One Small Cemetery

One Small Cemetery, Book One: Kellie’s Story in the first book of a true crime series, immersing the reader in the investigation of the brutal homicide of 15 year old Kellie Wyckhuyse. She was scheduled to testify against a local reputed drug dealer when she disappeared and lay mutilated in a shallow grave for over a year until a young deputy and his mentor were led to a desolate hillside in rural Uinta County, Wyoming. Even though a renowned defense attorney who had been appointed special prosecutor suspected him of collaborating with a murderer, the young sheriff’s deputy devoted over 20 years to solving a series of inexorably intertwined homicides and bring peace to the spirits of the dead; or perhaps more importantly, to bring a measure of peace to himself. To this day the author, Steve Rubcic, is in many ways haunted by events that occurred over his quarter century career in Wyoming law enforcement. Transformed over the years from a rookie officer in 1974 into a seasoned investigator and beyond, Steve spent the majority of his career embroiled in the investigation into the deaths of five innocent victims.

The journey begins with One Small Cemetery, Book One: Kellie’s Story. Shortly after the author, Steve Rubcic, became a police officer in 1974, the tiny close knit ranching communities of Uinta County, Wyoming were shocked by four homicides in less than 45 days. Three victims were local and the fourth was a Utah Highway Patrolman who was murdered a scant 15 miles from the state line. The populace soon began to wonder if their small county harbored four separate murderers or perhaps a serial killer. At the time, no one would have believed that spawned not from outsiders but from this fiercely resilient, self-reliant, pioneer progeny, even more cold-blooded killers would soon surface; the likes of which modern day Wyoming had never seen. Violence struck the county once again, when between 1976 and 1979 seven more victims lost their lives. Were they related to the recent resurgence of satanic cult activities, the mysterious cattle mutilations that had plagued the county over the past few years or senseless acts of random violence? Among the victims was 15 year old Kellie Wyckhuyse whose sexually mutilated body was found several months later in the badlands of southwest Wyoming. Next, prominent Evanston attorney, his wife and son were murdered in their beds when a 36 stick dynamite bomb was dropped through a basement window. Finally, a prospective Grand Jury witness, with a darker side, was kidnapped; systematically tortured to illicit information and his lifeless body dumped on the cold ground overlooking the lights of Bridger Valley. As Steve neared the end of his career, with the spirits of the dead continuing to haunt him, it was of little consolation that so few had been punished. As told through his eyes, One Small Cemetery chronicles the events surrounding the series of brutal homicides and the resulting indelible imprint that remains in the minds and hearts of so many innocent individuals in the rural ranching communities of southwest Wyoming. The obsession to resolve the case still burns bright in Steve Rubcic’s mind as the now retired investigator continues to make frequent visits to the cemetery. He still feels as though he has failed to speak for those who can no longer speak for themselves and may have caused the death of one.

While this is his first book, Steve Rubcic brings over 25 years of criminal investigative experience to the table. Steve started his career as the Chief of Police for the small town of Lyman, Wyoming. His career continued with positions as a deputy sheriff and investigations supervisor for the Uinta County Sheriff’s Office and as a special agent for the Wyoming Attorney General’s Office, Division of Criminal Investigation. At the request of the sheriff, he ultimately returned to the Sheriff’s Office to lead a cold case homicide task force that continued the investigations into several unsolved homicides. After retiring from the sheriff’s office, Steve couldn’t shake his passion for seeking justice and eventually ventured to Afghanistan where, for five years, he trained and mentored the Afghan National Police. Through the series, One Small Cemetery, he presents a seldom seen perspective by telling the story as he lived it. Steve witnessed the victimization of so many innocent people; families, friends and officers alike. He was there for the long hours, sleepless nights, and even the nightmares; playing a part in the events from start to finish.