Missing Wyoming woman's car found abandoned 1,100 miles away, but no clue about her

The mysterious disappearance of a Wheatland woman left her family and friends wondering for months whether she had left town on her own accord, whether her life was in danger or something worse than they wanted not consider.

Hyo Jin Min, now 44, was reported missing by her ex-husband, Edward Min, on October 14, 2023.

He became concerned when Hyo Jin failed to pick up their son, in his care, for a prearranged visit. He texted her with no response and, two days later, asked the Wheatland Police Department to do a wellness check when she remained unresponsive.

The police were unable to find her and she was officially reported missing.

Hyo Jin's trail from Wyoming led to Glendale, California, in Los Angeles County, where the license plate of his white 2003 Oldsmobile Alero was recorded on camera three times in the parking lot of a mall in late March and early April, according to the Wheatland police chief. Doug Willadsen.

Before that, the license plate was filmed in Las Vegas on October 14, the same day her ex-husband reported her missing, and again in another Glendale commercial district where her phone last rang on November 20. The phone is no longer in service.

Willadsen, however, cannot confirm that it was Hyo Jin who was driving the vehicle, as the cameras only captured the license plate and the vehicle, not the car's passengers.

Glendale police checked the car on May 2 and told Willadsen it appeared to have been abandoned. The detective told Willadsen he would continue to check the car, but as of Friday, Willadsen had not received an update and did not know if the vehicle was still there.

Likewise, Glendale police did not respond to Cowboy State Daily's request for an update.

On the run or endangered?

The question for Willadsen and others is whether Hyo Jin chose to leave alone or whether she is in danger, which Willadsen acknowledged is a fine line.

“I don’t want to harass this woman if she’s just trying to run away and go unnoticed,” he said. “But the fact that she hasn’t been in contact with her son seems to be a red flag.”

Edward Min agreed during an interview with Cowboy State Daily earlier this year.

“She’s a loving mother,” he said. “She would call him and stay in touch with her son.”

That fact, in addition to the abandoned car, is concerning, said Willadsen, who just wants to make sure she is safe.

Hyo Jin's last known address is in Wheatland, according to a TruthFinder background check.

Mysterious disappearance

Before apparently leaving Wyoming, Hyo Jin appeared to be having difficulty, Edward Min said. Her son told her that she had just been deported and lost her job.

Hyo Jin, originally from South Korea, moved to Wheatland about ten years ago to marry Edward. The couple were introduced by friends but divorced after two years. Hyo Jin wasn't happy in Wheatland, Edward said, but she stayed in town to be near her son and worked primarily as a housekeeper at the Motel 8.

She didn't speak English well, Edward noted, which further alienated her from the community. As a result, she was left largely alone.

Cowboy State Daily spoke to a friend who asked to remain anonymous and said Hyo Jin appeared to suffer from paranoia and other mental instabilities, but was devoted to her son, whom she would never have left behind her in her mind.

After losing her housing, Hyo Jin had received help from a local church that also gave her money to go to Colorado, Edward said police told her. The church did not respond to Cowboy State Daily's phone call or emails.

Still no contact

It is also possible that Hyo Jin traveled to California to visit the South Korean embassy to renew her passport, which she at one point indicated to her son she was considering doing, or that she even returned home to South Korea, Edward said.

This possibility is, however, unlikely.

As far as he knows, Hyo Jin has had no contact with his parents or family and he doesn't know how to contact them.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security also has no record of him using his passport to enter and exit the country, Willadsen said.

Min said he was worried because she hadn't contacted their son, but he also couldn't say if she intentionally disappeared.

Hyo Jin Min is one of 91 people reported missing statewide since 1974, according to the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation. database.

Hyo Jin has brown hair and eyes and is approximately 5 feet 2 inches tall and weighs approximately 170 pounds.

Anyone with information about her disappearance is asked to contact the Wheatland Police Department at 307-322-2141 or DCI at 307-777-7181. People can also submit an anonymous tip on the DCI website. People in California with information can contact the Glendale Police Department at 818-550-4400.

Contact Jen Kocher at [email protected]

Jen Kocher can be reached at [email protected].