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[{"type":"text","text":"Golfer sends clubhead through neighbor's car window....."}]

Darwin 5 7 25

Cowboy State Daily is Wyoming’s largest newspaper with Wyoming’s most experienced journalists. 

<title>Daily Darwin: Wednesday, May 7, 2025 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Golfer sends clubhead through neighbor's car window.....

Daily Darwin: Wednesday, May 7, 2025

 Golfer sends clubhead through neighbor's car window.....

Kolby fedore

Kolby Fedore

Crime & Courts

Nearly two months after 26-year-old Ashley Rose Jackson was fatally shot during a child custody exchange in Casper, many questions about what happened remain unanswered.

The Casper Police Department told Cowboy State Daily on Thursday that the investigation into the May 15 shooting remains active. Because the case has not been closed, police said they are not yet able to release investigative records or discuss additional details.

On the night of the shooting, police said officers responded to the 400 block of East 15th Street for reports of gunfire and found two people dead: Jackson and 28-year-old Ethen Christopher Short, the father of her 3-year-old son, Will.

Investigators described it as a domestic incident involving two adults who knew each other and said the alleged shooter was also found dead at the scene.

[{"type":"text","text":"Jackson's death certificate lists her manner of death as homicide."}]

While investigators continue their work, Jackson's family says they hope Wyoming remembers the person she was before the tragedy.

Cowboy State Daily also reached out to Short's mother to offer her an opportunity to comment but did not receive a response.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Devoted Mother First"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Jackson was born in Casper in 1999 and spent her entire life in Wyoming."}]

She graduated from Natrona County High School and, according to her mother, Shannon Clark, found the two passions that defined her life: her son, Will, and photography.

"She wanted to be his mommy more than anything in the world," Clark said.

Jackson built Wildflower Lens Jackson Photography with the dream of making family photography affordable. She photographed weddings, maternity sessions, newborns and even Rainbow Bridge sessions for families preparing to say goodbye to beloved pets.

Photography wasn't simply a business. Clark said Jackson hoped it would someday allow her to work around Will's schedule and even homeschool him.

When photography alone wasn't enough to pay the bills, Jackson went to work as a server at the 19th Hole while continuing to grow her business.

According to Clark, her daughter had recently gotten back on her feet after separating from Short. She had a vehicle, was renting a home from her parents, had wedding bookings on her calendar and was supporting herself.

[{"type":"text","text":"\"She was making her life happen,\" Clark said."}]

Clark said she still thinks about the Mother's Day just before Jackson died. Her daughter surprised her with a silver cross necklace while wearing the matching gold one herself. Jackson was wearing that necklace when she was killed.

[{"type":"text","text":"\"She was glowing,\" Clark said. \"She had her whole life ahead of her.\""}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"'He's Not Going To Do Nothing'"}]

Clark remembers the early years of Jackson's relationship with Short differently than how it ended.

She said the couple appeared happy, looked forward to becoming parents, and celebrated Will's birth in January 2023.

[{"type":"text","text":"Over time, however, Clark said she noticed changes."}]

She described Short as increasingly withdrawn during family gatherings and later became concerned by what she believed was escalating behavior after the couple's breakup.

Clark recounted several incidents she believes marked a turning point, including what she described as a mental-health crisis, allegations that Short peeked through Jackson's windows and disagreements surrounding custody exchanges involving Will.

Cowboy State Daily has requested investigative records related to the case, but because the investigation remains active those records are not available for release.

[{"type":"text","text":"Looking back, Clark said one text message now haunts her."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"\"I told her, 'Please keep your firearm with you',\" she recalled."}]

Jackson replied: "'Mommy, I will. I'm going to be safe. I'm not worried about Ethan. He's not going to do nothing'."

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Final Custody Exchange"}]

On the night of May 15, Jackson and Short met near the Werner Wildlife Museum to exchange custody of their son.

Around 7:20 p.m., Casper police responded to reports of a shooting in the area of East 15th Street between Beech and Lincoln streets. 

Police have not publicly detailed what investigators believe occurred during the final moments before the shooting.

Clark said Jackson's father followed her to the exchange because he had a bad feeling but gave the pair some space. After Jackson arrived, he drove around the block before parking on Beech Street, where he could see the exchange from a distance.

After Jackson got their son buckled in his car seat, Clark said Short began walking toward the boy, and Jackson stepped in front of him, trying to keep him from reaching their son. 

