Update August 7, 2023: Breanna Mitchell has not been located yet, according to a Facebook post from the Washakie County Sheriff’s Office. The department is currently in the process of coordinating one last large-scale search.
Sheriff Brookwell said that he has the details “ironed out” then he will share more information.
Original Post: Missing Worland woman Breanna Mitchell is still missing, according to an update from the Washakie County Sheriff’s Office.
The FBI was able to assist the department with narrowing down a smaller area to search over the weekend. Although the data the FBI provided was helpful, Mitchell was not found.
The data showed where Mitchell’s last phone call was made from, but she was not located in the area. According to the update from Sheriff Austin Brookwell, “If she continued moving after the cellphone lost power then the information only shows a possible area the phone was last in communication with a cell tower before losing power.”
The K-9 and handler that were sent out Friday, July 28 and Saturday, July 29, did “show some signs in a certain area.” The Washakie County Sheriff’s Office worked with Search and Rescue crews there throughout the weekend.
On Tuesday, August 1, the Washakie County Sheriff’s Office released another update that Mitchell has still not been located.
The department announced that the K-9 and handler that were sent out Friday night and Saturday morning was a cadaver dog from Cody, Wyoming who specializes in locating deceased humans.
The K-9 did provide authorities with clues that there may have been a deceased person in a nearby pond that is located almost directly in the middle of the search area provided by the FBI over the weekend.
The K-9 handler reached out to a diver from Cody, Wyoming to search the pond, but due to no visibility in the water, the diver was unable to locate anything.
The Washakie County Sheriff’s Office was able to get permission from the Bureau of Land Management to drain the pond, utilizing the Worland Fire Department’s pumps, along with the help of a private company who came in to assist.
After 3 days of pumping water out of the pond, Search and Rescue worked around the clock to ensure the pumps were working and once they were able to, the crews trekked through the mud to search, but they were unable to locate anyone.
Unfortunately, authorities have no idea which direction Mitchell may have gone and have no more viable clues to pursue to help narrow down the search area.
Sheriff Brookwell said, “I will be getting in contact with some Sheriff’s surrounding Washakie County to see if they are willing to send a few members of their Seach and Rescue Squads to give one final grid search of the area.”
Once they have the details ironed out, Sheriff Brookwell will post to their Facebook page to see if people would volunteer to help.
He also announced that if the department is unable to locate anymore clues for Mitchell in that area, then he will suspend the search efforts in that particular area, referring to “the badlands”.
“I have half of my patrol department working on any possible leads from cell phone data or any tips we receive,” said Sheriff Brookwell. “We will continue to work on the law enforcement investigation until nothing is left to investigate.”
Sheriff Brookwell advised that if any civilians would like to go out into the area to continue searching, they can. It is important to know that the area is rough, with many rattlesnakes, and the temperatures are extremely hot. Be sure to bring extra food and water.
He also advises to not get lost as it is an easy area to do so. “If you find something that appears human-related or possibly related to this case, DO NOT TOUCH IT or anything around it,” said Sheriff Brookwell.
If you have any information about Breanna Mitchell’s disappearance, please contact the Washakie County Sheriff’s Department at 307-347-2242.
