Gakwa was last seen in a video chat with her parents in late February and was reported missing by her brothers, Chris Gakwa and Kennedy Wainaina, on March 20.

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.

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.

“I wanted to give her the ring with her close family together, because she would hate the grand public gesture I would prefer,” Hightman wrote.

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

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

“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