Still Missing WY - Irene Gakwa, 32, Kenya native, living with a man, he's uncooperative, Gillette, 24 Feb 2022 *Arrest*

It was said by those there that each dog would enter the home and around the home individually like they were rotating them. One person mentioned that they do that to see if the dogs hit on same areas. Lots of photos taken and some video. The dogs were of different breeds, a black dobie, a golden mix and a dog that looked similar to a cattle dog. They had the dobie in the rock garden near the garage and there seemed to be some interest in that area with a few agents as well. Posting a link to page for those that would like to see the photos.
Find Irene Gakwa | This is another photo dump from the photos taken yesterday on my "good camera"
Thank you MorningDove. That's helpful.
 
OCT 20

Family members of Irene Gakwa, a 32-year-old Black woman who went missing in Wyoming, are still seeking answers to what happened to her over 7 months into the search.

"It gets harder and harder each day," Chris Gakwa, her older brother, said in an interview with ABC News.

Before she went missing, Irene Gakwa, a native of Kenya, spoke daily to her mother and father who reside in Kenya through Whatsapp, but those conversations came to an end Feb. 24 – the last time her family says they heard from her. Her brothers filed a missing person's report March 20 after not hearing from her for almost a month.

More at Family seeks answers in 7-month search for woman who went missing in Wyoming
 

On Thursday, a Campbell County judge granted a motion to continue the trial for a missing Gillette woman’s fiancé, who faces multiple felonies for intellectual and financial crimes against her.

The trial for Nathan Hightman — a person of interest in the disappearance of 32-year-old Gillette resident Irene Gakwa who is also accused of using her financial and intellectual information without permission — has been pushed to 2023 with a new pre-trial date set for Jan. 4 and a jury trial scheduled for Feb. 6, Campbell County court records say.
 
DEC 5, 2022
Irene Gakwa

irene_gakwa.jpg

32-year-old Irene Gakwa was last seen by her family via video call on February 24, 2022. Irene is originally from Kenya but at the time was living with her boyfriend, Nathan Hightman, in Wyoming. Irene’s brother Christopher told Dateline he received an odd text from his sister in the beginning of March. Irene told Christopher she wanted to change her number because her phone was broken.n Christopher said he also found it strange that Irene was texting him in English -- because they usually texted each other in their native Swahili. Irene was reported missing in March 2022. Two months later, on May 10, the Gillette Police Department announced that Irene’s boyfriend, Nathan Hightman, had been arrested and charged with felony theft, unlawful use of a credit card, and crimes against intellectual property. The announcement stated that Irene was the victim of those crimes. It also referred to Hightman as a person of interest in Irene’s disappearance. Hightman has pleaded not guilty to the theft charges and is out on bond awaiting trial. He has not been charged in connection with Irene’s disappearance. Gillette detectives are requesting information regarding a 55-gallon metal drum, which may have been burned or abandoned in rural Campbell County. They are also asking for any information concerning a gray or silver-colored Subaru Crosstrek with Idaho license plates that may have been in the same area between February 24, 2022, and March 20, 2022. Irene, who is 5’1”, 89 lbs., with black hair and brown eyes, is still missing. If you have any information regarding Irene’s disappearance, please call the Gillette Police Department at 307-682-5155.
 
DEC 30, 2022

Irene Gakwa

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A community is desperate to find Irene Gakwa, a recent immigrant from Kenya who went missing in the Gillette, Wyoming area. The case has a number of twists like Gakwa’s fiancé facing charges on accusations he took her money, and the lead searcher getting hit with a stalking order. Anyone with information on the case is urged to call the Gillette Police Department at 307-682-5155. (Photo: Family)
  • Gillette, Wyoming
  • Went Missing: March 2022
  • Status: Pending
Irene Gakwa, 32, was “thriving” after she moved from Kenya to America. She lived with family in Idaho before moving to Gillette, Wyoming when she met a man on Craiglist named Nathan Hightman.

After the move, Gakwa’s family grew concerned when they noticed Gakwa’s texts had changed. Hightman told police Gakwa packed clothing into two plastic bags and announced she was leaving Gillette. Her family, however, doesn’t think that’s true.

