The case was featured on an episode of Unsolved Mysteries, which prompted 150 calls to the shows telecenter and 15 more to the Nebraska State Patrol. 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. Oddly, both family cars were in the driveway at the time Christi Jo. Christi and Mark left the bar around midnight and drove to an all-night convenience store. Connie does not believe that she ran away because she never would have left them. He went on to tell investigators that things at the bar seemed good. Marital Status: Married He claims the last time he saw her was at 2 A.M. when he went to sleep beside her: And thats the last thing I remember til my kids woke me up the next morning and the first thing I noticed was she wasnt in the bed.. 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. Christi Jo Nichols Christi, approximately 1987 Date reported missing : 12/11/1987 Missing location (approx) : . Living with this type of individual is risky for any partner because the abusermust be in control of everything. Remarks: Last seen 12/11/87. Wondering if you knew her or her family so I could get in contact with them. Mentally and psychologically, they make the victim feel as if something mentally is wrong with her. christi jo nichols body found access_time Thng Mt 19, 2023 hillcrest high school principal email chat_bubble_outline No Comments folder_open pan peninsula service charge In 2013, Claude Berreckman passed away at the age of 80 years old. Just look at Marks sweaty face and bulging neck as his interview progresses, his blood pressure rising, his skin tone turns red cause hes uncomfortable lying about what he did. No, men like this, take time to actually plan this out despite the long held belief that abusive men dont always plan the murder. This type of murderer is the deeply invested abuser/murderer. Thats odd Christi went to bed without even checking in with the babysitter, when Christi is the one who usually pays her with a check. There were two cars. May she r.I.p. Sometimes just having a will doesnt always pave the way, time, effort and being relentless does however make all the difference. Marks explanation as why Dianne didnt see Christi Joe, I was about 5 or 6 yards behind her when she went in the door and she walked by the living room where the babysitter was back towards the kids bedroom and into the main bedroom.. To much in the way it was handled could be a cause of why he was not looked in more dramatically. At 9:30am, he received a phone call from Connie, who lived 100 miles away. 501-***-**** View Phone. Christi and her husband of three years, Mark Nichols, left their two children with a babysitter and went to a bar in Gothenburg, Nebraska on the evening of December 10, 1987. Mark moved out of the house the day after his wife's disappearance, and a few days after that, he packed up all their belongings and sold both the family's vehicles. On January 13, 1996, the nine year old was riding her bicycle to an abandoned grocery store in Arlington with her . He said she had left of her own accord, abandoning him and their son and daughter. The missing person case of Christi Jo Nichols was profiled in the hit television show "Unsolved Mysteries" back in 1988. look in the obvious places. I just watched this episode again and noticed the same thing. 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. What should not surprise anyone is that when you peel back the layers more often than not you willfind that the victim maybe had a good day or two and took steps to leave the situation, yet somehow the abuser was able to ascertain that info and the victim paid for it one way or another. Why wasnt there any investigation against the guy she was talking to on the side. Report. 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. At 11:30 A.M., Mark took his children over to Christis grandmothers house and asked if she could take care of them so he could search for his wife. You would think he would be suspect #2 at least. A search of the house revealed that Christi had left behind the majority of her belongings, including diamond jewellery and her drivers license. Christi Jo Nichols, as presented in the show, was a mother who disappeared from Gothenburg, Nebraska while contemplating a divorce from her physically abusive husband. According to Diane Janssen the couples babysitter, Mark arrived home between 12:30 and 1:00 in the morning. Police found it surprising that earlier, Mark had precisely detailed all of the suitcase's contents. According to Diane Janssen the couples babysitter, Mark arrived home between 12:30 and 1:00 in the morning. If alive, she would be 54 years old. I am a reporter and looking into this story for a series on Cold Cases in Nebraska. However, not enough blood was found to indicate that she was deceased. He currently lives in Arkansas with his third wife. The attorney stated Christi was extremely stressed and appeared to have been beaten. Eyes: Green Address. Weight: 120 lbs Also, Mark's parents had a concrete pad poured on their property a few days after she vanished. 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. Trusted Connections, Since 2002. He is the type thatsleeps with one eye open if you catch my drift. Men like Mark tend to feel that they can outsmart the law, again, that they are above the law in some way. Foul play is suspected in Christi's disappearance and it is classified as a homicide. But, when you spill your water, it goes everywhere. He wasnt acting like a normal person would act if someone close went missing. Uncovered is where the most passionate true crime enthusiasts can learn from and teach others. He either drove around with her body, including back to his home with her that night or stashed her in a temporary location until he could figure out where to actually put her and when. According to Diane, Mark arrived home between 12:30 and 1am. Your capitalization and punctuation leave much to be desired as well. Prior to her disappearance, Christi told Connie that Mark was monitoring her phone calls. According to Connie, Mark forged Christis signature on the titles in order to sell them. This was not the first time Christi had seen Dr. Shackleton. After this, he tossed her onto their waterbed in self-defence and she landed on her hand, injuring her thumb. Even though he knew his wife was gone, Mark told her mother that Christi was still in bed asleep. He now lives in Arkansas and is married for the third time. