Hitchhiker homicide remains under investigation
Victim identified
by Janet Montgomery

Since finding an unidentified body last week near Bondurant, the Sublette County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) has identified the California man but still don’t know what killed him.

According to a SCSO release, Richard Dean Nystrom, 54, of Uika, Calif., was identified as the homicide victim who was found last Tuesday night, April 3, near the Hoback Rim.

Sublette County Sheriff Bardy Bardin said this week the man was seen hitchhiking along Highway 191 from Hoback Junction at about 6:30 p.m. to around Cliff Creek area at about 9:30 p.m.

“We’ve had a lot of calls from people who have seen ... (the victim) hitchhiking,” he said.

Nystrom was found dead on Rim Road near Bondurant at about 11:35 p.m. on April 3.

Bardin said the location was about two miles inside the canyon and right across from Fisherman’s Creek off Highway 191.

An autopsy conducted on Thursday revealed that Nystrom died from blunt-force trauma to the head and face, according to a release.

“Right now it’s still under investigation,” Bardin said, adding that law enforcement will continue interviewing people who actually saw the man, who was apparently hitchhiking from Teton County toward Sublette County.

“We just keep going forward hoping we can find some leads anywhere,” Bardin said.

The SCSO is asking anyone who may have seen Nystrom hitchhiking south of Hoback Junction, between 6 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. on April 3, to please contact their office at 307-367-4378.

Additional information will be released when it becomes available, according to the release.