Fury over ‘disrespectful’ act at bridge haunted by one of state’s most notorious crimes

A Wyoming town is in turmoil over a “disrespectful” act at a bridge, reportedly linked to one of the state’s most notorious crimes.

An Idaho company called Over the Edge Inc. recently caused outrage by organizing jumps from the Fremont Canyon Bridge near Casper, Cowboy State Daily reported.

This is the site of a horrific murder over fifty years ago that devastated the local community and continues to haunt the area to this day.

In 1973, two sisters, Amy and Becky Burridge, were abducted and taken to the bridge. Amy, only 11, was pushed off and drowned in the river below. Her 18-year-old sister Becky was brutally raped before she too was pushed off.

Becky miraculously survived the fall, but twenty years later she returned to the scene of the accident and fell or jumped from the same bridge.

Many local residents are outraged that a company would be so insensitive as to organize recreational activities in a place with such a tragic history.

However, others supported the company and felt it was time to put the past behind it.

But for many people in the region, the past is too terrible to forget.

The sisters were on their way to a grocery store in Casper on September 24, 1973, when Becky’s car tire went flat.

Two men, Ronald Kennedy, 27, and Jerry Jenkins, 29, offered them a ride home, but instead drove the girls 40 miles (64 kilometers) southwest to the Fremont Canyon Bridge, which towers 111 feet (34 meters) above the North Platte River.

Amy reportedly yelled, “I love you Becky,” as the men pushed her off the center of the bridge, Cowboy State Daily reported. She died on impact.

Becky suffered multiple hip fractures when she fell, but managed to crawl out of the water and over the rocks to the river bank. She was found half naked the next day by an elderly couple.

Ronald Kennedy, 27, and Jerry Jenkins, 29, were sentenced to death for the crime. This was overturned on appeal and they were resentenced to life in prison.

Becky later married and had a child, but after her divorce, she returned to the bridge in 1992 at the age of 37 and plunged to her death in front of her boyfriend and two-year-old daughter. LA Times reported.

The harrowing story left many residents shocked at OverTheEdge.Inc.’s insensitivity surrounding their latest marketing campaign.

The company posted photos of adrenaline junkies jumping off the Fremont Bridge on Monday, with the caption: “Don’t miss your chance to throw your meat off this awesome bridge near Casper, Wyoming.

“It’s hard to beat the thrill of bungee jumping. From complete silence to open air, the acceleration of gravity amplifies… Don’t miss this life-changing experience. $100 for two jumps.”

True-crime author Ron Franscell, who chronicled the murder case in his book The Darkest Night, lived next door to Amy and Becky in Casper and remembers the tragedy’s aftermath all too well.

“We went to bed on the night of September 23, 1973, in one place (mentally),” he told Cowboy State Daily. “You could play outside until the streetlights came on. We woke up the next morning in a completely different place. I would argue that we never — Casper never — went back to that idyllic little town.”

Franscell described seeing the photos of people bungee jumping from the bridge as “heartbreaking,” but added that the company was likely unaware of the bridge’s history.

“And that’s an easy assumption to make, because it’s been 50 years,” he said, adding, however, that it was only 32 years ago that Becky made her second fatal jump.

“It’s one of those haunting places that should remind us how bad and how good we can be,” he said.

Rose Fry, a longtime Casper resident, was strongly opposed to bungee jumping at the Fremont Canyon Bridge.

She recalled the difficult times the community went through after the tragic events of 1973.

“It’s always going to be a sad place, I think,” she told Cowboy State Daily. “Maybe when — you know — I’m dead and gone, and everybody else who remembers it is, maybe then.”

However, Eric Lyman, the owner of Over The Edge Bungee, defended the company’s decision to host jumps from the Fremont Canyon Bridge.

He argued that the bridge is a public space that should be accessible for recreational activities, such as driving across it or picnicking in the area.

“It’s important (as a site), but it has nothing to do with me,” he said. “The history of it matters. I’m very touched by the history. We even thought about doing a jump as a tribute to those two ladies.”

Lyman pointed out that rock climbers frequent the area and asked if they should also be banned for being disrespectful.

He stressed that the company had discussed the bridge’s history during their visit, but that it was unwise to restrict its use for recreational purposes 50 years later.

“We didn’t kill anyone,” Lyman added.

Despite the controversy, many people have responded to the post and indicated interest in participating in the jumps.

Some Casper residents are also calling on people to leave the past behind and embrace the bridge as a recreational area.

“Most of Casper has been a crime scene at one point or another,” Casper resident Lisa Romfo told Cowboy State Daily. “We can’t let that get in the way of the future.”

Romfo added that after fifty years ‘it is time to use the bridge again.’

Cassie Witt, another woman who wanted to participate in bungee jumping, expressed her support for the company’s decision.

She felt the choice of location was not disrespectful and hoped the company would return for future events, provided they met local regulations.