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Black And Missing

Woman missing after meeting boyfriend on Craigslist

32-year-old Irene Gakwa was last seen on February 24th.

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Irene Gakwa missing
Irene Gakwa (City of Gilette)

Irene Gakwa would speak to her family daily. So when her parents didn’t hear from her or could reach her, worry began to set in.

The 32-year-old was living in Gilette, Wyo., after moving to the U.S. from Kenya nearly three years ago with dreams of pursuing a career as a nurse, CNN reports.

“She was supposed to come home for Christmas this year,” her father Francis Kambo told CNN. “I was going to buy that ticket myself for her to come if she couldn’t afford it. Now I don’t know if I’ll ever see her again.”

Gawka last spoke to her parents in Kenya on video call, on Feb. 24, 2022.

Her brothers reported her missing on March 20, 2022.

Missing under suspicious circumstances

“Information obtained through investigation suggests Irene went missing under suspicious circumstances,” the City of Gilette said in the statement from May 11, 2022.

Kambo told the outlet that during their last WhatsApp video chat, Gakwa seemed off. While she did show her face on the screen, her family says she looked skinnier than usual and tired. They added that her hair, which was usually braided, was disheveled. “Make sure you drink hot milk and relax,” Kambo said during the call. The following month, her family reported her missing.

 

Irene Gakwa met a man in the United States on Craigslist after moving from Kenya

But her parents had no idea she was living in Gilette or that she had moved in with Nathan J. Hightman, CNN reports.

Irene Gakwa missing

Irene Gakwa

They only learned she had been dating Hightman after her two brothers, who live in Idaho, looked through her phone records and asked a friend of hers about it, according to CNN.

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When authorities began looking into her disappearance, they named Hightman as a person of interest in her missing person case, according to the City of Gilette’s statement.

He was arrested on May 10, 2022, 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 stealing from Gawka, the statement says.

Hightman allegedly withdrew money from Gakwa’s checking account, changed her passwords and deleted her email, according to an affidavit of probable cause, CNN reports.

On Feb. 25, 2022, he used her credit card to buy a shovel, boots and jeans from the Gilette Walmart, the affidavit shows, according to the outlet.

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He allegedly told police that he hadn’t seen Gakwa since she moved out of their house at the end of February, the affidavit says, Wyoming News, County 17 and CNN report.

He allegedly said that the last time he saw her, she had packed her belongings and had said she was leaving Gillette, according to the affidavit.

Hightman told authorities that she got into a dark-colored SUV and drove off, the affidavit says.

And after Gawka left, he alleges he took money out of her bank account for the purpose of forcing her to contact him when she needed funds, the affidavit states, County 17 reports.

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He allegedly transferred money from her account eight times for a total of $3,666.46, the affidavit says, County 17 reports.

On June 8, 2022, Hightman pleaded not guilty and was released on a $10,000 bond.

Investigation

Detectives continue to follow up on every lead.

They are asking the public’s help on any information about 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,” the statement says.

The Gillette Police Department is also requesting information about a 55-gallon metal drum, which may have been burned and/or abandoned within the county, the statement says.

Meanwhile, her worried family waits for answers.

“I just want to know the truth,” her father told CNN.

“I’m still hopeful, but my hope is dwindling.”

Anyone with information related to Irene Gawka’s disappearance is asked to contact the Gillette Police Department at 307-682-5155.


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Unheard Voices Magazine is a news reporting platform covered under Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research.

Unheard Voices is an award-winning news magazine that started in 2004 as a local Black newsletter in the Asbury Park, Neptune, and Long Branch, NJ areas to now broaden into a recognized Black online media outlet. They are the recipient of the NAACP Unsung Hero Award and CV Magazine's Innovator Award for Best Social Justice Communications Company.

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Black And Missing

Update: Missing 12-year-old Maryland girl found

Tayzha Alona Warren, of Pikesville Md., disappeared June 20.

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Found missing person

Baltimore County police announced they’ve found missing 12-year-old Tayzha Alona Warren.

Tayzha, of Pikesville Md., disappeared June 20.

What happened to Tayzha Alona Warren?