[{"type":"text","text":"Clark said Short then shoved Jackson."}]

"That's when Billy stepped on it" Clark said, talking about Jackson's father. 

By the time he reached the parking lot, "it was too late for Ashley." She said Billy made it to his daughter moments after she was shot and witnessed Short turn the gun on himself.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Jackson's Legacy "}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Clark said the greatest heartbreak now belongs to Jackson's son."}]

She said Will witnessed the shooting and has since reenacted what happened while trying to make sense of it.

During the Fourth of July holiday, Clark said every firecracker caused him to jump because he believed he was hearing gunshots.

[{"type":"text","text":"\"The quiet moments are the hardest,\" Clark said."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Today, Will lives with his grandparents."}]

Clark said raising him the way Jackson wanted has become her family's mission.

Friends and relatives are organizing a memorial golf scramble to benefit Will, and the family hopes to hold a candlelight vigil later this year when Jackson's oldest brother returns to Wyoming.

, a nonprofit initiative she said is being launched by Jackson's brother, Spencer, and family friend Shane Liberda. The organization plans to transform firearms connected to violent crimes into a source of hope by using proceeds to help victims of violence. Jackson and Will are expected to become the organization's first beneficiaries.

 to help provide long-term financial support for Will as he grows up without his parents.

For Clark, though, Jackson's legacy isn't measured by memorials or fundraisers.

It's measured every morning when a little boy wakes up in his grandparents' home.

[{"type":"text","text":"\"I'm raising her son the way she would want,\" Clark said. "}]

Ashley Rose Jackson 103978617 1779381730937021 r 7 9 26

<title>‘Quiet Moments Are The Hardest,’ Mom Says Of Casper Woman Killed By Ex-Boyfriend | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Two months after a Casper woman was killed during a child custody exchange with her ex-boyfriend, her mother says she wants people to know who her daughter was. "The quiet moments are the hardest," she said. "She had her whole life ahead of her."

‘Quiet Moments Are The Hardest,’ Mom Says Of Casper Woman Killed By Ex-Boyfriend

Headshot of Cowboy State Daily's general assignment reporter, Clair McFarland.

Clair McFarland

Government & Politics

Politics

Wyoming’s lone U.S. House representative is demanding answers from Mark Zuckerberg on a Cheyenne-area data center wastewater contamination incident that caused the city’s reuse system to shut down for months.

The Cheyenne Board of Public Utilities (BOPU) issued a public notice June 26 that laboratory staff identified a bacterium, Cupriavaidus gilardii, in a wastewater sampling.

The board on July 2 identified the source of the initial contamination as Goat System LLC — a Meta ​data center company in the development known as Project Cosmo.

That public announcement about the contamination came more than four months after the Meta contractor — which is building an $800 million data center in south Cheyenne — disrupted the city’s reclaimed wastewater system with the rare bacterial contaminant.

The board had revoked Goat Systems’ industrial discharge privileges for fill-and-flush operations, and Cheyenne’s reuse water system was taken offline.

U.S. House Rep. Harriet Hageman demanded answers in a Thursday letter to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

“Many are rightfully concerned about high water consumption rates by data centers in our communities where every drop of water is accounted for and needed,” wrote Hageman, “so I am even more concerned that this contamination seemingly came from your facility’s closed-loop cooling system, a technology that is marketed as being a solution to high data center water consumption rates.”

Hageman added that, “Many Wyomingites are also rightfully concerned that they learned about this contamination on June 26 and that the Meta Cheyenne facility was identified as the culprit on July 2nd, when the discharge privileges for Goat Systems was revoked on March 24th.”

New industries seeking to enter small-community Wyoming life can only do so with support from local communities, wrote Hageman, “which is earned built on trust, collaboration and communication with our citizens.

“I am deeply concerned that Meta did not follow this model in this instance.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"She poses five questions to Zuckerberg:"}]

• How did the contamination happen, including from the closed-loop cooling system — and had that happened elsewhere?

• When did the project companies and contractors learn of the issue and what steps did they take to alert the local, state and federal authorities and mitigate the threat?

• Where is the facility taking its wastewater now, and how will that prevent threats to Wyoming communities?

[{"type":"text","text":"• Does Meta plan community outreach on this incident?"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"• Can closed-loop cooling systems scale down water consumption safely?"}]

Hageman concluded, “Wyoming deserves information and consultation from the industries which plan to call our state home.”

