Elder abuse is a growing concern throughout the country. It costs Americans billions of dollars and unfortunately encompasses a wide range of abuses, including physical, psychological and/or sexual harm, in addition to other concerns like neglect and taking advantage of seniors financially.

A new study conducted by personal finance website, WalletHub, recently listed the “States with the Best Elder-Abuse Protections”, and the Cowboy State was ranked in the top 15.

Wyoming was ranked 11th overall on the study.

WalletHub broke down the methodology for the study stating:

To identify where elderly Americans are best protected, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia based on 16 key indicators of elder abuse protection in 3 overall categories. Our data set ranges from each state’s share of all elder abuse complaints to their laws concerning financial elder abuse.

A few of the key metrics illustrate why Wyoming scored so high (including the one that kept us from scoring even higher):

• Prevalence Rank – 19th
• Resources Rank – 5th
• Protection Rank –  47th

While overall Wyoming is doing considerably better than 80% of the country, there is definitely room for improvement. Considering some of the elderly horror stories that have made it to different news outlets around the state over the last couple of years, it’s nice to see us rising on this list.

It was a tragic day that many in Sheridan, Wyoming, won’t soon forget—and that certainly includes Caro Hamilton.

“It was very frightening and there were a lot of people that were affected,” Hamilton says.

On Feb. 13, 2024,Sheridan police officer Nevada Krinkee was shot and killed in the line of duty while serving a trespassing notice, a shocking crime that left Sheridan heartbroken.

The man who killed Krinkee, William Lowery, found his way to Hamilton’s home, where a 30-hour standoff ensued.

For Hamilton, the ordeal began with a phone call from her daughter.

“She said that there were police surrounding my house and that they told her to tell me not to come home and I went to ask her what was going on and the phone went dead,” she recalls.

She had no idea that a police officer had been shot nearby and no idea that the suspect was in her basement, but she knew one thing.

“We were freaking out. We knew that my mom was in the house.”

Her 80- year-old mother was upstairs in the house. Hamilton says it took two frantic calls to police before they finally called for her mother to come out—something that still frustrates her.

“And so finally we did get my mother out, but yes, we were very terrified because obviously this guy wasn’t in his right mind at the time after what had happened and we didn’t know what could happen to her,” Hamilton says.

By then, she was learning more about why police had surrounded the home and were keeping her, and everyone else, two blocks away.

She says didn’t know Lowery personally but says that he was an acquaintance of a man who was boarding in her basement and that the boarder was supposed to help Lowery move that day.

While her mother was out safely, she had other worries about other occupants inside.

“I was concerned about my dogs and really wanted to get them out of there,” she says.

Police used water, tear gas, and finally brought the standoff to an end when they used an excavator to tear down part of the house. Lowery was shot and killed by police after he fired at them while attempting to flee.

And while her home was left in ruins, there was one bright spot.

“The little dog was found under rubble where the living room used to be. And then my big dog, she was in the basement. They found her, she kind of wading in the water and it was kind of freezing around her. But they got him out and that was the best thing. So I was really super grateful for that,” she says.

Her cat, who was also in the house, has not been found.

Caro says she is thankful for the new house that been built in place of her old one thanks to insurance and a settlement with the city. She hopes to move in next month.

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And while the tragic ordeal is something she and many others in Sheridan will probably never forget, she also says she will forever remember the support many in the community.

“It was overwhelming. It was amazing the amount of community support that was shown to me,” she says.