Eventually, police arrested Hightman and charged him with draining Gakwa’s bank accounts, deleting her email account and using her credit card to buy a pair of boots, a pair of pants and a shovel. Hightman, according to police, said he did it to force her to contact him in the event she needed money. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges. According to the Casper Star-Tribune, Hightman’s next court appearance is scheduled for Jan.4.

Anyone with information about the disappearance of Irene Gakwa is urged to call the Gillette police at 307-682-5155.
 
Hightman’s jury trial will begin April 3 | County 17

"Hightman is charged with five felonies: two counts of theft, one count of unlawful use of a credit card and two counts of crimes against intellectual property.

"Both Hightman's defense attorney, Dallas Lamb, and Campbell County Attorney Nathan Henkes said in a pre-trial Jan. 4 that they anticipate the trial will last 10 days."
 

"In their letter to the governor, the family expressed frustration about the lack of information a year after Gakwa disappeared.

“This letter is to request your administration take steps in shedding light on the efforts made thus far in the search for Irene Gakwa,” it said.

A spokesperson for the governor said the family’s letter will be received in the same manner that all in-person correspondence is handled.

“The governor is aware of the case, and the highest levels of law enforcement are participating in the investigation, including the Wyoming Department of Criminal Investigation and the FBI,” said Michael Pearlman, the spokesperson."
 
MAY 9

The boyfriend of a missing Gillette woman is now considered a “person of interest” in her disappearance, according to police.

Irene Gakwa was reported missing on March 20 by her brother and was last seen in a video conference with her parents on Feb. 24. The 32-year-old Kenyan native was in nursing school and had moved to Gillette last July with her boyfriend, who police say is not cooperating with the investigation.

More at Boyfriend Now Considered 'Person of Interest' In Missing Gillette Woman Case | Cowboy State Daily
I read that article and its so sad. Praying this doesn't turn out badly.
 


 
The fiancé of a missing Kenyan woman pleaded guilty to three of the five felonies related to crimes against her in Campbell County District Court before District Judge James Michael Causey on Tuesday afternoon. As a result, Nathan Hightman’s bond was revoked, and he was escorted out of the courtroom in handcuffs.

Hightman, 39, admitted to illegally accessing Irene Gakwa’s checking account and the unauthorized use of her credit card, as well as deleting her email account.

Nathan Hightman, 39, enters Campbell County District Court on March 28 to plead guilty to three felony crimes against his missing fiance. (Courtesy photo from Desiree Tinoco)

Gakwa, 33, has been missing under suspicious circumstances since late February 2022; she moved from Idaho to Gillette with Hightman in July 2021. She was reported missing by family on March 20, 2022. Hightman is considered by police to be a “person of interest” in her disappearance.

Last May, Hightman was arrested on five felony charges that include two counts of theft, one count of unlawful use of a credit card and two counts of crimes against intellectual property, according to court documents.
 
APR 1

For Irene Gakwa’s family, the decision this week to revoke Nathan J. Hightman’s bail while leaving the maximum penalties in play for each of three felonies he pleaded guilty to came as a sign of hope and relief after a year spent looking for answers and for Irene.

Hightman will await his sentencing hearing from jail after pleading guilty to three of the five felonies accusing him of financial crimes against his fiancée, Irene, who has been missing from Gillette since last February.

“I was shocked. I was shocked,” said Kennedy Wainaina, Irene’s brother, after the change of plea hearing Tuesday afternoon. “It’s an unexpected victory.”

More at ‘I was shocked’: Guilty pleas and jail time give ‘light’ to family of missing woman
 
  • Irene Gakwa disappeared from Wyoming in 2021
  • Her fiancé told her family she'd packed her bags and left
  • He has since admitted to draining her bank accounts after she disappeared
photo-Irene-in-leaves-_-from-brother.jpg

(NewsNation) — There have been significant new developments in the search for a Wyoming woman who vanished after meeting her fiancé on Craigslist.

Video shows federal agents moving in on the man’s home, but while there is some movement in the case, Gakwa’s family is still desperate to know where she is.

