The police cleared the man. Nichols was first reported missing by her family on August 6. At 2:00am, Mark went to bed. 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. At first, police handled the disappearance as a missing persons case, but as time progressed it evolved into suspicion of murder. Christis father, Ken, says that he cant say for sure if his daughter is dead, as theres no evidence of foul play, nor any witnesses who saw anything suspicious. Reba Benschoter, an emeritus professor at UNMC who recently died, is recognized as a pioneer of today's telemedicine and distance learning. Such a sad and awful story. . Make up on wrong, clothing he doesnt agree with. He claims that he is innocent of all wrongdoing and wants her to come home. Her mom, Connie Stanley, continues to desperately seek for answers. In Marks mind at the time the suitcase and purse were found they were left simply and only because at that particular point in time he had to leave them as a way to offer a new lead if you will. Small amounts of blood were found in both the couples bedroom and the trunk of Marks car. Christi has never been heard from again. | Arctic Arkansas, How bad will winter be this year? This case has since stalled. More often than not the words mentally-ill, bipolar or manipulate are tossed at a victims feet in an attempt to make the victim feel as if sheis the problem, that she hassome sort of mental disorder and isincapable of being alone, taking care herself or of the children, she cant be trusted etc. He now lives in Arkansas and is married for the third time. 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. At first, police handled the disappearance as a missing persons case, but as time progressed it evolved into suspicion of murder. Not for the same reason Christi Jos killer wanted her belongings found, the point is they were left in a specific area so as to ensure that they would be found. Ten days before her disappearance, she had gone to a local hospital for treatment of an injury she received during a fight with Mark. I go back to her suitcase and purse. 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 was last seen at Catalyst Church in Bentonville. Check out the peaks and valleys in volatile local gas prices, and track motor vehicle sales, financing and production. When she was later spoken to by investigators, she would say she never saw, nor heard Christi enter the house. In 1990, Mark filed for divorce from Christi on grounds of desertion. Mark believed that she was planning on running away, while Connie believed that she was planning to fight for the custody of Lindsey and Preston. Investigators no longer believe that Christi vanished voluntarily; they are now investigating this case as a probable homicide. It is not known what Christi's state of mind was when she left Claude's office. Make sure you understand that, he knew her every move prior. The number one thing with men like Mark is that they have to be in control of the situation. House dirty, he got in trouble at work or someone is upset with him and its her fault. Her ears are pierced. They laughed and had an enjoyable time. In fact, she had planned on coming back; when she left, she made an appointment to come back to his office the following week. I know that for most of you guys reading this, it may difficult to imagine what those crimes could have been, for me its but a walk down memory lane, so it would not have been easy for Christi Jo to be forthcoming in telling too many people, if anyone the truth about the abuse. It was also discovered that his family was close to the Gothenburg police chief, Bob Shackleton. What is interesting about this is that officers were a little dumbfounded by the fact that Mark knew exactly what she had packed and he knew exactly what was in her purse. Although authorities suspect Christi Jo Nichols is dead, her body never has been found. 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. Avoiding and outsmarting are two completely different things. The family hired a private detective. Two months since her body was found in a Springdale hospital parking lot. 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. More blood was found in the trunk of Mark's car. If alive, she would be 54 years old. She was planning to leave her husband at the time of her disappearance. He giggled as he stated something along the lines They actually went up and searched the area. *I personally never viewed the episode myself.*. Christi Jo never picked up her last paycheck, She did go to see an abuse counselor but when Mark found out he became very angry and either took the children out of the home for a time or made the threat that he would take them should she continue to see the counselor. The cause and manner of Nichols death is still under investigation, according to police. The location is approximately 30 miles from Gothenburg. An investigation revealed traces of Christi's blood in the couple's house and in the husbands car. Police found it surprising that earlier, Mark had precisely detailed all of the suitcase's contents. Decks were distributed to prisons and jails across the state and are posted on the patrols website in hopes of producing tips or leads that might be a missing link in solving a case. Christi Jo Nichols was a 22 year old from Gothenburg, NE. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. I was able to speak to townspeople as well as her family for more details. Christi Jos suitcase was discovered along Interstate 80 near Maxwell three months after her disappearance. Her husband totally did it but how can following a trail or trails from the rest area back to an unknown murder scene prove it? SPRINGDALE, Ark. 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. It reminds me of a case a few years back from Colorado. Authorities believe she was seeing another man at the time of her disappearance. Police shared that it looked like the items had been deliberately placed, as opposed to thrown from a vehicle. Although authorities suspect Christi Jo Nichols is dead, her body never has been found. 0:00 / 13:50 THE CASE OF CHRISTI JO NICHOLS | UNSOLVED TRUE CRIME | Caitlin Rose 21,189 views Mar 28, 2019 789 Dislike Share Caitlin Rose 135K subscribers Disclaimer: by creating this video I. December 10, 1987. Nobody can say for certain that this is what motivated her disappearance. Location: Gothenburg, Nebraska Mark believes that Christi ran away voluntarily, due to their marital difficulties and the "pressures of motherhood". She was very proud of them and loved them. Let us know all the details about yourself and send us a message. 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. A note was found in her car, where shed written that she would be leaving after Christmas, but had promised to contact the unnamed man within a few months. It has also since been discovered that Christi met with a domestic violence counselor the day before she vanished. Christi was seeing another man around the time of her disappearance. A mother disappears during an evening out with her husband. When they left, she showed Debbie a bruise on her side. Connie Stanley has used them all. At 11:30am, Mark dropped the children off at Violets house and asked her to watch them while he looked for Christi. Christi Jos parents, who were divorced when she disappeared, live in Nebraska. Our goal is to crowdsource the more than 200,000 unsolved cases of the murdered and missing. On December 11, 1987, twenty-two-year-old housewife Christi Nichols vanished. She would later become a private investigator herself in order to follow up on leads related to the case. According to Diane Janssen the couples babysitter, Mark arrived home between 12:30 and 1:00 in the morning. Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. Currently, the case is classified as a homicide and foul play is suspected. Everyday is a day lived in constant fear of what the victim might be capable of being able to do wrong so as to displease her abuser. He noted that as the investigation proceeded, it started to look more and more like a foul play situation. They laughed and had an enjoyable time. A man who is controlling, abusive and who knows every move his wife makes is a whole different breed of killer. In 1990, Mark filed for divorce on the grounds that Christi had deserted him and the kids. Jessica Ridgeway. his car, his home. She also never picked up her last paycheque from the bar. Christi Jo was seen by a doctor who had seen her before and who stated that Christi Jo was not that forthcoming with information, and acted pretty scared. 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. Mark and Christi married when Christi was nineteen; according to who her family and friends, her life centered around Mark and their children. This would be the last time he claims he saw Christi. Christi Jo Nichols isn't the only missing person in the state who authorities believe to be dead. Trace amounts of Christi's blood were found on the floor of her bedroom, and in the trunk of Mark's 1977 Mercury Cougar. Christi Nichols Real Name: Christi Jo Nichols Nicknames: No known nicknames Location: Gothenburg, Nebraska Date: December 11, 1987 Bio Occupation: Bartender at Pete's Lounge Date Of Birth: September 6, 1965 Height: 5'9" Weight: 120 lbs Marital Status: Married Characteristics: Caucasian female with brown hair and green eyes. During her late teens, Christi moved to Gothenburg, Nebraska to leave with her paternal grandmother, Violet Williams, as she no longer wanted to follow the rules set set in place by her mother and stepfather. 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? 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At 12:30am, they headed for home. She also keeps track of family members. 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. These are all words no mother ever wants to use in reference to her child. They are concerned about the details surrounding her disappearance, the fact that she has not contacted Lindsey, Preston, or other relatives, the fact that she did not take a vehicle, and the fact that she has been missing for such a long period of time. As a result, her family, which already included two siblings, grew to include three stepbrothers. Within days of her disappearance, he had moved out of their house, sold both their cars, and boxed up her clothes. She told him she wanted a divorce and custody of her children. 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. Her parents divorced when she was young and her mom ended up remarrying. He felt that she was very sincere and honest about what she was telling him. 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. Foul play is suspected in Christi's disappearance and it is classified as a homicide. Please log in using one of these methods to post your comment: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. My heart goes out to people all over the country when I hear about somebody missing. Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. 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. A blood stain the size of a saucer was found in her and Mark's bedroom shortly after her disappearance. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. 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. Christi also told her cousin, Debbie Frederickson, that she had been abused by Mark. According to Mark, the pair had a good time that night. Mark told investigators it was her menstrual blood, but analysis proved this statement was untrue. Results: Unsolved. I would love to get more attention for her case. Mark is the only suspect in her case. He claimed to have felt uncomfortable that day because he "felt a lot of anger" coming from her. Extensive ground searches were conducted, but nothing was found. Christi Jo was a 22 year old married mother of two, who lived in Gothenburg, Nebraska when she vanished in 1987, into the night never to be seen again. Dead. It may not display this or other websites correctly. Diane had been doing her homework in front of the television at the time. The pair spent between five and 10 minutes speaking, and Mark paid her in cash. SPRINGDALE (KFSM) - A body found that was found inside a car at Northwest Medical Center has been identified as missing woman Christy Nichols, according . The not knowing is very frustrating. However, she always had a negative self-image and never felt that she did anything well until she had her children. To this day no trace of her has been found and no one has ever been charged in her disappearance. Mark was seemingly aware of this and had suggested to authorities that shed run off with him. Dr. Carol Severeid Shackleton said that Christi had come to the emergency room, complaining of a sore thumb. Christi Nichols is the wife of Mark Nichols of Gothenburg, Nebraska and the mother of two children, who vanished on December 11, 1987. The overall consensus from the town to the investigators who looked at this case is that Christi Jo is in fact dead. These details suggest to them that foul play may be involved in this case. Christis disappearance received very little media attention, as police suspected she was a runaway wife, as opposed to a victim of foul play. Christi was described as very shy, quiet and smart when she was growing up. 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. So she decided to drop out. It was to throw the investigation off of his trail because he felt investigators were still looking in his direction or to ensure that whatever move Mark made at the time would not be noticed because investigative efforts would be thrown into trying to determine when Christi Jos items were left at the rest-stop, by whom and why. In 1983, she graduated from Overton High School. Kniss said there was circumstantial evidence, including blood spots found in the couples bedroom and in a car trunk. View Source Share Save to Suggest Edits Memorial Photos Flowers Created by: Fan of the Site Added: 27 Aug 2003 Although authorities suspect Christi Jo Nichols is dead, her body never has been found. Between 12:30am and 1:00am, Mark came home. The Charley Project is NOT a registered non-profit organization and any donations will NOT be tax-deductible. Shackleton said that Christi had deserted him and its her fault motivated her disappearance into of. 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