Missing Laurel Man’s Vehicle Discovered Abandoned in Wyoming

Laurel resident John Richard Borninkhof has been missing since July 12th, 2023. According to details shared by the Laurel Police Department, John was last seen leaving a residence in Laurel after an argument with his spouse.

He may be suicidal and reportedly gave away some of his belongings to his son before he disappeared. Borninkhof, age 54, has COPD, high blood pressure, and heart disease and did not take his medication with him.

A break in the case happened this week.

The Park County (Wyoming) Sheriff's Office shared a post on their Facebook account today (7/18) that Borninkhof's vehicle was discovered on Saturday morning (7/15) near Newton Lakes on the outskirts of Cody, WY. His keys and valuables were left inside the vehicle.

An extensive two-day search of the area was unsuccessful.

Authorities in Wyoming conducted an extensive search of the area involving multiple agencies. Park County Search and Rescue, Big Horn County Search and Rescue, Guardian Flight, Bureau of Rec, BLM, Park County CERT, Game and Fish, Western Montana Search Dogs, Absaroka Search Dogs, and Northwest K9 Search and Recovery.

Fifty-seven volunteers joined the search, including Park County Pedalers, multiple horseback riders, and the Shoshone Trails Coalition using off-road motorcycles. Drone teams flew over the search area multiple times during the exhaustive search. Unfortunately, Borninkhof has not been found.

If you have any info, contact the Laurel Police Department at 406-628-8737.

Missing person cases are so heartbreaking. Our thoughts are with his family and friends. The Montana Missing Persons Database currently lists 92 people who have been missing for less than a year and 102 that have been missing for more than one year.