She Vanished From Her Wyoming Home In 2014 After Reportedly Becoming Increasingly Afraid Of A Former Employee At Her Company Who’d Been Sending Her Love Letters

Facebook - pictured above is Kristi
Facebook - pictured above is Kristi

Born on June 28, 1952, Kristi Richardson of Casper, Wyoming, went on to marry Ronald Richardson, her high school sweetheart, on May 27, 1972. Then, the couple had two children and raised them in Casper together.

However, on April 26, 2013, Ronald sadly passed away, so Kristi took over running their business, Richardson Trucking, alone.

Kristi and Ronald had started the company together back in 1979. And by 2014, Richardson Trucking – located in the 6800 block of West Yellowstone Highway – was one of the most well-known oil field trucking companies in the region.

Yet, on October 6, 2014, 61-year-old Kristi mysteriously disappeared from her home after reportedly becoming increasingly afraid of an employee at her company.

That evening, she was last seen at her home, located on East 24th Street in Casper, at about 7:45 p.m. The following morning, October 7, 2014, Kristi was supposed to arrive at work at 7:15 a.m., but she never showed up.

This immediately concerned both her family members and coworkers. So, Kristi’s daughter and son-in-law, Amber and Pete, traveled to her home to check on her. At that point, Kristi’s car was found still parked inside the garage.

But there was still no sign of Kristi – pushing them to call the police.

Her home was found locked, and her cell phone was discovered on her bed. Meanwhile, her identification and purse, which had approximately $700 cash inside, were located on her kitchen counter.

While her vehicle was not missing, though, the garage door opener that Kirti typically kept inside her purse was gone. Additionally, investigators found that Kristi’s bed sheets had stains resembling either blood or urine.

Facebook – pictured above is Kristi

Authorities believe that Kristi disappeared from her home between 7:45 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. on October 6, 2014. According to her phone record, she took a normal call at 7:45 p.m. that evening. But, she did not answer a call at about 11:00 p.m.

Investigators also combed through the financial records of her trucking company and discovered love letters addressed to Kristi. They had been penned by one of her employees, Bud, who was married.

Kristi reportedly told her husband about the letters when she began receiving them. So, her husband had confronted Bud. Still, Bud reportedly did not stop writing to Kristi.

She never got in touch with authorities regarding the letters, either. However, she gathered and stored them all in Bud’s employee file.

In talking with authorities, Kristi’s children reportedly revealed how Bud had quit his job at the trucking company just a few days before she vanished. Kristi’s kids also alleged that she’d become more afraid of Bud leading up to her disappearance.

This discovery led investigators to interview Bud on various occasions. But, he claimed he was not in Kristi’s neighborhood the evening she vanished.

By analyzing his phone records, authorities were able to confirm that Bud wasn’t in Kristi’s neighborhood prior to 8:00 p.m. the night she disappeared. However, his location from 8:15 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. that night remains unclear.

Nonetheless, authorities never charged Bud in relation to Kristi’s disappearance. Rather, in May 2017, a different theory surfaced.

That year, a media company known as Lovcom Inc. sued the City of Casper over how authorities handled Kristi’s case. Additionally, the lawsuit suggested there may have been a connection between Kristi’s disappearance and the suicide of Mick McMurry, a businessman and philanthropist, in March 2015.

“Upon information and belief, the city’s attorney’s office and the police department were aware of information alleging a relationship between McMurry and Richardson. It is unknown if law enforcement officials investigated whether the information was accurate, or they interviewed McMurry or others about the information,” the lawsuit said.

Additionally, Lovcom cited concerns about how police conducted the investigation of Kristi’s disappearance. The company claimed not all of her trucking company employees were interviewed, none of her vehicles had been processed for evidence, and the crime scene at her home had not been secured until 2:00 p.m. on October 7, 2014 – even though she’d been reported missing at 9:00 a.m.

The lawsuit also prompted questions about former Casper police Chief Jim Wetzel’s alleged denial of requests for records in both the Richardson and McMurry Cases.

Chief Jim Wetzel was reportedly fired on May 5, 2017, and Stevel Schulz was named interim chief afterward. So, one week after Lovcom filed the lawsuit, Schulz reportedly asked the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigations to look into McMurry’s case.

However, no additional details regarding whether Kristi and McMurry’s cases were connected have been made public. Kristi’s daughter, Amber, also claimed to have no knowledge of any link.

“I have no personal knowledge of any connection between my mother and Mick McMurry or any other man for that matter. Our family has never said we think there is a connection to my mom’s disappearance or Mick’s death. We certainly have sympathy for the McMurry family for what they have endured over the last couple of years,” she said.

“We do not know Mr.Love [owner of Lovcom Inc.] or understand his personal interest in our mom’s disappearance. I am frustrated by the rumors circulating around Casper. My interest has been and always will be to find my mom.”

Yet, to this day, the exact circumstances surrounding Kristi’s disappearance remain a mystery. Her family also believes that foul play may have been involved.

Kristi’s loved ones have since launched a Facebook page entitled Help Find Kris Richardson to raise awareness about her case. Her family is also offering a $250,000 reward for any information that leads to the conviction of the person(s) responsible for her disappearance.

At the time she vanished, Kristi was five foot four, weighed 115 pounds, and had graying auburn hair and brown eyes. She would be 71 years old today.

If you have any information regarding her disappearance, you are urged to contact the Casper Police Department at (307) 235-8278.

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Katharina Buczek graduated from Stony Brook University with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Digital Arts. Specializing ... More about Katharina Buczek

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