GILLETTE — The father of a local woman missing more than a month is growing more desperate to find his daughter, offering a $3,000 reward for any information leading to her safe recovery.
Kelsey Johnson, 32, disappeared on April 14 from a trailer home in Gillette.
She was last seen by a friend getting into an older model pickup driven by an unknown man to Colorado.
Authorities say Johnson was last known to be in the Greeley area, and the Gillette Police Department is working with the Greeley police, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and Homeland Security to find her, said Gillette Deputy Police Chief Brent Wasson.
“There are no new developments in the investigation,” Wasson told Cowboy State Daily in an email Friday.
Offering Cash Incentive
Stephen Burris is hopeful that a reward will prompt people to come forward with information about what happened to his daughter.
“People love money,” he said. “Somebody might just need an incentive to do something. It’s the only thing I can think of.”
He was hard-pressed to explain the pain he feels not knowing where his daughter is or whether she’s in danger.
“There are no words. It’s devastating,” he said. “It’s like a huge weight on your chest.”
She needs to come home to the people who love her, he said. He described his daughter as a kind, loving person who struggles with addiction.
“She’s a sweetheart,” he said. “But she’s got issues, just like everyone else.”
Last Communication
In an earlier interview with Cowboy State Daily shortly after she went missing, Johnson’s close friend Josylyn Wickard said that Johnson last contacted one of their mutual friends by text from her phone number on April 23 to ask for $20 for lodging in the Denver area.
The friend sent the money via a Cash App, but there’s no way to know for sure if the person texting was actually Johnson because that friend didn’t speak to her, Wickard said.
Since then, there’s been no contact from Johnson, which is very uncharacteristic of her, family and friends say.
Wickard told Cowboy State Daily that she’s very concerned for her friend’s safety because she’s not known to go off the radar for so long without contacting family or one of her friends.
Johnson’s other close friend, Desirae Harlan, agrees that something must be wrong because Johnson would have been in touch with someone by now if she were able to do so. Harlan said she was the last person to see Johnson before she got in the vehicle and fled town.
“She would have contacted someone by now,” Harlan said in a text message to Cowboy State Daily. “It’s definitely concerning. I pray the police will find her and bring her home.”
Assist from local investigator
Gillette-based volunteer private investigator Stacy Koester has also stepped in to help the family and local law enforcement. As executive director of the nonprofit WyoFind, Koester said she’s aiding law enforcement by gathering anonymous tips from people who are less prone to contact law enforcement.
“Though we do not work with or for the Gillette Police Department, we strongly support their efforts to bring Kelsey home safely,” she said. “We just create the barrier for those who are uncomfortable speaking to law enforcement by giving them a fully anonymous place to share information.”
She declined to comment on the number or the nature of tips she’s received, instead deferring to the police department for comment.
“The goal of the WyoFind team is to help get Kelsey home safely to her child, family and friends and provide her with any resources she may need following this situation,” she said.
Johnson, who sometimes also goes by Kelsey Hall, is described as 5 feet, 2 inches tall and around 165 pounds. She has brown hair with blue highlights and piercings in her ears and dimples.
Additionally, she has several tattoos, including “Ashlyn” on her right hand, a Gemini symbol on the back of her neck, a long quote on her chest, stars on her left foot and other unspecified tattoos on her right arm, left arm and right foot.
She also is known to wear glasses.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Gillette Police Department at 307-682-5155.
Tips also can be anonymously reported online to the GPD or to the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation’s tipline.
Jen Kocher can be reached at jen@cowboystatedaily.com.
