A few minutes later, she had a social worker call the house. Change). Kniss said the family would like answers. Losing is not an option to men like Mark. While he didnt directly tell her of the disappearance, he did appear shaken and had asked if Christis grandmother had seen her. This is one of those "we basically know who was behind her disappearance, but lack evidence to convict", unfortunately. Christi has been missing for 32 years today. Brown hair, green eyes. There have been a lot of things that have not rung true, and to him, it does not appear like a normal missing person's case. But Joanne Kniss of Omaha hasnt given up hope of learning what happened to her niece in Gothenburg, 25 years agotoday (Tuesday). Christi Joes cousin Debra stated that she personally saw bruises on Christi Jo and that Christi Jo acted like it was normal for Mark to abuse her and that it really wasnt that big of a deal. Its been extremely hard, Kniss said Monday. She went to see an abuse counselor, and Mark was angry when he found out and made her promise not to go again, but she went again anyway. So she decided to drop out. She had told Gary that they were having marital problems; he was surprised that they were there together that night. Did This Husband Really Get Away Murder or Could This Case Still be Solved? On the evening of December 10, 1987, Christi and her husband Mark went out for a night on the town. Nichols was first reported missing by her family on August 6. SPRINGDALE (KFSM) A body found that was found inside a car atNorthwest Medical Center has been identified as missing woman Christy Nichols, according to the Springdale Police Department. Mark claims the last time he saw Christi Jo was 2am December 11, 1987. He claims that some of the rumors have gotten "pretty vicious". Now . CA - Maya Millete, 39, missed daughter's birthday, Chula Vista, 7 Jan 2021 *husband arrested* #5, ID - 4 Univ of Idaho Students Murdered - Bryan Kohberger Arrested - Moscow # 67, IL - Paramedics Peter Cadigan, 50, and Peggy Finley, 40 charged with murder for strapping 35-year old man to gurney face down - 1/11/23, http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2798&u_sid=10206471, http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/2469dfne.html, http://nebraska.statepaper.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2004/08/14/41198a15960f4, http://www.omaha.com/article/20121211/NEWS/712119919/1685, https://lostnfoundblogs.com/f/christi-nichols-marked-for-murder, UPDATE: Christi Jo disappearance, 32 years later, Getting away with murder: Nebraska cold cases. Please contact about missing person cases, press inquiries and speaking engagementsImages subject to fair use allowance. . (LogOut/ An investigation revealed traces of Christi's blood in the couple's house and in the husband's car. Christi Jo Willliams (Nichols) was last seen alive Dec. 10, 1987, when she left her children at home with a babysitter for an evening out with her husband, Mark. All of the officers agreed on the fact that whoever left the belongings at the rest stop wanted them to be found. Trace amounts of Christi's blood were found on the floor of her bedroom, and in the trunk of Mark's 1977 Mercury Cougar. Uncovered is where the most passionate true crime enthusiasts can learn from and teach others. Connie Stanley, her mother, lives in western Nebraska. Since Christi vanished, no one, relatives or friends, have had any contact with her. Often times victims in these situations will develop substance abuse problems as a way to escape mentally from the constant fear, the abuse, the hateful, hurtful words spoken, as well as both the physical and mental pain they endure. As a result, her family, which already included two siblings, grew to include three stepbrothers. In March 1988, Christis suitcase and purse were located, with everything still with them, at a rest stop on I-80, near Maxwell, Nebraska. At the time of Christis disappearance, Connie was living 100 miles away in Lodgepole, Nebraska. Clothing/Jewelry DescriptionBlue jeans and hiking boots. Show Transcript. (LogOut/ Violet hopes and prays that she is still alive, but if she is deceased, she would like to know where she is so that she can be given a proper burial. According to Christi, she was afraid of Mark finding out, hence the reason why shed decided to see an out-of-town lawyer. She married Mark Nichols when she was nineteen. Maybe an area he spoke about with friends; land that he was able to get on that he shouldnt have been on etc. Once they completed their shopping, he and Christi left the kids with babysitter Diane Janssen and went to Petes Place, the bar where Christi worked. Lindsey now lives in Georgia, while Preston works in Lexington. Two overpasses were built in and around Gothenburg, and gravel fill was used at both locations. Click here to join us. In short, he already knew long before he killed her, that he was going to kill her should she try to leave the relationship. Mark took a polygraph about her disappearance in 1987, but the results were inconclusive. Real Name: Christi Jo Nichols Officers agreed they had been left at the reststop purposely. In 2013, Claude Berreckman passed away at the age of 80 years old. Scared. Which is actually pretty dead on. Two days before she