Left: Reagan circa, 1980
Right: Age Progressed to age 41
Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
Missing Since: September 12, 1980
Missing From: Lander, Fremont County, Wyoming
Classification: Non-Family Abduction
Date Of Birth: May 25, 1970
Age: 10 years old
Height and Weight: 5’2″ and 100 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian Male, Brown hair, Brown eyes, Reagan has a gap between his two upper front teeth, Reagan has a small scar on his right eyelid and a surgical scar on his abdomen which resulted from a hernia operation
NCMEC Number: 601928
Details of Disappearance
Reagan Uden was last seen in Lander, Wyoming on September 12th 1980 with his brother, Richard Uden, and his mother, Virginia Uden. They were last seen as they left Virginia’s mother’s home in Riverton, Wyoming at approximately 1:30 pm. They were driving the family’s station wagon to go meet her ex husband, Gerald Uden.
Gerald was to take the boys bird hunting and the boys had a rifle in the car with them. The trio never arrived to the destination and have never been seen or heard from since. The car they were traveling in, a 1973 Ford station wagon was found abandoned and vandalized on October 4th 1980. Virginia had borrowed it from her mother.
The car was apparently found 75 feet below the top of the Trout Creek Canyon in the Wind River Canyon region of Fremont Canyon. It appeared as though someone had tried to push the car into the canyon but it got snagged on the rocks. The person then tried to conceal the car with pine branches. Authorities also found large amounts of Virginia’s blood on the cars interior. Some agencies say that the blood was that of the Uden brothers but it was Virginia’s.
In 2013, Gerald was charged with killing his ex wife and two sons. He and Virginia has been separated for some time prior to their disappearances. Gerald was not Richard and Reagan’s biological father but he did legally adopt them prior to their disappearances. He pleaded guilty to the charges in October of 2013.
Gerald confessed that he shot Virginia and the boys with a .22 caliber rifle they were going to use for hunting. He apparently shot them while they got out of the car at a Canal near Pavillion in Fremont County, Wyoming. He also confessed that he had planned the murders.
Gerald said that he out the bodies in large drums/barrels and initially hid them in a mine but then dumped them in Fremont lake which is approximately 450 to 600 feet deep. Authorities searched the lake to attempt to find their remains but couldn’t. They continue to search in goods that they’ll find them.
Since Gerald took a plea for guilt, he was sentenced to life imprisonment for the killings. He apparently had no remorse for what he had done to them. In addition to Gerald’s arrest, authorities also arrested his current wife, Alice Louise Uden, and charged her with the murder of her husband, Ronald Lee Holtz, who vanished at some point between 1974 and 1976.
Holtz’s remains were located in an abandoned gold mine in August of 2013. He was killed by a gunshot to the head. Alice had been a suspect in his disappearance for a long time. She stated that she killed Holtz to protect her 2 year old daughter but investigators believe she planned his murder and simply shot him as he slept. She plead guilty to 2nd degree murder and was sentenced to life imprisonment. She died on June 12th 2019 while she served her sentence.
Reagan, Richard, and Virginia remains missing and foul play is suspected in the cases. Reagan and Richard continue to be listed as abductions.
Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Fremont County Sheriffs Office 307-332-5611
Source Information
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children