Overview

Last Seen: November 21, 2011
Location: Lander, Wyoming
Age When Missing: 43
NamUs: MP27778
Current Public Status: Missing

Wesley Richard Nebeker disappeared from Lander, Wyoming, in November 2011. Public missing-person records state that Nebeker left or “absconded” from Lander around November 20, with his official date of last contact listed as November 21, 2011. Nearly a month later, his vehicle was located abandoned in Mohave County, Arizona. He has not been publicly confirmed located since.

Detailed Case Breakdown

Wesley Richard Nebeker Missing Person Case: Lander, Wyoming Disappearance and Abandoned Vehicle

Brief Case Summary

Last Seen: November 21, 2011
Location: Lander, Wyoming
Age When Missing: 43
NamUs: MP27778
Current Public Status: Missing

Wesley Richard Nebeker disappeared from Lander, Wyoming, in November 2011. Public missing-person records state that Nebeker left or “absconded” from Lander around November 20, with his official date of last contact listed as November 21, 2011. Nearly a month later, his vehicle was located abandoned in Mohave County, Arizona. He has not been publicly confirmed located since.

Wesley Nebeker Disappears From Lander, Wyoming

Wesley Richard Nebeker was 43 years old when he disappeared from Lander in Fremont County, Wyoming. Current case indexes list November 21, 2011, as his last-seen or last-contact date, although the brief case narrative preserved from NamUs states that he “absconded” from Lander on November 20.

At the time he went missing, Nebeker was described as a white male approximately 6 feet 4 inches tall, weighing about 230 pounds, with brown hair. His disappearance was unusual not simply because he vanished, but because publicly archived material indicates authorities were also seeking him in connection with serious alleged crimes involving minors.

Criminal Allegations and Search for Nebeker

Archived material concerning the investigation describes Nebeker as being wanted in Wyoming on 18 felony matters involving alleged crimes against children. Because the underlying charging documents were not available in the public sources reviewed for this article, those allegations should not be treated as convictions or proven facts.

A later compilation of archived public material described two alleged minor victims and characterized Nebeker as a wanted fugitive. The case became prominent enough that America’s Most Wanted traveled to Lander while investigating his whereabouts. The television program ultimately devoted an episode titled “Wesley Nebeker” to the case, which aired on July 13, 2012.

The criminal allegations and the missing-person investigation therefore overlap in an unusual way: authorities were looking for Nebeker, while his subsequent disappearance also resulted in his being entered into national missing-person databases.

Vehicle Found Abandoned in Mohave County, Arizona

The most significant publicly documented development following Nebeker’s disappearance occurred on December 16, 2011, approximately four weeks after he left Wyoming.

Nebeker’s vehicle was found abandoned in Mohave County, Arizona. Public summaries do not provide a confirmed account of who drove the vehicle there, precisely where in Mohave County it was discovered, how long it had been abandoned, or whether investigators recovered evidence establishing Nebeker’s movements after leaving Wyoming.

The Arizona discovery considerably widened the possible geographic scope of the case. Mohave County covers a large area of northwestern Arizona bordering Nevada, Utah and California, meaning the vehicle’s location did not necessarily establish Nebeker’s final destination.

America’s Most Wanted Brings National Attention to the Search

During 2012, the search received national exposure through America’s Most Wanted.

Archived references indicate that the show’s production visited Lander while developing the case. An episode specifically titled “Wesley Nebeker” aired July 13, 2012. Television listings continue to document the episode as Season 26, Episode 29.

The national publicity indicates that investigators were treating the effort to locate Nebeker seriously after his disappearance. Despite that exposure, there is no publicly documented arrest, confirmed sighting, recovery or identification of Nebeker in the records reviewed.

Missing-Person Case Remains Publicly Listed

Nebeker remains listed in contemporary missing-person indexes under NamUs case MP27778. CaseTrace’s current Wyoming missing-person index identifies him as Wesley Richard Nebeker, missing from Lander since November 21, 2011, at age 43.

The Doe Network also added Nebeker to its Wyoming missing-person collection as Case 6333DMWY in 2024, more than twelve years after his disappearance. Its 2024 update archive specifically identifies him as a person missing from Wyoming since 2011.

A more recently published Wyoming missing-person compilation likewise continues to identify Nebeker as missing, gives his date of last contact as November 21, 2011, and repeats that his vehicle was recovered in Mohave County on December 16, 2011.

Latest Publicly Available Investigation Information

As of August 26, 2026, publicly accessible sources reviewed for this article do not show that Wesley Richard Nebeker has been found, arrested, confirmed deceased or formally identified as a homicide victim.

Current case indexes continue to carry him as missing under NamUs #27778. Wyoming’s Division of Criminal Investigation explains that people appearing in its missing-person system originate from NCIC entries submitted by law-enforcement agencies and are removed when DCI receives notice that the corresponding NCIC missing-person entry has been removed.

The newest significant public case-file development located during this review was the 2024 addition of Nebeker to the Doe Network as Case 6333DMWY. Contemporary missing-person compilations continue to repeat the original circumstances rather than reporting a resolution.

There is consequently no reliable basis in the reviewed public record to describe Nebeker’s disappearance as a confirmed homicide. His fate after the discovery of his vehicle in Arizona remains publicly unresolved.

Main Points of the Wesley Richard Nebeker Case

Wesley Richard Nebeker was last reported in the Lander, Wyoming, area in November 2011 at age 43. Archived sources indicate that authorities were seeking him regarding serious felony allegations involving minors at the time he disappeared.

His vehicle was recovered abandoned in Mohave County, Arizona, on December 16, 2011, creating the strongest publicly documented clue to his movements after leaving Wyoming.

The search attracted national attention through America’s Most Wanted, which aired an episode devoted to Nebeker on July 13, 2012.

Despite the publicity, no publicly verified arrest, confirmed later sighting, recovery or determination of death was located during this review.

Nebeker remains associated with NamUs MP27778, and the Doe Network added him as 6333DMWY in 2024. His disappearance remains publicly unresolved.