Vanessa Sue Orren, also known as “Nessy,” Sue, or Suzie, was 56 years old when she disappeared from the La Barge, Wyoming area. NamUs lists her date of last contact as February 1, 2016, and states that family and friends lost all contact with her in late January to early February 2016. Public case information describes Vanessa as a white female with reddish-brown hair and blue eyes, approximately 5 feet to 5 feet 5 inches tall, and about 110 to 115 pounds.
The Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation reports that Vanessa’s family and friends had not heard from her since early February 2016, but that she was also reported to have been seen on March 1, 2016, at the post office in La Barge with her boyfriend at the time, in a red Jeep. The Charley Project similarly states that she was last seen in La Barge and has not been heard from since. The clothing she may have been wearing at the time is unknown.
Vanessa’s disappearance was not reported to the Sublette County Sheriff’s Office until January 2017, according to public statements from the sheriff’s office. After the report was made, the agency said it began actively investigating her disappearance and entered her into both NCIC and NamUs as a missing person. That delay means there was a significant gap between the time loved ones last heard from her and the formal missing-person investigation, a circumstance that can make reconstructing a person’s final known movements especially difficult.
In June 2021, the investigation drew renewed public attention when Sublette County detectives obtained and executed a search warrant at property belonging to Darrell “Pete” Petry, seeking evidence related to Vanessa’s disappearance. The sheriff’s office said the search began on June 19, 2021, and involved assistance from multiple agencies, including NecroSearch, the FBI, the Bureau of Land Management, Wyoming Game and Fish, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, and the Wyoming Highway Patrol. Authorities did not publicly explain the nature of Petry’s connection to the case or what led investigators to the property.
During the multi-day search, Petry left the property and was later found deceased on June 22, 2021. The Sublette County Sheriff’s Office said a subsequent investigation determined his death was self-inflicted and that no foul play was suspected. Public reporting later noted that Petry had not been named as a suspect, and that authorities declined to release more details because Vanessa’s case remained active.
As of the latest publicly available information found, Vanessa Orren’s case remains unresolved, and there is no indication in the available sources that she has been found alive or deceased. The Sublette County Sheriff’s Office has asked anyone with information related to Vanessa’s disappearance to contact its Detective Division at 307-367-4378. The Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation also lists the Sublette County Sheriff’s Department and Wyoming DCI as points of contact for information.Last Seen: Feb 1, 2016
