Latest from Jen Kocher
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
Proposal To Give $150,000 To Help Solve 150 Wyoming Cold Cases Advances
A bill that would allocate $150,000 to develop and maintain a Wyoming database for the estimated 150 unsolved cold cases dating back to 1972 has advanced to committee.
Jen KocherFebruary 13, 2024
Families of Wyoming’s Missing and Murdered Hope For More Cold Case Funds
86-year-old Ernie Van Buskirk has one wish before he dies: find out what happened to his son. His case remains one of roughly 150 estimated unsolved cases throughout the state, dating back to 1965. He is hoping the legislature provides more money to help with cold cases.
Jen KocherFebruary 11, 2024
Gillette Diesel Mechanic Hoping To Get On List For Rare Heart-Lung Transplant
Gillette's Justin Rushing doesn’t look like a guy who needs a heart and lung transplant. The 36-year-old, who loves hunting and his family, spends his days working as a diesel mechanic. But he's running out of time and working to get on the list.
Jen KocherFebruary 10, 2024
Too Much Business And No Workers: Sundance, Wyoming Repair Shop Closes After 42 Years
Mike Frolander had to close his Sundance custom repair shop after 42 years because he couldn't find the skilled workers to keep it open. Frolander, like many other small-town employers in rural Wyoming, is up against a labor shortage in a state with a 3% unemployment rate.
Jen KocherFebruary 03, 2024
Nearly 40 Years After Wyoming Man Went Missing, Family Copes With Proof Of His Death
A Canadian genealogist found a key puzzle piece in the decades-old search for a missing Rawlins man, who disappeared in 1985 and apparently died two years later in a Seattle building fire. His elderly parents received the news last weekend.
Jen KocherFebruary 03, 2024
Are You Hackable? If You Live In Wyoming, The Data Says Probably
Wyoming ranks among the worst states when it comes to getting hacked and falling for cybersecurity scams. The non-profit watchdog group, CyberWyoming, says It doesn’t pay to be a trusting person on the internet.
Jen KocherJanuary 28, 2024
Gillette Realtor Pleads Not Guilty To Stealing Identities To Collect Commissions
Gillette Realtor Tami Hinson pleaded not guilty on Friday to charges she forged the signatures of former employees on sales of foreclosed properties to collect higher commissions. She faces six felony charges, each punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Jen KocherJanuary 26, 2024
Manslaughter Charge For Greybull Fentanyl Dealer Accused Of Killing Cody Man
A Greybull man charged with selling fentanyl-laced pills that led to the overdose death of a Cody man was bound over to district court Thursday on new charges of manslaughter and conspiracy to deliver a controlled substance.
Jen KocherJanuary 19, 2024
Gillette Realtor Who Allegedly Had Identity Stolen By Boss Slapped With Protection Order
The Gillette Realtor who uncovered an alleged scheme where his former boss, Tami Hinson, forged his signature to illegally collect commissions has been slapped with a protection order for his efforts. “The guilty always think it’s crazy when the just seek justice,” he said.
Jen KocherJanuary 19, 2024
Manslaughter Charges For Wyoming Man Who Sold Deadly Fentanyl-Laced Pills
A Greybull man convicted of four felonies for delivery and possession of counterfeit Oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl that killed 25-year-old Jordan Jackson of Cody, faces new manslaughter charges in neighboring Park County related to Jackson’s death.
Jen KocherJanuary 12, 2024