UNSOLVED DISAPPEARANCE: AMY WROE BECHTEL

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When an accomplished long distance runner hits the trails in the central Wyoming mountains and never returns, investigators are tasked with answering the question: what—or who—did this Olympic hopeful fail to outrun? Strange journals, a serial killer with a history of terrible crimes against women and other theories are explored in this episode of Last Seen Alive.

Photo of Amy Wroe Bechtel smiling in front of a lake while holding the leash of a yellow Labrador retriever
Amy Wroe Bechtel was 24-years-old when she disappeared while on a run near Lander, Wyoming. Image source: family photo.
Photo of Amy Wroe Bechtel posing and smiling outdoors with her husband, Steve
At the time of Amy’s disappearance, she’d been married to her husband, Steve, for approximately a year. Both were athletes with a passion for the outdoors. Image source: family photo.
Dale Wayne Eaton, a serial murderer and “itinerant stumblebum”, is a suspect in Amy’s disappearance. Image source: booking photo.
Cover of the January 1998 edition of Runner's World Magazine featuring a photo of Amy Wroe Bechtel, along with the question: "Have you seen this runner?"
Here, Amy is pictured on the cover of an edition of Runner’s World, which has published articles both on her disappearance, and the dangers of running while female. Image source: Runner’s World.
Amy Wroe Bechtel smiles in an undated photo
Amy was a gifted athlete and Olympic hopeful who taught youth weightlifting classes, worked at a rock climbing shop and at a local grill, and was an amateur photographer. She is badly missed by her family and friends. Image source: family photo.

Sources used to research this episode:

Long Gone Girl (Runner’s World / Jon Billman)

Since She’s Been Gone (Deirdre Stoelzle / Casper Star Tribune)

Unsolved Mysteries: Amy Wroe Bechtel (Unsolved Mysteries)

When Amy Bechtel Didn’t Come Home (Outside Magazine)

Bureau of Justice Statistics Selected Findings: Female Victims of Violence (BJS)

Break in Great Basin Murders? (ABC7 Denver)

Authorities to Investigate New Leads in the 1997 Disappearance of Amy Wroe Bechtel (Wyoming Public Radio / Sara Hossaini)

Dale Wayne Eaton “The LIL Miss Killer” (Radford University Serial Killer Information Center)

Profilers: Denver Woman’s Murder Points to Serial Killer (ABC7 Denver)

The Disturbing Disappearance of Runner Amy Wroe Bechtel in Wyoming (StrangeOutdoors.com)

Running While Female (Runner’s World / Michelle Hamilton)

Fund-Raisers to Benefit Bechtel Search (Emily McNeil / Casper Star-Tribune)

‘He Tried to Kill Us’ Woman Who Escaped Eaton Testifies Today (Casper Star-Tribune)

Bear Attacks Statistics 2025 – Global Injuries & Fatalities (Alexander Laybourne / World Animal Foundation)

Risk and Recreation: What We Know About Mountain Lion Attacks in North America (Mountain Lion Foundation)

Wolf Attacks on Humans: An Update for 2002–2020 (John D. C. Linnell, Ekaterina Kovtun & Ive Rouart)

If you know anything about Amy Wroe Bechtel’s disappearance, please contact the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office at 307-332-5611.

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