Wyoming ranks in the top 15 states for the most missing people

Despite a low population, Wyoming ranks in the top 15 states for missing people. The Missing People of Wyoming Facebook page was started in July of 2019. It has become a valued resource in Big Horn County, the state and beyond. Their mission is to provide unwavering support to families and communities across Wyoming in the search for missing persons. They are dedicated to raising awareness, offering resources, and facilitating collaboration with local authorities to ensure that every person who goes missing is found as quickly and safely as possible.

Desiree Tinoco is the heart of organization, which became a non-profit in May of 2022. She explained, “Years ago, my older sister started a Facebook group for missing persons in Missouri. I thought about doing something similar for Wyoming. Throughout the years, I checked online to see what resources were provided to the public and loved ones of those that were missing. Unfortunately, at that time there really was nothing available. Then, a friend shared her frustration with two missing person cases that received no coverage. That’s when I decided to start the Facebook group.”

The oldest case the group has featured is Olga Mauger, who disappeared while hiking on her honeymoon in Dubois, Wyoming, September 17, 1934. Olga was a well-experienced hiker and grew up hunting and fishing in the area.

Big Horn County Deputy Keri Angell is a board member. She noted there are two cases where the missing person’s vehicle were found in this county. Those are Billie Bennett and Davante Richardson. Bennett’s vehicle was found July 19, 2021, in a rest area of U.S. Highway 14A. It is an open case with the Big Horn County Sheriff’s Department. 

Richardson’s vehicle was found outside of Greybull in July of 2020. He was from Washington, D.C. so it is an open case for the Metropolitan Police Department in D.C. 

Angell became a board member in January of this year. She said Tinoco was working with Sheriff Ken Blackburn regarding legislation. This is when she and Tinoco interacted. Later, Tinoco reached out to Angell to ask her to be on the board. Angell joined the county search and rescue team in 2003. Tinoco believed that the S & R experience as well Angell’s law enforcement experience would be a good fit. 

Angell said she was drawn to Tinoco’s mission and drive. Plus, her own passion about missing people. She was worked closely with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children on missing cases in this county. 

 HOW IT WORKS

Tinoco explained how the group works. “Everyone is welcome to join the Facebook group and submit missing persons flyers, articles, or anything relevant to missing persons in Wyoming. We allow cases from neighboring states and cases in which they were believed to be traveling to or through Wyoming. All Wyoming cases are verified within 24 hours on the group. Once an individual is found, comments are turned off, after about a month resolved, cases are deleted to protect privacy. However, loved ones and previously missing individuals are welcome to share their story on the group. We recommend submitting tips directly to the agency in charge of the investigation. Tips can also be submitted anonymously on the Wyoming Department of Criminal Investigations clearing house.” 

She continued, “You should immediately call the agency in charge of the investigation, which would be where the person lives or was last known to be. I’m excited to share at the nonprofits’ request, Wyoming implemented a missing person protocol law. To report someone missing, you don’t need to wait 24 hours, nor do you need to be immediate family. Once you’ve reported a loved one missing, you can find their flyer on our Facebook group and the DCI public database.” 

NEW LAW SHOULD HELP 

In Wyoming, there are typically around 700-900 missing persons cases annually. “I suspect that with the new law in place, that number should increase slightly. Most of those cases are resolved in less than 24 hours.” 

The law Tinoco is referring to is SF0114. It says in part “Each Wyoming law enforcement agency shall accept, without delay, any credible report of a missing person made to the law enforcement agency.” The law went into effect at the beginning of July, so it’s relatively new, but it seems to be working well for agencies across the state.  

The bill was co-sponsored by Senator Ed Cooper, R - Ten Sleep. Cooper said that the epidemic of missing women on the reservation was part of the reason he sponsored the bill. These disappearances along with any others need to be taken seriously. 

“We need to do a better job at addressing and helping with this,” Cooper said. Tinoco expounded, “Previous to the law being in place an agency officer or deputy could deny a case for any reason. There would be no paper trail if someone attempting to report this person missing, either. It became problematic for several cases that I’ve worked on over the years. With the law in place, agencies still have the right to deny a case, but they do have to on some level show their reasoning for denying it. It creates a good guideline for agencies to report someone missing whereas before, an officer, especially an uninformed one, could make the wrong decision. Keep in mind these officers are dealing with much more than just missing persons cases. The law is written away so that if an agency finds it necessary, they do not have to report the individual missing. We really focused on what laws were in place in Montana and Colorado when creating our law for Wyoming. Focusing on our region and what others were doing makes it easier and more seamless for when missing persons cases crossover state lines. The law that we have in place is pretty standard and many parts of it are used throughout the state. It is fairly similar to Patricia’s law.”   

The majority of missing cases are cleared. Of the 783 cases in 2024, only four from 2024 remain listed as missing to date. 

“This data is collected by Wyoming Department of Criminal Investigation. Our group, however, sees only a small fraction of that. Because cases come in and out of the system so fast, we are unable to share all of them on our Facebook group and website. Annually, the group shares around 300 cases. I can imagine that from an outside point of view, these numbers might seem daunting. Our state does run relatively high per capita for missing persons cases, the vast majority of that comes from runaways, outdoor activities, and our Native American lands,” Tinoco said.  

Communicating with law enforcement and expressing concerns is crucial when a loved one goes missing. Their goal is to be an advocate and resource. They believe that all missing persons deserve equal treatment regardless of age, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual preferences, life choices, criminal history or mental illness.

 “We are volunteers, and all of our services are offered free of charge.” Tinoco hopes that as more people become aware of and follow the Facebook page cases could be resolved quicker or new information about the missing person would come to light. Recently, a Basin native was listed on the FB page. He was last seen in Colorado.   Friends, families and acquaintances in Wyoming shared the post. Thankfully, the young man was found over a month later. He was safe. His family is very grateful.