The Disappearance of Irene Gakwa

Irene Gakwa has been missing since February 2022. 

The then-32-year-old was last seen in Gillette, Wyoming, where she lived with her boyfriend Nathan Hightman. Irene is originally from Kenya, but she moved to the United States in 2019 to pursue a nursing degree. Her parents remained in Kenya, and Irene stayed in touch with them via video chat on a regular basis. Irene was also frequently in touch with her two brothers, who live in Idaho. 

Irene had her last video chat with her parents on February 24th, 2022. Her parents continued to receive text messages from her phone via WhatsApp until March 9th. However, according to Irene's parents, the texts were not written in her usual texting style. It appeared that someone had used an online translator to send the messages in Irene's home language. Eventually, Irene's loved ones stopped receiving those messages too.

Irene shared a cell phone plan with her brothers in Idaho. After her brothers were unable to get ahold of her, they looked at her phone records and spoke to one of her close friends. It was then that they realized that Irene was back together with Nathan Hightman, whom she had met on Craigslist and had been off-and-on with since 2020. Irene's brothers also learned that Irene had actually moved in with Hightman - which was a fact that no one in her family had known.

As such, suspicions began to build against Hightman - who had not reported Irene's disappearance, nor had he reached out to anyone to say that she was missing. Irene's brothers finally filed a missing person's report on March 20th, 2022.

Suspicions about Irene's boyfriend.

Police questioned Nathan Hightman, who said that Irene had left their home in late February and never returned. He said that she packed up her belongings and then left in a dark-colored SUV. After that, Hightman stopped cooperating with the investigation. 

Investigators later learned that Hightman had accessed Irene's bank accounts and credit cards after she vanished. In May 2022, Hightman was arrested and charged with "two felony counts of theft, one felony count of unlawful use of a credit card, and two felony counts of crimes against intellectual property for allegedly changing [Irene's] banking account password and deleting her email account after she vanished." 

Hightman claims he did all of these things so that Irene would be forced to contact him if she needed money. Despite these charges, Hightman has still not been charged with anything related to Irene's disappearance.

Hightman pleads guilty to financial crimes. 

In March 2023, Nathan Hightman pleaded guilty to charges related to stealing from Irene after she went missing. He admitted to stealing her money, using her credit cards, and deleting her email account after she vanished. In June 2023, Hightman was sentenced to six years in prison and three years of supervised probation.

At the time of Hightman's guilty plea, it was reported that authorities in Gillette are still investigating Irene's disappearance. In May 2022, it was announced that detectives are "asking the public for any information concerning a gray or silver-colored Subaru Crosstrek with Idaho license plates which may have been seen trespassing on private property or appearing out of place in rural areas of Campbell County between February 24, 2022 and March 20, 2022."

Irene remains missing today. If you have any information that could lead to her whereabouts, please contact the Gillette Police Department at 307-682-5155.

Sources:
Buffalo Bulletin
CNN
People, 2
Oxygen

The Murder of Brittany Brown

Brittany Brown was only 26 years old when she was found brutally murdered in Detroit, Michigan in March 2014. The young mother of two was last seen by her family members a month earlier--after she told them she was going to a local restaurant in Detroit. Brittany never returned home, and her family never heard from her again. 

On March 22nd, 2014, a man taking a walk on the 15000 block of Kentucky Street spotted a suspicious looking duffel bag in an alleyway. Inside the bag was Brittany's body. She had been tied up, raped, and brutally beaten to death. Her body had been burned. Brittany's death was very quickly labeled as a homicide. Her killer remains unknown to this day.

Brittany's family members are heartbroken and baffled by her murder. According to her mother, Brittany was well-liked in the community, but mostly kept to herself. There are very few details available about the investigation into Brittany's murder. Investigators reportedly said that Brittany was spotted near I-96 and Telegraph before her death, but it is unclear when, exactly, this sighting took place. 

