Wyoming

Inside Wyoming’s State Crime Lab, Which Was Just Named One Of Best In Country

Published

2 years ago

May 18, 2024

Inside Wyoming’s State Crime Lab, Which Was Just Named One Of Best In Country

A DNA analyst enters her area of the Wyoming State Crime lab with a digital key card, dons her lab coat, goggles and gloves, sterilizes her work bench and pulls a bagged pair of underwear from the evidence locker.

She’s sterilized her work bench with bleach and cleaned it off with ethanol, the two scents that hang about her like an aura. She spreads a fresh swatch of paper onto her desk and lays the evidence bag on it. If the bag is sealed and free of tampering, she’ll open it.

She writes notes: observations on the size, color, brand and staining of the garment. She screens it for body fluids with a special light. If she finds any stains of interest – blood, saliva, body fluid – she’ll report back to the investigator who sent the garment to her.

That investigator might be working for the public defender’s office trying to clear a defendant. He might be a police detective trying to put one in prison.

That doesn’t matter, but the science does.

If the investigator thinks the substance matters, the analyst shaves off a 5 millimeter by 5 millimeter flake of it and puts it in a test tube with an enzyme that breaks the DNA free from its other components. She separates the other cell debris, such as cotton.

If enough DNA remains, she amplifies it by putting it in an advanced heater called a thermocycler along with primers, loose nucleotides and an enzyme found in the Yellowstone Hot Springs just a half day’s drive to her northwest.

When warm, the thermus aquaticus enzyme loves to replicate DNA exponentially, turning one strand into millions, which the analyst will then pipe through a cramped tube with 15,000 volts of electricity.

Smaller “peaks” or identifying markers emerge from the tube quicker, while larger ones take longer, enabling her to see the size of each one.

It’s like echolocation, on a nanoscopic scale.

Later, she’ll plug the DNA profile into a database to see who left it behind.

Lindsey Human is a forensic drug chemist at the Wyoming State Crime Lab in Cheyenne. There’s close to $1 million worth of equipment in this lab, including six machines that separate and identify various chemicals. (Greg Johnson, Cowboy State Daily)
Kim Ley, a forensic analyst at the Wyoming State Crime Lab in Cheyenne, works in the Screening Room, where evidence and items are analyzed for the types of substances that may be on them. This machine uses various types of light to show different bodily fluids that could be on something. (Greg Johnson, Cowboy State Daily)
Amber Smith, a forensic analyst at the Wyoming State Crime Lab in Cheyenne, demonstrates how this Hamilton aparatus works. It can process nearly 90 individual DNA samples at a time. (Greg Johnson, Cowboy State Daily)
A detail view of the Agilent 8890 GC System, right, combined with the Angilent 5977B GC/MSD, left, that work together to process and analyze samples to identify their chemical makeup. (Greg Johnson, Cowboy State Daily)
The various laboratories at the Wyoming State Crime Lab in Cheyenne each specialize in a different science that helps identify substances, fingerprints and other clues that help solve crimes. (Greg Johnson, Cowboy State Daily)

Top Six

Down the hall, fingerprint analysts are performing their own nuanced rituals. Ballistics experts are measuring grooves on metal shards. Chemists are scrutinizing murky powders and toxicologists are searching for tranquilizers in urine samples — as a stray example.

For performing these tasks with a more than 90% efficiency rate in using money and personnel, the Wyoming State Crime lab received the prestigious 2023 Foresight Maximus award earlier this month.

“We didn’t know we were going to get an award,” Scott McWilliams, Crime Lab director for the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation, told Cowboy State Daily on Thursday.

He and two lab staffers attended a May 1 meeting for the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors in Birmingham, Alabama, months after sending a rigorous accounting of the Wyoming lab’s staffing, costs, uses and output to that group.

“We did this to see where we have inefficiencies and where we can make ourselves better,” said McWilliams.

When the forensics group presented the Wyoming lab with an efficiency award that only 16, or 7.6%, of the 211 applicants earned, McWilliams and the two staffers were “just shocked and really honored.”

