Kaysey Yoder: Disappearance, Tipton Arrest, and Case Status

Kaysey Yoder is a Colorado mother of four who has been missing since the afternoon of January 14, 2024, when she walked away on foot from her home in unincorporated Weld County near Eaton. She was 34. Despite a multi-agency investigation led by the Weld County Sheriff’s Office with help from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and the FBI, her whereabouts are still unknown, and no suspect or person of interest has been named.¹

How She Disappeared

At about 4:00 p.m. on January 14, 2024, Yoder left her residence in the 36000 block of Appy Road alone and on foot, carrying a gray, green, and blue Jansport backpack. She was wearing a brown jacket, blue jeans, black knee-high combat-style boots, and black-framed eyeglasses.¹ Her common-law husband, Evan Tipton, later told NewsNation that she said she was walking to a friend’s house, and that she took the keys to both of their vehicles but left on foot anyway.²

Tipton reported her missing the following morning, January 15, at 11:29 a.m.³ A backpack belonging to her was later found in a ditch roughly a mile southwest of the house, along with a change of clothes and her son’s cell phone.⁴

Her Mental Health in the Days Before

The day before she disappeared, Yoder had what her friend Anna Green described as a mental health emergency. Green said Yoder told her she had thought about going to lie in the snow and letting herself “freeze to death.” Yoder had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and had reportedly stopped taking her prescribed medication. Private investigator Eryn Martinez said investigators have had to factor in the possibility that Yoder “wasn’t thinking in the most logical way” when she left.² Green also said that by the afternoon of January 14, Yoder seemed to be doing better.

What the Investigation Has Done

The Weld County Sheriff’s Office launched a two-square-mile search around Yoder’s last known location using drones, K-9 units, and foot teams, with additional visual searches extending along Weld County Road 74 and Highway 14 toward Fort Collins. Seven other agencies were asked to help, and some sent specialized teams.³

Detectives interviewed more than 20 people, including through forensic and polygraph examinations, and ran down about 50 community tips and reported sightings. They also checked hospitals, psychiatric facilities, and jails.³² The sheriff’s office has consulted with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, the FBI, and the 19th Judicial District Attorney’s Office throughout.⁵ In June 2025, the FBI’s Violent Criminal Apprehension Program issued a nationwide ViCAP alert for her. The case is tracked in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System under NamUs number MP118510.⁶

Even so, the Weld County Sheriff’s Office has said no criminal act is suspected in her departure from home. A representative told the Greeley Tribune that the evidence suggests Yoder “walked away.”⁷ No suspect or person of interest has been named.¹

Evan Tipton’s Kansas Arrest

Nine months after Yoder vanished, Tipton was arrested in Kansas. On October 25, 2024, Rawlins County sheriff’s deputies responded just before 5:30 p.m. to a disturbance at Rawlins County Hospital in Atwood involving two men and a woman; the altercation had started elsewhere and involved a firearm, and part of it was captured on hospital security cameras. Deputies also recovered a stolen vehicle from Colorado in connection with the investigation.⁸

Tipton was booked into the Thomas County Jail that evening on requested charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and battery.⁸ He ultimately faced charges including attempted second-degree murder, which were reduced as part of a plea agreement. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to time served and one year of probation.⁹

Weld County authorities have not linked Tipton to Yoder’s disappearance. According to investigators, he passed a polygraph related to the missing persons case.⁹

Her Children and Family

Yoder has four sons. One, Peyton, was born with a severe birth defect and uses a wheelchair; as of early 2026 he was in the care of a guardian. Her second-oldest son was living with his biological father. Her two youngest were in Tipton’s custody in Kansas.⁹

Yoder’s mother, Tammi Ruth, told NewsNation that her relationship with Tipton deteriorated after the disappearance. She said she had initially trusted him but that “things have happened since then, and I don’t know about him anymore.” Ruth said Tipton had cut off contact and that she had not seen her grandchildren in a year and a half. Anna Green has voiced concern about the children’s living situation and frustration over what she described as a lack of collaboration between investigators and the people closest to Yoder.⁹

Where the Case Stands Now

As of January 2026, the Weld County Sheriff’s Office said the investigation is active and that detectives are committed to “exhausting every possible lead.”⁵ In February 2026, deputies told NewsNation they were “very close to being able to release new details about the case,” though no such announcement had been publicly reported as of this writing.⁹

Yoder may use the alias Tamara Jean Ruth. She is described as a white female, 5 feet 9 inches tall, 110 pounds, with hazel eyes and naturally brown hair that was bleached platinum blonde when she disappeared. She has pierced ears and wears black-framed eyeglasses.¹⁰ Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Stupka at (970) 400-2832, the Weld County tip line at (970) 304-6464, or email crimetips@weld.gov.⁵

1
Weld County Sheriff’s Office. Kaysey Yoder – Missing in Weld County
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NewsNation. Kaysey Yoder Missing From Colorado
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Weld County Sheriff’s Office. Update Into the Investigation of Missing Person Kaysey Yoder
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FBI. Kaysey Marie Yoder – ViCAP Missing PersonsKaysey Yoder Update
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Weld County Sheriff’s Office. Kaysey Yoder Investigation Update
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FBI. ViCAP Alert – Kaysey Marie Yoder
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Greeley Tribune. Kaysey Yoder Eaton Missing Two Years
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Hays Post. Rawlins County Hospital Incident
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NewsNation. Kaysey Yoder Update
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FBI. Kaysey Marie Yoder – ViCAP Missing Persons