As a result of the abuse, Christi began seeing an abuse counsellor, which upset her husband. When they left, she showed Debbie a bruise on her side. In March 1988, three months after Christi's disappearance, her suitcase and purse were discovered in a roadside rest area thirty miles west of Gothenburg. Date Of Birth: September 6, 1965 Please subscribe to keep reading. It was like the person that put them there wanted them to be found. 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. Trace amounts of Christis blood were found on the floor in the bedroom and in the trunk of Marks 1977 Mercury Cougar, but there wasnt enough to indicate that she was deceased. He searched the house and noticed that she had taken a suitcase of belongings with her. However, not enough blood was found to indicate that she was deceased. At first, police handled the disappearance as a missing persons case, but as time progressed it evolved into suspicion of murder. The hope was that it would help produce leads that could help resolve Christis disappearance. Berreckman noted that she seemed stressed and appeared to have been recently beaten, so the pair planned to contact the authorities and press charges against Mark for abuse. In 2013, Claude Berreckman passed away at the age of 80 years old. As a result, her family, which already included two siblings, grew to include three stepbrothers. 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. Make sure you understand that, he knew her every move prior. Images also acquired from CharleyProject.org, directly from the clients of Unfound Podcast or created by Unfound. She was very proud of them and loved them. This is a very controlled type of murderer, they didnt have some sort of argument when he warded her off she fell, hit her head and inadvertently died. Theres also his history of abuse, which is said to have been present before his marriage to Christi. He later said he did this so her mother would not worry about her. Avoiding and outsmarting are two completely different things. Unfortunately it was not enough blood that would indicate serious enough bodily injury so as to obtain a warrant for Marks arrest let alone have a trial and convict him of anything. She could not have gottenup tosneak out of the home in the middle of the night. She is described as a quiet, very shy woman and a dedicated mother. Killers like this typically, unless they are on a planned trip with the spouse, dont travel great distances to kill, they kill in one area, generally close to or at home and travel away from home but not to far, to dispose of the body. He claimed that he did not want to worry her. The family of Christi Jo Nichols is hoping that someone, somewhere knows the truth about her disappearance. 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. Are prices headed up or down? Interestingly, a letter was found in one of their cars, allegedly addressed to her boyfriend; according to one source, it stated that she had considered leaving her family. 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. When Christi went to his parents house, as they were babysitting the children, they refused to hand them back to their mother. Weight: 120 lbs The next morning, Mark woke up. (LogOut/ Although authorities suspect Christi Jo Nichols is dead, her body never has been found. 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. Brown hair, green eyes. 1) The primary (and only) theory in the case, and one both investigators and Christis family hold, is that she met with foul play, likely at the hands of Mark Nichols. Ten days before her disappearance, she had gone to a local hospital for treatment of an injury she received during a fight with Mark. On the evening of December 10, 1987, Christi and her husband . However, when investigators checked into his story of driving around town looking for her, they could find nobody in Gothenburg that had seen him doing so. When Mark found out, he was "furious" and told her that she would not get to see Lindsey and Preston again unless she stopped visiting the counselor and stopped talking about the abuse. Christi was seeing another man around the time of her disappearance. SPRINGDALE (KFSM) - A body found that was found inside a car at Northwest Medical Center has been identified as missing woman Christy Nichols, according . According to Diane, Mark arrived home between 12:30 and 1am. Investigators interviewed the man and he has been ruled out as a suspect in Christi's case. The children woke Mark up at around 7:00am. He is the type thatsleeps with one eye open if you catch my drift. Its important to know that quite a few individuals knew Christi Jo was being abused by Mark and that the relationship was in trouble. He said they argued until 2:00 a.m., when he went to sleep. He claimed that he was really upset because he felt that there was no indication that Christi would pack up a suitcase and leave. He claims that he would not have hurt her because he was not a violent person. He stated that the day before they went to the bar, things were uncomfortable because they had not been getting along very well. Learn how your comment data is processed. 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. The Nebraska State Patrol investigated. Find out with these charts and graphs, updated weekly. That gave Mark ample time to plan the proper disposal of his wife. Mark says that he and Christi Jo left the bar around midnight and stopped at an all-night convenience store. Mark told investigators it was menstrual blood, but analysis proved this statement was untrue. Private detective believes woman met with foul play, Family Says Help Needed To Search For Missing Woman, Television show could develop leads in case of missing Gothenburg woman, Only husband believes wife lives a year after her disappearance, Case of missing Gothenburg woman remains unsolved mystery (Page 1), Family Wants Grand Jury to Investigate Disappearance, State patrol tries again to find missing woman, Gothenburg woman's disappearance a mystery. 