A family is desperately seeking answers and justice in the mysterious disappearance of 33-year-old Katie Ferguson, who went missing in October during her journey from Alabama to Wyoming.
Katie, a loving mother to her two young daughters, is fondly remembered by her family as a kind-hearted person. Her older sister, Nicole Ferguson, expressed concern that Katie may have gone missing earlier than the official report date of November 2. Nicole suspects that the involvement of Katie’s ex-boyfriend, Adam Aviles, Jr., upon her return to Alabama in October might be connected to her disappearance, told KTVQ.
Katie had initially left Cody in May to live with her mother in Alabama, hoping to distance herself from Aviles. However, just three months later, she reached out to Aviles, requesting him to retrieve her and their daughters from Alabama, according to the Cowboy State Daily.
Nicole, sharing her distress, mentioned seeing Aviles in Cody on Halloween but did not engage in conversation. The situation took a darker turn when Katie was last seen in Trumann, Arkansas, around October 5. Concerns escalated when Aviles was pulled over in Texas on October 9, without Katie in the vehicle.
Tragically, the family received devastating news when the vehicle Aviles drove from Alabama to Cody was discovered in the Oregon Basin area near Cody on November 4. A subsequent police search revealed a substantial amount of dried blood inside the vehicle, along with multiple bullet holes in the passenger seat door.
Aviles was arrested on November 8 on charges of possession of a controlled substance, unauthorized use of a vehicle, and a previous warrant. The family anxiously awaits DNA results from the blood found in the vehicle, hoping for clarity in this distressing situation.
Despite the grim outlook, Nicole expressed a desire for Aviles to cooperate with authorities and provide information on what transpired. The family has established the Katie Ferguson Memorial Fund at Big Horn Federal Bank and U.S. Bank to support potential search efforts or memorials in the coming days. Their hope remains for closure and the discovery of Katie’s whereabouts.
According to a GoFundMe page created by Ferguson’s brother, Alen Ferguson, and her mother, Mona Hartling, Katie Ferguson, and Aviles had a tumultuous relationship, and he had “abusive tendencies.” Katie Ferguson left him and moved to Alabama with their daughters, Evie, 1, and Harlow, 4, to live with Hartling and start a new life. But her family says Aviles manipulated her into moving back.