Christi Jo Nichols, Mark Nichols - What Happened After the "Unsolved Mysteries" Episode

By: Shane Lambert

The missing person case of Christi Jo Nichols was profiled in the hit television show "Unsolved Mysteries" back in 1988. 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.

If you watched the episode online and are wondering what happened with the case, then this article is for you. 

In the episode of "Unsolved Mysteries," the husband, Mark Nichols, claimed that he awoke one morning and saw that Christi wasn't beside him in bed. His side of the story is not presented as particularly credible in the episode.

This was Season 1 of the series and Episode 6 of that season, according to my research on the show. It originally aired on November 16th, 1988. The episode had the following synopsis in the November 16th, 1988 edition of The Evening Sun in Baltimore Maryland:

Unsolved Mysteries. Season 1. Episode 6. 16 Nov 1988, Wed The Evening Sun (Baltimore, Maryland) Newspapers.com

Christi Jo Nichols went missing on December 10th, 1987. She was 22 years old at the time. The first instance of journalism I found on the case was dated February 8th, 1988 in the Lincoln Star Journal (page 9). Much of this article is based on information from that newspaper source.

Mark Nichols is cited in the article.

08 Feb 1988, Mon Lincoln Journal Star (Lincoln, Nebraska) Newspapers.com

According to the journalism that I reviewed, this case was not solved as of October 29th, 2006. I found an article in the Lincoln Journal Star for that date where she was included among the cold cases for the state of Nebraska.

29 Oct 2006, Sun Lincoln Journal Star (Lincoln, Nebraska) Newspapers.com

Here are some interesting details that weren't covered in the Unsolved Mysteries episode, probably because they weren't known at the time. Firstly, Christi's "blood was found in the trunk of her husband's car and on the floor of their bedroom" (Lincoln Journal Star/Page 1/August 24th, 2003). However, there wasn't enough blood to build a murder case. Mark Nichols said that a drop of blood found in the bedroom was menstrual blood, however, "tests proved" that it was not.

There was also some lye stolen from a local farm at about the time of her disappearance. Lye is a substance that can be used to destroy human remains (Lincoln Journal Star/Page 1/August 24th, 2003). Whether this theft should be connected to the case is not clear. Also, Mark Nichols divorced Christi Jo Nichols in April 1990, claiming that he and the three children were abandoned.

24 Aug 2003, Sun Lincoln Journal Star (Lincoln, Nebraska) Newspapers.com

The "Unsolved Mysteries" episode covered the discovery of Christi's luggage. The luggage and other items were found "at a rest stop near Maxwell in March 1988." Furthermore, if Christi left on her own volition, then there is a question as to why she didn't take her paycheque, her tips from her job, or his driver's license.

There is journalism that suggests that there may have been another man in Christi's life. However, this man was ruled out as a suspect.

The babysitter that is in the "Unsolved Mysteries" episode claimed in the 2003 Lincoln Star Journal article that she had not been questioned in the case since 1988.

At the time of writing (December 17th, 2021), this missing person case was still unsolved. Christi Jo Nichols has an active profile at NamUs, where she is #MP4677. You can click the link to exit to her NamUs profile if you want further updates. If the profile is still active, it would strongly suggest that the case has not been solved.

De Qian Rang -- Missing From Elora, Ontario Since 1992

Details from NamUs**: 

"De Qian Rang was last seen on April 20, 1992, in the Village of Elora, Ontario. At the time of her disappearance, De Qian and her husband operated the 'Abacus Restaurant', south of Elora. An extensive police investigation has failed to locate Mrs. Rang. Police suspect foul play in her disappearance."

Missing Person: De Qian Rang

Alias: Maria Rang (might be her Canadianized name as many immigrants do that)
Last-contact date: April 20th, 1992
The area where the MP was last seen: Elora, Ontario
Link to government source: MP @ Canada's Missing

VITAL DETAILS

Ethnicity: Asian
Sex: Female
Age at time of disappearance: 29 years old
Birthdate: Deqian Rang was born between April 21st, 1962, and April 20th, 1963 based on her reported age at the last date of reported contact.
Hair: Black, long
Eyes: Brown
Scar: None listed
Height/weight: 5'4" and 110 pounds
BMI*: Deqian Rang was in the normal range for BMI.
Tattoos: Deqian Rang did not have any tattoos associated with her profiles. If you know that the missing person did have tattoos, then please post a remark at the end of this blog post on the matter.

De Qian Rang has not been seen since April 20th, 1992 when she was 29 years old. Of the resource I consulted, the DoeNetwork page for this missing person had the best description of circumstances surrounding this disappearance. That site discussed "a stormy relationship" with her husband, "extramarital affairs," the husband not filing a report of her missing but friends having to do it instead, and the husband's arrest in 1993 followed by his acquittal in December 1994.