disappeared, Christi met with a divorce attorney. In April 1986, their son, Preston, was born. She was doing her homework in front of the television and did not remember seeing Christi. The patrols cold case unit includes her in a deck of playing cards featuring photographs of homicide victims. While she was young, her parents divorced, with Connie later marrying a man named Greg Stanley. This is a difficult case at best, however a very good friend of mine reminded me this past weekend of Judge Pirros work and her relentless pursuit of the truth in the Robert Durst Murder case. Just after 12:00am on December 11, 1987, Mark and Christi left the bar and stopped at an all-night convenience store. Its believed that the then-police chief, who was friends with Christis husband, had informed Mark of her visit to the divorce lawyer. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. The Nebraska State Patrol investigated the case and the family hired a private detective to no avail. 22-year-old Christi Jo Nichols of Gothenburg, Nebraska left her 2 children with a babysitter and went out with her husband Mark to a bar on the evening of December 10th, 1987. Kniss said Lindsey, now 27, lives in Georgia and Preston, now 26, works in Lexington. Later that morning, he took his children to Christi's grandmother's home and asked her to babysit them while he searched for his wife. Christi was seeing another man around the time of her disappearance. He was the last person to see Christi alive. Distinguishing CharacteristicsCaucasian female. A blood stain the size of a saucer was found in her and Mark's bedroom shortly after her disappearance. After this, he tossed her onto their waterbed in self-defence and she landed on her hand, injuring her thumb. After that, they were sent to live with him. Nichols, a mother of two small children, was last seen alive on December 10, 1987, at her home in Gothenburg. On the evening of December 10, 1987, Christi and her husband . After having spent around 2 hours driving around searching for his wife Mark decided to go to the police and at approximately 1:37pm 12/11/1987 he reported his wife Christi Jo Nichols missing. Christi Jo Nichols, a 22-year-old mother of two and part-time bartender, vanished Dec. 11, 1987. UPDATE: Christi Jo disappearance, 32 years later. I am confident, in fact I am positive that if investigators work the point of origin from the rest-stop back to somewhere in between the bar, the convenience store and her home, that they will finally locateChristi Jo. He felt that she was having a good attitude about herself, and that there was a lot of laughing and carrying on between them. They have all of the answers regardless of whether or not they have been asked the questions. By all accounts, she was trapped in a marriage gone wrong. Investigators noted that, without locating her or her body, it would be difficult to file charges against anybody in this case. A man who is controlling, abusive and who knows every move his wife makes is a whole different breed of killer. You do not argue, question or do something he does not approve of. Both cars were at the home at the timeof her disappearance. She also never picked up her last paycheque from the bar. Between 12:30am and 1:00am, Mark came home. According to Connie, Mark forged Christis signature on the titles in order to sell them. Victims in these types of situations are cut off, they feel alone and isolated. After midnight on December 11, Mark came home and paid the babysitter in cash. He left Gothenburg a few years later. At first, police handled the disappearance as a missing persons case, but as time progressed it evolved into suspicion of murder. Mark did a stand up performance by telling medical staff that he was injured from a cigarette burn to the neck administered by Christi Jo and in his attempt to ward her and the weapon off, he might have inadvertently injured Christi Jo. She was frightened that Mark would find out; for this reason, she went to an out-of-town lawyer named Claude Berreckman. She told him she wanted a divorce and custody of her children. A mother disappears during an evening out with her husband. The attorney stated that he was worried for her well being and that she appeared to have been beaten recently, she seemed afraid and worried. And why, after 19 years, has no trace of the teen ever been found? Christi's case remains unsolved. She was 22 years old, and is believed to have been wearing a pair of blue jeans and hiking boots. Body Found At Springdale Hospital Confirmed To Be Missing Woman, Body found in search for missing 26-year-old Sebastian County man, Crawford County faces three civil rights cases, Winter warnings vs watches, what's the difference? A store clerk later recalled that she seemed "nervous". Afterward, McGinn was connected to the 1992 rape-murder of 19-year-old Christi Jo Eggers. JavaScript is disabled. Oddly, both family cars were in the driveway at the time Christi Jo. He was interviewed by police and has been ruled out as a suspect. When I teach someone to cook something with perfection, for the first time, one of the first lessons they must learn is that patience and persistence are always the key and a lot of times with cases like this, the same holds true. After this, he claims to have