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Jen Kocher

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Sheridan Kids Taken By Mom Still Not Home, But Believed Safe, Police Report

After a dayslong search for a pair of young children from Sheridan who were taken Sunday by their mother, local police Wednesday night called off an alert asking people to be on the lookout for them.

Jen KocherFebruary 20, 2025

Police in Sheridan, Wyoming, are asking the public’s help in locating 4-year-old Lindsey Fogli and her 3-year-old brother Colin, reported missing Sunday. They’re believed to have been taken by their mom.

Sheridan Police Ask For Help Finding 2 Young Kids Taken By Mom

Police in Sheridan, Wyoming, are asking the public’s help in locating a 4-year-old girl and her 3-year-old brother reported missing Sunday. They’re believed to have been taken by their mom.

Jen KocherFebruary 19, 2025

Ryan Schroder, center, of Casper went missing before finally being found murdered in 2021.

Family Of Murdered Casper Man Says Wyoming Needs Missing Person Law

The family of a Casper man who went missing before finally being found murdered says Wyoming needs better protocols to handle cases like his. That’s why they support a new law to do that moving through the Legislature.

Jen KocherFebruary 18, 2025

Nobody has seen or heard from Natasha Requejo since last July, leaving family and friends desperate for news of the missing mom of seven from Lusk, Wyoming. Her boyfriend at the time says she just walked off one day, leaving him and her kids behind.

Family, Friends Desperate For News Of Lusk Mother Of 7 Missing Since July

Nobody has seen or heard from Natasha Requejo since last July, leaving family and friends desperate for news of the missing mother of seven from Lusk. Her boyfriend says she just walked off one day, leaving him and her kids behind.

Jen KocherFebruary 15, 2025

Gillette Man Charged With Murder For Killing Half-Sister Pleads Not Guilty

The Gillette man accused of shooting his half-sister in the head and killing her last month pleaded not guilty Thursday. Vincent Hackett faces a second-degree murder charge.

Jen KocherFebruary 13, 2025

Wyoming: A State For Single Dudes

Wyoming ranks as the state with the third highest ratio of bachelors in the United States. For every 100 single women, 106 unmarried men are milling around. In the early 1900s, there were proposals considered that would tax bachelors to encourage them to get married.

Jen KocherFebruary 09, 2025

Shayna Ritthaler was 16 when she ran away with 17-year-old Michael Campbell, whom she'd met online. Within days, Campbell shot and killed her at his mother's home in Sturgis, South Dakota, in October 2019.

Grandparents Of Murdered Upton Teen Plead For Missing Persons Bill

By the time authorities were legally able to enter the home on Oct. 7, 2019, it was too late. Shayna Ritthaler was found dead in a closet covered with clothing. Wyoming is one of six states that don't have missing person reporting requirements.

Jen KocherFebruary 08, 2025

Gillette, Wyoming, police confirmed Thursday they are investigating the death of an 88-year-old assisted living patient found dead outside in a courtyard of the Legacy Living and Rehabilitation Center. A cause of death hasn’t been released.

Coroner's Report: Senior Died Of Hypothermia At Gillette Assisted Living Center

A coroner's report released Tuesday revealed an ongoing investigation into two deaths at a Gillette assisted living center. In January, an 88-year-old resident was found dead of hypothermia outside while a 66-year-old resident died of an overdose in November. Five employees have been terminated.

Jen KocherFebruary 05, 2025

Amber Smith, a forensic analyst at the Wyoming State Crime Lab in Cheyenne, demonstrates how this Hamilton aparatus works in this file photo. It can process nearly 90 individual DNA samples at a time.

Bill Would Open Post-Conviction DNA Testing To More Wyoming Felons

A bill is moving through the Wyoming Legislature to give access to post-conviction DNA testing to more Wyoming felons. The measure was headed to the Senate floor Monday.

Jen KocherFebruary 03, 2025

Allen Thompson, executive director for Wyoming Association of Sheriffs and Chiefs of Police, testifies in favor of Senate File 114, which would establish protocols for law enforcement in taking missing persons reports.

Wyoming One Of 6 States Without Missing Person Protocols; New Law Would Change That

Wyoming is one of six states without protocols for when people go missing. A bill that passed to the state Senate on Thursday would change that, requiring timely reporting and listing on national databases.

