In late 1987, the small city of Gothenburg, Nebraska would become home to the mysterious disappearance of a young mother. It would transform into a case of he said she said with police zoning in on a primary suspect.

The town of 3,500 has changed and the chatter about Christi Jo Nichols’ disappearance has slowed significantly over the years. However, questions have yet to be answered and the previous husband remains under suspicion.

Did the 22-year-old mother of two make the desperate decision to escape an allegedly abusive relationship? Or, did she abandon everything and everyone she loved to start anew elsewhere? Or, did Christi Jo fall prey to a monster?

Below, we will retell the events leading up to the disappearance of Christi Jo Nicols and the events that followed.

Introducing Christi Jo

Christi Jo Williams was on born September 6, 1965. She graduated from Overton High School in 1983 before marrying Mark Nicols the following year. Mark and Christi welcome their first child, a daughter named Lindsey, in December of 1984.

Their son, Preston, was born in April of 1986. Christi is quiet, timid, and shy around strangers but those close to her know she is as smart as a whip. While her marriage appears strong from the outside, an unthinkable event will soon shed light on the couple’s dark secrets.

By December of 1987, Christi Jo has had enough and she is ready to move on with her life. On the 9th, she sits down with a Cozad attorney Claude Berreckman Sr. to discuss getting a divorce from her husband.

Before leaving the attorney’s office, Christi will schedule a follow-up appointment but she’ll never make it. She’ll be long gone before that can happen. On December 10, 1987, the couple takes their children out for pizza before getting pictures with Santa.

Mark’s Story

When the fun ends with the family, Christi and 26-year-old Mark return home and hire 17-year-old Diane Wahlgren to babysit the children. They leave and spend several hours at a local bar called Pete’s.

On the 11th around midnight, Mark returns home and pays the babysitter in cash. After she leaves, Christi and Mark argue for a few more hours with Mark finally going to sleep around 2 AM. At 7 AM, Mark is awoken by the kids. He looks around the house and realizes that Christi is not there. He has no clue where she is but he lies about it when Christi’s mother calls moments later.

He pretends she is still sleeping in bed since he doesn’t want to cause her any concern. Later that morning, Mark takes the kids to their grandmother’s place and leaves them so he can go search for Christi. Around this time, Mark tells another woman that his wife has gone shopping. He spends two hours searching the city for his wife but she has disappeared without a trace.

With no other choice, Mark decides to report his wife missing and finally makes contact with local authorities. He tells police that $30 was missing from his billfold along with tip money the couple had kept in a jar. He believes Christi left with a suitcase and her purse. The suitcase contained jeans, a bra, a sweatshirt, and a jacket. Christi’s purse would’ve held a hairbrush, lighter, matchbook, bottle of Neutrogena cream, nail file, mirror, lipstick, and a piece of gum.

Mark would waste no time moving out of the house, selling the family’s cars, and restarting his life. Since he felt Christi had left him for another man, he had no reason to wait for her to return. Mark’s father, Loel, would say, “In what evidence I’ve seen, she took a powder and just left. We’ve completely forgotten it and moved ahead.” Those closest to Christi refuse to believe the loving mother would leave her children behind without a second thought.

In April of 1990, Mark officially divorced Christi and remarried. He eventually regained custody of the two children.

 

The Remnants

Investigators find it odd that Christi Jo left behind certain items including diamond jewelry and her driver’s license. She also skipped town without picking up her last paycheck from the bar where she had been working part-time. Investigators quickly developed a theory about Christi seeing another man after finding a letter in the couple’s vehicle. In the letter, she told her secret boyfriend that she would be leaving after Christmas but would contact him in a few months.

The note read, “I want you to know I will probably be leaving town after Christmas and I will try not to see or talk to you until then. It will all work out somehow. I am really sorry.” By February of 1988, Nebraska State Patrol believed Christi Jo was most likely dead. In March of that year, her bags will be discovered at an Interstate 80 rest stop near Maxwell. The purse and suitcase contained the exact same items that Mark mentioned to the police. Authorities believed the items were placed there so they could be found.

In May of 1988, Mark will say he received a phone call from a Denver doctor asking for Christi’s medical records. In October, 300 volunteers would search a 15-mile radius around Gothenburg but nothing useful would be found. Christ Jo’s case would be featured on the hit television show Unsolved Mysteries the following months. After the episode aired, the production company received 150 calls while State Patrol got 15.