There is a cash reward available for anyone with information that could lead to Brittany's killer. If you have any information that could help the investigation, please go here to submit an anonymous tip.
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Sources:
Click on Detroit
Fox 2 Detroit
MI Cold Cases

The Disappearance and Murder of Samantha Humphrey

 

Samantha Humphrey vanished from her family's Schenectady, New York home on November 25th, 2022. That evening, the 14-year-old snuck out of the residence around 11:00 PM to meet up with her ex-boyfriend at Riverside Park. Samantha never returned home and was never seen alive by her family and friends again. 

When Samantha's family discovered she had left the home and not returned, they began to search the area. Her father searched around Riverside Park and found Samantha's jacket in the Mohawk River. The hood of the jacket appeared to be stained with blood. At that point, concerns for her safety escalated.

After Samantha was reported missing, police discovered surveillance footage that captured her walking alongside Mohawk River on the evening of her disappearance. This is consistent with a text that she sent a friend, saying that she was planning to meet up with her ex in that area - which is known as a popular spot for local teens to hang out. Police confirmed that the cameras captured Samantha entering that area, but there is no footage of her leaving said location.

Samantha's ex-boyfriend has not been publicly identified due to his minor age. Very little has been said about his potential involvement in the case. However, an article from December 2022 stated that he was cooperating with the investigation, but he had not been ruled out. After that, news about Samantha's disappearance seemingly went stagnant.

On February 22nd, 2023, a fisherman spotted a body in the river. Police were called, and the remains were pulled from the water. Days later, it was publicly confirmed that the body belonged to Samantha Humphrey. Her death was classified as a homicide.

Investigators are still piecing together Samantha's exact cause of death. Updates will be provided if/when they become available. Meanwhile, police are searching for anyone with information that could solve Samantha's case. If you have any information that could help the investigation, please contact Schenectady Police at (518) 382-5200.

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Sources:
News 10
People
Times Union

The Disappearance of Jepsy Amaga Kallungi

Jepsy Amaga Kallungi went missing on March 21st, 2019. The-then-26-year-old woman was last seen in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where she lived with her husband Dane Kallungi. Jepsy moved to Colorado from the Philippines in 2017, after meeting Dane online that same year. 

Jepsy’s mother, who lived in Hong Kong at the time, last spoke to Jepsy on March 20th, 2019. After days passed without hearing from her daughter, Jepsy’s mother reached out to Dane on social media. He replied, saying he has no clue about Jepsy’s whereabouts—and then he promptly deleted his social media accounts. 

On April 4th, Colorado Springs PD received a request for a welfare check to be done at Jepsy’s home. After being unable to contact her, the missing person report was filed. Police questioned Dane, who told them that he believed Jepsy was preparing to travel to the Philippines, Mexico, or Chicago to visit friends. However, there is not any known record of her traveling to any of those places.  

After Jepsy’s disappearance, Dane moved to California to live with his father. Dane also told Jepsy’s family that he and Jepsy had separated shortly before her disappearance, and that she had started seeing a new man named Travis. He reportedly said to Jepsy’s mother, “I hope she didn’t get into any trouble with him.” However, Jepsy’s family members and friends are not aware of her being close to a man named Travis and they were also unaware about her alleged separation from Dane. 

Dane continually denied any involvement in Jepsy's disappearance, though he remained a suspect. Investigators remained quiet about the status of the investigator for over two years. Then, in June 2021, it was announced that Dane was arrested and charged with Jepsy's murder. He was reportedly arrested while attempting to enter an Air Force base in Albuquerque, New Mexico. 

The investigation and trial.

Throughout the investigation in Jepsy's disappearance, authorities reportedly found physical evidence showing that a "domestic disturbance occurred where Dane Kallungi strangled Jepsy Kallungi and buried her body in an unknown location.” 

In March 2023, Dane went to trial and was found guilty of Jepsy's murder. During his trial, the prosecution played Dane's interrogation tape for the jury. In the recording, he is heard saying "I did not mean to kill her, I just wanted her to stop cursing at me." Dane's defense claimed the confession was coerced, and that he only admitted to the killing to protect his son and ex-wife.

The jury ultimately sided with the prosecution and convicted Dane of murder. He was sentenced to life in prison.

Jepsy's remains have still not been found.