The other 15 forensic labs awarded span another 12 American states, Puerto Rico, Costa Ric and Auckland, New Zealand.

“These 16 laboratories stand as beacons of innovation and efficiency, representing the very best in forensic science laboratories,” said ASCLD President Timothy Kupferschmid in a press release. “Congratulations to each winner for their outstanding achievements and unwavering dedication to the pursuit of scientific truth.”

It’s Been Half A Century

The Wyoming State Crime Lab began with the inception of the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) in 1973. The statewide agency works drug and organized crime cases, officer-involved crime investigations, and any other investigations to which it’s invited.

In the early days in 1973, analysts were called “scientist agents,” McWilliams said, qualifying that he knows these things despite not yet having been born.

“And they did some science,” he said with a chuckle. It was basic: fingerprint analysis, some forgery and document analysis.

The lab introduced DNA analysis to its repertoire in 2002 and criminal toxicology in 2018, McWilliams said.

Eaton, Of Course

In the same year it added DNA technology, the lab crew decided to plug an old, but important, bit of DNA from a stain found on a murdered woman’s clothing into a federal database.

Lisa Marie “Li’l Miss” Kimmel had been dead for 14 years by then. Search parties found her body in the North Platte River in 1988. Her autopsy revealed she’d been repeatedly raped, stabbed and bludgeoned.

The federal database yielded a match to a man already in federal prison on a weapons charge, Dale Wayne Eaton.

The Natrona County Sheriff’s Office and others converged on Eaton’s former home in Moneta, Wyoming, and eventually unearthed Kimmel’s car buried on Eaton’s property. A jury convicted him in 2004.

Now, McWilliams recalls this as the most notable DNA crime bust in which the Wyoming State Crime Lab had a hand.

The entrance to the Wyoming State Crime Lab in Cheyenne. (Greg Johnson, Cowboy State Daily)
The Wyoming State Crime Lab in Cheyenne. (Greg Johnson, Cowboy State Daily)
Forensic analyst Amber Smith shows an example of a sample vile for testing DNA at the Wyoming State Crime Lab in Cheyenne. (Greg Johnson, Cowboy State Daily)
These aren’t futuristic microwave ovens, they’re among the specialize equipment used in the DNA testing area of the Wyoming State Crime Lab. (Greg Johnson, Cowboy State Daily)
Lindsey Human is a forensic drug chemist at the Wyoming State Crime Lab in Cheyenne. There’s close to $1 million worth of equipment in this lab, including six machines that separate and identify various chemicals. (Greg Johnson, Cowboy State Daily)
The Wyoming State Crime Lab in Cheyenne. (Greg Johnson, Cowboy State Daily)
Kim Ley, a forensic analyst at the Wyoming State Crime Lab in Cheyenne, works in the Screening Room, where evidence and items are analyzed for the types of substances that may be on them. This machine uses various types of light to show different bodily fluids that could be on something. (Greg Johnson, Cowboy State Daily)

Some Zoologist

McWilliams wouldn’t join the facility until three years later, starting as a DNA analyst, progressing to unit supervisor and becoming lab director in 2021.

His University of Wyoming bachelor’s degree is in zoology and physiology, he said, adding that he’d considered going into medicine.

But a tour of the crime lab he took in college sparked his interest, and when he applied for a job later, he “got lucky and got in.”

McWilliams would later acknowledge that DCI runs on more than luck: applicants undergo an extensive background and character check. The agency sends hiring agents to applicants’ hometowns to talk to the people who know them best, he said.

McWilliams later earned his master’s degree in forensic science and DNA.

Let That Not Diminish …

McWilliams has to check himself in conversation so he doesn’t rhapsodize the science of DNA too much and lose his listeners, he said.

But he also credited the lab’s other study areas as important to solving crimes: naming the drugs, identifying the poison, linking latent prints to the fingers that made them and matching spent ammunition to the gun that fired it.

