Overview

Date: July 4, 1974
Location: Little Britches Rodeo, Carbon County Fairgrounds, Rawlins, Wyoming
Age: 19
Status: Missing; foul play suspected
NamUs: MP14488

Carlene attended the rodeo with Christine “Christy” Gross. Both young women disappeared afterward and were never seen alive again. Accounts conflict about their vehicle: contemporary reporting cited by investigators says the van was left at the fairgrounds, while some later accounts claim it was found more than 200 miles north in Worland, Wyoming.

Note: Most sources give July 4, 1974, as Carlene’s last-seen date. One current case database lists July 5 as the date of last contact, so readers may encounter both dates in case records.

Detailed Case Breakdown

Carlene Brown Missing Person Case: 1974 Rawlins, Wyoming Disappearance and Latest Investigation

Nineteen-year-old Carlene Brown disappeared from Rawlins, Wyoming, on July 4, 1974, after attending the Little Britches Rodeo at the Carbon County Fairgrounds with her friend, 19-year-old Christine “Christy” Gross. More than five decades later, Carlene has never been found, and authorities continue to suspect foul play.

Carlene’s disappearance became part of a disturbing series of cases involving four girls who vanished in and around Rawlins during the summer of 1974. Two—including Gross—were later found dead, while Carlene and Deborah Meyer remain missing. The cases have become known locally as the “Rawlins Rodeo Murders.”

Last Seen: Brief Summary

Date: July 4, 1974
Location: Little Britches Rodeo, Carbon County Fairgrounds, Rawlins, Wyoming
Age: 19
Status: Missing; foul play suspected
NamUs: MP14488

Carlene attended the rodeo with Christine “Christy” Gross. Both young women disappeared afterward and were never seen alive again. Accounts conflict about their vehicle: contemporary reporting cited by investigators says the van was left at the fairgrounds, while some later accounts claim it was found more than 200 miles north in Worland, Wyoming.

Note: Most sources give July 4, 1974, as Carlene’s last-seen date. One current case database lists July 5 as the date of last contact, so readers may encounter both dates in case records.

Who Was Carlene Brown?

Carlene was born January 14, 1955, and was 19 when she disappeared. She had graduated from Rawlins High School in 1973 and had participated in school activities and sports. At the time she vanished, she lived in Rawlins with her adoptive father and brother, while her adoptive mother lived in Colorado.

Carlene was adopted, a fact that has become especially important to the modern investigation. Her adoptive parents and brother have since died, leaving investigators without an immediate biological-family DNA reference that could be used to identify unidentified remains.

The July 4, 1974 Disappearance

Carlene and Christy Gross, both 19, went to the Little Britches Rodeo in Rawlins on Independence Day. Gross was from South Dakota and was visiting the area. Exactly who last saw the women, how they left the fairgrounds and what occurred afterward remain unresolved questions.

Investigators initially considered the possibility that the two had left voluntarily. Carlene’s family did not believe that explanation, and after days passed without contact, the case increasingly appeared more serious. Former residents later recalled searches of yards and outbuildings around Rawlins as concern spread through the community.

One issue that has complicated retellings of the case is the location of the vehicle associated with the women. Former Carbon County Deputy Sheriff Jeff Faycosh reportedly said in 1983 that their van had been found parked at the fairgrounds. Other accounts have placed it in Worland, roughly 200 miles north. No definitive public explanation has reconciled those conflicting versions.

The Discovery of Christine Gross

The case changed dramatically on October 27, 1983, when skeletal remains were discovered in a field about three miles south of Sinclair, Wyoming, only several miles from Rawlins.

Dental information and a distinctive handmade ring helped identify the remains as Christine Gross. Evidence showed that she had suffered severe blows to the head, and investigators treated her death as a homicide. Carlene was not found during searches of the surrounding area.

Following Gross’s identification, investigators publicly said the discovery had produced new leads. Faycosh indicated at the time that authorities had identified at least one suspect and were seeking additional information before proceeding. Publicly available records do not establish that the unidentified suspect was ever arrested or charged.

