered missing-person investigation.

Brief Case Summary

Last Seen: June 1, 2013
Location: Williston, Williams County, North Dakota
Age When Missing: 44
Status: Endangered Missing
NamUs: MP21351
Williams County Sheriff’s Office Case: 131-625

Main circumstances: Lee borrowed a vehicle from a friend and was expected to return it but did not. The vehicle was subsequently discovered abandoned near the Epping-Springbrook Dam area, with Lee’s cellphone reportedly still inside. His boots and socks were found roughly 200 yards away near a creek. Extensive searches involving divers, sonar, cadaver dogs and an aircraft failed to locate him.

Joe Lee Disappears From Williston, North Dakota

Joe Christopher Lee, whose name is also reported as Jose or Joseph Christopher Lee in case records, was originally from Arizona but was in the Williston area when he disappeared. He was approximately 5 feet 9 inches to 6 feet tall, weighed about 210 to 215 pounds, had black hair and hazel eyes, and had several tattoos.

Lee reportedly borrowed a vehicle from a friend on June 1, 2013. He was expected to return it but failed to do so and was never heard from again. His friend subsequently reported Lee and the vehicle missing.

At the time of his disappearance, Lee did not have a permanent local residence and was reportedly working as a cook at Big Willie’s. Investigators have also said he had family or personal connections in Arizona and Tennessee.

The Abandoned Vehicle and Personal Belongings

The missing-person investigation took on greater urgency when the vehicle Lee had been driving was discovered abandoned on June 3, 2013, near County Road 6 and the Epping-Springbrook Dam area in Williams County.

Lee’s cellphone was reportedly found inside the vehicle. Personal belongings believed to belong to Lee were discovered south of the road near Stony Creek. Other case databases specify that his boots and socks were discovered approximately 200 yards from the vehicle near the creek.

The location of those items created an obvious need to search the water and surrounding countryside.

Law enforcement conducted an extensive search using rescue divers, sonar equipment, cadaver dogs and an aircraft. Despite those efforts, investigators did not locate Lee or publicly report finding additional evidence that explained what happened to him.

Who Was “Skeeter”?

One detail that has received attention in later coverage involves an individual known only publicly as “Skeeter.”

According to The Doe Network and reporting based on information released when investigators renewed attention to the case, Lee was reportedly with a person known as “Skeeter” when he borrowed the vehicle. The individual was described as wearing a cowboy hat.

Publicly available case information does not identify “Skeeter” by a confirmed full name or characterize that individual as a suspect. The reference is therefore best understood as a person investigators may have sought information about rather than evidence of criminal involvement.

Williams County Detectives Revived the Investigation in 2023

A major public development came in March 2023, nearly ten years after Lee vanished.

The Williams County Sheriff’s Office renewed attention to the case, with detectives hoping that advances in technology and expanded methods of sharing information with the public could produce new leads. Authorities did not publicly specify which new technology would be applied.

Investigators again publicized Lee’s description, circumstances and connections and asked anyone who knew him—or who had information about his activities or whereabouts—to come forward. Sergeant Detective Caleb Fry was identified in 2023 reporting as a law-enforcement contact for information concerning Lee.

The renewed investigation also drew fresh media attention to details that had remained unresolved since 2013, including the abandoned vehicle, the cellphone left behind, Lee’s personal items near Stony Creek and the unidentified individual known as “Skeeter.”

Latest Publicly Available Information

Lee’s disappearance remains unresolved.

North Dakota reporting in January 2024 continued to list Joe Christopher Lee among the people still missing from northwestern North Dakota.

The Doe Network subsequently recorded that its Joe Christopher Lee case information was updated on December 17, 2025. The available update notice does not describe a recovery, arrest or resolution of the investigation.

NamUs also continues to maintain Lee’s missing-person case as MP21351, while other current case resources continue to describe him as endangered missing.

Based on the publicly available sources reviewed through August 2026, there has been no publicly announced identification of Lee’s remains, confirmed homicide determination, arrest, or explanation for his disappearance.

What Happened to Joe Christopher Lee?

The physical evidence publicly described in the case leaves several unanswered questions.

Why was the borrowed vehicle abandoned near the Epping-Springbrook Dam? Why was Lee’s cellphone left inside? How did his boots and socks come to be roughly 200 yards away near Stony Creek? And what, if anything, did the person reportedly known as “Skeeter” know about Lee’s final movements?

Search teams examined both the water and surrounding area without finding Lee. More than a decade later, those circumstances continue to make the disappearance of Joe Christopher Lee one of Williams County’s unresolved missing-person cases.

Anyone with firsthand information should provide it directly to investigators rather than attempting to confront or independently investigate people connected with the case.