TOWN OF POUGHKEEPSIE – An autopsy has confirmed that human remains found buried behind a basement wall of a Town of Poughkeepsie home are that of a woman who disappeared when she was 55 back in 1985. She died from apparently being struck on the head.
Her husband, James Nichols, reported his wife, JoAnn Nichols, missing and after an extensive investigation, she was never found.
Nichols died in December of last year and a private contractor was hired to clean out the vacant residence at 720 Vassar Road last Thursday. That’s when the remains were found buried behind a wall.
Positive identification of JoAnn Nichols was made through dental records, police said. The cause of death appears to be blunt trauma to the head.
Poughkeepsie Town Police said they will continue the investigation by further examination of the case and new forensic evidence.