Latest from Jen Kocher
Police, Daughter Want Answers in 35-Year-Old Cold Case of Missing Wyoming Mother
Kathleen Pehringer disappeared from her Riverton home 35 years ago, and while investigators say they have a person of interest, a daughter left behind is desperate for answers to one of Wyoming’s decades-old cold cases.
Jen KocherApril 20, 2024
AI A New Cyber Threat To Wyomingites, Who Were Scammed Out Of $14 Million
Last year, Wyoming residents were bilked out of nearly $14 million in internet scams with people over 60 taking the hardest hit. Extortion accounted for the greatest number of crimes, followed by tech support scams and non-delivery of paid goods and services.
Jen KocherApril 14, 2024
Wyoming Cadets Among Nation’s Elite At Grueling Death March Race
ROTC cadets from the University of Wyoming finished at or near the top of more than 5,000 competitors in the grueling annual Bataan Memorial Death March competition in New Mexico.
Jen KocherApril 07, 2024
Family, Friends of Missing 27-Year-Old Cheyenne Man Desperate for Answers
Nearly two weeks after a 27-year-old Cheyenne man disappeared, his family and friends are desperate for answers about what happened to him. They fear his troubles with addiction may have put him at odds with the wrong people.
Jen KocherApril 05, 2024
Boyfriend Of Missing Wyoming Woman Subject Of New Investigation
The boyfriend of a Wyoming woman missing for more than two years remains a “person of interest” in her disappearance. Meanwhile, Nathan Hightman is in prison for unrelated crimes and is the subject of a new investigation.
Jen KocherApril 03, 2024
Nearly 2 Years After Laramie Man’s Body Found, Death Still A Mystery
A coroner’s report released last week shows that almost two years after a 39-year-old Laramie man went missing and months after his remains were found, how he died remains a mystery.
Jen KocherApril 02, 2024
Wyoming Families Desperate For Answers Put Hope In New Cold-Case Laws
A pair of new laws is giving Wyoming families of cold-case victims desperate for answers guarded hope that more money, public scrutiny can break cases.
Jen KocherApril 02, 2024
Crook County Residents Say Speed Racers On Rural Roads Will Kill People
Crook County residents say some drivers treat unpaved, winding county roads like the autobahn and will result in children getting killed. County commissioners say the Legislature has taken away their authority to set their own speed limits.
Jen KocherMarch 31, 2024
Internet Crimes Against Wyoming Children Surge, Up 60% So Far This Year
Internet crimes against children in Wyoming continues to grow at a brisk pace, up 40% in 2023 and already surging with 60% more reports in the first three months of 2024.
Jen KocherMarch 31, 2024
Wyoming’s Kindness Ranch Rescues 10 West Bank War Refugee Dogs
A few days ago, these 10 dogs were refugees in war-torn West Bank, shellshocked and some missing limbs. They were rescued last week by the Wyoming-based Kindness Ranch, a 1,000-acre animal sanctuary near Hartville.
Jen KocherMarch 24, 2024
Gillette Police Retire Biko, The ‘Michael Jordan’ Of Wyoming K-9 Officers
It's never easy for a K-9 police dog to retire. Biko, who Gillette police call the 'Michael Jordan' of crime dogs, is adjusting to being a family dog but his handler says Biko's whining tugs on his heartstrings as he heads out the door to work.
Jen KocherMarch 16, 2024
Summer Of Bundy: Investigator On Quest To Find Bodies Of Ted Bundy's Utah Victims
Private investigator Jason Jensen is planning a “Summer of Bundy,” in conjunction with the Cold Case Coalition, to look for the gravesites of four Utah women who serial killer Ted Bundy admitted to killing and burying there and in Colorado.
Jen KocherMarch 10, 2024
Wyoming Searchers Help Find Shoes That Lead To Body Of Missing Man
A search team from Gillette helped uncover a pair of hiking boots last weekend that led law enforcement to the discovery of a dead body that is likely that of a missing Colorado man, Nick Salvagni. His father says he is certain that it's his son.
Jen KocherMarch 09, 2024
Gillette Teen Charged As Adult For Allegedly Bringing Gun To School
A Gillette 16-year-old who had been expelled from Campbell County High School, then allegedly snuck back in and flashed a handgun, has been charged as an adult and could face more than six years in prison.
Jen KocherMarch 08, 2024
Carbon County Sheriff Alex Bakken Is One Of The Youngest Sheriffs In Wyoming History
It was a hunting trip that hooked Alex Bakken on the Rocky Mountain West. So right out of college he moved to Wyoming and got into law enforcement. 10 years later, he became Carbon County's sheriff -- one of the youngest ever -- and says he'll never leave Wyoming.
Jen KocherMarch 04, 2024
Rock Springs Police Dust Off 25-Year-Old Cold Case: Who Killed Davida Peterson?
It’s been 25 years since Davida Peterson was shot in the head while working at a Rock Springs propane shop. A new detective has been assigned to dust off the unsolved murder and believes missing pieces to the puzzle are out there in the community.
Jen KocherMarch 02, 2024
What Happened to Irene Gakwa? Two Years Later, Family Still Waiting for Answers
Irene Gakwa disappeared from the home she shared with her live-in boyfriend in Gillette, Nathan Hightman, in late February 2022. Hightman, who is considered by police to be a person of interest in her disappearance, is in state prison for three felonies related to financial crimes against Gakwa.
Jen KocherFebruary 24, 2024
Wyoming Rates Of Murdered, Missing Indigenous Peoples Among Highest In US
New data from the state’s Missing and Murdered People Task Force released Wednesday shows Wyoming rates of Indigenous cases among highest in the U.S.
Jen KocherFebruary 22, 2024
Nightmare Ordeal Over For Riverton Dad After Daughters Found In Florida With Mom
A nightmare ordeal is over for a Riverton man whose young daughters disappeared for more than two weeks. Brian Cowart was reunited with his daughters after they were found in Florida with their mother, who was arrested on Friday. “I’m used to talking to them every day,” he said. “It’s been really, really hard.”
Jen KocherFebruary 18, 2024
2 Years After Vanishing, New Investigation Into Boyfriend Of Irene Gakwa
It’s been two years since Irene Gakwa, a nursing student from Kenya, disappeared from her home in Gillette. A neighboring law enforcement agency in Wyoming has opened a new investigation into her live-in boyfriend.
Jen KocherFebruary 18, 2024
Bills To Give $300,000 To Solve Wyoming Cold Case Crimes Pass Committee
A pair of bills that would give the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation $300,000 to focus on solving cold case crimes were passed by the Judicial Committee on Friday.
Jen KocherFebruary 16, 2024