March 24th 2025
Identification of Human Remains in Washakie County
WORLAND, WY – With profound sadness, the Washakie County Coroner’s Office confirms that the human remains discovered on March 23, 2025, have been positively identified as Breanna Mitchell.
Washakie County Coroner Jeff Lapp made the identification through dental records provided by Ms. Mitchell’s dental office and its attending doctors. Her remains were located north of the site where her vehicle became stuck in July 2023.
Ms. Mitchell’s family has been notified, and our hearts are with them as they navigate this unimaginable loss. We extend our deepest condolences.
At this stage, the Washakie County Coroner has not determined a cause of death.
We understand that speculation may arise within the community, but we urge everyone to remember that this case involves a loved daughter, mother, sister, and friend. Out of respect for Breanna and her loved ones, we ask for patience and understanding.
We recognize the grief and uncertainty that Breanna’s family and friends have endured. While this identification may bring some measure of closure, we remain committed to seeking answers if new information comes to light.
Thank you to all the individuals who volunteered their time to attempt to locate Breanna. We greatly appreciate your efforts.
Any further updates will be provided as appropriate.
Thank you.
-Sheriff Austin T. Brookwell
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** A Message from Her Mother, Tina Patrick Richins **
(July 22, 2024)
It has been 1 year since Breanna Mitchell has gone missing. We are still praying she is found and our hearts are broken. We are still asking you to come forward if you know anything about her disappearance. I believe there was foul play involved ,and I really have nothing nice to say to the people I believe were involved in her disappearance. It is time to come forward and tell us where she is! She deserves to be found.
I am begging everyone to share this today, tomorrow, and every time you think of her. I want the people tto see her face daily as a reminder what they have done ,and you can’t just erase her and move on with your lives. She deserved to live her life and you deserve to rot in a cell.
(November 27, 2023)
My daughter Breanna Mitchell is still missing. Her birthday is coming up and it would be great gift to find her. If you know any information that could lead to finding her please contact the Washakie county Sheriff’s Office in Worland Wyoming 307-347-4253.
A birthday wish for my daughter Breanna Mitchell is that she is found safe. If she has been hurt or murdered my wish for her is that you are so tormented by what you have done you come forward and turn yourself or (yourselves) in. It is time to break the silence and bring her home!
I pray God holds you close wherever you may be. We will never give up looking for you and we love you.




***Update on Breanna Mitchell***
Friday, August 11th, 2023.
A total of 45 Search and Rescue personnel from Washakie County (including one helicopter), Hot Springs County, Park County, Sheridan County, Johnson County, and Big Horn County arrived at the area where Breanna’s vehicle was last. SAR personnel from the above-listed counties searched the area until it was dark. I am still waiting on all the above counties to send me their map data to be able to get the exact amount of square miles that were searched. I estimate SAR has searched well over 20 square miles of land in this area. Again this is just an estimation.
Unfortunately, nothing of importance was discovered.
Find-911 is still processing all the images they had taken through their software. They will provide me with a report this week.
I want to thank all the counties who assisted us. It was truly impressive to make a phone call and have this amount of support show up. Wyoming is truly lucky to have these individuals volunteering their time to assist with lost and missing persons.
Currently, the Washakie County Sheriff’s Office is no longer searching this area for Breanna Mitchell. We will continue the efforts here at the office, going through all the tips, cell phone data, search warrants, and all other leads we may receive.
We currently have no evidence to prove there was any “foul play” regarding her disappearance. Remember, we have to work on evidence, not on rumors.
We are still investigating all her call logs and text messages. We are interviewing the individuals who contacted her or the ones she had contacted. We are still waiting for Facebook and Snapchat to release the data we requested through search warrants. These large companies can take quite some time to get this information to us.
This will be the last public update I will give on this case unless something important occurs.
Thank you to all who have assisted us.
-Sheriff Brookwell
August 7, 2023 – We do not have any current updates on Breanna Mitchell’s Search. I will make posts as I have updates. I am in the process of coordinating one last large-scale search. I will post more when I have the details ironed out. Thanks. -Sheriff Brookwell

UPDATES IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER
August 3, 2023
The Buffalo Bulletin has compiled a detailed article. Click here for the best follow up story we’ve been able to find on this case. Please keep praying that she’s found soon.
