A Wyoming mother of two who shared a mysterious message online shortly before disappearing has been found dead. Her vehicle crashed through a guardrail on Casper Mountain Road and came to rest down a hillside.
Kandice Gunter, 30, was expected to collect her nine- and six-year-old children from an after-school program in Casper on October 29.
When she failed to arrive, her worried family contacted police and reported her missing.
Authorities located her car on Sunday morning. First responders were called to the area at about 9:20 a.m.
Emergency crews found Gunter inside the vehicle, which had gone down the hillside. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Her sudden disappearance had alarmed relatives. Kandice’s sister, Kayla Gunter, told authorities that she had spoken with Kandice at 10:41 a.m. the day before she was reported missing.
Kayla also pointed investigators to a Facebook message Kandice had posted several days earlier: “Success for me happens in silence.”
The sisters usually spoke about three times a day, but those calls stopped after Wednesday. Kayla said Kandice had not indicated that she was struggling or that anything was wrong.
Kandice Gunter, 30, was reported missing on October 29 after she failed to pick her children up from an after-school care facility (Photo courtesy: Casper Police Department)
Kandice had shared a cryptic message on Facebook several days before she disappeared
A few hours after Kandice failed to collect the children, her family filed a missing-person report with the Casper Police Department. Kayla said it was highly unusual for her sister not to show up.
“That’s why I started freaking out,” Kayla told the Cowboy State Daily. “It’s totally out of character for her not to show up to get her kids,” she added.
Gunter had moved from Nevada to Casper roughly one month earlier so she could remain near her children.
SEE ALSO: Iranian ‘Ghost Fleet’ Filmed Evading U.S. Blockade En Route to China, UANI Says
Although she had not yet built a large circle of friends in Wyoming, Kayla said the move appeared to be going well for her sister.
Her former husband was also living at the home and helping care for the children, according to the outlet.
Kayla said their final conversation gave no indication that Kandice planned to leave or sever contact with her family.
The Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigations said Gunter’s last known location was in Natrona County.
Police later traced her phone to Gillette on Friday, about 126 miles from Casper.
Her sister, Kayla Gunter, said she had spoken with Kandice the day before the incident and that nothing in their conversation suggested Kandice planned to take such a step (Photo courtesy: TK Kentopp)
Kandice’s last known location was in Natrona County. The Casper Police Department said her phone was later located in Gillette on Friday (Photo courtesy: TK Kentopp)
Kandice is still missing, her sister said.
She posted a message saying: ‘Lord, please just give me a sign my sister is alive. Please.’
Kandice was driving a gray 2016 GMC Canyon with Wyoming temporary plates, Casper Police Department said.
The officials described her as a white female who is 5 feet 7 inches tall.
She has black hair, blue eyes and multiple tattoos on her body including a butterfly tattoo on her neck.
Casper Police Department has urged anyone with information about Kandice’s whereabouts to contact the police.