Irene Wairimu Gakwa was 32 years old when she was reported missing from Gillette, Wyoming, where she had been living with her boyfriend, Nathan Hightman. NamUs lists her as missing from Gillette, with a date of last contact of March 4, 2022, and states that her phone was no longer pinging on the network. Other public reporting, including information attributed to Gillette police and her family, places the last confirmed sighting earlier, during a WhatsApp video call with her family on February
24, 2022. She remains listed as missing, and the provided case data does not indicate that she has been found alive or located deceased.
Irene was originally from Kenya and moved to the United States in 2019. She had lived in Idaho, where two of her older brothers were, before moving to Gillette. Public reports describe her as a nursing student with hopes of building a life and career in health care. She was described as close to her family, who stayed in regular contact with her across the distance, often through video calls. Her disappearance has been especially painful for her loved ones because the silence was so unlike her and because so many questions remain unanswered.
Her family became alarmed after they stopped being able to reach her. Reporting from CNN-affiliated coverage states that her relatives had last seen her on a video call on February 24, 2022, and later reported her missing after weeks without contact. Public accounts also note that messages were sent from Irene’s phone after her family believed something was wrong, but the communication did not feel normal to those who knew her. NamUs notes that her phone was not pinging on the network, adding to concern about her whereabouts.
At the time she disappeared, Irene was living with Nathan Hightman in Gillette. Hightman reportedly told police that Irene had left on her own after saying she was unhappy and wanted to leave Wyoming, claiming she departed in a dark-colored SUV with belongings packed in two plastic bags. Authorities have identified Hightman as a person of interest in her disappearance, but public reporting states that he has not been charged with a crime directly related to causing her disappearance.
The investigation soon drew attention to financial activity involving Irene’s accounts after she vanished. Hightman later pleaded guilty to felonies involving financial and intellectual-property crimes against her, including stealing money, using her credit cards, and deleting her email account without permission. He was sentenced in 2023 to a three-to-six-year prison term and ordered to pay restitution and fines. Reports say the financial crimes occurred in the weeks after Irene disappeared, a fact that has deepened public concern and her family’s anguish.
Court-related reporting also described items investigators recovered or traced during the investigation, including a shovel and boots that Hightman allegedly bought at Walmart in late February 2022 using Irene’s Visa card. Police have largely limited what they have released publicly, citing the ongoing nature of the investigation, and warrants connected to searches have reportedly remained sealed. This has left Irene’s family and the public with only fragments of information while investigators continue to pursue what happened.
As of more recent reporting, Irene’s case remains unresolved. Cowboy State Daily reported in 2026 that four years had passed since she disappeared, that her family fears the worst, and that Hightman had been released from prison after serving time for stealing from her, while police still considered him a person of interest. No public source located for this synopsis reports that Irene has been found, and the NamUs case remains published as a missing-person case.
Irene is described in public missing-person profiles as a Black woman with black hair and brown eyes, about 5 feet 1 inch tall and approximately 89 to 90 pounds. The Charley Project notes that she was born in Kenya, moved to the United States in 2019, and has pierced ears. NamUs lists the Gillette Police Department as the investigating agency, with agency case number 22-06184. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Gillette Police Department at 307-682-5155.Last Seen: Mar 4, 2022
