Christi Jo Nichols

Status:

Open

Jurisdiction:

Nebraska State Patrol Troop D Ne (NE)

Missing From:

Gothenburg, Nebraska

Summary:

Christi Jo Nichols was a 22-year-old mother of two who lived in Gothenburg, Nebraska with her husband Mark. She was last seen alive December 10, 1987, when she left her children at home with a babysitter for an evening out with her husband. To this day no trace of her has been found and no one has ever been charged in her disappearance.

Vital Statistics

Circumstances of Disappearance:

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. After midnight on December 11, Mark came home and paid the babysitter in cash. Usually, it was Christi who paid the sitter, and she did it with a check. 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. Mark said they argued until 2:00 a.m., when he went to sleep. At 7:00 a.m., the children woke up Mark and he realized Christi was missing. At 9:30 a.m., Christi's mother called and Mark lied, saying Christi was asleep in bed. Diane Janssen was the babysitter for the Nichols' the night of Dec. 10, 1987, and later told investigators that she did not see or hear Christi when Mark returned home later that night. She also said while Christi was the one who had always paid her in the past, with a check, this time Mark paid with cash.

Additional Details:

The police uncovered evidence that Christi and Mark's marriage was in trouble. They learned she had been seeing another man. Ten days before her disappearance, on December 1, 1987, Christi went to Gothenburg Memorial Hospital for treatment of an injury she received during a fight with Mark. On December 9, 1987, Christi visited divorce attorney Claude Berreckman at his office in Cozad, Nebraska, approximately 10 miles outside of Gothenburg. According to Christi, she was afraid of Mark finding out, hence the reason why she'd decided to see an out-of-town lawyer. Due to the couple's deteriorating marriage, she wanted to divorce Mark and gain full custody of the children. Trace amounts of Christi's blood were found on the floor of her bedroom, and in the trunk of Mark's 1977 Mercury Cougar. While Mark tried to tell them it was menstrual blood, later DNA analysis would prove this statement to be false. Both the suitcase and the purse, with everything still inside, were found at an Interstate 80 rest stop near Maxwell, Nebraska in March 1988. The Nebraska State Patrol was called in. Officer Terry Ahrens was put in charge of this case. As the investigation proceeded, he believed that this was not a "normal" missing persons case and that she had likely met with foul play. On March 20, 1992, an arrest warrant was issued for him. He was accused of assaulting his new wife. However, he and his family moved to Missouri before the arrest warrant could be served. February 1988: The Nebraska State Patrol rules Christi Jo most likely is dead. Mark has remained the only suspect in the case, though Chief Olson would not comment on any details of the investigation. On September 28, 2013, Claude Berreckman died at eighty. On June 1, 2023, Joanne died (referring to Joanne Kniss, Christi's aunt who spent decades investigating the case).

Case Last Updated:

May 12, 2026