Remains found near Cody identified as Kyle Ellis, last seen in Greybull in 2018

This August, Park County Sheriff’s Office submitted human remains found west of Cody to the Wyoming State Crime Lab for DNA testing. On October 16, they were confirmed to be those of Kyle Ellis, a Sheridan man who has been missing since 2018. 

A press release from Sheridan County Sheriff’s Office, the originator of Ellis’ case, detailed that their initial investigation found 29-year-old Ellis was observed walking up to the Bear Lodge Resort in the Bighorn Mountains on January 8, 2018, and reported by the establishment’s owner due to concerns about his safety in the cold. 

In a 2021 article by Cowboy State Daily, Ellis’ mother, Heather Vanderhoef, stated that law enforcement contacted his father, Jay Ellis, to pick him up. Rather than take a ride from his father, Kyle Ellis hitched a ride with a woman to Greybull. She reportedly left him at a gas station with $20 for a meal, and that was the last that was seen of him for more than seven years. 

Ellis’s family filed a missing person report after they had not heard from him for several days. They reported that Ellis was deeply religious and was known to take spiritual journeys by foot for weeks at a time, though in the past he had always kept in touch along the way. Vanderhoef shared that Ellis had dealt with a history of drug and alcohol abuse and mental illness. In the past, he had traveled as far as Washington, Colorado and Texas. 

No viable leads surfaced. Sheridan County Sheriff’s Office Sergeant Mike Mullikin presented Ellis’ case to the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation cold case team in hopes of finding more information to no avail. 

 In August, a crew clearing out vegetation on Bureau of Land Management property west of Buffalo Bill Reservoir uncovered human remains.  In an interview with the Powell Tribune, Park County Sheriff Darell Steward reported that while it appeared Ellis had built a crude shelter, the temperatures in January 2018 sat around zero degrees and could have quickly turned deadly. The site was just a couple miles north of Highway 14/16/20, the Northfork Highway. 

“At this time, there is no indication foul play was involved in Kyle’s death and it appears he likely died from exposure to inclement weather,” Sheridan County Sheriff’s Office said in their release. 

In Ellis’ obituary, his family wrote, “Kyle had a deep faith in God and read the King James Bible from cover to cover many times. We find comfort knowing that Kyle is now where he wished to be -- in Heaven.”

Sheridan County Sheriff’s Office thanked Sergeant Millikin for his dedication investigating Ellis’s case, Park County Sheriff’s Office, Park County Coroner, Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office, Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation and the Wyoming State Crime Lab for their continued support and assistance with the investigation.  

“We hope this brings closure to Kyle’s parents, his family, friends and our community,” Sheridan County Sheriff Levi Dominguez said. “Kyle’s family has been nothing but supportive and patient throughout these years, and our thoughts and prayers are with them through this time.”