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. And 32 years later, they are still looking for answers. Its been said that during one point while Mark interviewed with Unsolved Mysteries, he actually giggled while discussing that he heard people suspected he chopped Christi Jo up and put her into garbage bags, then dumped at the local dump. They learned that Christi had been seeing another man. Living with this type of individual is risky for any partner because the abusermust be in control of everything. Her parents divorced when she was young and her mom ended up remarrying. By all accounts, she was trapped in a marriage gone wrong. At the time of Christis disappearance, Connie was living 100 miles away in Lodgepole, Nebraska. Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for fair use for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Christi already had two siblings and now she gained three stepbrothers. Last updated January 22, 2020; three pictures added. He claimed that he said that because he did not know who was calling. . Christi once had to go to the hospital emergency room for injuries allegedly caused by Mark. He would have the known the area very well. She has a scar above her left eye and a scar on her abdomen. Christis DNA is available for comparison, should a body be found, but her dentals and fingerprints are not on file. Kniss said her nieces husband lives and works in Hastings. It may not display this or other websites correctly. At first, police handled the disappearance as a missing persons case, but as time progressed it evolved into suspicion of murder. At first, Lindsey and Preston lived in foster care. He said he spent two hours driving around in the area, looking for her, but never saw her. When he went to turn to Christi, he noticed she wasnt in bed, and a subsequent search of the house revealed she was gone and that a suitcase was missing. Interestingly, it was discovered that she did not take her cosmetics, most of her clothing, her Social Security card, or her wedding rings. A blood stain the size of a saucer was found in her and Mark's bedroom shortly after her disappearance. Nichols was first reported missing by her family on August 6. Brendan Gonzalez, a 4-year-old Plattsmouth boy, has been missing since Jan. 6. He claims that he is innocent of all wrongdoing and wants her to come home. Connie got temporary custody of Lindsey and Preston after her daughter went missing, but a judge placed them in foster care after four months. Show Transcript. Sometimes whendealing withdifferent agencies a search is not possible because of the pissing matches that tend to occur between the said agencies or government/military entities. His excuse for lying to Christi Jos mom was that he didnt want to worry her. He left her backpack in a residential area where it would be found because he wanted it found. Christi and Mark left the bar around midnight and drove to an all-night convenience store. As a result, her family, which already included two siblings, grew to include three stepbrothers. . Video of Christi Jo Nichols for fans of Unsolved Mysteries. 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. Debbie had visited her while she was working at a bar. Truthfully he always had an idea of where hed stash a body he just needed to be able to do it at the right time so as not to get caught. Small amounts of blood were found in both the couples bedroom and the trunk of Marks car. After this, he tossed her onto their waterbed in self-defence and she landed on her hand, injuring her thumb. He has denied any wrongdoing. After she went missing, a note from Christi, addressed to the other man, was found in the Nicholses' car. Both the suitcase and the purse, with everything still inside, were found at an Interstate 80 rest stop near Maxwell, Nebraska in March 1988. Updated 6 times since October 12, 2004. Christi's case remains unsolved. They minimize what is actually happening to them in the home, they are programmed on how to respond when something might be seen such as a bruise or when friends or family question the growing distance the victim has from them. 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. Mark told investigators it was her menstrual blood, but analysis proved this statement was untrue. Dig deeper into the stories you've heard before, and encounter many others you haven't, in ways that actually help. This was the last afternoon she would spend with her family. It is uncharacteristic of her to abandon her children. Its believed that the then-police chief, who was friends with Christis husband, had informed Mark of her visit to the divorce lawyer. He claimed that when Lindsey and Preston woke him up at around 7am the next morning, she was not in the bed. You want the guilty to be brought to justice.. Connie Stanley, her mother, lives in western Nebraska. Her suitcase, along with her purse was found at a rest stop near Maxwell in 1988. Nobody in town reported having seen him do this, however. 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. After midnight on December 11, Mark came home and paid the babysitter in cash. While he didnt directly tell her of the disappearance, he did appear shaken and had asked if Christis grandmother had seen her. 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. Carol also felt that she was not telling her everything about the cause of the injury. No one can prove ityet. However, that didnt stop rumours spreading, which stated that the pair were having trouble. It is not known if either area was ever searched. After this, he claims to have spent approximately two hours driving around Gothenburg looking for his wife. . his car, his home. Christi Jo Nichols was a 22 year old from Gothenburg, NE. It is believed that Mark found about her meetings with Claude and the counselor because Claude contacted Shackleton about the abuse and the counselor met with Christi in Shackleton's office. Abusers like Mark simply will not stand for or allow for his property to walk out the door. The Murder of Jaye Potter Mintz Feb 23, 1987 Leland N.C. Two days before she disappeared, Christi met with a divorce attorney. (LogOut/ Growing up, Did This Husband Really Get Away Murder or Could This Case Still be Solved? Christi Jo Nichols is the queen of hearts. 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. It has also since been discovered that Christi met with a domestic violence counselor the day before she vanished. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Usually, it was Christi who paid the sitter, and she did it with a check. I would love to get more attention for her case. I go back to her suitcase and purse. Before she left Berreckmans office, she made a follow-up appointment, at which time they had planned to move forward with the divorce proceedings. Lab tests confirmed that it was in her handwriting. The doctor on duty, Dr. Carol Shackleton, saw her and noted how scared she seemed to be of Mark, speaking low and refusing to make eye contact, as he was just outside the door. Mark claimed that the fight occurred when he tried to keep Christi from going out. Police believe she was seeing another man at the time of her disappearance. Incredibly, he was able to list items of clothing, right down the line, and knew what she had taken. Mark reported Christi missing later that day. He was the last person to see Christi alive. 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 had been taking steps to leave him with her children when on the night of December 10, 1987, the couple left their two children with a babysitter while they went out for the night. On December 9, 1987, Christi visited divorce attorney Claude Berreckman at his office in Cozad, Nebraska, approximately 10 miles outside of Gothenburg. At 9:30 a.m., Christi's mother called and Mark lied, saying Christi was asleep in bed. Diane was surprised that they were going out because she knew that they were not getting along. Extensive ground searches were conducted, but nothing was found. Investigators no longer believe that Christi vanished voluntarily; they are now investigating this case as a probable homicide. Examining the world of solved and unsolved cases. In 1983, she graduated from Overton High School. Mark believes that Christi ran away voluntarily, due to their marital difficulties and the "pressures of motherhood". Some people close to the case, including her father, Kenneth, have speculated that she may have been dumped in the gravel fill, as it was uncovered at the time. Updated: 5:27 PM CDT September 22, 2017. According to those who knew her, Christi was known for being a dedicated mother, whose life revolved around Mark and her children. (LogOut/ Those who knew her well felt her life centered around her family. It is an area that he would have been seen around or known to visit prior to the crime but not much after. Bumping for Christi, today is her birthday. 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. She was planning to leave her husband at the time of her disappearance. He was the last person seen with her before she vanished. Kniss has devoted her life to keeping the search for the killer alive. On December 10, 1987, the couple went Christmas shopping with Lindsey and Preston, a trip which also involved a visit with Santa Claus and dinner at Pizza Hut. While Christis case has since stalled, it remains open, with the Patrols cold case unit having worked on it on and off throughout the years. Foul play is suspected in Christi's disappearance and it is classified as a homicide. If it were me, Id search from the rest-stop Christi Jos belongings were discovered at and work it from that point outwards and back towards Gothenburg. When a neighbor is in trouble, it becomes everybody's business. Upon moving to Gothenburg, Christi met Mark Nichols, the man who would eventually become her husband. Authorities stated there was not enough blood to indicate Christi was dead. Rumours began to spread about what Mark had done to Christi, including one that said hed dismembered her, placed her body in plastic bags and buried her at the local landfill. At 11:30am, Mark dropped the children off at Violets house and asked her to watch them while he looked for Christi. Authorities stated it looked as if whoever placed them there had wanted them to be found. I think it was because my friend knows that I am always in pursuit of the truth when it comes to unsolved murders and my friend also knows when inspired I find an assignment and I stay out of trouble. 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. A store clerk later recalled that she seemed "nervous". Two months since her body was found in a Springdale hospital parking lot. He noted that as the investigation proceeded, it started to look more and more like a foul play situation. She also did not pick up her last paycheck. Which is actually pretty dead on. 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. She would later become a private investigator herself in order to follow up on leads related to the case. You have permission to edit this article. He left Gothenburg a few years later. At 9:30am, he received a phone call from Connie, who lived 100 miles away. 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. Listen now, on the Unsolved Mysteries podcast. Alone. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. A constitutional amendment introduced in the Nebraska Legislature Friday would give voters the opportunity to eliminate the State Board of Education. He had done a great amount of divorce work, handling hundreds of divorces. She thought it was strange because normally when she watched them, Christi or Mark would call ahead of time to ask if she was available. Rumours began in regards to his abusive tendencies, but Mark denied all accusations, claiming Christi was the instigator and any injuries she suffered were the result of him protecting himself from her. A man who is controlling, abusive and who knows every move his wife makes is a whole different breed of killer. I was able to speak to townspeople as well as her family for more details. Officers agreed they had been left at the reststop purposely. Curiously, he was able to tell them exactly what shed taken with her, which struck them as odd. He was interviewed by police and has been ruled out as a suspect. Christi Jo Nichols was born on September 6th, 1965 in Overton, Nebraska. The State Patrol lists Nichols case as one of about 250 unsolved homicides. When her suitcase was found three months later, he was "somehow" able to list everything that ended up in it. It is not known what Christi's state of mind was when she left Claude's office. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). She was married and had two children. Mark says that he and Christi Jo left the bar around midnight and stopped at an all-night convenience store. She had told Gary that they were having marital problems; he was surprised that they were there together that night. 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