Cheyenne, Wyoming, became a pivotal stop in Ron Lafferty and Dan Lafferty’s flight after the murders of Brenda Lafferty and Erica Lafferty. The brothers’ arrival there ended with their associates’ arrest and evidence from the journey recovered, while information gathered in Cheyenne helped police locate the fugitives in Reno.

A Stop on the Flight Route

After traveling west on Interstate 80 and then north on U.S. 93 toward Twin Falls, Idaho, Chip Carnes and Ricky Knapp took a circuitous route, mostly along back roads, to Cheyenne. They arrived at Gary Carnes’s home on a Thursday morning. During the drive, they found items connected to the murders in the station wagon, including the knife used to kill Brenda and Erica, a bag containing bloodied clothing, and a suitcase with two straight razors. They threw these items from the car as they traveled.

The Impala and the Police Raid

Four days after Carnes and Knapp arrived, police spotted the Laffertys’ run-down Impala parked outside the house. On July 30, officers raided the home. Ron and Dan were not there; police arrested Carnes and Knapp, who had been traveling with the brothers around the West since early summer.

Leads and Consequences

Faced with the prospect of severe punishment for their involvement, Carnes and Knapp agreed to tell authorities what they knew in return for leniency. Their disclosures enabled police to recover the murder weapon and most of the other evidence discarded during the drive across Nevada, Idaho, and Wyoming. They also told investigators the brothers had discussed going to Reno. On August 7, police arrested Ron and Dan as they stood in line at the Circus Circus casino buffet. Cheyenne thus marked not the fugitives’ capture, but the point where their associates’ cooperation supplied the trail that led to it.