THE family of a woman missing for over a year has made a tragic plea after learning the fiancé she met on Craigslist confessed to taking her money and buying a shovel in Walmart following her disappearance.
Irene Gakwa's family last saw the 32-year-old during a video call on February 24, 2022, weeks before she was reported missing in late March.
Her fiancé, Nathan Hightman, never reported her missing but admitted to police that he was stealing money from her after she vanished.
Hightman has not been charged in connection with Gakwa's disappearance.
He was arrested and charged with five felonies for allegedly transferring money from her bank account, maxing out her credit card, and deleting her email account after she went missing.
Hightman allegedly used her credit card at Walmart to buy a shovel, a pair of boots, and a pair of pants.
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According to a police report, Hightman claimed he depleted Gawka's finances to force her to contact him if she needed money.
While her family is thankful for an update on their daughter's case, they are still desperate to know where she is.
Originally from Kenya, Gakwa moved to Idaho and began taking classes to become a nurse.
Her family cheered her success but after she met Hightman on Craigslist, their moods soured.
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"I will say the truth. I mean, I really didn’t like him," Gakwa's brother, Christopher Gakwa, told News Nation. "But you know, what do you do?"
Gakwa and Hightman soon moved to Gillette, Wyoming but she remained in contact with her family every day through text.
On February 24, 2022, she had a video call with her father in Nairobi, Kenya.
Her family had noticed that her texts, which used to be written in her native Swahili, suddenly turned into English only.
Tarisai Githu, Gakwa's cousin whom she refers to as her sister, said that was a noticeable switch for her family.
"Not communicating with her dad, to me, that was the biggest red flag, because I know the relationship that they have, they are super close," said Githu.
Gakwa's brothers ended up driving 800 miles to Gillette to find out what was happening with their sister.
Hightman told them that Gakwa packed her clothes into two plastic bags and said she was leaving Gillette.
The woman then reportedly jumped into a dark-colored SUV and drove away, according to her fiancé.
This launched a search for Gawka, spearheaded by volunteers on foot, horseback, and with cadaver dogs.
Social media was also used to get the word out.
Stacy Koester, the lead searcher, coordinated the coverage of hundreds of miles, which helped police issue a be-on-the-lookout-for for a 55-gallon metal drum that may have been abandoned or buried.
"When it was winter out, a lady sent me a message and said, hey, you know, now that the snow is here, there’s a weird barrel on my property," she said.
Police and FBI agents searched Hightman's home with their own cadaver dogs - each of whom paid close attention to a spot in the garage along with a flower bed that was visible from the street.
According to Wyoming-based journalist, Jennifer Kocher, law enforcement is acting on seal warrants but the public is unsure what prompted the search of Hightman's home.
"What tip came in? Or what evidence encouraged the police to come do that thorough search? Because that was their second time at the house," she told News Nation.
Hightman appeared in court on his charges, shocking Gakwa's family by changing his plea to guilty.
Gawka's older brother, Kennedy Wainaina, and his partner, Lucinda Anewenah, were in the courtroom at the time.
"It was tough. When I walked in, I saw him. I wanted to throw up, you know, just to see him see I was just disgusted," said Anewenah.
Hightman's bond was revoked by the judge, leaving him to await his sentence in jail.
"I think it just clicked for us. And we had a sense of relief. When we saw the bailiffs handcuff him, oh my God, he’s going to jail. He’s going to jail," Anewenah continued.
Anewenah and Wainaina made a 12-hour drive to the hearing and they only spent an hour in the courtroom but Wainaina said it was worth it to show that there "is somebody actually behind her."
"She has a family. There are people missing her, there’s people wondering about her," he said.
Gakwa's family is still hoping for an answer.
"Anything done in the dark will come to light. The hardest thing is waiting for that light to come through," said Githu.
Whatever the answers may be, the family hopes they can focus on the beautiful memories they have of Gakwa.
"You just hope that it’s going to be soon, but soon can be next year. Soon can be in two years, soon can be next month," said Githu.
"But my prayer is that by the end of this year, we know what happened to our sister."
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