August 1, 2023 10:00 am
She has still not been located.
The K-9 and handler (mentioned in my last post) we brought in was a cadaver k-9 out of Cody, WY, whose specialty is to locate deceased humans. This K-9 gave clues that there may have been a deceased individual in a pond in the search area. This pond is located almost directly in the middle of the area the FBI helped us with. This was the only area the cadaver k-9 gave clues at. The K-9 handler called a diver out of Cody, WY, to search the pond. After a few hours of searching, the diver could not locate anything. This water has zero visibility.
We then got permission from the Bureau of Land Management to drain the pond. The Worland Fire Department allowed us to use two of their pumps, two private companies also allowed us to use their pumps, and one private company donated a pump intake line to help. After 3 days of pumping water out, Search and Rescue was able to go through the mud of the pond and did not locate anyone. Search and Rescue were out there making sure the pumps stayed running for the entire 3 days.
At this time, we have no known direction of travel nor any more clues to go off of that would help narrow the search area down. 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 I get the details of this lined out, I will do a post to see if people would like to help.
If we are unable to locate any more clues or Breanna after this search, I will then suspend the search efforts out there. This only applies to the search in the badlands
I have half of my patrol department working on any possible leads from cell phone data or any tips we receive. We will continue to work on the law enforcement investigation until nothing is left to investigate.
I absolutely need to give my search and rescue teams a break from searching. Most of them had been out in the area searching for her since the day she was reported missing. These individuals have jobs and families that they have been away from. Washakie County is extremely lucky to have such a dedicated group of individuals who volunteer their time to work on these types of incidents. I am grateful for them.
If civilians want to go out into the area to continue searching, you may. Please be advised this area is rough terrain, there are many rattlesnakes, and is very hot. Bring water, food, and do not get lost out there, as it is very easy to do. If you find something that appears human-related or possibly related to this case, DO NOT TOUCH IT or anything around it. Try to get the GPS coordinates of the item and call the Sheriff’s Office at 307-347-2242.
Thank you to everyone who has donated their time to help with this case. It is greatly appreciated.
-Sheriff Brookwell
July 30, 2023 11:47 pm
She has not been located.
The FBI was able to assist us in possibly narrowing down a smaller area to search. The data they assisted with was helpful even though we have not located her. This data is only accurate however, if right as the cell phone lost signal she stopped moving. 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. Which means the search area could be larger. Keep in mind this data doesn’t give exact locations so the search area is still pretty large.
The K9 and their handler that worked Friday night and Saturday morning did show some signs in a certain area. I currently have SAR Crews there. DO NOT go into this area as it is still a Law Enforcement Investigation. I will not be sharing the location of this area because I do not want a bunch of individuals in this area that could possibly jeopardize any tracks or clues SAR may find. Again DO NOT go into the area.
We are still looking into things. Again I will post updates when I can.
Thank you to everyone who wants to donate water and snacks to SAR we greatly appreciate the generosity. The best way you can help currently is to stay away from the area as I mentioned above and let us work.
I will do a post here if we need another large scale search but at this moment we do not need one.
-Sheriff Brookwell
July 27, 2023 6:25 am
She has still not been located.
Yesterday the bloodhound and the handler were unable to locate her. The bloodhound was able to detect a few areas she may have been around but those didn’t last long. Friday we are bringing in a dog with a different skill to maybe find her. So I am asking everyone who is assisting in the search please not be in the area as this dog will be working which will be Friday night and early Saturday morning.
I have reached out to the Wyoming branch of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. They have agreed to assist The Washakie County Sheriff’s Office in this case. They have better technology to assist with managing data and better training when it comes to missing individuals. I am exploring all options we have to find Breanna.
We have been granted search warrants for all of Brianna’s cellular phone data, social media data, and email data. Which will hopefully give us a much better look into anyone she had contact with the day she went missing. A more accurate location of where her phone was also that night. We should be receiving this data soon from the many different sources.
Mr. Romo has been cooperative with Law Enforcement and has been interviewed. He has also informed us that he will come in and talk to us if we have any other questions that come up. Numerous other individuals have been interviewed as well. I will not go into details of these interviews as this is still an active law enforcement investigation.
There are many rumors being spread and it is difficult to combat those as many know. I give updates when I have new information. If you do not see a post from me on here then I do not have updates. I cannot respond to every single comment or message that is being sent on Facebook because we are busy doing other things.
