Christi Nichols

0:00Meet the Red Bull Dragonberry Emergizer. It's one of the many new drinks out now. Who knew ice cold drinks could be so? Fire. Try them all only at my toes. Meet the Red Bull Dragonberry Emergizer. It's one of the many new drinks out now. Who knew ice cold drinks could be so? Fire. Try them all only at my toes. This podcast is sponsored by Talkspace. Last year, I went through many different life changes. I needed to take a pause and examine how I was feeling and the inside to better show up for the ones who need me to be my best version of myself. When you're navigating life's changes, Talkspace can help. Talkspace is the number one rated online therapy, bringing you professional support from licensed therapists and psychiatry providers that you can access anytime, anywhere. Living a busy life, navigating a long distance relationship,

1:00becoming a first step father, Talkspace made all of those journeys possible. I could speak with my therapist in the office, I could speak with my therapist in the comfort of my home. I was never alone. Talkspace works with most major insurers and most insured members have a zero dollar copay, no insurance, no problem. Now get $80 off your first month with promo code Space80 when you go to Talkspace.com. Match with a licensed therapist today at Talkspace.com. Save $80 with code Space80 at Talkspace.com. A colossal monster tearing through the streets, a city in ruins, nowhere to hide, until he finds a way out behind the wheel of the all-electric Toyota CHR, instant torque, get away handling, and a measurable well factor. John Show stars in, Escape. Experience the thrill, test drive Toyota's new all-electric family at your local dealer, Toyota. Let's go places.

2:00A 22-year-old mother of two who lived in Gothenburg, Nebraska with her husband was last seen on December 10, 1987, when she left her children at home with a babysitter for an evening out with her husband. Just days before her disappearance, she met with a domestic violence counselor and a divorce attorney, determined to create a safer life for herself and her children. Her family strongly believed she met with foul play, but despite decades of searching, her case remains un-solved. Welcome to Without a Trace. I'm your host, Jillyn. Every file holds a mystery. Every story deserves to be heard. This is Christie's story. Christie was born on September 6, 1965, to Connie Stanley and Ken Williams in Gothenburg, Nebraska.

3:01Her parents divorced when she was a child. Growing up, she lived in Overton, Nebraska with Connie, her stepfather Greg, her siblings Cori and Cindy, and three step brothers. Christie was described as shy, thoughtful, caring, and smart. In 1983, she graduated from Overton High School and enrolled in Carney State College. But after one semester, she returned to Gothenburg and lived with her paternal grandmother, Violet Williams. Shortly after moving to Gothenburg, Christie met Mark Nichols. Their relationship progressed very quickly, and in 1984, when she was 19 and he was 23, they married. Mark's marriage to Christie was his second one. Soon after in December 1984, their daughter, Lindsay, was born, and in April 1986, they welcomed their son Preston. They continued to live in Gothenburg, a small town along Interstate 80 in the heart of Nebraska's farm belt. There, Christie worked part-time as a bartender at Petzlounge,

4:02a bar owned by Mark's uncle Gary. Mark worked as an attendant at a local gas station. Christie's life centered around her family. She always dreamed of being a mother. She was proud of them, devoted to them, loved them, and always put them first. They were her pride and joy. Christie's mother Connie described Christie as the most proud mother there ever could be. Explaining quote, Christie never felt she had accomplished anything until she had her children. And there was something she could look at and say, Hey, I did this pretty well. No one can do this better." On the afternoon of December 10, 1987, Christie and Mark went Christmas shopping with Lindsay and Preston. They took pictures with Santa and had dinner at Pizza Hut. That evening, Christie and Mark called their babysitter Diane to come over while the couple went to Petzlounge. For a couple of hours, they played pool and shovel board. Mark claimed things went well that night. They were both in a good mood and were laughing and getting along great.

5:05When Petzlounge closed at midnight, Christie and Mark drove to Jack and Jill in all night convenience store to buy groceries. Christie stayed up front and chatted with the clerk while Mark shopped around for breakfast items and milk. Mark and Christie went straight home after the store. Between 12.30 and 1 a.m., Diane was doing her homework in the front of the living room television when she heard a car door slam outside. Moments later, Mark came in. However, Diane did not see Christie, nor did she see the groceries Mark had just purchased. Mark claimed he was about five feet behind Christie when she reached the door. According to him, she walked past the living room and headed straight to the bathroom where she stayed for about 15 minutes. That night, Mark paid Diane in cash. She thought that was strange because Christie normally paid her instead of him and she did so with a check. Also, Christie usually asked her about how Lindsay and Preston were but Mark explained that she was sick.

