(Lander, WY) – Amy Wroe Bechtel disappeared on July 24, 1997. It is widely believed that the then 24-year-old’s last known whereabouts was jogging somewhere near the “Loop Road” in the mountains above Lander. Bechtel had been planning a grueling 10K race in the area. Before settling in Lander, Amy was a record-breaking distance runner at the University of Wyoming with Olympic dreams.
The case has arguably been the most high-profile missing person in Fremont County, ever. Media coverage of her disappearance has ranged from in-depth articles to well-known true crime podcasts.
Nearly three decades later, Amy’s vanishing remains a frustrating topic for locals. In 2025, Cowboy State Daily reported that authorities were diligently working on a new tip in the case. This summer, Fremont County Sheriff candidate Eric Murphy used his closing statement platform at a public forum to mention the 29-year-old event, “I feel like that case has been open way too long. We need to really focus on that and get some closure to that case.”
Despite the vast coverage, there are no answers thus far. 29 years later, “What happened to Amy Wroe Bechtel?” remains a common topic of conversation in Wyoming, just like in 1997. But, now in 2026, a follow-up gravitates to, “Will we ever know what happened?”
If you have any information on the Amy Wroe Bechtel case, please contact the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office: 307-332-1000 or DCI at (307) 777-7181