A Meta spokesperson in a Thursday email reiterated the company's earlier statement on the contamination. 

"Meta is supporting the efforts of our general contractor, Fortis, to resolve this issue with the City of Cheyenne Board of Public Utilities," the statement says. "When the board shared that it found a substance in the city's wastewater — not public drinking water — Fortis immediately stopped discharging industrial wastewater and began hauling it offsite. Fortis also began its own water testing with an independent environmental specialist which has found no trace of the substance."

The statement concludes, "Meta is committed to being a good neighbor in Cheyenne, including through the protection of local water resources, and will continue encouraging collaboration between Fortis and the board until this situation is resolved.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"‘Unpleasant Surprise'"}]

The delay between the contamination and making it public 

Cheyenne City Councilman Pete Laybourn told Cowboy State Daily last week that learning the contamination originated from Meta's data center was unwelcome news.

"It's a very, very unpleasant surprise," Laybourn said. "I have a lot yet to learn. It definitely complicates matters."

Laybourn said he has already expressed concerns about some of the arrangements the city has made with data center operators, adding that he expects the disclosure will prompt additional discussion.

"It's about the last thing we need right now," he said. "But it's a reality we're going to have to work through.”

"I think it's a disappointment to everyone involved," he told Cowboy State Daily.

Collins also praised the BOPU for catching the contamination and getting the city's sewage reuse system cleaned up. 

Hageman and Zuckerberg 7 9 26

<title>Hageman Demands Answers From Zuckerberg About Cheyenne Data Center Contamination | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Wyoming U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman in a Thursday letter is demanding answers from Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg about how its Cheyenne data center contaminated the city’s wastewater system. “I am deeply concerned,” she wrote.

Hageman Demands Answers From Zuckerberg About Cheyenne Data Center Contamination

Headshot of Cowboy State Daily's Feature Reporter, Andrew Rossi.

Andrew Rossi

Around Wyoming

An extreme heat wave is headed for Wyoming, and it’s going to be one for the record books.

The National Weather Service (NWS) issued 

or much of northern and central Wyoming from Saturday through Monday in anticipation of “dangerously hot conditions.”

[{"type":"text","text":"How hot will it get?"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"According to the NWS, 110 degrees in Worland."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Around 105 degrees in Cody."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Up to 103 in Casper."}]

And it won't be a single day of intense heat. It's expected to be an extended period 

 multiple days of triple-digit temperatures.

“It’s definitely a big deal,” Cowboy State Daily meteorologist Don Day said. “It’s a significant heat wave, and I expect some record temperatures. I’d certainly be concerned about people and animals.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Day After Day After Day"}]

July and August are Wyoming's hottest months, so days with triple-digit temperatures are expected. This heat wave is different and dangerous.

“This is going to be an extended period of hot, hot temperatures,” said lead meteorologist Grant Smith with the NWS office in Rapid City, South Dakota. “A ridge of high pressure will set over (the western U.S.), keeping the hot air in place, and we won’t see any change in temperatures until we see a drastic change in the weather pattern.”

According to Smith, that period will be at least from Saturday through Monday and could easily extend beyond that. He wouldn't be surprised if the entire region was just as hot Tuesday and Wednesday. 

Day expected this heat wave to catch many Wyomingites off guard. While this has been 

, this is the first “prolonged heat snap” of the summer.

“The combination of heat and low humidity is going to be impactful, especially for north-central and northeastern Wyoming,” Day said. “That's where it's going to be the worst.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"How Hot?"}]

The NWS is already anticipating record-breaking temperatures across most of Wyoming.

Smith said residents of northeast Wyoming should expect highs of 105 degrees on Sunday and Monday.

“That’s just the first draft,” he said. “They’ll be flirting with highs between 101 and 105 degrees on Tuesday and Wednesday, and even beyond that.”

Nobody will be hotter than the Bighorn Basin. It’s always a hot spot during heat waves, and this will be exceptional.

“The eastern edge of the Bighorn Basin will be our warmest spot,” said meteorologist Richard Lowe with the NWS office in Riverton. “Greybull, Worland, Thermopolis, and even Cody and Meeteetse will be in the area of greatest concern for the highest temperatures.”

Worland’s daytime high is 110 degrees on Sunday and 105 degrees on Monday. It could be even hotter in Greybull, with a daytime high of 111 degrees on Sunday.

