A mother was found decapitated in her apartment and her head stuffed into a trash bag just one day after she sent an ominous text about her boyfriend to a friend.
Heather Ann Bodden, 41, was found dead in her South Dakota home last Thursday afternoon by three concerned friends who had stopped by to check on her.
But when the trio entered Bodden’s apartment, they discovered what ‘appeared to be a deceased headless person’, according to court documents obtained by People.
Police found Bodden’s head nearby in a trash bag.
Her boyfriend Craig Allen Nichols Jr., 32, was arrested in relation to the killing and charged with second-degree murder, first-degree manslaughter and two counts of contempt of court.
One of the victim’s friends told police that she had received a disturbing text message from Bodden on New Year’s Day alleging that Nichols had threatened her with a weapon.
Police arrested Nichols after discovering surveillance footage of him allegedly entering and exiting Bodden’s home with trash bags on the day of the murder.
He is currently being held at the Yankton County Jail on a $500,000 bond and is next due in court on Wednesday, KTIV reports.
Heather Ann Bodden, 41, (pictured) was found decapitated at her Yankton, South Dakota apartment last week by three concerned friends who had stopped by to check on her
Craig Allen Nichols Jr., 32, (pictured) was arrested in relation to the killing and charged with second-degree murder, first-degree manslaughter and two counts of contempt of court
Bodden’s friends decided to meet at her apartment in Yankton, South Dakota on January 2 this year after not hearing from her in over 24 hours.
Yankton Police was called to the residence around 3.30pm after the trio entered the unit and found Bodden’s severed body.
Officers searched the apartment, but no suspect was found.
Police did, however, find three weapons wrapped in a floor mat and a bag of clothing covered in blood, labelled as belonging to Nichols.
Security camera footage captured from outside the unit also showed three men, including Nichols, arriving at Bodden’s property at around 10pm on December 31 and leaving roughly an hour later.
The two other men, who have only been referred to by their initials thus far – CE and CR – admitted to police that they had gone to the apartment to use narcotics with Bodden and Nichols.
They both claimed Bodden was alive when they left the property.
Bodden’s friends decided to meet at her apartment in Yankton, South Dakota (pictured) on January 2 after not hearing from her in over 24 hours. One friend told police that she had received a disturbing text message from Bodden on New Year’s Day alleging that Nichols had threatened her with a weapon
Nichols, also a Yankton resident, was seen going in and out of the apartment several times between the hours of 2.50am and 6.45am.
At one point he was allegedly seen carrying two garbage bags out of the building.
Police went to Nichols’ apartment to take him into custody, but the door was barricaded shut.
Officers forced their way into his home, arrested Nichols and carried out a search of the unit, during they found shoes covered with a reddish-brown substance.
The Yankton Police Department and Yankton County Sheriff’s Office are still investigating the incident.
Bodden’s family has since opened up about her death, using a GoFundMe page to help raise money for her funeral expenses.
Bodden, pictured, is survived by her daughter, parents, seven siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins and ‘many more family and friends who loved her dearly’
‘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,’ the crowdfunding page states, adding that she ‘loved her daughter to the ends of the earth’.
She is survived by her daughter, parents, seven siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins and ‘many more family and friends who loved her dearly’.
As of Monday, the GoFundMe had already raised more than $6,500.