6:06Diane left about five minutes later. According to Mark, Christie went to bed immediately after Diane left. Mark joined her a short time later around 2 a.m. By that time, Mark said Christie was already sound asleep. At around 7 a.m., Lindsay and Preston woke Mark up. Christie was not in bed. She searched around the house and noticed she had taken a suitcase full of belongings. About $30 was missing along with her tip money. However, both family cars were still parked in the driveway. At 1.37 p.m., on December 11th, Mark reported Christie missing. When police arrived at the family's home, Mark told them Christie had left on her own and even packed a suitcase to take along with her. He provided a detailed list of the items Christie had taken with her, which included two pairs of jeans, a sweatshirt, a bra, and a jacket. A handwritten note was found in Christie's car that was believed to be written by her. The letter was addressed to a man that she was allegedly having an affair with,

7:08and it discussed her plans to leave her husband and children. The note read, quote, I want you to know I will probably be leaving after Christmas and I will try not to see or talk to you until then. It will all work out somehow. I'm really sorry, end quote. Mark allowed the police to look around the house. Nothing appeared to be out of place, though it was noticed that Christie did not pack her toiletries, her makeup, her winter coat, the majority of her clothing, or any of her jewelry. It was later learned that she never picked up her paycheck, which was ready that same day. The police said there was nothing to indicate there had been foul play, and officers believed Mark when he said Christie abandoned her family on purpose, and as a result, an investigation was not launched. Little did police know there was every reason to investigate. Had they talked to Christie's friends and family, they may have realized there was a high likelihood that something nefarious had happened to Christie.

8:20Christie's family alleges that Mark was domineering toward her and always needed to be in control. He monitored her phone calls and threatened to take Lindsay and Preston from her. Several people, including her mother Connie, saw her with bruises. Initially, Christie would claim the bruises were from accidental falls or bumps, but a few months before she disappeared, Christie began confiding in her family about the abuse. Christie told her cousin Debbie that she wanted to divorce Mark. She wrote letters to her detailing his controlling and abusive nature. A few weeks before Christie's disappearance, Debbie visited her at Pete's lounge. When they left, Christie showed Debbie a large bruise on her side and said Mark had, quote, thrown her around during an argument. She also told Debbie that one night, Mark held her against a wall, choked her, and stabbed a knife into the wall near her head. Lindsay witnessed the incident. Debbie felt Christie was more concerned with Lindsay than herself.

9:21She acted like what Mark had done was no big deal. Debbie told Christie she needed to get help and leave him. Two days before she vanished, on December 9th, Christie met with an attorney to begin divorce proceedings. She told Debbie she was frightened Mark would find out, so she found an attorney in a different town about 10 miles outside of Gothenburg. Christie spent two hours in the attorney's office detailing her abuse. She showed a bruise on her arm. Christie wanted to file for divorce and get custody of her children, but she didn't have money. The attorney had handled hundreds of divorces, but had never seen a client as distressed, upset, and nervous as Christie was, so he told her not to worry about the money and agreed to help her. The attorney then called the Dawson County Sheriff's Office to report the abuse. They told him to contact Gothenburg Police Chief Bob Shackleton. He also contacted a domestic violence counselor, Betty. He then urged Christie to not go home. The evening of December 9th, Christie went to pick up the children from Mark's parents' house.

10:25They told her that she could not take them. According to Connie, Chief Shackleton was friends with Mark's family and told them about her meeting with the attorney. When Mark found out, he was furious. Christie called the police, but Chief Shackleton told her that Mark was allowed to keep the children from her. She was told to leave the property, and if she returned, she would be arrested. This was the third time that day that Chief Shackleton had harassed Christie. Earlier, he had confronted her at the Jack and Jill store. This was confirmed by the clerk who had witnessed it. Later, he confronted Christie on the street telling her something to the effect that she needed to quote, get her act together with this thing with Mark. The Chief later admitted this to Connie. Later that evening, Christie confided in her mom that she and Mark had been going through it for a few days. She said Mark had taken the kids and gone to his parents' house and wouldn't like Christie see them. Connie said Christie seemed really afraid, but she told her parents not to worry about it.