spent approximately two hours driving around Gothenburg looking for his wife. She went out of her way to find an attorney in a completely different town to keep her husband from knowing about her wanting a divorce. SPRINGDALE, Ark. On December 11, 1987, twenty-two-year-old housewife Christi Nichols vanished. Some of these items can be and are in no way limited to: Personal property, kicking the victim out of the shared home, the shutting down of the shared bank account or draining it of funds, taking theshared children, jewelry, clothing, car keys, ect. Extra Notes: This case first aired on the November 16, 1988 episode. This struck Diane as odd, as Christi was normally the one to pay her for her services and it was normally done with a cheque. Although authorities suspect Christi Jo Nichols is dead, her body never has been found. See more. No other trace of Christi has ever been found. In 1990, Mark filed for divorce from Christi on grounds of desertion. Injured. Mark is the only suspect in her case. Mark knew his wife was gone already because he told investigators that when the children woke him, he noticed that noticed Christi Jo was gone. Characteristics:Caucasian female with brown hair and green eyes. Although authorities suspect Christi Jo Nichols is dead, her body never has been found. All he said was that she was missing. She moved to Omaha from North Platte to work for the late private investigator Dennis Whelan, hired by the family. In some cases while it appears they have been able to outsmart the law, the reality is that they simply found a way to avoid a murder charge, for the time being. At first, police handled the disappearance as a missing persons case, but as time progressed it evolved into suspicion of murder. A few days earlier, he took them to his parents' house and would not bring them back unless she agreed to follow a specific set of rules. The case has been included in a deck of playing cards that featured photographs of unsolved homicide victims, which were distributed to prisons and jails throughout Nebraska. For all intents, Christi Jo was in fact dead prior to Mark arriving home between 12:30 and 1:00am. They had been married four years. Officers seemed to feel they were left on purpose, that whoever left them wanted them found. Her body and car were discovered in the parking lot of Northwest Medical Center in Springdale on September 13. Mark said she took a suitcase and her purse with her, and was able to describe the contents exactly: the suitcase contained jeans, a sweatshirt, a bra and jacket and the purse held a hairbrush, a pen, a lighter, a matchbook, lipstick, Neutrogena cream, a nail file, a mirror and one piece of gum. Despite being alarmed at his wifes sudden disappearance, Mark acted calm when her mother called around 9:30am that morning, saying Christi was still asleep in bed. Help us add more information to this case. According to the police however contrary to what Mark said, no one in town could recall seeing Mark driving around searching for his wife that day. Investigators interviewed the man and he has been ruled out as a suspect in Christi's case. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. For this reason, the Nebraska State Patrol was called in. Remember, property means more to him at this point than she does because she is letting him down yet again bynot living up to his expectations. On December 9, 1987, Christi visited divorce attorney Claude Berreckman at his office in Cozad, Nebraska, approximately 10 miles outside of Gothenburg. According to Mark, he sensed a lot of anger coming from his wife. In fact Dianne stated that she is sure she would have seen or heard Christi Jo but never did. When they came home, their babysitter left. Our goal is to crowdsource the more than 200,000 unsolved cases of the murdered and missing. Jessica Ridgeway. She also thought it was strange that he never asked her if Christi was there or if she had seen her. Debbie feared for Christi's safety and told her that she needed to get help from someone. These details suggest to them that foul play may be involved in this case. He also suggested Christi not return home and instead stay with her mother, but she refused. Mark Nichols told authorities that his wife was gone from their bed when he awoke after the night at the bar. Make up on wrong, clothing he doesnt agree with. She also said that she planned to leave him the day after she vanished; Connie believes that he killed her before she had the chance. There were a couple of rumors that said that he had chopped her up, put her in garbage bags, and buried her at the dump. Not the serial murderer, or the drug fueled rage killer. What would have been of the most importance to him is that it would be unlikely that investigators would/could find her body. A constitutional amendment introduced in the Nebraska Legislature Friday would give voters the opportunity to eliminate the State Board of Education. The first had been while she was at a local Jack & Jill convenience store, while the second occurred in the middle of the street, where he told her she needed to get her act together. Alone. When they married in 1983, Christi was just 19 years old, and the pair soon became the parents of two young children: Lindsey, who was born in December 