The Western Identification Network and Next-Generation Identification databases are to “latent print,” or fingerprint analysists, what the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) is to DNA analysts, McWilliams said.

Most areas require a two-year training period, making it rare for an agent to cross into multiple forensics fields, he said. He deems those two years more important than the college degrees applicants receive before them.

“On-the-job training is the really critical part,” he said.

Here To Report

Also critical are lab purity, analyst accountability, DNA privacy and neutrality, he said.

McWilliams said analysts must have a laser focus on their specimens and their data.

“It’s not just about getting the bad guy, it’s about doing the right science,” said McWilliams. If the science doesn’t support an investigator’s hunch, “it sometimes disappoints people when we didn’t get what they want — but it’s the scientific truth that we’re here to report.”

Contact Clair McFarland at clair@cowboystatedaily.com

Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.

Source link

Wyoming

Wyoming Has Half Of The West’s 26 100-Year-Old Dude Ranches

Published

9 hours ago

March 29, 2026

Press Room

Wyoming Has Half Of The West’s 26 100-Year-Old Dude Ranches

Like many rabbit holes, it all started with a simple question.

About two years ago, Jaye Wells was at a small gathering in Cody when the topic of the 2026 centennial anniversary of the Dude Ranchers’ Association came up.

Wells asked how many dude ranches in the country had a comparable 100-year legacy to the Cody-based member organization.

“Nobody in the room knew,” said Wells, co-founder of the True Ranch Collection, with a portfolio of dude ranches around the West, including the Blackwater Creek Lodge and Guest Ranch in Cody.

Thus began a yearslong and, at times laborious, project of tracking down the number of dude ranches in operation since 1926, which are commemorated in “100 Years of Dude Ranching,” a coffee-table-style book published by Wells in December.

Though it took a lot of digging through records at the Wyoming Historical Society, old newspaper clippings and cross-referencing family records, the team behind the book finally identified a fitting answer to Wells’ question.

Of the 94 dude ranches that are members of the association today, 26 were in operation and accepting guests a century ago.

“That shocked us,” Wells said. “Every ranch has got its own little curiosity.”

The team behind the book was strict about the criteria it established: To be included in the book, a dude ranch must have been accepting guests in 1926. Had they expanded their criteria, the list would have been even longer.

“There are a lot of ranches that are 97 or 98 years old,” Wells said.

A Tribute To Hospitality

As much as the book celebrates the long legacy of dude ranching, it also serves as a tribute to a unique way of life — particularly in Wyoming.

The state is home to half of the 26 centennial ranches: A Bar A Ranch (Encampment), Absaroka Ranch (Dubois), Blackwater Creek Lodge and Guest Ranch (Cody), CM Ranch (Dubois), Crossed Sabres Ranch (Cody), Darwin Ranch (Jackson), Eatons’ Ranch (Wolf), the Hideout Lodge and Guest Ranch (Shell), Medicine Bow Lodge and Guest Ranch (Saratoga), Paradise Guest Ranch (Buffalo), Rimrock Ranch (Cody), Shoshone Lodge and Guest Ranch (Cody), and Triangle X Ranch (Moose).

As the book details, the origins of dude ranching trace back to the 1880s, when a ranch near modern-day Medora, North Dakota, began charging guests from back East room and board when they’d come out West to hunt bison and other big game.

The word “dude” had become a popular term by that time for a man with fancy duds.

More and more ranches started opening up to guests in the 1900s, including welcoming many young men whose parents had sent them West to dry out and stay out of trouble.

“You had to be wealthy to stay at a dude ranch back in the day,” Wells said.

But life on these ranches today might look surprisingly similar to a century ago.

Ranch hands might start rounding up horses at 4:30 in the morning and preparing breakfast so it’s ready for guests when they awaken, Wells said. In addition to historic photos of the ranches, photographer Scott Baxter spent four months on the road capturing how the ranches look now.

While still offering a vacation that’s more expensive than a typical tourist might be able to afford, Wells said one of the constants at the centennial ranches spread across four states is the service and experience they offer.