None of those calls amounted to anything significant. Christi Jo’s whereabouts and fate remain unknown.

Evidence Against

A lot of time has passed and many things have changed over the years but one thing remains the same. While Mark Nichols, his family, and supporters believe Christi Jo left on her own accord, many others suspect Mark had something to do with her disappearance. The young nanny never recalled seeing Christi that night. And, she found it odd that she was paid in cash when Christi normally paid her with a check. Since Christi vanished on December 11, 1987, Mark has professed his innocence. Christi’s mother, Connie Stanley, and aunt, Joanne Kniss, raised concern about the initial law enforcement investigation claiming it was flawed, inadequate, and didn’t focus on foul play soon enough.

They were worried about then Gothenburg Police Chief Bob Shackleton since he knew the Nichols family well. If they had it their way, the Dawson County Sheriff’s Office would’ve taken over the investigation. Shackleton later said he “honestly thought she got into a truck and just booked. But the more it goes, the longer I wonder about it.” He also questioned whether Mark was “smart enough” to cover up a murder but he wasn’t sure why Christi Jo wouldn’t contact anyone if she is still alive.

Shackleton left law enforcement after pleading no contest to an official misconduct charge before serving on the Gothenburg City Council. He has refuted allegations that his friendships clouded his judgment. After Christi’s disappearance, it would be alleged that Mark had physically abused his wife and had monitored her calls. She had supposedly visited the emergency room for injuries caused by her husband.

She had visited an abuse counselor. When Mark found out, he got angry and forced her to promise she would never return but she did anyway. It is also difficult to ignore the fact that Christi had visited a divorce attorney just days before she vanished. In 1989, Mark was interviewed by Unsolved Mysteries and denied the domestic violence claims. However, he admitted he injured Christi once when tossing her onto a waterbed in self-defense.

Mark Nichols would sit down for a polygraph test in December of 1987 and that would be a source of contention. Mark has repeatedly said he passed the test. State Patrol Investigator Terry Ahrens admitted that Nichols had taken a polygraph test but he would not discuss the results in December of 1989. The State Patrol’s Cold Case Investigator, Robert Frank, would say that the polygraph test was inconclusive in August of 2003.

Ultimately, the only forensic evidence investigators had was blood from the carpet in the couple’s bedroom and blood in the trunk of Mark’s vehicle. Mark easily explained away the blood in the bedroom saying it was menstrual blood. He would tell investigators that he woke up on the night his wife’s disappearance and saw her standing over the bloodstain.

The dried blood had previously been overlooked by Gothenburg police. When tested, it was revealed that the blood was not menstrual blood at all. On March 20, 1992, an arrest warrant for 3rd-degree assault was filed against Mark in Lincoln County. However, he had already moved from the state before the warrant could be served. In December of 1994, Christi’s grandmother, Violet Williams, and other members of the family called for a grand jury investigation to probe the disappearance. The officer in charge of the patrol’s investigation said the case remains active but no officer is pursuing leads full time.

Dave Elliot also favored a grand jury saying, “If a grand jury could make Mr. Nichols and his relatives talk, I’m sure it could offer new ideas.” Their request would be denied due to a lack of evidence.

 

The End

One way or another 22-year-old Christi Jo Nicols left behind everything on December 11, 1987. And, that is basically end. The end of the road and the end of the investigation. It is the end for spectators but the heartache and grueling torment remain for Christi’s loved ones. Someone out there has the answers that can mend the wounds and give the family the justice they deserve.

Christi Jo’s grandmother, Violet Williams, never lost hope that her granddaughter’s killer would be identified and brought to justice. Violet passed away in 1999. Williams was born in a sod house near Brady and died of heart failure at the age of 78. Of the passing, her daughter, Joanne Kniss, said “She knows now who did it. I just wish there was a direct line to her.”

In January of 2020, Christi’s daughter Lindsey wrote on Facebook, “I would give anything to know what happened to my mother. Or even to just find her. I need closure. My family needs closure.” Christi’s sister, Cyndi, chimed in, “She is MISSED and LOVED. Please share her story.” There may only be one person who holds the answers. Coming forward could be the best way for that person to rectify their mistakes whoever they may be.