11:25At some point in the evening, Mark returned home with the children. Christie called her mom and said everything was fine, that she and Mark had worked things out. He told her he would not take them again as long as she agreed to a list of demands. Quit her job, take her name off the checking account, stop divorce proceedings, not take the children anywhere alone, and not leave town. Christie told her mom that although she told Mark she would agree to his demands, she would not actually follow them. During this conversation, Christie mentioned that Mark had already removed her name from the checking account and threatened to have the police pick her up if she tried to leave town. While Christie agreed to try and smooth things over, she was secretly still planning to escape. On December 10th, she attended a meeting with the police chief and domestic violence counselor. She told them about her marital problems and Mark's abuse. She provided a statement about how her thumb had been injured during one of her fights with Mark. 10 days before her disappearance, on December 1, 1987,

12:27Christie went to the Gothenburg Memorial Hospital for treatment of an injury she received during a fight with Mark. Her right thumb had been bent back to touch her forearm. According to Mark, the fight started when he tried to keep her from going out. She got upset with him, tried to hit and kick him, and then burned the side of his neck with a cigarette. He tossed her onto the bed and she landed wrong, twisting her thumb underneath her. He denied abusing her. Dr. Carol Shackleton, who is Chief Shackleton's wife, had seen Christie before and treated her thumb injury that day. She said Christie acted like a quote, scared rabbit. She didn't maintain eye contact and wasn't very verbal. She felt like Christie wasn't telling her everything about the injury. During the visit, Mark was nearby in the hallway. Dr. Shackleton doesn't know if him being there was reassuring for Christie. After this meeting, Christie made another appointment to meet with the domestic violence counselor for the following day on December 11th.

13:28They planned to have her attend a group support meeting and they wanted to discuss her needs and how the counselor could help. The counselor wanted Christie to go to a shelter, but she declined, saying she would return the next day with Lindsay and Preston. We don't know for certain what exactly happened to Christie after she left this meeting, but we do know that there are several inconsistencies and Mark's account. Mark claimed on the afternoon of December 10th while the family was out running errands together. He was uncomfortable because he felt, quote, a lot of anger coming from Christie. But for an unknown reason, he and Christie decided to go out together that evening. When they called their babysitter Diane, she was surprised. Diane had babysat for them for over a year, and she knew Mark and Christie were not getting along. Diane later recalled only hearing one card or slam and only heard one set of footsteps. She never saw or heard Christie, which was strange as Christie had to walk past the living room and down the hallway to enter the bathroom.

14:29Diane was adamant that only Mark arrived home that night. Additionally, Mark told the police that he and Christie were both in a good mood while they were at Pete's lounge. However, his uncle Gary, who owned the bar, felt a tenseness between them and was surprised they were there together that night. When they were at the convenience store Jack and Jill, the store clerk noticed that Christie seemed nervous on edge and in a hurry to get out of there. Around 8.30 a.m. on the morning of December 11th, Christie's mom called to see how things went with the domestic violence counselor the day before. But Mark answered and told Connie that Christie was still asleep. Connie was left with a bad feeling after this, so she called one of Christie's friends and asked if they would try to call Christie. The friend agreed and dialed the number for the Nichols residence. Mark answered the phone again, but this time he told her friend that Christie was out shopping. Christie's friend called Connie back and told her what Mark said. The women were immediately worried as he had just told them

15:31two completely different stories. Connie called Christie's paternal grandmother Violet, who lived in Gothenburg, but she hadn't heard from or seen Christie either. A few hours later, around 11.30 a.m., Mark showed up at Violet's house unannounced with the children. He asked if she could watch them while he went out and looked for Christie. He appeared to be shaken up as he explained that Christie had just up and left. It's unclear what Mark did. Next, but he says he spent the next two hours driving around town looking for any sign of his missing wife. Detectives would later be unable to find a single person who could confirm seeing him during that time. When Christie's mom learned of the story Mark had told Christie's grandma, she knew something was wrong. She decided to go to the police, but by the time she did, Mark had already told the authorities that Christie had, quote, left and abandoned her children. Connie called Mark about this and he told her the same thing. Connie knew Christie was a very loving mother and all around thoughtful and caring person.

