The Case of “NIKOLE’S CHRISTMAS FAREWELL” #MurderNoir

Weird Darkness: Stories of the Paranormal, Supernatural, Legends, Lore, Mysterious, Macabre, Unsolved

THE TRUE CRIME CASE THIS STORY IS BASED ON: In 1977, a car accident in Michigan killed Susan Klingel while her boyfriend Jarrett Betterson was driving. Their 2-year-old daughter Nikole survived. Shortly after, Jarrett met Barbara, and around Christmas 1977, they left Michigan with Nikole, promising her maternal grandparents (the Klingels) they would take good care of her. However, Nikole seemingly vanished after early 1978, though Jarrett continued collecting her Social Security survivor benefits until she would have turned 18. Twenty years later, when the Klingels hired a private investigator to find their granddaughter, Detective Jeff Rosgen of Las Vegas PD became involved. After Rosgen visited the Bettersons in 1997 claiming he knew what happened to Nikole, the couple died by suicide in their Las Vegas apartment - Jarrett shot Barbara before turning the gun on himself. They left money for their cremation and an apologetic letter but no explanation about Nikole's fate. The case remains unsolved, with police speculating that Nikole either died during the journey west, was given away, or possibly lives somewhere under a different identity.
SOURCES: https://lasvegassun.com/news/1998/jun/15/a-double-suicide-deepens-20-year-mystery-of-vanish/,https://listverse.com/2014/12/22/10-unsolved-christmastime-mysteries/
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Originally aired: December 21, 2024
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