The Unsolved Murder of Wilma June Nissen

Welcome back to Case Uncovered, where we bring untold stories to light and stand alongside those still fighting for justice. I'm your host, Johen Rivera, and I want to share that Case Uncovered is part of Shores of Strength, the nonprofit I founded to stand with families who are living this reality every single day. Our mission is simple, to make sure these stories aren't forgotten and to be a voice for those who no longer have one. If you believe in that mission too, I invite you to join us. You can learn more, get involved, or support this work at Shores of Strength dot org. Every voice matters, every story matters, and together we can make sure they're never left behind. Today we're honoring the life and legacy of Wilma June Nissen, a young woman whose story deserves to be heard. In nineteen seventy eight, Wilma was just twenty three years old when her life was violently taken. For decades, her murder remained a mystery, and her name was Ann The world woman never got to meet her daughter, but that hasn't stopped her daughter from fighting every day to find the truth about what happened to her mom. This isn't just a case file. It's a story about family, about love that never faded, and about the fight for justice that's still going strong after all these years. Wilma's daughter Chrissy has partnered with me to help tell Wilma's story. I'll be including clips of our conversation throughout this episode. Today we honor Wilma's life, the fight for justice, and the daughter who never gave up. So let's dive right in. Wilma Jum Nissen was born in San Francisco, California, on October nineteenth, nineteen fifty four, to Charles Clarence Nissen in June Simmons, Bradford. She was the eldest of two daughters, with a younger sister, Mona, who was born deaf and unable to speak. Their early years were marked by a hardship and instability as their family struggled with financial and personal difficulties. By the time Wilma was eight years old, her life took a tragic turn when her mother abruptly abandoned the family, leaving woman and Mona in the sole care of their father. Charles, overwhelmed and ill equipped to raise two young children alone, subjected them to severe neglect and abuse. With no support system and unable to properly care for his daughters, he often locked them in a closet while he worked. When he lost his job, the situation grew even more dire, forcing the family to live out of their car. Wilma, having never attended school, remained completely illiterate. She couldn't read or write, making her life on the streets even more challenging. In order to survive, she was sent out to scavenge for food, rummaging through dumpsters and searching for scraps to bring back to her father and sister. Meanwhile, Mona, vulnerable due to her disability, was often confined to the trunk of the car for extended periods, isolated from the world outside. In nineteen sixty four, authorities in California intervened, removing Wilma and Mona from their father's custody. At just ten years old, Wilma entered the foster care system, a transition that, while disruptive, ultimately provided her with a more stable environment than she had ever known. She spent the next several years moving between different foster homes, adapting to new families and unfamiliar surroundings. From nineteen sixty four to nineteen sixty six, she lived with Marshall and Maxine Holt in Anaheim, California, where she experienced a structured household for the very first time. Later, she was placed with Vincent and Alice Hass in Seal Beach, California, her final foster parents. While Wilma's past left deep emotional scars, those who knew her in foster care recalled that she adjusted as best as she could, trying to embrace the semblance of normalcy that had long been denied to her. Though her early life had been defined by trauma and instability, her years in foster care, despite their challenges, provided her with a brief respite from the suffering she had endured as a child. As Wilma entered adulthood, she faced a constant struggle to support herself. Without a formal education or stable upbringing, Wilma found herself with limited options and turned to sex work as a means of survival. The streets of California, particularly in areas like Hollywood and Long Beach, became both a place of work and a source of danger. Despite the hardships, Wilma yearned for stability and a family of her own. On August fifth, nineteen seventy three, the age of eighteen, Wilma married Donald Eugene Wellington in California. The couple lived together in the Hollywood area, but their life was far from stable. Less than a year into their marriage, Wilma gave birth to her first child, Michael Pizzaro Junior, on May tenth, nineteen seventy four, in San Diego. Later that year, on December twelfth, she gave birth to her second son, Donald Wellington Junior. Becoming a mother brought new responsibilities, but Wilma's life remained turbulent. The pressures of financial insecurity strained relationships, and her continued involvement in sex work made it difficult for her to provide a secure home for her children. By October nineteen seventy five, Wilma's marriage to Don Wellington had ended. She moved in with Robert Irvin in Long Beach, California, seeking companionship and stability. The couple lived at quite a few different addresses in Long Beach as they tried to establish a more permanent life together. On June twenty first, nineteen seventy seven, Wilma and Robert Irvin Mary Just two months later, on August eighteenth, nineteen seventy seven, Wilma gave birth to their daughter, Cristel Joy Irvine, also known as Chrissy. However, despite the new family she had created, Wilma's life remained unstable. Shortly after Chrissie's birth, Vince and Alice Has, the same couple who had fostered Wilma during her teenage years, adopted Chrissy, likely due to concerns about Wilma's ability to care for her. Wilma's adulthood, much like her childhood, was marked by hardship, loss, and instability. She longed for love and a place to belong, but her circumstances made it difficult to achieve the security she desperately needed. Despite everything, though, she remained resilient, navigating a world that had never offered her a fair chance. In early nineteen seventy eight, Wilma left California and relocated to Atlanta, Georgia, with Charles Inman Belt. The two moved in with Belt's mother, Juanita Belts, at a housing complex and a rough part of the sea. The exact nature of Wilma and Inman's relationship remains unclear whether they were romantically involved or if he had simply offered her a place to stay. However, her time in Atlanta was brief. According to