WY WY - Paul Robert Hibbard, 25, Gillette, 28 May 1976

[TheArtfulDetective]

Paul Robert Hibbard​

Case Classification: Endangered Missing / Suspected Homicide
Missing Since: May 28, 1976
Location Last Seen: Gillette, Campbell County, Wyoming

Description:​

• Date of Birth: circa 1951
• Age: 25
• Race: White/Caucasian
• Gender: Male
• Height: 5' 10" (70 Inches)
• Weight: 160 lbs
• Hair Color: Black
• Eye Color: Brown
• Nickname/Alias: Nickname: Max
• Distinguishing Marks/Features: Appendectomy scar on abdomen.
• Clothing & Personal Items: Unknown
• Identifiers: Dental x-rays available.

Circumstances of Disappearance:
Hibbard was last seen in Gillette, Wyoming on May 28, 1976. He was a geologist from Mead, Colorado and worked for Berge Exploration, a company in Adams County, Colorado. He had worked there for two years and was considered a reliable employee.

A week before he was last seen, Hibbard had received a telephone call from someone claiming they worked for Berge Exploration, and that they needed him to bring his specialized van to a location in the Gillette, Wyoming area. The 1976 Chevrolet van was used to "log" or locate deposits of uranium, coal, oil shale and other minerals. Hibbard believed the call was a hoax, and his boss confirmed that no one from the company in the Gillette area needed the van.

On May 28, Hibbard was on a routine geological exploration trip in the Gillette area driving the van which contained $30,000 in radioactive material. He has never been heard from again.

In July, police located almost $10,000 worth of Hibbard's geological equipment in the possession of an Upton, Wyoming resident, Joseph O. Dowdy, when he was caught trying to sell the equipment. He was questioned in Hibbard's disappearance, but didn't provide any firm leads as to his whereabouts. Dowdy was eventually arrested and charged with grand larceny.

On August 20, authorities located Hibbard's work van three miles north of Upton after receiving an anonymous tip. It was parked in a timbered area near several water pits and contained around $20,000 of Hibbard's equipment. It appeared to have been parked there for some time. Blood was found soaked into the seat and floor mats inside the vehicle but Hibbard was nowhere to be found.

Foul play is suspected in his case and his whereabouts remain unknown.

Investigators:

• Campbell County Sheriff's Office: (307) 682-7271
  Reference Case#: 76-F-10

• Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation: (307) 777-7181
  Reference Case#: N/A

NamUs Case Number: MP14835
NCIC Case Number: N/A

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
4737DMWY - Paul Robert Hibbard
Paul R. Hibbard – The Charley Project

 

[ohthatkatgirl]

Paul Robert Hibbard​

View attachment 346914View attachment 346915

Case Classification: Endangered Missing / Suspected Homicide
Missing Since: May 28, 1976
Location Last Seen: Gillette, Campbell County, Wyoming

Description:​

• Date of Birth: circa 1951
• Age: 25
• Race: White/Caucasian
• Gender: Male
• Height: 5' 10" (70 Inches)
• Weight: 160 lbs
• Hair Color: Black
• Eye Color: Brown
• Nickname/Alias: Nickname: Max
• Distinguishing Marks/Features: Appendectomy scar on abdomen.
• Clothing & Personal Items: Unknown
• Identifiers: Dental x-rays available.

Circumstances of Disappearance:
Hibbard was last seen in Gillette, Wyoming on May 28, 1976. He was a geologist from Mead, Colorado and worked for Berge Exploration, a company in Adams County, Colorado. He had worked there for two years and was considered a reliable employee.

A week before he was last seen, Hibbard had received a telephone call from someone claiming they worked for Berge Exploration, and that they needed him to bring his specialized van to a location in the Gillette, Wyoming area. The 1976 Chevrolet van was used to "log" or locate deposits of uranium, coal, oil shale and other minerals. Hibbard believed the call was a hoax, and his boss confirmed that no one from the company in the Gillette area needed the van.

On May 28, Hibbard was on a routine geological exploration trip in the Gillette area driving the van which contained $30,000 in radioactive material. He has never been heard from again.

In July, police located almost $10,000 worth of Hibbard's geological equipment in the possession of an Upton, Wyoming resident, Joseph O. Dowdy, when he was caught trying to sell the equipment. He was questioned in Hibbard's disappearance, but didn't provide any firm leads as to his whereabouts. Dowdy was eventually arrested and charged with grand larceny.

On August 20, authorities located Hibbard's work van three miles north of Upton after receiving an anonymous tip. It was parked in a timbered area near several water pits and contained around $20,000 of Hibbard's equipment. It appeared to have been parked there for some time. Blood was found soaked into the seat and floor mats inside the vehicle but Hibbard was nowhere to be found.

