An investigation is underway after remains were been discovered near an oil and gas well site in an undisclosed area of Carbon County, Sheriff Alex Bakken announced Wednesday.
Bakken confirmed in a statement that the remains were discovered near a well site on Bureau of Land Management land on Dec. 19. Because of the location, archaeologists with the BLM and. Wyoming State Archaeologist Spencer Pelton were also informed.
The remains are now in the custody of Carbon County Coroner Brittnay Nyman, who told Cowboy State Daily she could not discuss anything about the remains, including their age and gender, at the time of publication.
One Stands Out
Desiree Tinoco, executive director of the nonprofit Missing People of Wyoming, keeps close tabs on every missing person case in the Cowboy State.
When she heard about the remains discovered in Carbon County, she was hopeful that they could bring closure to at least one of those cases.
“There’s a hopefulness to get answers, but they’re potentially bleak answers for people that might be hopeful that their loved one is still out there and alive,” she said.
Tinoco said she was one of many people following the state’s missing people cases waiting for more information from Bakken. Based on where the remains were found, she has an idea to whom they might belong.
“The case that sticks out to me would be David Williams,” she said. “He's allegedly the victim of a homicide, and he was supposed to be going out to check oil wells at Crescent Junction. That's the one case that's always stuck out to me.”
Williams was 33 years old when he disappeared on Nov. 11, 1980. He was last seen leaving Crescent Junction as a passenger in a Chevy Blazer, driven by an unidentified white male.
Williams had called his wife earlier that day, saying he would be home late after driving south to check on an oil rig. The Blazer was believed to belong to an Upton man who is a person of interest in Williams’ disappearance, Tinoco said.
Tinoco believes there’s a reasonable chance the remains could belong to Williams, but she’s tempering her expectations.
“There were other remains found in that area a couple of years back, and I thought it was his as well at that time,” she said. “This discovery could potentially help solve a homicide, but I don’t want to get my hopes up.”
Respectful, Tragic Endings
Whenever human remains are discovered in Wyoming, disparate feelings of hope and dread are stirred up in many people connected to those cold missing persons cases.
Tinoco is one of many people invested because of a desire for answers and justice, but families struggle the most in times like these.
“It's always good to keep in mind that these are still someone's loved ones and family members,” she said. “Getting a positive identification confirms that's where their life and story ended, and sometimes they have really tragic endings.”
It’s too early to know what questions this discovery will answer, as the publicly available information is scant at this point. Tinoco anticipates helping several people navigate their feelings as they wait for updates.
“As much as it’s exciting, for myself, to get some of these cases resolved, I want to be respectful of the families,” she said. "I can’t imagine what it’s like for them. I suspect I'll get a few people reaching out to me today.”
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
