Search For Missing Washakie County Woman So Far Only Turns Up Shirt, Shoe

Searching for a fourth day Wednesday for missing 28-year-old Washakie County resident Breanna Mitchell, so far only her vehicle, a shirt and a shoe have turned up.

AR
Andrew Rossi

July 26, 20233 min read

Breanna Mitchell 7 26 23
(Cowboy State Daily Staff)

The Washakie County Sheriff's Office is coordinating an ongoing search for a missing 28-year-old Worland woman that’s now in its fourth day.

Breanna Mitchell has been missing since Saturday, the last day anyone had contact with her, and the Washakie County Sheriff's Office received a missing person alert that night.

Washakie County Sheriff Austin Brookwell posts updates on the search for Mitchell on the agency's Facebook page as information becomes available. As of Wednesday, said he was waiting on cellphone records from Verizon Wireless that could pinpoint her location.

"We're waiting for those cellphone records before we can advance with anything," Brookwell told Cowboy State Daily.

Only Shirt, Shoe Found So Far

The search for Breanna Mitchell is focusing on the area surrounding the Nowater Trail southeast of Worland, where Mitchell's vehicle got stuck on a two-track trail. The vehicle was located roughly 2 miles off the trail, but there were no signs of Mitchell.

On Tuesday night, Brookwell coordinated a search with more than 20 volunteers, in addition to help from the Civil Air Patrol and a Guardian Flight Helicopter. That search included a new tool for the agency, a bloodhound crew from Fremont County.

Despite good intentions and best efforts, only a shirt and shoe have been found. Mitchell was believed to be barefoot at the time she was reported missing.

No Hit With Bloodhound

The dog also hasn’t yet caught her scent.

"The bloodhound was not able to locate her," Brookwell said.

Unfortunately, bloodhounds struggle in the intense summer heat, so their utility would always be limited. Nevertheless, all volunteer efforts are appreciated, he said.

Washakie County Search and Rescue continue the search on foot and horseback while sheriff's deputies "follow leads and rumors,” Brookwell said, adding that the cellphone records could be critical in coordinating another mass search effort.

"Once I get the information from Verizon and get a better hopeful location and pings, we'll probably do another wide-scale search," he said.

Description

Breanna Mitchell is 5 feet, 5 inches tall, weighs 130 pounds, has green eyes and brown hair.

She "liked to hang out with friends and wander in the hills and badlands around Worland," Brookwell said.

"To the family of Breanna, we understand this situation is extremely frustrating, very confusing, and very depressing. We are doing all we can to try and find her,” he said.

Anyone with information relevant to the search is encouraged to contact the Washakie County Sheriff's Office.

Authors

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Andrew Rossi

Features Reporter

Andrew Rossi is a features reporter for Cowboy State Daily based in northwest Wyoming. He covers everything from horrible weather and giant pumpkins to dinosaurs, astronomy, and the eccentricities of Yellowstone National Park.