FAMILY: Missing man on OBX had terminal illness, believes death was suicide

 The father of a missing Arkansas man who was last seen on the Outer Banks believes his son committed suicide because of a terminal illness.

Chris Palmer was declared missing by Arkansas authorities on January 16th after rangers found his truck abandoned on the beach at Cape Hatteras National Seashore on January 12th.

Officials say a blue and white kayak was seen in the back of Palmer’s truck in the surveillance video, but it was not found when rangers located the vehicle.

In a social media post this evening, Bren Palmer says they recently learned that the 39-year-old man was facing a terminal illness.

“Christopher loved the outdoors and valued his independence,” the father wrote. “The treatments ahead would have taken much of that away, and he did not want that future for himself.”

Bren Palmer said personal belongings of his son were found along the coastline. and they believe he perished in the ocean.

The family has asked that all active searches for Palmer be ended.

“With heavy hearts and profound sorrow, we, the family of Christopher Palmer, have made the difficult decision to request that all active search efforts for our son cease

We recently learned that Christopher was facing a terminal illness. Knowing this has helped us understand the choices he made. Christopher loved the outdoors and valued his independence. The treatments ahead would have taken much of that away, and he did not want that future for himself.
Personal belongings of Christopher’s were found along the coastline, and our family believes our son perished in the sea. As heartbreaking as this is, we have found a measure of peace in that understanding.
We are deeply proud of the man Christopher was, and we hope his story brings awareness to the emotional and mental burdens people can face during serious medical challenges.
We would like to thank the United Cajun Navy and every volunteer, first responder, and community member who searched for our son. It has been profoundly humbling to see so many people care for someone they never met. Our family is at peace and asks that Christopher’s memory and the safety of others be respected as we seek closure.”