Jen KocherJanuary 31, 2025

Gillette Man Accused Of Shooting Half-Sister In The Face To Face Murder Trial

A Gillette man accused of killing his half-sister last week when he allegedly shot her in the face was in court Thursday, but not for long. He waived a preliminary hearing and will face a murder trial.

Jen KocherJanuary 30, 2025

Nearly 50 illegal immigrants were arrested in Denver on Sunday, January 26, 2025

Feds Raid Denver Party, Arrest 49 Illegal Immigrants; Investigations Ongoing In Wyoming

Federal agents on Sunday raided a private party in southeast Denver and arrested 49 illegal aliens including alleged members of Tren de Aragua. Agents say investigations are ongoing in Wyoming.

Jen KocherJanuary 27, 2025

Other Authors

Chris McDonald, 51, completed the elite FBI National Academy at Quantico, Virginia, as one of 1% of senior law enforcement officers throughout the country and world. His road to law enforcement began much earlier, however, when he joined the Marines as a teen.

How A Budding Gillette Baseball Star And Marine Became A Pedophile Hunter

Chris McDonald grew up in Gillette and planned on a career in baseball. Then duty called and he became a Marine in Operation Desert Strom. Now he’s a pedophile hunter, leading DCI’s Internet Crimes Against Children division.

Jen KocherJanuary 26, 2025

Gillette, Wyoming, police are investigating the death of an 88-year-old assisted living patient found dead outside in a courtyard of the Legacy Living and Rehabilitation Center. A cause of death hasn’t been released.

4 Fired In Wake Of 88-Year-Old Found Dead Outside Gillette Assisted Living Center

Four people working at a Gillette, Wyoming, assisted living center have been fired in the wake of an 88-year-old resident there being found dead in an outside courtyard Jan. 10. The terminations were announced Thursday.

Jen KocherJanuary 24, 2025

The Wyoming Senate unanimously passed a bill to the House that would close loopholes in the state's protection orders regulations.

Wyoming Legislators Unanimous On Closing Protection Order Loopholes

Protection orders are getting a makeover by the Wyoming Legislature this session. Sailing through are bills to close loopholes that can leave victims unprotected and allow for permanent protection orders.

Jen KocherJanuary 23, 2025

Report: “Give Me A Hug Now,” Gillette Man Tells Mom After Shooting Sister In Head

A Gillette, Wyoming, man has been charged with second-degree murder on claims he killed his sister. Police report that after he shot his sister in the head, he told his mother, “Give me a hug, because I am going to jail.”

Clair McFarland & Jen KocherJanuary 22, 2025

Family Grows More Desperate To Find Lander Man Missing More Than A Month

The family of a Lander, Wyoming, man missing more than a month is growing more desperate to find him. His car was found in Utah, but there’s no other trace of Brent Layman.

Jen KocherJanuary 19, 2025

88-Year-Old Patient Found Dead Outside Gillette Assisted Living Center

Gillette, Wyoming, police confirmed Thursday they are investigating the death of an 88-year-old assisted living patient found dead outside in a courtyard of the Legacy Living and Rehabilitation Center. A cause of death hasn’t been released.

Jen KocherJanuary 16, 2025

Daring, Dangerous Undercover Operations Bust Up Cartel-Run Sex Trafficking

In a daring and dangerous move, the director of a Las Vegas nonprofit went undercover to infiltrate cartel-run sex trafficking networks. Working with law enforcement, the operation has rescued many young victims kidnapped in Mexico and the U.S.

Jen KocherDecember 28, 2024

Don Ohlin, aka Velcro, reaches his congregation at the Iron Horse Church and beyond through videos on YouTube and social media.

How A Loan Shark Enforcer Found His Calling As A Wyoming Biker Pastor

A former loan shark and enforcer who goes by the handle “Velcro” has a lot in common with the people he ministers to. The Cheyenne biker has found his calling helping prisoners find safe homes once they’re released from prison.

Jen KocherDecember 21, 2024

Dan Gryder replicated the DB Cooper jump above the Columbia River in Portland, Oregon, on the 50th anniversary of the hijacking to determine that the Cooper would not have been able to hold on to the bag of $200,000.

Part 3: Who is D.B. Cooper? After 53 Years, Push To Solve Notorious Crime In Overdrive

Cowboy State Daily's story about a parachute found by a high profile investigator has kicked the stalled investigation of one of America’s most notorious mysteries into overdrive. The new evidence has rekindled ex-FBI agents and others to finally solve the D.B. Cooper case.

Jen KocherDecember 15, 2024