This individual has now been missing for about 29 years as of the original publication date of this blog post. I wasn't able to locate any newspaper coverage for this case, nor did the missing person produce a hit in Ancestry. However, those databases update from time to time. If you have access to the Elora Sentinel, then that might be where you get some hits.

The following Youtube video contains information about the case, including newspaper articles that aren't available with my memberships. The information in the video seems to be derived from the same source as the DoeNetwork description.

Author: Shane Lambert (UncoolNegated on Websleuths)

All articles are subject to editing after the original posting.

Shane Lambert (UncoolNegated on Websleuths) is not a Private Investigator, however, he is currently studying to be one as of March 2021.

If you like this blog, then you can join the affiliated Facebook group: MPC Facebook Group

Website hashtag: #MPCSL

*For BMI values, I use the UPPER or HIGHER ranges that are given for height and weight.
**Text might be paraphrased. If taken verbatim, then grammar or spelling errors are not necessarily corrected from original sources.
Disclaimer: To determine whether a person is missing or not, this site relies heavily on government sources. If you are described as missing when you are not, I recommend simply having your missing person report updated or removed. When that happens, updates at this site can follow.

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Patricia Crandall -- Missing in California Since 1949

Details from NamUs**: 

Patricia was last seen in Shasta County, California on March 13th 1949. She has not been seen since.

Missing Person: Patricia Crandall

Last-contact date: March 13th, 1949
The area where the MP was last seen: Redding, California
Link to government source: NamUs #MP51926

VITAL DETAILS

Ethnicity: White/Caucasian
Sex: Female
Age at time of disappearance: 19 years old
Birthdate: between March 14th, 1929 and March 13th, 1930

• The range is calculated using the missing person's age on the date of her disappearance.

Hair: Brown
Eyes: Brown
Height/weight: 5-foot-3 and 112 pounds
BMI*: Patricia Crandall was in the normal range for BMI.

• Please, Google-search BMI if you aren't familiar with the phrase. I think it's an important tool to be aware of when working on missing person cases.

Tattoos: Patricia Crandall did not have any tattoos associated with her profiles. If you know this to be a mistake, then please contact this site.

Patricia Crandall, a missing person, was last heard from on March 13th, 1949 when she was 19 years old. This individual has now been missing for 72 years as of the original publication date of this blog post.

I decided to look at this case because of one tiny detail in the profile. It says that she was last seen with a suitcase. Without any other details, that could mean that she was planning on going traveling or maybe she went missing voluntarily. In the absence of anything clandestine in her profile, I thought there was a chance that his individual's name might show up in the documentary records that are now searchable online with deep web memberships.

That said, it was hard to find her among all the all Patricia Crandalls in American history. However, I think this missing person might have had the middle initial "L." The county our missing person went missing from was Shasta County and she was likely born in either 1929 or 1930. I found a "Patricia L. Crandall" who was 10 at the time of the 1940 census who lived in Shasta County so some things seemed to match up.

There is a good discussion on this missing person on Websleuths. It could be that the missing person was this individual on Ancestry who married into the name Patricia Louise Von Ahn. If so, the missing person died in a car accident in 1962. However, there are some confusing matters with the yearbooks associated with the Ancestry profile that need to be looked at.

Mon, Feb 19, 1962 – Page 8 · Statesman Journal (Salem, Oregon) · Newspapers.com

Please share this article to social media using hashtags that are related to where the missing person went missing from, which is Redding, California.

Author: Shane Lambert (UncoolNegated on Websleuths)

All articles are subject to editing after the original posting.

Shane Lambert (UncoolNegated on Websleuths) is not a Private Investigator, however, he is currently studying to be one as of March 2021.

Website hashtag: #MPCSL

*For BMI values, I use the UPPER or HIGHER ranges that are given for height and weight.
**Text might be paraphrased. If taken verbatim, then grammar or spelling errors are not necessarily corrected from original sources.
Disclaimer: Whenever possible, government sources are preferred for getting the details of a missing person's case. However, any source that the article writer deems reputable may be used.

Melissa Garrett -- Missing Since August 31st, 2017

Author: Shane Lambert
Original Time of Writing: January 8th, 2021
All articles are subject to editing after the original posting.

Missing person: Melissa Roseanne Garrett
Last-seen date: August 31st, 2017 (Thursday); boyfriend claims September 1st, 2017
Last-seen location: Ingleside, Texas (zip code 78362)
Link to Government Source: NamUs #MP62386
Ethnicity/Race: White
Sex: Female
Age at time of disappearance: 47-years-old
Hair: Brown, short, and wavy
Eye color: Hazel
Height and weight at the time of disappearance: 5'3" to 5'4"/147 to 180 pounds

Other: scar
Clothing: Red long-sleeve top and shorts. She also had a brown suitcase.