“The strongest element that’s kept dude ranching going all that time is a common denominator,” Wells said. “It’s the desire to offer great hospitality.”

As much as the book celebrates dude ranches, it’s also a tribute to a unique way of life, particularly in Wyoming. “It’s such a tough business, but it’s such a joy,” said Jaye Wells, who owns the Blackwater Creek Lodge & Guest Ranch in Cody. (Courtesy Scott T. Baxter)
It was while kicking around ideas for the 100-year anniversary of the Dude Ranching Association that Jaye Wells asked how many ranches have a similar legacy. “Nobody in the room knew,” Wells recalled. That’s how the new book “100 Years of Dude Ranching” was born. (Courtesy Scott T. Baxter)
As much as the book celebrates dude ranches, it’s also a tribute to a unique way of life, particularly in Wyoming. “It’s such a tough business, but it’s such a joy,” said Jaye Wells, who owns the Blackwater Creek Lodge & Guest Ranch in Cody. (Courtesy Scott T. Baxter)
As much as the book celebrates dude ranches, it’s also a tribute to a unique way of life, particularly in Wyoming. “It’s such a tough business, but it’s such a joy,” said Jaye Wells, who owns the Blackwater Creek Lodge & Guest Ranch in Cody. (Courtesy Scott T. Baxter)

Pressures To Modernize

Even so, dude ranch owners do feel some pressure to modernize to appease guests who have become downright uncomfortable unplugging.

Such changes have seen ranches offering Wi-Fi, say, or packing days with lots of activities.

Even though guests will quickly learn that riding a horse all day is exercise in and of itself, Wells said he’s felt that pressure, too. “We have a full-blown exercise room at White Stallion Ranch,” he said of one of his ranches near Tucson, Arizona. “You have to have it now.”

What’s more, even though guests will rave about how relaxing they find their stay or how much they appreciate the quality time with loved ones, they’re booking shorter and shorter stays.

In the 1920s, people from out East might come to a ranch for months at a time, and there was a time not so long ago when a one- or two-week stay was the norm.

“Now, guests only want to stay three nights. That’s the number one trend in the business we see,” Wells said. “We forget we’re so connected now, it’s almost too much. We’re being bombarded by information 24 hours a day.”

Wyoming has 13 100-year-old dude raches, half of the 26 centennial dude ranches in the West. That's one of the things the team behind the new book — Wyoming has 13 100-year-old dude raches, half of the 26 centennial dude ranches in the West. That’s one of the things the team behind the new book “100 Years of Dude Ranching” learned in documenting the industry’s century of Western hospitality. Above is a scene from the Blackwater Creek Ranch. (Courtesy Scott T. Baxter)

‘It’s Such A Joy’

Putting this book together gave Wells a newfound appreciation for the diversity of Wyoming’s topography and landscapes.

The project also offered constant reminders about why he loves dude ranching so much and how pivotal the business was to shaping the West.

Of course, he’s also reminded of how unique this business is while conversing with guests over the years — including tourists from abroad who marvel at the idea of being able to shoot a gun, spend a week bonding with a horse or simply get to decompress in a way they haven’t been able to do since childhood.

“I would venture to say it’s one of the most iconic symbols in the world,” Wells said of dude ranching. “It’s such a tough business, but it’s such a joy.”

Source link

Wyoming

(PHOTOS) Casper Holistic Expo packs the Central Wyoming Fairgrounds

Published

21 hours ago

March 28, 2026

Press Room

(PHOTOS) Casper Holistic Expo packs the Central Wyoming Fairgrounds

CASPER, Wyo. — There was magic, or something like it, in the air on Saturday as the Central Wyoming Fairgrounds presented the 2026 Casper Holistic Expo, Casper’s longest running holistic expo and a hallmark of the beginning of spring in Natrona County.

Countless vendors from Casper and beyond gathered with their goodies to present them to eager customers searching for something a little different.