The Washakie County Sheriff’s Office is using all the resources we have access to. Deputies have been coming in on their days off and have been staying late to work on this case.
Thank you to everyone who is trying to help I greatly appreciate it!
-Sheriff Brookwell
July 25, 2023 10:57 pm
With all the individuals who were out assisting, along with Civil Air Patrol, Guardian Helicopter, Search and Rescue, and the Bloodhound from Fremont county, we were still unfortunately unable to locate Breanna.
The bloodhound crew will be going back out in the morning to search an area where a boot and a shirt were located. Keep in mind with these extremely hot temperatures the dog can only do so much. Thankfully he is willing to still try even though the conditions aren’t great for this type of K9 search.
We are extremely thankful for everyone who came out tonight! Our list of volunteers was 20+ and that’s just the ones who stopped to check in, there appeared to be even more than that.
Searching the area is not the only thing the Sheriff’s Office is doing. Deputies are following leads and rumors and talking to individuals. I am not commenting on that portion of this incident to the public as it is an active investigation. We are treating this as more than just a missing person. Just because we do not know exactly what happened yet.
If I receive any updates I will make a post. If you do not see a post on this page it means I do not have an update.
To the family of Breanna we understand this situation is extremely frustrating, very confusing, and very depressing. We are doing all we can to try and find her.
Thank you.
-Sheriff Brookwell
July 25, 2023 4:58 pm
If you are coming to assist search, there will be two stations. Station 1 will be before the slab on Nowater Road. Station 2 will be at the turn-off to where Mitchell’s vehicle location was. The vehicle is not out there as we have towed it to search for possible clues of her disappearance… Each station will have a map of the general area. We will give one map per vehicle. This map does not have a list of areas that have been searched. Just search around the area. We have no known last direction of travel.
Please be advised Civil Air Patrol and a Guardian Helicopter will control the airspace NO DRONES.
Again, please be careful if you are coming out to help. Search and Rescue will be responding by 530 p.m.
Please do not interfere with any SAR personnel or the bloodhound handler that will also be out there.
Thank you.
-Sheriff Brookwell
July 25, 2023 8:31 am
I have no new updates to give. We still have not located her. I have SAR personnel out this morning on horseback and in side by sides looking.
At 5 p.m. tonight, I will be paging out Search and Rescue to search where Breanna Mitchell’s Vehicle was located and the surrounding areas. I will also be asking for the assistance of Guardian with one of their helicopter crews to search this area as well. SAR Crews may not get out to the area till around 5:45 p.m. or 6 p.m.
I welcome any volunteers who would like to go out there at this time as well to help search. If you are going to come out to help, do not bring any drones, as the helicopter crew can not fly the area if there are drones in the area. Please bring lots of water, food, and any other supplies you may need. Mostly I ask volunteers to be safe and not get lost while searching.
We have no known last direction of travel. We had located footprints that led about 1000 yards short of the Nowater Road, but then we couldn’t see any more.
GPS Coordinates of where her vehicle was:
N43.88408 W107.84982
https://www.google.com/maps/place/43%C2%B053’02.7%22N+107%C2%B050’59.4%22W/@43.883012,-107.8573301,4413m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m4!3m3!8m2!3d43.88408!4d-107.84982!5m1!1e4?entry=ttu

-Sheriff Brookwell
July 24, 2023 9:16 am
If you have contact with Breanna Mitchell, please get in touch with the Washakie County Sheriff’s Office at 307-347-2242.
We were informed she had gotten stuck off of Nowater Trail (just passed the Worland Airport), so Search and Rescue was activated to look for her. After some time of looking, they located the vehicle on a two-track 2 miles off of Nowater Trail. However, she was not at the vehicle.
Search and Rescue units have gone out for 2 days now trying to locate her. Search and Rescue also had an individual flying an airplane in the area to look for her as well.
We have been unable to locate her, and her family has not been able to contact her either. We have pinged her phone, but according to Verizon, it is shut off.
She is not in trouble with law enforcement. We want to ensure she is safe. So again, please get in touch with the Washakie County Sheriff’s Office at 307-347-2242 if you have seen or have had any contact with Breanna Mitchell in the last 24 hours.
Thank you.
-Sheriff Brookwell

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