THE SEARCH FOR IRENE: Local Team Resumes Search for Missing Gillette Nursing Student
GILLETTE, Wyo.–The makeshift memorial caught Stacy Koester’s eye. She put on the brakes and inched her black Audi sports car backward along the gravel road to get a better look. A small wooden cross, adorned by a pink plastic carnation, was surrounded by a circle of rocks among craggy shrubs and cheat grass on the side of the hill at LAK Reservoir, outside Newcastle in Weston County.
THE SEARCH FOR IRENE: What’s Next in Investigation of Missing Kenyan Nursing Student?
GILLETTE, Wyo.—It’s been 14 months since Irene Gakwa vanished without a trace. The only “person of interest” in her mysterious disappearance, as identified by police, is sitting in the general population at the Campbell County Detention Center and awaiting sentencing in June after admitting to stealing nearly $6,000 from Gakwa and deleting her email account after she went missing.
THE SEARCH FOR IRENE: Community Fundraiser Marks One-Year Anniversary of Kenyan’s Disappearance
GILLETTE, Wyo.— Hands on Pottery owner Michele Thara created the mug design especially for Irene Gakwa. Standing before the front window of her ceramic studio Monday afternoon, as snow fell behind her, Thara pointed out the rainbow and heart, painted blue in Gakwa’s favorite color.
THE SEARCH FOR IRENE: Trial Date Set for Fiancé Accused of Financial Crimes
GILLETTE, Wyo.—After multiple delays, legal proceedings against the fiancé of the missing Kenyan nursing student are moving forward with a trial date this spring.
THE SEARCH FOR IRENE: Witnesses Named in Trial for Fiancé of Missing Kenyan Over Alleged Financial and Intellectual Property Crimes
GILLETTE, Wyo.—In the latest twist in the Irene Gakwa case, court records show 33 witnesses will appear in the upcoming trial of Nathan Hightman, including the owner of a house in San Antonio where public records indicate Gakwa may have lived.
THE SEARCH FOR IRENE: Trial for Fiancé Over Alleged Financial Crimes Likely to be Delayed
GILLETTE, Wyo.—In the latest wrinkle in the high-profile Irene Gakwa case, prosecutors and the defense for the missing woman’s fiancé have requested a longer trial and potentially a change of venue due to concerns that the defendant would not receive a fair trial in Gillette.
THE SEARCH FOR IRENE: The Mysterious Life of Nathan Hightman (Part 4)
Nearly 10 months after Irene Gakwa disappeared from her Gillette home, her family still has more questions than answers as they attempt to piece together the mystery of what happened to her.
THE SEARCH FOR IRENE: The Mysterious Life of Nathan Hightman (Part 3)
GILLETTE, Wyo. – The blinds are drawn in the windows of the pale blue ranch house in northern Campbell County where Irene Gakwa once lived. The 33-year-old Kenyan moved to this single-story house in July 2021 with her fiancé, Nathan Hightman. She has since disappeared. Nobody has seen or heard from Gakwa since her last video call with her parents in late February.
THE SEARCH FOR IRENE: The Mysterious Life of Nathan Hightman (Part 2)
GILLETTE, Wyo.—Nathan Hightman is no stranger to tragedy.
Much has been said and written about the strange and troubling disappearance of his fiancé, Irene Gakwa, from this part of coal country in Wyoming. But lost in the hue and cry is who’s at the center of the story—Hightman himself—and the little-known fact that, when he was in his early 20s, his mother was murdered at her home by her estranged ex-husband.
THE SEARCH FOR IRENE: The Mysterious Life of Nathan Hightman (Part 1)
GILLETTE, Wyo.—Who is Nathan J. Hightman?
It’s a question that many people are asking—from Gillette to Nairobi. For the past 10 months, Hightman’s name has been splashed across headlines and his image broadcast on network news as the fiancé of Irene Gakwa, 33, the Kenyan nursing student who vanished last winter.
THE SEARCH FOR IRENE: Colorado Search and Rescue Team joins Gillette Group to Find Missing Kenyan
The search for Irene Gakwa continued over the weekend, nearly a month after law enforcement officials conducted their second search of the house Gakwa shared with her fiancé, 39-year-old Nathan Hightman, to recover evidence related to the Kenyan's disappearance last winter.
THE SEARCH FOR IRENE: Local Search Group Gathers to Hear Family Stories About Missing Gillette Woman
GILLETTE, Wyo.—The family is not sleeping, and all of their emotions are up in the air, Chris Munga told the group gathered at a local coffee shop in downtown Gillette. Munga’s sister, Irene Gakwa, 33, has been missing since late February.
THE SEARCH FOR IRENE: Fiancé of Missing Kenyan Granted Second Continuance in Irene Gakwa Case
GILLETTE, Wyo.—A Campbell County district judge granted a second continuance request by the fiancé of a missing Gillette woman who has been charged with five felonies related to crimes against her with a new pretrial conference scheduled for January.
THE SEARCH FOR IRENE: Multiple Agencies Return for Second Search of the Fiancé’s Home of Missing Gillette Resident
GILLETTE, Wyo.—The Gillette Police Department and FBI staged an investigation at the house of the fiancé of the missing Gillette resident on Thursday morning after securing warrants to investigate evidence tied to the case.
Four Men Nabbed in Gillette Sex Trafficking Sting
GILLETTE, Wyo.—The first buyer is 15 minutes away. He’s driving from South Dakota to Gillette to ostensibly have sex with a 16-year-old girl who advertised on a social media site.