The holistic expo featured crystal and metaphysical shops, tattoo and body piercing studios, henna and glitter tattoo studios, holistic shops, tarot readings, fortune tellers, magic and so much more. There was truly something for everyone, and Christina Kuhn, the lead organizer, said that nobody who came to the expo would leave disappointed.

“This actually started over 20 years ago,” Kuhn said. “I’ve been doing it for years. My mom did it for seven years before me. And Judy Ick, who actually does our photography, she did it before that. So it’s been a very long, very longstanding and growing event.”

Kuhn said that the Holistic Expo has grown exponentially over the years.

“When Judy passed it down to mom, there were 38 booths,” she said. “After mom passed it down to me, there were 78. Now I think we’re up to, like, 98.”

The booths are as eclectic as the people who run them. There’s magic, mysticism and moonlight; storytellers and palm readers; conversationalists and creators. There are CBD products, organic teas, energy testing, and even fudge.

“Some of this is kind of a special niche,” Kuhn shared, “but some of it is not. We’ve got a chiropractor. We’ve got people that are working with healing modalities. Some of it’s spiritual stuff. We’ve got crafts, too.”

There’s a wide variety of vendors and customers as the Holistic Expo, and Kuhn said she wouldn’t want it any other way. The most important thing they do, Kuhn said, is donate to local nonprofits.

“People can either pay the $5 door fee — anybody that’s 13 or over — or they can donate five nonperishable goods,” Kuhn said. “We started donating that to poverty resistance, and then we did City Park Church. This year we’re donating to the Wyoming Food for Thought Project.”

Kuhn said this was just a simple way to give back to the community, a community she and her business have been a part of for years. Kuhn owns a store in downtown Casper called A Place for Passion, and the Holistic Expo also allows her to bring some merch from her store and put in on display with a variety of other items. It’s a fun way to spend a weekend, she said, and she’s proud to be a part of it.

“Good lord, I’ve been doing this for a long time,” she said. “I helped my mom with it for ages and she wanted somebody that would carry on and keep expanding and doing well with it. Before I was helping run the show and managing it, I was a booth. I started sharing a booth with my mom because I only had a few things and I wasn’t sure how well they’d sell. But then it just expanded and took off, and now here I am.”

Kuhn said it means a lot that she’s able to continue the Holistic Expo for her mother.

“It’s nice to keep expanding something, especially something that contributes so much to the community,” she said. “There are so many people that come out and enjoy everything that they get here. And it’s a big opportunity for them to connect with others, to connect with people that have stuff they want to offer them.”

That, Kuhn said, is her favorite part of the Holistic Expo — meeting people.

“It’s just nice connecting with people and helping them out in any way that you can,” she said. “Everybody’s got their own knowledge, gifts, products that they’re putting out — services, whatever it is. So being able to share that with others is awesome. You’ve got to come check it out. It’s an awesome experience. There’s a little something for everyone.”

The Casper Holistic Expo is happening Saturday until 6 p.m. and on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Industrial Building at the Central Wyoming Fairgrounds.

Photos from the Holistic Expo can be seen below:

Source link

Wyoming

Wyoming teen discovers rare and ancient megalodon shark tooth off Florida coast

Published

1 day ago

March 28, 2026

Press Room

Wyoming teen discovers rare and ancient megalodon shark tooth off Florida coast

A 6-inch megalodon shark tooth was found by a Wyoming teen during a dive trip off Manasota Key, Florida earlier this week.

Sixteen-year-old Aiden Andrews and his father Brian were on a guided dive with Fossil Junkies, a local fossil-hunting tour company.

Captain John Kreatsoulas told FOX 13 Tampa Bay reporter Kimberly Kuizon that while finding small megalodon teeth isn’t uncommon, finding one that size is quite rare.

Video captured the moments when Aiden and his father celebrated underwater after making the remarkable discovery.

Popularized by Hollywood monster movies, the Carcharocles megalodon was the largest shark to have ever lived, according to the Smithsonian Institution.

A 6-inch megalodon shark tooth was found by a Wyoming teen during a dive trip off Manasota Key, Florida. Fossil Junkies