Missing Gillette Woman Found Dead, No Foul Play Suspected

The five-day search for Tami Sturgeon, 55, ended tragically Thursday afternoon.

The Campbell County Sheriff’s Office announced that her body was discovered less than 2 miles from where she went missing Saturday.

“The deceased body of Tami Sturgeon was located approximately 1.8 miles from where she was reported missing,” Campbell County Sheriff Scott Matheny said in a statement dispatched Thursday evening. “No foul play is suspected, and cause and manner of death will be determined by the Campbell County coroner.”

An autopsy is scheduled for Monday.

The Search

Sturgeon went missing in the rugged Yellow Hammer Buttes area about 6 miles southeast of Gillette while shed hunting with her husband, John.

He called the Campbell County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch at 6:55 p.m. Saturday to report her missing.

That afternoon, Sturgeon believed she had lost her phone, so the couple separated to search the area, but she failed to return to their side-by-side ATV.

Matheny said Search and Rescue personnel located a cigarette butt and a pair of gloves in the area just prior to locating Sturgeon. Her body was found in a ravine at 4:22 p.m. Thursday, almost 118 hours after she was reported missing.

Multiple agencies responded to assist the Campbell County Sheriff’s Office during the five-day search.

Matheny extended his thanks to volunteers from Crook County, Johnson County, Sheridan County, Weston County, Washakie County, Natrona County and Ellsworth Air Force Base in Rapid City, South Dakota, “for their resources and assistance in this search.”

A Black Hawk helicopter equipped with thermal scopes conducted an aerial search Monday. Over the ensuing days, more than 15 volunteers with search and rescue experience assisted with several grid searches of the area where Sturgeon was located.

“Our deepest condolences go out to the Sturgeon family,” Matheny said.