Nikki Gallegos ticks off the days since 39-year-old Chris Mauk went missing. A hand-drawn calendar in neon pink and green marks all the crucial dates that continue to haunt her: July 2, the last day she saw or heard from Mauk. Aug. 5, the date Laramie police searched the trailer the couple shared together with cadaver dogs.
In between, other dates mark places the 41-year-old Laramie woman has searched on her own and notes from everyone she’s talked to about where Mauk might have gone. So far, there’s been no clues, other than a couple fleeting tips such as a person who claimed to see Mauk at a car show in Laramie and another person who claimed to see him in Cheyenne.
None of these have panned out.
The only thing she knows for sure is that Mauk walked out of their trailer on July 2 and hasn’t been seen or heard from since.
“I just don’t see how he could have gotten far without anyone seeing him,” Gallegos said.
Mauk, who is missing his left leg from a fireworks injury six years ago, does not have a prosthetic leg, Gallegos said, and walks on crutches that often leave his hands blistered if he’s on them for too long.
That in itself would limit his ability to get too far, she noted.
A conversation with Mauk prior to his leaving makes Gallegos suspect that drugs may be involved. He was really struggling with the loss of his leg, she said, and thought that people were making fun of him. His injury prevented him from working and he had been fighting to get disability since the accident happened, she said.
Before he left, he told her he had something to tell her that he didn’t want to conceal from her any longer, Gallegos said. It had been late, and he said they would talk as soon as he got out of the shower. Gallegos had fallen asleep in the interim while waiting for him and when she woke, he was gone. He’d written “I love you, beautiful” in lipstick on the mirror and left a new bracelet for her on the table.
The two had dated off and on in the past but had known each other since they were kids.
“We were each other’s first kiss at age nine and 10,” she said. “I’ve loved him my whole life, and it’s all I can think about.”
When Mauk disappeared, he took his cell phone, but left behind all of his possessions including his wallet, prescribed medications as well as his eyeglasses.
Laramie Police did not return multiple requests for an update or any information about the case.
Mauk was wearing an orange Bronco jersey with “Siemian” written across the back along with a red hoodie and one ankle sock and black tennis shoe with white stripes. He is described as a white male, approximately 6-foot, 2-inches tall and 140 pounds with blue eyes and red hair. He is known to wear glasses but did not take them with him. He has scars on his abdomen and near his left and right eyes. He also has tattoos on his hand, left shoulder, right calf and shoulder and both upper arms.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Laramie Police Department (307) 721-2526 or the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation at (307) 777-7181.