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. After that, they were sent to live with him. Mark says that he and Christi Jo left the bar around midnight and stopped at an all-night convenience store. Her mother, Connie, remembered that she was a good student and was well-liked. How is this guy not arrested yet? Jan. 7, 2023: Tyre Nichols pulled over. If they feel they are losing control they will do something so as to bring that needed balance back into the picture. A blood stain the size of a saucer was found in her and Mark's bedroom shortly after her disappearance. All that is known is that she has vanished without a trace, and her family and friends would like to know why. The Disappearance and Death of Christi Jo Nichols December 11, 1987 Gothenburg, NE 1987 This is a difficult case at best, however a very good friend of mine reminded me this past weekend of Judge Pirro's work and her relentless pursuit of the truth in the Robert Durst Murder case. Surprised he even agreed to talk about it. 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. In the early 2000s, DNA testing confirmed that it was hers. In 2001, Lifetime acquired the series where it . This is reportedly one of three times the chief had harassed Christi that day. She made a follow-up appointment but never made it. 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? Contrary to popular belief long before the victim ever thought of leaving, the abuser developed a plan just in case it got to that point. My latest articie is about Christis disappearance. His excuse for lying to Christi Jos mom was that he didnt want to worry her. Subscribe for new episodes announcements, latest news, featured cases, and more! Mark continues to maintain his innocence in Christi's disappearance. Christi also told her cousin, Debbie Frederickson, that she had been abused by Mark. An investigation revealed traces of Christi's blood in the couple's house and in the husbands car. Watching the UM interview, he didnt seem cerebral enough to come up with something so seemingly well thought out. When you look someone like this in the eye you can literally see them forming the answers before you can even finish thinking of the next question. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Help us add more information to this case. At 9:30 in the morning, Mark received a phone call from Christis mother, who lived 100 miles away. She also thought it was strange that he never asked her if Christi was there or if she had seen her. The program was picked up in 1988 and aired a total of nine seasons during its run on the network. In the eyes of the abuser: Victims do not and Cannot seek escape from men like Mark! He felt that she ranked in the "top five" of being the most distressed, upset, and nervous of his clients. and guard over her babies and their babies and their babies. And that previous comment about a plastic barrel like how the hell would you think that is what happened? He could not imagine a motive she would have to conjure up a story about being abused by Mark if it did not actually happen. However, he has never been charged. Christi Jo lived every day of her life in constant fear, a fear that really no words could ever truly describe. he faked looking for her and faked acting like she just ran off because he killed her. 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. I am wondering if anyone knows a contact for the family? And she walked by the living room where the babysitter, was back towards the kids bedroom and went into the main bathroom., It seemed strange because Mark paid me with cash when Christi usually paid me with a check. 10 days before her disappearance, Christi went to the emergency room for injuries allegedly caused by Mark. 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. The abuser always has an inventory of what the victim has and doesnt have, he always knows what the victim plans, doesnt plan, where she is or will be. He is presumed. Ken initially lived in Colorado after divorcing Connie, but later moved to Gothenburg after Christis disappearance, in order to be closer to the investigation. December 11, 1987 Christi is reported missing by Mark at 1:37pm. lscharf@nebraska.tv, Didnt mark lie about being a victim to a gas station robbery to? But a court of law requires (and should) provide some concrete evidentiary proof rather than just supposition to charge, let alone, convict. You do not argue, question or do something he does not approve of. Im not a violent person. When interviewed about Christi's disappearance by reporters for the Unsolved Mysteries television show in 1989, Mark said the only time one of their arguments escalated into violence was when Christi had hit and kicked him and burned his neck with a cigarette after he asked her to stay home one night, and he tossed her on the waterbed in self-defense and accidentally injured her in the process. 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. Christi Jo Williams was born on September 6th, 1965. We Found Christi Nichols . Before she left Berreckmans office, she made a follow-up appointment, at which time they had planned to move forward with the divorce proceedings. His behavior (both prior & after her disappearance) cry out guilt. Both Christi Jo's suitcase and purse were found in March . (LogOut/ Connie Stanley has used them all. In March of 1988, three months after she vanished, Christis suitcase was discovered in a roadside rest area 30 miles west of Gothenburg. Photos. Her ears are pierced. 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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