On Thursday afternoon, Jan. 2nd, three women came to an apartment on Memory Lane, Yankton, to check on their friend, Heather Ann Bodden, 41, from whom they hadn’t heard in 24 hours. When they got inside, they found the decapitated body of their friend. The friends called the police, and the police confirmed that Bodden’s body was inside the apartment and her head had been removed from her body.
An affidavit stated, “A search warrant was conducted on the residence of 1001 Memory Lane Apartment A20. Upon the search of Apartment A20, a trash bag was located. Inside the bag was the head of the decedent.”
Police said they obtained CCTV footage from Bodden’s apartment complex showing Bodden’s boyfriend, Craig Allen Nichols Jr., 32, who also goes by “CJ,” walking in and out of the apartment with trash bags. The footage also showed two other men with Nichols. Police said the trash bag Nichols was holding matched the bags containing the victim’s head.
Police tracked Nichols and the other two men to question them. The two men said in the interview that they arrived at around 10 p.m., and all four participated in the use of narcotics. They stated that Bodden was alive when they left at around 11 p.m.
A search warrant conducted by the police revealed, “A plastic grocery bag was located with bloody male clothing. A sticker label found on the underwear in the plastic grocery bag reads in part, ‘CRAIG N.’ Additionally, three weapons wrapped in a floor mat were found in a trash bag close to the bag containing the decedent’s head and the bag of bloody male clothing.”
A day before the murder, one of the women told the police that Bodden had texted her, saying her boyfriend, Nichols, had been threatening her with a weapon that afternoon. She added that she had not heard from Bodden for more than 24 hours, prompting the women to meet at Bodden’s apartment to check on her.
A no-knock search warrant was issued for Nichols to bring him into custody. Police found a pair of wet shoes, and a reddish-brown substance was removed from the home as evidence. Nichols is now facing second-degree murder, first-degree manslaughter charges, and two counts of contempt of court. Nichols is currently being held on a $500,000 bond.
Heather’s family has created a GoFundMe page for her memorial and cremation. They wrote, “Heather was a bright spark in this world. Her friends and family loved her quick wit as she was always ready with a joke or snappy comeback. She loved her daughter Lily to the ends of the earth, and her mom, Pat, was her best friend in the world. Pat, and Heather’s stepdad, Sherman, will be caring for Lily.”
Bodden’s family released an official statement: “We want to express our deepest appreciation to our friends and the community for all of the thoughts, prayers, and acts of kindness on our family’s behalf. Your love and support have strengthened us during this very difficult time.”
The Yankton Police Department and Yankton County Sheriff’s Office are still investigating the incident, they jointly said in a press release.