When Gakwa moved from her birthplace in Kenya to Idaho, it seemed like a huge success. But when she met Nathan Hightman on Craigslist, her family wasn’t sold.

”I will say the truth. I mean, I really like him. But you know, what do you do?” said Christopher Gakwa, Irene’s brother.

Irene Gakwa and Hightman moved to Gilette, Wyoming. Gakwa’s texts, once peppered with her native Swahili, turned to English only.
 
  • Irene Gakwa disappeared from Wyoming in 2021
  • Her fiancé told her family she'd packed her bags and left
  • He has since admitted to draining her bank accounts after she disappeared
photo-Irene-in-leaves-_-from-brother.jpg

(NewsNation) — There have been significant new developments in the search for a Wyoming woman who vanished after meeting her fiancé on Craigslist.

Video shows federal agents moving in on the man’s home, but while there is some movement in the case, Gakwa’s family is still desperate to know where she is.

When Gakwa moved from her birthplace in Kenya to Idaho, it seemed like a huge success. But when she met Nathan Hightman on Craigslist, her family wasn’t sold.

”I will say the truth. I mean, I really like him. But you know, what do you do?” said Christopher Gakwa, Irene’s brother.

Irene Gakwa and Hightman moved to Gilette, Wyoming. Gakwa’s texts, once peppered with her native Swahili, turned to English only.

Such a difficult and sad case without Irene's body. :(

Her poor family. They have been there to support her.


Hightman appeared in court on those charges, where he shocked Gakwa’s family by changing his plea to guilty.

Gakwa’s older brother, Kennedy Wainaina, and his partner, Lucinda Anewenah, were in the courtroom.

<snip>

The judge revoked Hightman’s bond, so he has been waiting for sentencing in jail.


“I think it just clicked for us. And we had a sense of relief. When we saw the bailiffs handcuff him, oh my God, he’s going to jail. He’s going to jail,” Anewenah said.

<snip>

“We drove 12 hours there and 12 hours back, but it was worth the one hour that we were there to show that there is actually somebody behind her. She has a family. There’s people missing her, there’s people wondering about her,” Wainaina said.
 
Missing: Irene Gakwa and Nathan Hightman

Family and friends of Ms Irene Gakwa, the Kenyan woman who went missing in the United States of America, have organized for a walk to be held on Sunday, May 28, 2023 as the search for the missing woman continues.

Ms Gakwa went missing in February 2022 with her boyfriend Nathan Hightman being named as a key suspect since he was the last person to interact with her.

“Search for Irene Gakwa. The weather is warming up, time to get our feet back on the ground. This will be an on foot search. We will meet in the Gillette Theater Parking lot closest to the highway where we will go over safety search guidelines and locations covering,” Gakwa’s friends said in a statement.

The search for Ms Gakwa kicked off immediately it she went missing and the walk will be the third one to be held since her disappearance.

This comes at a time when already Hightman has admitted to taking Sh428,621 from her account. He pleaded guilty to unlawfully using Ms Gakwa’s credit card after she went missing.

District Judge James M. “Mike” ordered Mr. Hightman to be jailed and accepted his plea, dismissing an additional count of theft and crimes against intellectual property, per the plea negotiations.

Under US law, the maximum sentence for each of the theft and unlawful use of a credit card convictions is up to 10 years in prison, a Sh1,000,000 fine, or both, while the maximum for the crimes against intellectual property count is three years in prison and/or a Sh300,000 fine.
 
So has he admitted to killing her???
I don't care that he stole money from her, but clearly there is more going on here.

Please, please, please, LE find a way to find this horrible man guilty of murder!
Irene, I will never forget about you.
<hugs> from a stranger. You deserved so much better.
 

The story of missing Gillette woman Irene Gakwa recently aired on a nationwide streaming service.

The 25-minute episode titled “American Dream, American Nightmare” follows Gakwa’s journey from Nairobi, Kenya, to Gillette where she disappeared in early 2022. The episode is part of Paramount Plus’ “Never Seen Again” series, which documents families sharing the stories of lost loved ones.

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