16:34Plus, she was always in contact with her family. It was so out of character for her to abandon her family. When Connie told Mark this, he refused to say anything else. Despite all of the signs pointing to Val play, the police would not investigate Christie's disappearance and her family had to investigate the disappearance themselves. They organized poster distribution and ground searches, but their efforts didn't provide any new information. They knew they had a ramp up their efforts, so they hired a private investigator and became very involved in the search for Christie. Her aunt, Joanne, even moved to Omaha to work for the private investigator herself. They uncovered shocking details. Connie learned Mark had moved out of the family home this same day he reported Christie missing. He had also sold both of the family's cars within a few weeks. Then, about six weeks after Christie disappeared, the private investigator managed to get access into the house where the family had lived. When he looked around, he found blood on the bedroom carpet.

17:35Christie's family immediately went to the Dawson County Attorney's Office and asked the state to open an investigation, and finally, they agreed. On February 4, 1988, the Nebraska State Patrol took over the case. Investigators obtained a warrant to search the house. They found the blood on the carpet, as well as additional blood in the bathroom sink. Chief Shackleton was later asked how he missed the blood when he walked through the home on December 11th. He told the Lincoln Journal Star that he didn't miss the blood. He just didn't think it was important because it was a small amount, about the size of a half dollar. He added that he, quote, really wasn't looking for blood. The piece of bloody carpet was cut out to be sent for testing. As they started cutting it away, authorities realized the blood had soaked through the padding under the carpet. The stain underneath the carpet was the size of a coffee saucer or a small plate. The blood was confirmed to belong to Christie, but Mark had an explanation ready. He told police that it was menstrual blood.

18:37Authorities ran lab tests, which confirmed it was not menstrual blood. Mark later told investigators that after the babysitter left on the evening of December 10th, he and Christie argued until 2 a.m. He woke up later to see that she had some sort of accident and was, quote, cover-to-in blood and sleeping on the bedroom floor. Mark continued to alleged that Christie ran off on her own and insinuated that she had taken off with the man she was having in a fair with. In an interview with The World Herald, Mark said Christie ran away from home because she was, quote, tired of married life and being tied down. He denied any abuse and said that they only had pillow fights and fun. However, investigators found more of Christie's blood. This time, it was inside the trunk of Mark's car. After the blood was discovered, a judge ordered that the nickels children be removed from Mark's car, and they were placed in Connie's car. Connie had the children for about a year before a new judge placed them in foster care, saying the children needed a more neutral environment.

19:39The children were later uprooted again and sent to live with Mark's parents, where Mark was also living. Connie was able to visit the children every other weekend. Mark later regained full custody of Lindsay and Preston. Once this happened, he completely cut off the visits with Connie. In March 1988, three months after she vanished, a trucker found a suitcase by a tree at a rest area off the interstate about 30 miles west of Gothenburg. Inside the suitcase, detectives found two pairs of jeans, a sweatshirt, a bra, and a jacket. The items inside the suitcase were exactly what Mark had told investigators that Christie took with her on the day he reported her missing. A detail that was odd to investigators. One officer said, quote, If my wife had left me, I wouldn't be able to look through the closet and tell you what she had taken. I probably would be able to tell you maybe what suitcase she had taken. But he had taken items of clothing right down the line that he knew she had taken. End quote. Mark claimed the police were lying and said he knew for a fact he did not describe the exact contents of her suitcase.

20:45The officers believed it was obvious the suitcase was placed there. The items were neatly placed on the ground rather than just thrown around. Further searches in the area turned up nothing more. However, the discovery of Christie's suitcase led police to finally believing something nefarious had happened. In June 1988, Connie wrote to a local newspaper asking for help finding her daughter's body. In this letter, she stated she thought Christie had been murdered and was likely buried somewhere in the Dawson County area. The police confirmed they had found nothing to indicate that Christie was alive and suspected foul play was involved. Mark told the media he thought his wife was alive. He didn't know why she hadn't contacted her family and he had no idea police had found blood in the family's old home. He added that he only moved out because the rent was too high. Later in the summer, the show unsolved mysteries filmed an episode on Christie's disappearance. They spoke with Mark who denied having any involvement and said quote,

21:47people in small towns they talk a lot and a lot of these rumors tend to get pretty vicious. There's been a couple of rumors that I chopped her up and put her in garbage bags and buried her at the dump. That's one of the first ones I heard and that one really got to me because I guess they were actually going up there digging a room. Mark alleged that any rumors about him quote, beating up on Christie were false. He said he had never done anything to hurt his wife and he wasn't a violent person. He just wanted Christie to come home. The unsolved mysteries episode aired in November and led to about 165 new tips. Unfortunately, none led to Christie. In early October, around 300 volunteers joined Christie's family and a search for her body. They served stay 15 mile radius around Gothenburg by foot, ATV, horse, boat and scuba. Nothing related to Christie's case was found.

