Change.org Petition: Another Gabby Petito? - Justice For IRENE GAKWA

In May 2019, Irene Gakwa moved from Kenya to the United States, full of hope. She moved to Idaho near her brothers, started school, and got a boyfriend. By March 2022, she was gone. Her whereabouts are still unknown, but her boyfriend had a suspicious cover story and has taken nearly $7,000 from her bank account since she disappeared — and so far, the police have refused to investigate him. Sign Gathoni’s petition to demand justice for this young woman. Justice For IRENE GAKWA 3,647 have signed Gathoni Kimuyu’s petition. Let’s get to 5,000!

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Born and raised in Kenya, Irene Gakwa emigrated to the United States in May 2019, hoping to launch a career in health care. Being the only daughter and the last born, her parents resisted their introverted daughter’s plans to move to a faraway country. They worried about how she’d adjust -- she was so shy, she barely left her room in their suburban Nairobi home to go outside. Gakwa settled first in Idaho to be near her brothers, with dreams of attending nursing school and working in a hospital. In 2020, Gakwa confided to Abatey, her sister-in-law, that she was dating Nathan Hightman, whom she met on a Craigslist forum. Irene and Nathan eventually moved in together in Meridian, and she started nursing school. In the summer of 2021, they relocated to Gillette, where she transferred schools. Gakwa’s parents were not aware she was living in Gillette, Wyoming. Irene Gakwa’s last WhatsApp video call with her parents hinted that something was off. When her face appeared on the phone screen, her dad teased her that she looked hungry and tired. Her smile was more subdued and her short hair, usually braided, was rumpled. That was February 24, the last time anyone in her family saw her. On March 20, 2022 her brothers, Chris Munga and Kennedy Wainaina, reported her missing to the Gillette Police Department. This was after Gakwa’s brothers could not reach her and looked through her phone records and called a close friend she’d talked to numerous times. Her close friend is the one who informed her parents that Irene had moved to Wyoming with Nathan. However, her brothers were under the impression that they had broken up.  On the same day an officer talked to Hightman, in relation to a separate criminal case against him. Hightman told the officer he last saw Gakwa in late February, when she came home one night, packed her clothing in two plastic bags and left in a dark-colored SUV. He told police he hadn’t heard from her since. He also said he withdrew money from her bank account so she would be forced to contact him if she needed money. Hightman has not been charged in Gakwa’s disappearance, but is a suspect in financial crimes against her after she went missing. Hightman transferred nearly $3,700 from Gakwa’s bank account to his own and spent an additional $3,230 on her credit card. In addition, he allegedly changed her banking account password and deleted her email account after she vanished. The Gillette Police Department said it has executed approximately 24 search warrants and during one of the searches, investigators recovered a shovel and boots Hightman bought at a Walmart in late February using Gakwa’s Visa card.  Despite the evidence accumulating against Hightman, the Wyoming Police refer to Hightman only as a “person of interest.” He has pleaded not guilty to all charges and was released on a $10,000 bond. Gakwa’s family is still holding out hope that somehow she’ll contact them or come back home. The alternative is too hard to bear. Gakwa’s 33rd birthday was in July and they held a Zoom vigil. Her friends and family shed tears and shared memories and photos of her, struggling between using past or present tense.  Irene’s father remains optimistic she’ll make it home for Christmas. But most days, not so much. "I just want to know the truth. I’m still hopeful, but my hope is dwindling. She knows my number. The fact that she has not called …” Her father’s voice trails off before he can complete his sentence. This petition calls for the concerted efforts of Gillette Police Department, the Gillette City Council,Governor Mark Gordon, Gillette WY, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kenya Embassy Washington D.C to make known the whereabouts of Ms. Irene Gakwa.

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