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I'm your host Mark.
And I'm Courtney.
And this is Mountain State Mysteries.
The case we have for you today is about a girl who had her whole life ahead of her.
This is the story of Nicole Don Markely.
Nicole was last seen by her family on January 17, 2003, when she left her home in the four
states area of West Virginia.
She was walking over to her grandmother's house, something that she did often, but
this time it was different.
She didn't make it to her grandmother's house.
Nicole never returned home that evening.
When her mother, Sherry, realized she never got a call from Nicole during the day, she
started to get concerned.
Sherry said in an interview that, quote, she was a good kid and would always check in with
me.
I thought maybe she was with the new guy she was dating, but she wasn't.
End quote.
Sherry told 8line, she had a bad feeling and wasn't taking any chances.
So she called the Marion County Sheriff's Department and reported her missing.
Family and friends immediately started searching the hills in the four states area of Fairmont,
West Virginia, looking in sheds, backyards, ditches and walking through the woods trying
to find Nicole.
But sadly, there was no trace of her.
Sherry Harris, Nicole's cousin said, quote, I remember just all of us being in the back
of trucks, looking for her in ditches up along streets anywhere we could go walking the hills.
End quote.
Nicole's 17th birthday came and gone.
Her family was still searching for the answer of where Nicole was.
Nicole's mother, Sherry told 8line, she'll always remember the day Nicole was born because
it was the aftermath of the fatal space shuttle Challenger disaster on January 28th, 1986.
The search for Nicole never stopped.
About two weeks later, on February 1st, 2003, a hunter found her body laying face down in
the Teberbock Creek in the four states area of Marion County.
The day Nicole's body was found was also marked by another disaster.
It was the day of the space shuttle Columbia explosion that killed all seven crew members.
Sherry said, quote, it's just something I'll never forget.
End quote.
Sheriff Jimmy Rifle was a roadway deputy at the time, but remembers the impact the case
had on the community.
What they initially thought was that Nicole was another runaway juvenile quickly turned
into a homicide investigation.
He told 8line that the medical examiner concluded that Nicole's death was a homicide, which
jumped started the investigation.
12 news reported that the autopsy results revealed her cause of death was drowning.
Deputies were confident that they knew who her murderer was.
Two years later, in July of 2003, 20 year old William Hammond of four states was charged
with the first degree murder in connection with Nicole's death.
Sheriff Rifle did not get into specifics on what led investigators to Hammond or whether
or not the two knew each other.
Five months later, prosecutors dropped the charges against Hammond.
According to NBC affiliate WBOY for Marion County prosecuting attorney Susan Rifle said
in December 2003, quote, we felt the case needed more investigation.
We felt the best thing for the victim and for justice was to dismiss the indictment
without prejudice.
Christine Hall, Nicole's on said, quote, I flipped out.
I can't believe it.
In quote, no further charges have been filed in the case.
Sherry told 8line, quote, it's not fair and it's not right.
The one who took my child's life is out there running around free.
It's not fair for her.
Not fair for her family.
Not fair for her son.
In quote, Detective Kevin Alkir said people in the community of four states are staying
tight leapt.
Quote, I would say probably someone in four states or more than one individual probably
has information about this case and we can just hope one day they will come forward.
In quote, Nicole's son Jeremiah was just one month away from turning two years old when
his mother was killed.
He was raised by Sherry and her husband Jeff.
When he graduated high school in 2020, he said it was in honor of his mother who wasn't
able to graduate before she was killed.
Sherry said, quote, she'd be so proud of him.
In quote, she also said that he's a spitting image of Nicole from her bright smile to her
spunky attitude.
Sherry said, quote, we keep her memory alive for him and for us every holiday, every birthday,
every day of our lives.
We talk about her.
In quote, Nicole's family hopes that keeping her memory alive will feel their never ending
fight for justice.
She believes the person who killed her daughter was infected with her and that the charges
should never have been dropped.
Sherry said, quote, he continues to be free while our family mourns.
It's like a nightmare that never ends.
Share a frightful told Dateline that he understands that the family is frustrated over the lack
of closure and stressed that they haven't given up on her case.
Quote, throughout the years, the investigation slowed down as we exhausted all of our leads
and tips stop coming in.
In quote, share frightful added that the case is cold.
But as detectives, I have time.
They work on it.
For now, Nicole's family visits her memorial.
Sherry said that her daughter's death will always haunt her.
Family members have mixed emotions about whether the case will ever be closed.
For now, they keep her memory alive by sharing her story with the community and online with
the Facebook group in memory and Nicole Don Markely.
Anyone with any information regarding Nicole's case is asked to contact the Marion County
Sheriff's Department at 304-367-5300.
Courtney, do you have any final thoughts on this case?
I just think it's really sad that this case hasn't garnered much attention.
I feel that is sad that the police have failed her.
I think that's the biggest thing.
One of my biggest questions is I wonder if the sheriff and the prosecuting attorney work
in.
I just want to know what led them to think that there was a lack of evidence.
What made them think other things of this nature?
I want to know what else happened to her.
I know people can drown in few inches of water and everything, but it just makes me wonder
how this happened.
Was there anything else?
Was there stuff that they missed?
Things of that nature.
I'm sad that this son never got the chance to really know his mother.
He never got to experience a lot of memories with his mother, but I'm happy that his family
is keeping the memory of her alive for him.
Mark, do you have any final thoughts on this?
Like you, I really hate this case.
It hasn't got the light that it should.
I honestly feel like it could be solved if the pieces were there.
I want to know like you, you know, if there was more than just drowning because I just
I feel like I'm not sure how deep the river is if she was on the bank of it or what, but
I feel like there is definitely more to it than just drowning.
I wonder why they let William Hammond go free.
I wonder what evidence was lacking, what evidence they did have on him and why he's only been
really the only suspect in this case that I was able to find.
Seeing pictures of Jeremiah on Facebook, on the Facebook page with her family, it honestly
broke my heart doing the research for this case, but it also kind of made me smile because
you can see him and his family smiling through the paint celebrating the cold to this day.
And I honestly just cannot imagine what they've gone through throughout these years, knowing
how easily her case could be solved.
Stay tuned for the next episode where we will be telling you the story of a Marshall student
whose case has left everyone scratching their heads.
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Thank you.