[{"type":"text","text":"That would break all-time highs for July 12 in Greybull and Worland."}]

It won’t be as hot in southern Wyoming, but it’ll still be historically hot.

Lander’s all-time high for July 12 is 102 degrees. Sunday’s high is anticipated to be 103, according to the NWS.

“We’re in a state where everything with the weather is being amplified,” Day said. “Southern Wyoming will have temperatures well into the 90s, while northern and central Wyoming may hit triple-digit highs for three or four days in a row.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"High Altitude, Low Humidity"}]

Throughout the heat wave, it won’t feel quite as hot as the thermometer says. Because the atmosphere will be mostly dry, the heat shouldn’t be amplified by humidity.

“We’ll have relative humidity values below 10% over the weekend,” Lowe said. “Even though it could be 105 degrees, it might feel a couple of degrees less than that. I'm not going to say that’s cooler, but it won’t be as hot as the actual temperature.”

There shouldn’t be enough moisture for afternoon thunderstorms to form, though, and the wind will be relatively mild. That will reduce wildfire danger across Wyoming, provided nobody 

“Once the heat dome really kicks in, it lowers our risk for thunderstorms until the pattern changes,” Smith said. “You can't rule out the little thunderstorms that pop up, but they’d last only 15 or 20 minutes before they fade out.”

For anyone seeking a naturalistic solution to beat the heat, Day recommended a trip to Yellowstone, the Bighorns or the Snowy Range.

“Every 1,000 feet you go up, you'll be six to seven degrees cooler,” he said. “This would be a great time to head into the mountains.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Too Darn Hot"}]

Air conditioners will be working overtime this weekend, and that might be one of the safest ways to beat the heat. These temperatures should be a legitimate cause of concern, Day said.

“Dehydration, sunstroke, and over-exertion will be real problems,” he said. “Pets and the elderly are really susceptible to this, so make sure to take care and check on them until things get cooler.”

Day, Lowe and Smith emphasized how severe this heat wave will be, especially because it’ll last multiple days without a break. That’ll be taxing on everybody.

“People should definitely take precautions,” Lowe said. “If you have to be outside, try to get out in the morning or evening, drink plenty of fluids, and stay out of the sun. Check in on your neighbors and relatives and keep an eye on everybody from Saturday to Tuesday and onward.”

The second half of July is actually looking 

 than the first half, but we have to get there first.

“We’re going to have at least three or four days under this big dome of heat,” Lowe said. “It’s going to get worse before it gets better.”

Worland church temperature 7 9 26

<title>Hot, Hot, Hot: Triple Digits Forecast In Wyoming For At Least Three Days | Cowboy State Daily</title>

The National Weather Service is predicting a record-breaking weekend for many locations in Wyoming with "dangerously hot conditions" in the forecast. Temperatures will be hottest in the Big Horn Basin with Worland and Greybull expected to top 110 degrees.

Hot, Hot, Hot: Triple Digits Forecast In Wyoming For At Least Three Days

Courts

A Manderson, Wyoming, man and woman have been charged after the suspicious death of an infant in a case where investigators say a camper where the child lived was filthy, overheated, had no running water and was littered with human waste, animal feces and meth.

The investigation began just after 10 a.m. Monday, when agents with the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation were notified of the suspicious, unattended death of an infant.

By the time Special Agent Anthony Giles arrived at Three Rivers Hospital in Basin, the baby's mother — 22-year-old Destynie Study — had already told investigators what she said happened that morning.

A newly filed affidavit in the case available Thursday says Destynie fed and changed the infant around 1:30 a.m. before putting the baby back to sleep in a crib inside the family's camper in Manderson. 

She told investigators she woke around 9:45 a.m. and found the infant unresponsive.

She immediately grabbed the child, climbed into her father's vehicle and started driving toward Three Rivers Hospital, calling 911 along the way. 

The affidavit says the baby lived in the camper with the mother, her father Travis Study, and another child who is just over a year old.

At the hospital, investigators said dirt covered Destynie's arms, legs and clothing, and what appeared to be lice eggs or significant dandruff near her scalp. 

"An overwhelming smell of body odor, urine and feces was coming from her person and the room," Giles wrote.

Investigators also documented dirt beneath the infant's fingernails and that "the same odor was permeating from the deceased infant's body."

