A 28-year-old Wyoming mother is facing serious felony charges after investigators say she attempted to arrange the killing of her estranged husband, driven by fears of losing custody of her children.
According to court filings, Molly Hamby has been charged with solicitation of first-degree murder and solicitation of forgery in what authorities describe as a developing Wyoming murder-for-hire case. The allegations surfaced after her husband reviewed her phone messages as part of an agreement tied to their living arrangement.
The couple had been separated, but Hamby had recently returned to the family home under conditions that included allowing her husband access to her communications. It was during that review that he discovered alarming messages sent to a friend just one day earlier.
In those texts, Hamby allegedly proposed a “job” — asking the friend to make her husband “disappear.” The exchange reportedly began Friday morning and continued into the afternoon, including a brief in-person meeting.
One message read: “And we need to get this done today if possible he has threaten to take kids away from me a few times,” followed by, “he cant have my kids.”
Disturbed by the content, the husband contacted Wheatland Police Chief Bradley Otte, who reviewed the messages and launched an investigation. Authorities later interviewed the individual Hamby had contacted — identified as a private investigator.
Initially, the man claimed Hamby had only sought personal protection services. However, investigators say he later acknowledged that she had asked him to “make someone disappear,” a phrase authorities interpreted as a request for murder.
Hamby was brought in for questioning days later. During the interview, she first described the interaction as a request for “help and protection.” But when confronted with the full message thread, investigators say she admitted the conversation was about killing her husband.
According to the affidavit, Hamby told authorities she had been “extremely mad” and fearful that her husband would take their three children if divorce proceedings moved forward. She also stated that he had made comments about seeking custody.
Following her arrest, Hamby was formally bound over to felony court. As of now, the friend she contacted has not been charged, and law enforcement officials have not indicated whether additional charges could be filed as the investigation continues.