22:48On December 11, 1988, on the one year anniversary of Christie's disappearance, multiple articles were released. Christie's mom was quoted saying, I honestly feel that she's not alive. I just don't think there's any possibility she's out there. Detect as agreed with Connie stating it was unlikely that Christie was alive. In the same article, Mark said he thought Christie was alive and that she was probably living out west somewhere. At this point, the investigation had slowed down. In April 1989, Mark formally filed for divorce and claimed Christie had abandoned him and their children. Soon, he was remarried and living in a new city. In May, another volunteer search effort took place. About 100 volunteers searched 200 square miles for clues on foot and by horse. This search turned up some undisclosed evidence that was sent for testing, but police have never announced what this evidence was or if it was related to Christie's case.

23:49In July, Mark returned to the media to say that Christie had threatened him with divorce on many occasions. He shared his suspicion that she was seeing someone else. He claimed he had taken six slide detector tests and passed them all. By 1990, Christie's story was almost forgotten about. In May, it was reported that Mark had sued Connie for recording some of their phone calls. Connie admitted to recording parts of the conversation that Mark had with his children. A judge dismissed the lawsuit. On the third anniversary of Christie's disappearance, the state patrol said they had a new investigator on the case and told the media they would definitely solve Christie's case, but that it would take time. The investigator stated authorities were working on theories that could lead to proof that a certain person was responsible. As the years passed, Christie's case began to go cold. Her family repeatedly asked state and county officials to open a grand jury investigation, but their requests were always denied due to a lack of evidence.

24:54In 1994, one of the previous lead investigators told the media that he agreed that a grand jury might help uncover information from people who had been reluctant to cooperate. However, there was no officer assigned to Christie's case, so a grand jury was never convened. On the ten year anniversary of Christie's disappearance, her aunt Joanne told the Omaha World Herald that she was still following leads and would not let Christie's story be forgotten. In contrast, Mark's father told the Omaha World Herald that his family had, quote, completely forgotten and moved ahead. New movement in the case came in 2003 when the state patrol Cold Case Division took over the case and stated that Mark was their only suspect. They confirmed that he did participate in a polygraph test, but said the results were inconclusive. Mark's claims that he had taken and passed several polygraph tests was simply untrue.

25:54It was also noted that Mark's parents were seen pouring a concrete pad on their property in Gothenburg a few days after Christie was lost seen. They built a garage on top of the pad. Rumors around town have circulated that Christie's body was entombed during the construction project. It was also stated in a newspaper article that some lie had been stolen during that time from a nearby farmer's co-op. Connie later said that during the time when she had the children in her care, Christie's daughter, who was three at the time, told her, quote, Daddy put mommy in a bucket and put her in green water. In 2005, the state patrol received a grant that allowed them to start working on Christie's case again. Her case is open and investigators continue looking for new leads. In January 2020, in an attempt to renew interest in the case, authorities released a press release saying each tip is important and followed up. They urged the public to come forward with anything no matter how small it seemed.

26:57The smallest tip could be the piece of the puzzle that is needed. Chief Shackleton later left law enforcement after pleading no contest to an official misconduct case that was unrelated to Christie's disappearance. Mark remarried not long after Christie's disappearance and moved to Missouri. However, by 1997, he and his third wife had divorced and he was married to his fourth. Mark had been accused of abusing his first, third, and fourth wife. In 1992, an arrest warrant for third degree assault was filed against Mark, but he skipped town before they could serve the warrant. Mark is now 61 years old. He reportedly lived in Arkansas for many years before recently returning to Nebraska, now residing in hasting, approximately 110 miles east of Gothenburg. He remains a prime suspect in Christie's disappearance. Christie's family hasn't given up hope that they will one day find out what happened. They hold onto the hope that they will find her body and be able to lay her properly to rest.

28:02Christie's daughter Lindsay wrote, quote, I would give anything to know what happened to my mother or even just to find her, I need closure. My family needs closure. Christie's case is considered an open homicide case. Anyone with information is asked to call the Nebraska State Patrol. Thank you for listening to Without a Trace. I hope we enjoyed our deep dive into Christie's disappearance. If you enjoyed today's episode, please subscribe and follow without a trace on social media. Enjoy me next week as I dive into another case.