The remains of a New York school teacher who disappeared nearly 28 years ago have been discovered hidden in a false basement wall in the house where she lived with her husband.
Create a free account to read this article
or signup to continue reading
JoAnn Nichols was 55 years old when her husband James, who has since died, reported her missing in 1985, police in Poughkeepsie, New York, said.
The skeletal remains of the teacher were found behind a false wall when a contractor was asked to clean out the wood-frame house in Poughkeepsie, about 100 kilometres north of New York City.
The skeleton's hands were tied and the remains were found inside a large plastic bin, inside a plastic bag and wrapped in a sheet, said Dr Kari Reiber, the Dutchess County Medical Examiner.
Sealing the body in the plastic bin behind a false wall might have been enough to mask the smell as the body decomposed, Dr Reiber said.
"The body was skeletonized and the hands were tied with rope. ... A large area of the right side of the skull was also missing," Dr Reiber said.
"There might have not been any odour, even if she was there for a long time."
An autopsy revealed that Mrs Nichols, who taught first grade, died of blunt head trauma, Dr Reiber said.
"She was struck in the head," she said. "It is being ruled a homicide."
The remains were identified as belonging to Mrs Nichols, a teacher at Gayhead Elementary School in Hopewell Junction, through dental records on Monday.
Her husband was found dead in the same home on December 27, after concerned neighbours called police when they had not seen him in several days, according to CNN. He was 82 and died of natural causes, police said.
Officers said they found the house filled with personal items, debris and garbage.
No one in Mr Nichols' family came forward to claim his body, and a temporary administrator was appointed to take control of his estate. Mrs Nichols' remains were found behind the false wall when contractors began cleaning the home.
At the time of his wife's disappearance, Mr Nichols told detectives he last saw his wife when he left for work at IBM in December 1985, according to Poughkeepsie Journal archives.
He reported her missing when she didn't show up for a hair appointment at a beauty parlour.
The next day the couple's vehicle was discovered in the parking lot of a shopping centre in the town, CNN reported.
After Mrs Nichols went missing, her husband was never ruled out as a suspect, said Poughkeepsie Police Captain Paul Lecomte.
"It's now safe to say James Nichols is a suspect in this case," he said.
Mrs Nichols taught her last class on December 20, 1985, when school let out for the winter holidays.
The couple had one child, who drowned at age 25, three years before Mrs Nichols' disappearance.
Reuters with smh.com.au
