A Meeker woman is home safe thanks to the efforts of law enforcement after a terrifying ordeal that started in Rio Blanco County. According to the Rio Blanco County Sheriff’s Office, Amanda Edinger was contacted by suspect Joseph Beecher of Craig, Colorado at the Bloomberg Ranch where Edinger works as a member of the staff, in the morning hours of Wednesday, February 2nd. It’s alleged that after kidnapping her at gunpoint, Beecher forced Edinger to leave the property in her vehicle just before noon. The Rio Blanco Sheriff’s Office was called to the area initially on a vehicle crash, but that transitioned to a trespass, then a kidnapping as information was gathered by sheriff deputies in a short time. The Rio Blanco County Sheriff’s Office worked with local, state and federal authorities for assistance on this comprehensive investigation as it developed. Additionally, a statewide Endangered Missing Alert for Edinger was issued during the course of the investigation. It was learned Beecher allegedly took Edinger to the Denver metro area for several stops, then onto Wyoming later in the evening. Investigative work by local, state and federal authorities determined Beecher had Edinger in the Stagecoach Motel in Cheyenne. Members of the Cheyenne Police Department’s SWAT Team arrested Beecher without incident at the hotel. Edinger has since been reunited with her family. Beecher was taken to the Laramie County jail in Wyoming, and faces multiple charges including kidnapping, felony menacing and others, along with charges out of Wyoming. Beecher is being held without bail.
