Overview

Date last seen: October 22, 2013
Location: Casper, Wyoming
Age when missing: 55
Date of birth: September 10, 1958
NamUs: MP76858
Doe Network: 6331DMWY

Coursen was approximately 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighed between 175 and 180 pounds. He had brown hair and hazel eyes.

Detailed Case Breakdown

William Howard Coursen Missing Person Case: Casper, Wyoming — Missing Since October 22, 2013

William Howard Coursen was 55 years old when he disappeared from Casper, Wyoming, on October 22, 2013. More than a decade later, his whereabouts remain unknown, and publicly available missing-person databases continue to list him as missing. His case is classified by The Charley Project as endangered missing.

Last Seen: Date and Location

Date last seen: October 22, 2013
Location: Casper, Wyoming
Age when missing: 55
Date of birth: September 10, 1958
NamUs: MP76858
Doe Network: 6331DMWY

Coursen was approximately 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighed between 175 and 180 pounds. He had brown hair and hazel eyes.

What Happened to William Howard Coursen?

William Coursen lived in a low-income apartment in Casper at the time of his disappearance. Available case accounts describe him as having relatively few friends, no vehicle and limited contact with members of his family. On October 22, 2013, he disappeared and subsequently stopped communicating with family and friends.

One particularly notable circumstance was his final paycheck. Coursen never collected it. For someone already described as having limited resources and no vehicle, leaving earned wages behind became one of the unexplained details surrounding his disappearance.

His Apartment Offered Few Answers

Coursen’s residence was checked after he vanished, but investigators apparently found nothing obviously disturbed or out of place. Public case summaries report no apparent indication that a struggle had occurred inside the apartment.

That left investigators with few publicly known clues explaining where he went or what happened after his last known contact.

Another case summary, based on information attributed to Doe Network and NamUs, reports that Coursen had a diagnosed mental illness requiring medication and that he did not have that medication with him. This circumstance could have increased concerns for his welfare after he disappeared.

No Vehicle and Limited Social Contact

Coursen reportedly did not own a vehicle, making the question of how he may have left the immediate Casper area especially important. Public sources do not identify a confirmed vehicle that transported him, a confirmed destination, or a person known to have accompanied him after his last contact.

His limited contact with family and relatively small social circle may also have complicated efforts to establish a detailed timeline of his final movements. Publicly available accounts do not identify a confirmed sighting after October 22, 2013.

Where the William Coursen Investigation Stands

Coursen remains publicly listed as missing. Current case listings continue to identify Casper as the location from which he disappeared and October 22, 2013, as his date of last contact. CaseTrace currently lists his NamUs case as 76858, while other databases display the identifier as MP76858.

A significant later development in the public documentation of the case occurred in August 2024, when the Doe Network added William Howard Coursen to its database as case 6331DMWY. The organization’s 2024 update archive specifically records Coursen as a Wyoming man missing since 2013.

More recent compiled Wyoming missing-person material continues to list Coursen as missing and repeats the circumstances surrounding his disappearance, including the uncollected paycheck, absence of a vehicle, limited family contact, undisturbed residence and concern regarding his medication.

As of the latest publicly accessible information reviewed through August 26, 2026, no publicly documented recovery, arrest, confirmed sighting, identification of remains, named suspect or resolution was located. There is also no reliable public information establishing that Coursen was the victim of a homicide. His disappearance should therefore be described as an unresolved missing-person case rather than a confirmed homicide.

Why the Case Remains Difficult

More than twelve years have passed since William Coursen disappeared. The publicly known evidence is remarkably limited: an uncollected paycheck, an apartment that appeared undisturbed, no vehicle, limited contact with family and friends, and no publicly confirmed trail showing where he went after October 22, 2013.

There is no publicly documented evidence establishing whether Coursen left voluntarily, experienced a medical or psychiatric emergency, suffered an accident, encountered another person, or became the victim of a crime. Those possibilities should not be presented as established facts without additional evidence.

What is established is that William Howard Coursen disappeared from Casper in 2013 and has not been publicly accounted for since.

Main Points of the Disappearance

No publicly confirmed explanation for his disappearance has been released.

William Howard Coursen was 55 years old when he disappeared.

He was last known to be in Casper, Wyoming, on October 22, 2013.

He reportedly had no vehicle, few friends and limited contact with his family.

He never collected his final paycheck.

His apartment was checked and reportedly appeared undisturbed, with no apparent evidence of a struggle.

A later case compilation reports that he required medication that he did not have with him.

His NamUs identifier is MP76858 / 76858.

The Doe Network added his case in August 2024 as 6331DMWY.

Current public case databases continue to list him as missing.