‘Just heart-wrenching.’ BSO IDs young woman found dead in Everglades decades ago

When a truck driver stumbled upon skeletal remains in the Everglades nearly 43 years ago, it started a decades-long investigation to uncover a woman’s identity and her killer, according to the Broward Sheriff’s Office.

Read more Miami-Dade band teacher is accused of having sex with teen student, deputies say

The woman who was found dead in September 1983 has been identified as Shelia Ann Nichols, of Decatur, Georgia, the BSO said in a Wednesday statement. Now, authorities are searching for clues that might lead to an arrest.

Nichols was a teenager living in Georgia in May 1983, BSO said. She went missing one day, and authorities don’t know why or how she left. Around the same time, her sister, Virginia Gail, disappeared, too.

“This has to be one of the most complex cases with various twists that I’ve ever worked,” BSO Cold Case Homicide Unit Detective Andrew Gianino said in the statement.

Around four months later, a truck driver came upon a “grisly discovery” off U.S. 27 on a then two-lane roadway, BSO said, adding that area in West Broward was a dumping ground for bodies. BSO detectives of that era investigated and even had a model made of the woman’s face to ask for the public’s help. But the case went cold.

It was clear the woman had been killed, but detectives didn’t know her name, where she was from or who killed her, BSO said.

“It’s unspeakable how somebody could dispose of this young lady with such disregard,” Gianino said in the statement. “It’s just heart-wrenching.”

Read more Diddy was just spotted in prison amid major news back home in Miami

Through a grant from the Missing and Unidentified Human Remains Program, BSO genetic genealogists were recently able to conclude the woman found in the Everglades was Nichols.

When Gianino started to investigate, “he was met with shocking twist after shocking twist,” BSO said. For example, there were still questions about what happened to Nichols’ sister, who had also disappeared.

Detectives confirmed the woman found in 1983 was Shelia Ann Nichols after a DNA match to her father last year, BSO said. The investigation also led to detectives finding her sister, Virginia Gail, who was alive and well.

It remains unclear how Shelia Ann ended up more than 650 miles from home and who killed her, BSO said. But detectives said they believe there is still a chance to find him or her. Those with knowledge who are “ready to share secrets they long ago decided to keep private or some small detail long overlooked” might help lead to an arrest.

Anyone with information on Nichols’ disappearance or homicide can contact Detective Gianino at 954-321-4376 or submit a tip through the SaferWatch app, BSO said. Those who wish to remain anonymous and be eligible for a cash reward of up to $5,000 can contact Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS.

“We need that one phone call,” Gianino said in the statement. “It would make all the difference going forward.”

Read more Miami-Dade band teacher is accused of having sex with teen student, deputies say