Cheyenne Man Pleads Guilty in 2-Year-Old’s Death

A Cheyenne man has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and felony child abuse in the 2021 death of a two-year-old Cheyenne boy whose body was found in a dumpster, prosecutors say.

Wyatt Dean Lamb, 29, entered the pleas Wednesday in Laramie County District Court as part of a plea agreement.

Lamb was originally charged with first-degree murder and 10 counts of child abuse in the death of Athian Rivera, his former girlfriend Kassandra Orona's son.

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Police say they were called to Orona's apartment shortly after 1 p.m. on Feb. 19, 2021, after she reported that Rivera was missing.

The toddler's "still warm" body was found wrapped inside five trash bags -- later found to have Lamb's fingerprints on them -- in a nearby dumpster about two hours later, according to an affidavit.

An autopsy report signed May 6, 2021, concluded that Rivera "died of cerebral edema with herniation due to blunt force trauma or hypoxic brain injury, or a combination of both."

There were also "patterned burn injuries to his groin with features consistent with infliction by the torch found at the scene," according to the report.

Lamb, who had reportedly been living with Orona and her three children since August 2020 in violation of his bond in a February 2020 strangulation case involving Orona, also pleaded no contest in that case.

For more information about this case, check out our earlier posts:

• Bond Set at $1M for Cheyenne Man Charged With Killing 2-Year-Old
• BREAKING: Charges Filed in Cheyenne Toddler's Death
• Developments 'In the Works' in Cheyenne Boy's Death, Police Say
• 2 Months Later, Autopsy Results Still Pending in Cheyenne Toddler's Death
• Laramie County Coroner: 'Nothing Back Yet' in Athian Rivera Case
• Judge Orders Suspect in Cheyenne Boy's Death Be Held Without Bond
• Cheyenne Police Now Recommending Murder Charge in Toddler's Death
• Cheyenne Man Arrested After Girlfriend's Missing Son Found Dead
• Investigation Into Death Of Cheyenne Two-Year-Old Continuing
• UPDATE: Missing 2-Year-Old Cheyenne Boy Found Dead