1984, and Preston, who was born in April 1986. I wish they would push forward with this Mark Nichols needs to be put behind bars. Images also acquired from CharleyProject.org, directly from the clients of Unfound Podcast or created by Unfound. She made a follow-up appointment but never made it. He claimed that when Lindsey and Preston woke him up at around 7am the next morning, she was not in the bed. Dig deeper into the stories you've heard before, and encounter many others you haven't, in ways that actually help. He claimed that he was really upset because he felt that there was no indication that Christi would pack up a suitcase and leave. It is uncharacteristic of her to abandon her children. Dressing too sexy, she is having an affair, not dressing sexy enough, you dont want him or are not showing him you that you want him, (these days you can include: upset over a social media post a victim posted,liked or shared). She has brown hair and green eyes, and has a scar above her left eye and on her abdomen. Unsolved Mysteries Wiki is a FANDOM TV Community. Mark told investigators it was menstrual blood, but analysis proved this statement was untrue. . However, she refused to listen and continued to see the counsellor. He went on to tell investigators that things at the bar seemed good. He felt that she ranked in the "top five" of being the most distressed, upset, and nervous of his clients. Her suitcase, along with her purse was found at a rest stop near Maxwell in 1988. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. He said he spent two hours driving around in the area, looking for her, but never saw her. Dinner cooked wrong, laundry not put away to his specifications, bed made wrong, kids too loud, a family pet misbehaving or not doing what he wants it to do or act how he wants it to, not wanting to have sex when and how he wants it. It may not display this or other websites correctly. He has denied any wrongdoing. Mark says that he and Christi Jo left the bar around midnight and stopped at an all-night convenience store. One rumor that I have not been able to confirm is that Christi Jo did report to the attorney certain aspects of the abuse that resulted in the attorney making a telephone call to authorities to report certain crimes that had been taken place. (it was never confirmed as to which he did), Rumors are that Mark had an abusive past prior to marrying Christi Jo. Mark told them that Christi was out shopping. What was found in both the suitcase and purse were exactly as Mark initially told investigators she had packed and had in her purse at the time she vanished. Her disappearance turned into a controversy that continues to this day. On Dec. 10, 1987, Christi (Williams) Nichols went missing in Gothenburg and has never been found. That gave Mark ample time to plan the proper disposal of his wife. Mark gave himself away the very moment that he told investigators what Christi Jo packed and took with her, he put the cherry on top when he told investigators what she had in her purse. The case captured national attention and was featured on the Unsolved Mysteries TV program. He is the type thatsleeps with one eye open if you catch my drift. As a result, her family, which already included two siblings, grew to include three stepbrothers. . It is an area that he would have been seen around or known to visit prior to the crime but not much after. The number one thing with men like Mark is that they have to be in control of the situation. It has also since been discovered that Christi met with a domestic violence counselor the day before she vanished. Brendan Gonzalez, a 4-year-old Plattsmouth boy, has been missing since Jan. 6. While Mark tried to tell them it was menstrual blood, later DNA analysis would prove this statement to be false. She was planning to leave her husband at the time of her disappearance. The next morning, Mark woke up. At 11:30am, Mark dropped the children off at Violets house and asked her to watch them while he looked for Christi. Her ears are pierced. Updated: 8:46 PM CDT April 27, 2022 CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas A man's body was found in Flour Bluff on Monday, prompting an investigation by the Corpus Christi Police Department. The location of the suitcase and purse are important in that while they are not exactly where the body would actually be, yet they might in fact, have been placed in asubconsciousway, more proportional tosomewhere in between where Christi Jo was murdered and the location of where Christi Jos body is. At 7:00 a.m., the children woke up Mark and he realized Christi was missing. However, he is not considered a suspect. Calls to the police department were of no help, as the police chief told her Mark was in his right to withhold the children and that she risked arrest if she didnt leave the property. The babysitter later stated she did not believe Christi came home with her husband, but Mark said Christi was there and the babysitter simply never saw her. During their investigation, the state patrol discovered that he moved out of their house the day after her disappearance. A man who is controlling, abusive and who knows every move his wife makes is a whole different breed of killer. 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