On August 10, 2004, 24-year-old Renee Yeargain vanished from her home in Torrington, Wyoming, just 12 days before her wedding. At the time, she was living with her four children and her fiancé, Josh.
The couple had gotten into a fight, and Renee left with a grocery sack full of clothing on the night of August 9, 2004. She didn’t tell him where she was going, but she had mentioned earlier that she could make some money tattooing bikers.
Two days later, her white 1987 Subaru station wagon was found abandoned at a rest stop between Cheyenne and Torrington, Wyoming. According to authorities, the windows were rolled down, and the keys were in the ignition.
Her purse, wallet, checkbook, and cell phone were in the car. There was no cash, and her clothing and tattoo kit were missing. In the back of the vehicle, a burned area was found.
The police initially believed that Renee had willingly left her children. In the past, she had struggled with addiction and had a history of leaving at random. The court ended up taking away her children due to her issues with addiction.
Still, she always came back and kept in touch with her family while she was gone. Over the years, she worked hard to sober up and get her kids back. She had gotten her life together and even obtained a license to operate a tattoo business out of her home.
Josh told the police that his argument with Renee had been about her wanting to bring a rat and a snake into the home. The next day, he asked friends and acquaintances if anyone had heard from Renee.
He reportedly told her mother a different story from the one he told the police. He told her mother that Renee had left on foot, but returned home on August 10 to get her car.
He claimed that he had gotten rid of all of Renee’s belongings by August 13, when her mother came over to check in.
Josh added that they had been in disagreements over their wedding plans. Renee wanted to have a big wedding, but he couldn’t afford one.
She didn’t like his idea of eloping in Las Vegas and having a larger celebration later on. Additionally, he stated that Renee was having difficulties at work and had gone back to drugs and drinking.
Renee’s mother denied that her daughter had been having problems at work or was using drugs again. She stated that Renee would never have left for this long without contacting her kids. She feels that something isn’t quite right about the whole situation.
Furthermore, just one day after Renee’s disappearance, Josh took her three children to their former foster parents, who contacted the Wyoming Department of Family Services. He kept the youngest, who was his biological child. Renee’s other kids were not related to him.
Following her disappearance, one of Renee’s friends received several phone calls from unidentified numbers. The calls were traced, but the caller was never identified.
In 2018, a two-day search was conducted on the property where Josh was living with his mother. Authorities found a burn pit that contained singed women’s clothing, a pair of women’s shoes, and burned newspapers and magazines. Animal bones were also found on the property.
To this day, Renee’s case remains unsolved. If you have any information about her case, you can contact the Torrington Police Department at 307-532-7001.
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By Emily Chan
Emily Chan is a writer who covers lifestyle and news content. She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in... More about Emily Chan