Foul play is suspected in his case and his whereabouts remain unknown.

Investigators:

• Campbell County Sheriff's Office: (307) 682-7271
  Reference Case#: 76-F-10
• Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation: (307) 777-7181
  Reference Case#: N/A

NamUs Case Number: MP14835
NCIC Case Number: N/A

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
4737DMWY - Paul Robert Hibbard
Paul R. Hibbard – The Charl

Missing man’s truck found - Casper Star Tribune - August 22, 1976

Blood confirmed in vehicle - Casper Star Tribune - January 29, 1977
Dowdy draws prison term - Casper Star Tribune - March 23, 1977

 

[ohthatkatgirl]

Truck driver, radioactive material reported missing - Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph - June 17, 1976

Mead man missing; kidnap suspected - Fort Collins Coloradoan - June 17, 1976

Mead geologist still missing after a year - Greeley Daily Tribune - May 27, 1977

Coloradan’s disappearance a mystery - Fort Collins Coloradoan - May 27, 1977

 

[Deulino]

Bump.

This entire case is weird in my opinion and has some things that could lead to many completely different speculations.

We have Paul, a well educated son of a Ford executive, most definitely from a wealthy family.
We have the expensive truck that is found with most of its stuff in tact.
We have the faux call connected with Gillette. This entire thing is bizarre to be honest.

1. Paul's company employed multiple people.
2. Paul's boss knew that there was a faux call trying to lure Paul to Gillette. A week later Paul operated in this area. Im honestly surprised that he came back to that area in spite of that phony call. Was the company often employed in that area?

Also, we have the police first suspect that there was a kidnapping. After this, the federal police said that they didn't see evidence of such crime. Later, the police speculated that there was a murder. Paul's boss said that he was either kidnapped or took the truck and ran. Speaking of the truck - there was quite a lot of blood inside, unconfirmed to be Paul's.

I wonder if the LE looked into people connected with Paul's company (current and ex employees) and the motive of kidnapping for Paul's father's money.

 

[Pennysmom1]

Paul R. Hibbard – The Charley Project

charleyproject.org

• 

Hibbard, circa 1976

• Missing Since 05/28/1976
• Missing From Gillette, Wyoming
• Classification Endangered Missing
• Sex Male
• Race White
• Age 25 years old
• Height and Weight 5'10, 160 pounds
• Associated Vehicle(s) Specialized geological truck (accounted for)
• Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Black hair, brown eyes. Hibbard has a scar on his abdomen. He may use the nickname Max.

Details of Disappearance​

Hibbard was last seen on May 28, 1976. He was a geologist from Mead, Colorado and worked for Berge Exploration, a company in Adams County, Colorado. He had worked there for two years and was considered a reliable employee.

A week before his disappearance, Hibbard had gotten a telephone call from someone who said they also worked for Berge Exploration, and that they needed him to bring his specialized van to a location in the Gillette, Wyoming area. The van was used to "log" or locate deposits of uranium, coal, oil shale and other minerals. Hibbard believed the call was a hoax and asked his boss about it, and his boss confirmed that no one in the company in the Gillette area needed the van.

On the day he disappeared, he was apparently performing a routine geological exploration trip in Gillette. His geological truck, which contained $30,000 in radioactive material, disappeared with him.

Hibbard's boss believed he might have been kidnapped and forced to work as a "logging operative" for an illegal geological exploration company; he stated Hibbard's specialized knowledge and sophisticated equipment would have been valuable to such a group. The radioactive element in the truck could have been dangerous to an inexperienced person, but it was safe as long as it remained inside its lead shield.

In July, police located almost $10,000 worth of Hibbard's geological equipment in the possession of an Upton, Wyoming resident, Joseph O. Dowdy. He was caught after he tried to sell the equipment to his employer, a company that logged and drilled for oil, gas and water wells. The equipment had been carried in Hibbard's truck, which was still missing at that point.

Dowdy was arrested and charged with grand larceny. He was questioned in Hibbard's disappearance, but didn't provide any firm leads as to his whereabouts. In January 1977, he pleaded guilty to grand larceny and was sentenced to one to three years in prison.

In August 1976, while Dowdy's larceny case was still pending, Hibbard's truck was found abandoned three miles northwest of Upton, Wyoming. An anonymous man called police with its location.

The truck was parked in a timbered area near a number of water pits. There was a great deal of human blood inside the cab; it was on the door, on the floormats and soaked into the seat. DNA testing wasn't available in 1976. The FBI typed the blood, but Hibbard's blood type is unknown.

Foul play is suspected in Hibbard's case, but it remains unsolved. He was engaged to be married at the time of his disappearance.