"The infant's diaper was completely saturated in urine," Giles wrote, along with a small amount of feces and a live, moving insect inside the diaper after it was removed. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"5-Gallon Bucket Of Human Waste"}]

Armed with a search warrant, DCI agents later searched the camper where the family had been living. Outside sat several black garbage bags investigators believed had recently been placed there.

When agents opened the door, they were hit with the same overwhelming odor of urine, feces and body odor they had encountered earlier at the hospital, wrote Giles. 

Investigators described the camper as being in "complete disarray,” the affidavit says.

Old and moldy food, empty food containers and trash littered nearly every corner. Clothing, wrappers and garbage were piled throughout the sleeping area, the affidavit continues. 

The bathroom emitted what investigators described as an extremely strong smell of feces.

[{"type":"text","text":"The camper itself also was stifling hot."}]

Investigators measured the interior temperature at about 95 degrees with an air conditioner that didn't work. 

There also was no running water connected to the camper, and the sewage system appeared to have been unusable for some time, the affidavit says. The shower and sinks showed signs they had not functioned for an extended period.

The affidavit says investigators also found dog feces and mouse droppings throughout the camper.

[{"type":"text","text":"Inside the bathroom sat a 5-gallon bucket nearly full of human waste."}]

The toilet also contained human waste and appeared abandoned, investigators wrote, with evidence of insect infestation.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Warning Signs "}]

The crib where Destynie told investigators the infant slept was damp and smelled strongly of urine.

Investigators found urine-soaked bedding, a soiled diaper beneath the mattress, and liquid pooled inside the crib's frame. When they lifted the crib, more foul-smelling liquid drained from its support structure, says the affidavit.

Fresh trash outside the camper allegedly discarded before law enforcement arrived contained baby food along with a comforter investigators believed was heavily soiled with urine and feces.

Court records note the conditions inside the camper had raised alarms months before the infant died.

The document outlines four separate contacts between the family, the Wyoming Department of Family Services and Manderson police dating back to early April.

On one visit, officials said they were denied entry while investigating concerns about the family's living conditions.

Another welfare check involved reports that Destynie had missed prenatal appointments during what investigators described as a high-risk pregnancy.

During another visit, a caseworker reported the family's Jeep smelled strongly of cat urine and was littered with debris.

By late May, DFS had received reports that the infant had lost 11% of its body weight and that Destynie had missed a medical appointment.

When caseworkers and officers returned to the property, investigators say they again were refused entry into the camper.

Travis told them to "get the f*** off his property and never come back," alleges the affidavit. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"'Normal Grandpa Stuff' "}]

Travis remained on speakerphone while investigators interviewed Destynie at the hospital.

When agents requested Destynie's cellphone to establish a timeline, he allegedly warned that if anyone with "a badge or a gun" came to his property, "it would be a bad day for that individual."

Both Travis and Destynie told investigators that Travis regularly cared for the children when Destynie left the residence. Travis reportedly described it as doing the "normal grandpa stuff."

[{"type":"text","text":"The search of the camper also turned up drugs."}]

Investigators say they recovered more than 21 grams of suspected marijuana, marijuana paraphernalia and a glass pipe containing white crystalline residue.

A swab collected from inside the pipe tested presumptively positive for meth and was submitted to the Wyoming State Crime Lab for confirmation.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Criminal Charges Filed"}]

Following the investigation, prosecutors filed criminal charges Wednesday in Big Horn County Circuit Court.

Travis Study, born in 1969, is charged with felony child endangerment alleging exposure to meth, along with misdemeanor counts of reckless endangering, child endangerment, possession of methamphetamine and possession of marijuana.

Destynie Study is charged with misdemeanor reckless endangering of a child and child endangerment. She pleaded not guilty Wednesday.

Big Horn County Attorney Marcia E. Bean filed a demand for a speedy trial the same day, and the court appointed counsel to represent Destynie. A pretrial conference is scheduled for Aug. 3.

The affidavit does not identify an official cause or manner of death for the infant, and the criminal complaint does not allege either defendant intentionally caused the child's death. The investigation is ongoing.

A Big Horn County grandfather and mother have been charged after a baby died Monday in a 95-degree trailer filled with feces, garbage and a 5-gallon bucket of human waste. "The infant's diaper was completely saturated in urine,” an investigator says.

Daily Darwin: Wednesday, May 7, 2025

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