Tayzha’s mother told WBALT 11 News that the girl’s family has been doing everything manageable to find her, saying they believe she possibly met an older person online and communicated with him until she disappeared.

According to Tayzha’s family, her friends mentioned a man in his 20s, but so far, no one has been able to give any more details.

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Tayzha is described as 4 feet, 10 inches tall, weighing 117 pounds and she has short brown hair and brown eyes.

Investigation

Tayzha’s family and the community had put up flyers in hopes someone has answers.

The Black and Missing Foundation posted information on its website. Under the circumstances of this disappearance, the group said it suspects Tayzha is trying to travel to Pennsylvania to meet an unidentified man and that she was last seen wearing red sparkling Crocs. Information about Tayzha was also posted by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Baltimore County police said an investigation into Tayzha’s disappearance is ongoing.


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See also  Missing Clark Atlanta student Alexis Crawford found dead

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Black And Missing

Navy vet Jarvis McIntyre, 26, reportedly found dead in Texas after telling 911 he was running from someone

Jarvis McIntyre, 26, was reportedly last seen running in John James Park on June 8 — and he was heard in a 911 call saying he was being chased by a “racist.”

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Jarvis McIntyre, 26, was reportedly last seen running in John James Park on June 8 — and he was overheard in a 911 calling someone chasing him a “racist.”
Javis McIntyre (Photo : Facebook)

The body of Navy veteran Jarvis McIntyre has been reportedly found in a Texas park after he was reported missing two weeks ago.

McIntyre, 26, was reportedly last seen running in John James Park on June 8 and he was heard in a 911 call saying he was being chased by a “racist”, his mother told local outlet KENS5.

McIntyre’s mother, Monikki Williams Tippet, told the outlet that a body found days later at the San Antonio park had tattoos resembling those on her missing son.

Tippet says she and her family believes someone hurt her son because he was Black and gay.

“I want answers now. I want this person found,” she said, adding that her son “didn’t deserve this. They took my baby’s life for no reason.”

McIntyre is from St. Louis, Texas and had flown to San Antonio to visit his two sisters during his birthday weekend.

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He was supposed to return home on Sunday 9 June, but he tragically never made it home.

The family said they want the San Antonio Police Department to do more to help find the person responsible.

“They are treating this like a murder case,” Tippet said. “It is being treated like a murder case.”

Anyone who knows any information about this case is asked to contact the San Antonio Police Department at (210) 207-7660.

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Note: This article was updated June 21, to reflect new revelations in the case and McIntyre’s body has been confirmed as the body found in the park. 


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Black And Missing

Marine from Massachusetts goes missing off coast in Puerto Rico

A family is holding out hope after U.S. Marine Samuel Muturi Wanjiru went missing on March 27 off the coast in Puerto Rico.

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Samuel Muturi Wanjiru missing
Natasha Castillo-Vargas and Corporal Samuel Muturi Wanjiru (Photo Source: GoFundMe)

A family is holding out hope after U.S. Marine Samuel Muturi Wanjiru went missing on March 27 off the coast in Puerto Rico.

Missing details for Marine Samuel Muturi Wanjiru

Corporal Samuel Wanjiru, 26, of Worcester, Mass., was swept away by ocean currents while being in the water at La Pared beach in Luquillo.

The Coast Guard launched helicopters and aircraft to look for Wanjiru, but those search efforts were unsuccessful. The active search was called off on April 1.

At the time of his disappearance, Wanjiru was vacationing with his partner of five years, Natasha Castillo-Vargas.

Castillo-Vargas, her father, and Wanjiru’s mother are still in Puerto Rico, returning to the beach daily where Wanjiru went missing, continuing to look for him.

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GoFundMe

She has since started a GoFundMe campaign to help the family with expenses and search efforts while they remain in Puerto Rico.

“Samuel’s mother and I are trying to get as much resources and help as we can because we will not give up hope in finding our Samuel. Please, anything anyone can help with would be most appreciated.”

In addition to donations, the family asks the public for prayers and love during this “devastating and heart aching time.”

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“We are firm believers in God as Samuel is too and we have faith that he will be found. Thank you for your support!”


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