Wyoming mom reported missing after not picking up kids; sister, police search for answers
A Wyoming mother of two has been reported missing for days after she failed to pick up her children from an after-school program, prompting her sister to raise the alarm.
Kandice Gunter, 30, was last seen Thursday morning in Natrona County, according to the Casper Police Department. Her sister, Kayla Gunter, told Cowboy State Daily she reported her missing after Kandice did not collect her children, ages 9 and 6, from the Boys & Girls Club on Wednesday.
"That's why I started freaking out," Kayla told the paper. "It's totally out of character for her not to show up to get her kids."
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Police said Gunter was last known to be traveling in a gray 2016 GMC Canyon pickup with a Wyoming temporary registration. Her cellphone was last located around 12:30 p.m. MT on Friday along Highway 387, near the Natrona County line.
The sisters last spoke by phone at 10:41 a.m. local time Wednesday. Kayla said the conversation gave no indication anything was wrong, and Gunter stopped answering calls afterward. The family was also told her phone pinged near Gillette around noon Wednesday, according to the report.
Gunter had reportedly moved from Nevada to Casper about a month earlier to be closer to her children. She had been staying with their father and helping care for them.
"I looked so hard but there’s so much wide open spaces with one set of sad eyes hope you’re okay!! 14 years you’ve been in my life and can’t end it like this Kandice Gunter," Facebook user TK Kentopp posted early Saturday morning.
In the days before she disappeared, Gunter posted on Facebook: "Success for me, happens in silence." She had also written in June about "focusing on a better me. Again," alongside a heart-mending emoji.
Kayla said the move appeared to be going well and her sister had not indicated she planned to leave or cut off contact. The sisters typically spoke by phone at least three times a day.
Gunter was last seen in person on the morning of Oct. 29 in Natrona County and was reported missing to police later that evening, the Casper Police Department said. She was last known to be traveling in a gray 2016 GMC Canyon pickup with Wyoming temporary registration. Her cellphone was last located along Highway 387, near the Natrona County line, around 12:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30.
Gunter is described as 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighing about 185 pounds, with black hair and blue eyes. She has a butterfly tattoo on her neck.
Anyone who has seen Gunter or the pickup, or has information about her whereabouts, is asked to call the Casper Police Department at 307-235-8278. Anonymous tips can be submitted to Crime Stoppers of Central Wyoming at 307-577-8477 or at crimestopperscasper.org.