The discovery strengthened the belief that Carlene had also met with foul play.

The Other Rawlins Cases of 1974

Carlene and Christy were not the only young females to disappear in Rawlins that summer.

On August 4, 1974, teenager Deborah Meyer disappeared after leaving a relative’s home to walk to a movie theater. She has never been found.

On August 23, 1974, 10-year-old Jayleen Dawn Banker disappeared from the Carbon County Fairgrounds. Her body was recovered the following year, and her death was determined to involve traumatic injury.

The close timing and geography have caused investigators, journalists and independent researchers to consider whether some or all of the cases could be connected. No person has been convicted of killing Carlene, Gross, Meyer or Banker.

Royal Russell Long and Other Suspect Theories

One name repeatedly associated with the Rawlins cases is Royal Russell Long, a long-haul trucker with connections to fairs and carnivals.

Long was later convicted of kidnapping two girls in Wyoming in 1984. One escaped, but 12-year-old Sharon Baldeagle disappeared after Long fled with her and has never been found. Long was also prosecuted in connection with the disappearance of two 13-year-old girls from the Oklahoma State Fair in 1981, although those charges did not ultimately result in a murder conviction. He died in prison in 1993.

Retired homicide investigator Janet Franson has spent years researching Long and believes he was responsible for the four Rawlins cases. She has pointed in part to his history of targeting more than one victim at a time and reports that he may have been staying near the Rawlins fairgrounds during the relevant period. Those assertions constitute an investigative theory, however—not a proven conclusion.

Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation cold-case commander Ryan Cox confirmed in 2026 that Long had been considered a suspect but said he was not the only viable suspect. DCI did not publicly disclose the identities of other possible suspects or whether usable forensic evidence remains.

Ted Bundy has also been suggested over the years. The theory remains speculative. Bundy was active in the western United States in 1974, but there has been no established evidence publicly tying him to Carlene’s disappearance or to a Wyoming murder.

Latest Investigation: Renewed Work on Carlene’s Case

Significant new information about the status of the investigation emerged in June 2026.

Carbon County Sheriff Alex Bakken confirmed that the Rawlins cases remain open. He said his office inherited the decades-old files and is working to retrieve and digitize historical case material while handling its current investigative workload. Wyoming legislation passed in 2024 requires qualifying unsolved cases dating to 1972 to be reported into the state’s cold-case system.

One of the most important current efforts concerns Carlene’s biological family.

Because Carlene was adopted and her adoptive parents and brother are deceased, investigators do not currently have the straightforward close-family biological reference that would be useful for DNA comparisons. Franson has spent years trying to identify Carlene’s biological relatives.

In the spring of 2026, Sheriff Bakken obtained Carlene’s birth certificate from Colorado in hopes that it would identify her biological parents. Instead, the document reportedly listed her adoptive parents. Bakken was then attempting to determine whether an amended or earlier birth record might still exist that could reveal Carlene’s biological family.

That search could prove crucial. A biological relative’s DNA could potentially assist investigators in comparing Carlene with unidentified human remains or future discoveries.

Authorities are specifically asking anyone who knows Carlene’s biological family, birth history or circumstances surrounding her disappearance to contact the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office.

Where the Case Stands Today

Carlene Brown remains missing more than 50 years after she disappeared from Rawlins. Her NamUs record remains associated with MP14488, and current public case resources continue to classify the disappearance as unresolved.

The latest investigation is therefore about more than identifying an offender. Investigators are also trying to solve a foundational problem that modern forensic genealogy often depends upon: finding Carlene’s biological relatives so that her DNA family line can be established.

Until Carlene is located and the circumstances surrounding the July 1974 disappearances are proven, theories involving individual suspects should remain identified as theories. What is established is that Carlene disappeared with Christy Gross, Gross was later found murdered, Carlene was never recovered, and the case remains open.

Anyone with information—including information about Carlene’s biological parents or relatives—is encouraged to contact investigators.