Bachelder was last seen surfing on his bright yellow surfboard at Bryan Beach, Texas, near where the Brazos River empties into the Gulf of Mexico, on September 22, 1974. He is from Houston, Texas and he and some other Houston teenagers were camping in the area. Bachelder and another boy, David Hesterlee, went surfing at 6:00 a.m. with their surfboards tethered to their ankles. When they had not arrived back to shore by 11:00 p.m., the beach patrol was notified and a search began. In spite of an extensive search lasting several days, neither of the surfers or their boards were located. They are assumed to be lost at sea.

Bachelder's surfboard had a white top and a bright yellow bottom with the word "Sunshine" written on the deck and an Indian on a horse on the belly. There was red fin with gold trim on the skeg. Hesterlee's surfboard was pale yellow in color with an unclear design. It was older and battered, with one ding on the deck filled with purple wax, duct tape on the side of the board at the front and back, and two black fins.

Like Bachelder, Hesterlee was seventeen years old at the time of his disappearance. Photos and additional information for him are unavailable.