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Award-winning Investigative journalist based in Wyoming with a focus on true crime, missing people and long-form features. 

Jennifer Kocher

Cowboy State Daily •

Who is D.B. Cooper? New Evidence May Crack One Of America’s Greatest Mysteries

This is the first of a two-part series. Part two is located here.

More than five decades ago, a mild-mannered passenger in a business suit boarded a Seattle-bound flight in Oregon under the name Dan Cooper on Nov. 24, 1971. He ordered a bourbon and soda, and once in the air, handed a stewardess a handwritten note demanding $200,000 in cash and four parachutes under the threat of what appeared to be a bomb in his ratty briefcase.

The plane landed in Seattle, and authorities complied with the hi...
Cowboy State Daily •

Part 2: Who is D.B. Cooper? The Bombshell Discovery That Could Solve Infamous Hijacking

This is the second of a two-part series. Part one detailed how new evidence has been unveiled that may crack the D.B. Cooper case, America’s most notorious and only unsolved hijacking 53 years later.

For 53 years, the only unsolved hijacking in the nation's history has remained one of world's greatest mysteries.

On Nov. 24, 1971, a passenger who checked in as "Dan Cooper" parachuted out of a Northwest flight somewhere between Portland, Oregon, and Seattle with $200,000 in ransom he'd received...
The Wyoming Truth •

THE SEARCH FOR IRENE: The Mysterious Life of Nathan Hightman (Part 4)

Hightman, now 39, told police that Gakwa, then 32, fled in a dark SUV in late February. He said hasn’t seen or talked to her since, according to court documents. Police have named Hightman a “person of interest” in her disappearance.

In the wake of Gakwa’s departure, Hightman was charged with five felonies, including allegedly transferring over $3,600 from her bank account and maxing out her credit card in over 90 separate transactions, according to court documents. He also has been charged wit
The Wyoming Truth •

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 Wyoming Truth •

CRIME WATCH WYOMING: Father Wants Answers and Justice in Son’s Mysterious Death, Part 2

According to police records, Jeff Broberg was with Ken at his house in downtown Lusk the night before he disappeared in July 2014. Broberg said that Ken had been taking “large amounts of prescription medication” and that he’d hid the pills so Ken couldn’t take anymore. Broberg told police he thought Ken was depressed and had talked about killing himself before Broberg left his house late that evening.

Ernie said he received a call from his son that night. While he was taking a bath, Ken told hi
The Wyoming Truth •

CRIME WATCH WYOMING: Father Seeks Answers in Son’s Mysterious Death, Part 1

“My first thoughts when I could not get a hold of Ken was he is either out and about or harm had come to him,” he said.

During what would be their last conversation, Ken complained to Ernie about two men he called “Tim” and “Jeff” who, he said, were trying to kill him.

“At the time, I first thought that he was high and being paranoid,” Ernie said.

When Ken didn’t answer, Ernie drove to Lusk from Torrington, where he met with former Lusk Police Chief Sean Dreesen at Ken’s rented home in downto
The Teton Truth •

Is It Time for Wyoming to Raise Minimum Wage to Help Workers Survive? — The Teton Truth

GILLETTE – For the first time in years, Raphael Brown loves his job. The 42-year-old native Virginian and single dad works as a bartender and liquor store clerk at Creative Beverages in Gillette. Since arriving in Wyoming about eight years ago, Brown has held a handful of positions to make ends meet, working in the kitchen at a restaurant and deli, followed by a stint as an assistant manager at Family Dollar Store. Of all his jobs, Family Dollar paid the most in straight wages at $12 per hour. I
WyoFile •

Lawmakers mull more oversight of Wyoming National Guard

The Wyoming Legislature’s Joint Transportation, Highways and Military Affairs committee is considering several legislative proposals aimed at making the Wyoming National Guard more transparent and accountable.

The move follows whistleblower allegations of a toxic workplace, systemic retribution and deliberate attempts to downplay incidents of sexual harassment, discrimination and assault.

The committee issued the recommendations at its meeting in Casper Monday following Adjutant General Maj. G
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