Wyoming’s history leads back to the crazy and deadly days of the Wild West, when there was little law enforcement could do. Today, societal norms and improved enforcement have curtailed the lawlessness of the old days, but police still face some challenges. For example there are still many unsolved murders in Wyoming, as well as other cold cases. Here are eight disturbing Wyoming cold cases that will make you question the circumstances behind them.

1. James Kamai - Unsolved Homicide
Flickr/Jimmy Emerson, DVM
What started out, apparently, as road rage ended up in murder. Kamai, 25, was shot around 8 a.m. on College Drive in Cheyenne, on June 21, 2001. Kamai's two children were in the car when he got out to confront the other driver. Tips continue to come in periodically, but the murderer still has yet to be identified.
2. Shawny Smith - Unsolved Homicide
Jimmy Emerson, DVM/Flickr
Shawny Smith, a 32-year-old mother of two living in Cheyenne, was viciously sexually assaulted and beaten to death. In February 2003, her body was found in a farmer's field in Weld County, Colorado. There was a suspect in the case, but there was not enough evidence to prosecute. The killer remains a mystery.
3. Katherine Coffee - Unsolved Homicide
Flickr/Jimmy Emerson, DVM
Katherine Coffee, age 35, was found dead by a co-worker inside her residence in Newcastle on June 3, 2011. She was shot to death in her residence.
4. Camilo Moreno - Unsolved Homicide
Flickr/Jimmy Emerson, DVM
Camilo Moreno's body was found February 1, 2000, near Grey Rocks Road east of Wheatland. Moreno, 35, had been stabbed multiple times. There was no identification on his body. Moreno was from Colorado and was reported missing in November 1999. His car was found near Castle Rock, Colorado. There are no suspects.

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5. Larry Peterson - Unsolved Homicide
Jimmy Emerson, DVM/Flickr
Larry Peterson was found murdered June 4, 1999, at the age of 52. His body was discovered in a cabin near Wheatland on Palmer Canyon Road. There are no suspects.
6. Robert Lee Thornock - Unsolved Homicide
Flickr/adamj1555
Robert Thornock, 41, escaped from the Cache County Jail in Logan, Utah in February 1997. His body was found in Strawberry Creek in Lincoln County, Wyoming. No motive nor any suspects have ever been discovered.
7. Amy Wroe Bechtel - Missing Person
Flickr/Carol VanHook
Amy, 24, disappeared while jogging the Loop Road area between Lander and South Pass on July 24, 1997. Her car was found parked along the road, but there was no sign of her, and none has been found. Amy has not been seen since. This is one of the most mysterious disappearances in Wyoming.
8. Mary Virginia Webb (Mary Garcia) - Unsolved Homicide
Flickr/J. Stephen Conn
Mary Virginia Webb's body was found in a culvert under U.S. Highway 212 in Crook County on June 26th, 1996. She had suffered three gunshot wounds to the head. She was a resident of Washington state and was traveling to Arkansas. She was last seen in Montana and was reported missing by family on June 13, 1996. This case still remains unsolved.

Do you know of any other Wyoming cold cases? Which ones chill you the most?

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Mysterious Disappearances in Wyoming

Tori Jane | July 11, 2022

What are some interesting and spooky Wyoming mysteries?  

Wyoming is a state that’s truly as spooky as it is beautiful and that’s saying a lot. There have been plenty of spooky mysteries in Wyoming revolving around things like UFOs and alien abduction; for example, there’s the phenomenon of UFOs at Devil’s Tower. Over the decades – if not centuries – there have been reports of strange, unidentified flying objects in the sky over and nearby Devil’s Tower. It’s a well-known hotspot among UFO enthusiasts and it even earned itself a cameo in the 1977 film Close Encounters of the Third Kind. There have been UFO reports in this area multiple times a decade for over a century. What’s going on here? We might never find out, but it’s fun to think about. 

How many unsolved murders in Wyoming are on the books?  

At the time of this writing, there are no less than 14 unsolved murders in Wyoming listed as “cold cases” on Wyoming’s Department of Corrections website. Some of the cases include truly eerie or upsetting circumstances, like the murder of Stella McLean in 1978, whose headless, nude body was found by Interstate 25 in Platte County a few months after her disappearance. Another unsolved murder in Wyoming is that of Amy Wroe Bechtel, who disappeared on July 24, 1997, and was never found. She is presumed deceased as of 2004. 

What are some unsolved Wyoming mysteries?  

Wyoming is, like we said, as mysterious as it is gorgeous. There are lots more unsolved Wyoming mysteries worth mentioning like the 1991 Jane Doe found in a wooded area near Fox Park in Albany County. Her decomposing body was found with two rings, one of which is inscribed with the initials M.S.S. In Campbell County in 1997, a child by the name of Amanda Dawn Gallion disappeared while walking to school in Gillette, Wyoming. No suspects have ever been listed, and she was never found.

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