Enman, Wilma left his residence after just a few days, and he never saw her again. When later questioned by investigators, he claimed he assumed she had returned to San Diego, though authorities were unable to verify her whereabouts during that period. This gap in Wilma's timeline left investigators with little information about where she went or who she may have encountered in the weeks that followed. By the spring of nineteen seventy eight, Wilma had resurfaced in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, marking yet another move in her transient and unstable life. There, she became involved in the local escort scene, working within underground circles that catered to clients seeking discreete companionship. The escort services she was associated with often in secrecy, with some events taking place at private residences rather than formal establishments. Wilma was known to attend exclusive underground parties, some of which were held in western Lyon County, Iowa, which was near the South Dakota border. These gatherings, attended by a mix of affluent individuals and those involved in illicit activities, carried an air of secrecy. It's unclear whether Wilma was there willingly or if she felt pressured by those around her. What is certain, however, is that her involvement in this world put her at significant risk. The details of Wilma's final days remain a mystery. What letter to Sue falls, who she was with, and what ultimately happened to her are questions that still haunt those seeking justice for her. The last months of her life, like much of her past, were filled with uncertainty, hardship, and danger, leaving behind a tragic story that would only come to light after her untimely death. Investigators believe that Woma was killed sometime in June or July of nineteen seventy eight. The circumstances surrounding her death remained largely unknown, but evidence suggests that her body was discarded in a remote area of Lyon County, Iowa, in an attempt to conceal the crime. Given the transient nature of her life in the months leading up to her death, moving from Georgia to South Dakota and becoming involved in escort services. Authorities theorized that she may have been lured into a dangerous situation, possibly by individuals she trusted or those involved in illicit activities. On the morning of October fourth, nineteen seventy eight, nearly three to four months after her suspected murder, a telephone company worker was laying cable along a quiet country road near Inwood, Iowa, when he stumbled upon a horrific scene. In a grassy ditch. He discovered the badly decomposed remains of a woman. The body had been exposed to the elements for an extended period of time, making immediate identification impossible. The scene indicated that her body had been dragged to the location, as evidenced by the disturbed earth and the way she was positioned. Her feet were bound with a braided hemp rope, suggesting she may have been restrained either before or after her death. Her lower jaw was entirely missing, leaving only two teeth intact in her skull, in unsettling detail that raised questions about whether animals had scavenged her remains post mortem, or if this was a deliberate act of mutilation by her killer or killers. She was clothed only from the waist down, wearing light green dunim pants, bikini style underwear, and white patent leather calf length boots. On her right hand, she wore a silver ring with a gold indentation on her ring finger. No shirt, coat or personal belongings were found at the scene, further deepening the mystery of who she was and how she ended up in such a desolate place. An autopsy conducted shortly after her discovery in nineteen seventy eight provided additional, though limited insight into her cause of death. The examination noted a dislocation of Wilma's right elbow and a possible dislocation of her cervical vertebra, injuries that could suggest she had been in a violent struggle before her death. While the exact cause of death could not be determined due to decomposition, authorities suspected that she had been strangled, beaten, or otherwise incapacitated before being dumped in the ditch. Investigators strongly suspected that Wilma had been sexually assaulted before her murder, given her state of undress and the nature of the crime. The brutality of the act and the manner in which she was discarded led law enforcement to believe that more than one person may have been involved in her death. The lack of forensic evidence, combined with the passage of time, made piecing together the events leading up to her murder extremely difficult. The isolated location of her body suggests that her killer or killers knew the area well. Lyon County, a sparsely populated region with vast stretches of farmland and wooded areas, was the kind of place where a body could remain hidden for months without discovery. The remoteness of the dump site also implied that whoever was responsible had taken careful steps to avoid detection, further complicating the investigation. At the time of her discovery, Wilma remained unidentified, known only as Jane Doe. Without personal belongings, dental records, or reliable leads, her case quickly grew cold. It would be years before forensic advancements and determined investigators would finally give her a name, and with it, a renewed effort to uncover the truth about her tragic fate. For nearly three decades, Wilma Junissen remained a Jane Doe over the years, law enforcement officials pursued various leads, but without a name, progress in the case was nearly impossible. Finally, on January thirty first, two thousand and six, a breakthrough emerged. A laboratory technician in Des Moines matched Wilma's left thumbprint to an old arrest record from the Los Angeles Police Department. After years of uncertainty, the Lion County Sheriff's office now had a name, Wilma June Nissen. This discovery reignited efforts to piece together the circumstances of her murder and track down those responsible. Sheriff blythe Bloemendahl, who had worked on the case since being elected in two thousand and one, remained steadfast in his pursuit of justice for Wilma. In two thousand and seven, he ordered the exhimmation of her body in hopes of recovering DNA evidence that could lead to new investigative opportunities. However, the decades of exposure to the elements had severely degraded much of the biological material. While a cause of death was determined, authorities have chosen to keep this information undisclosed, possibly to protect the integrity of the investigation. As detectives dug deeper, they uncovered connections between wilma murder and a network of underground sex parties in Lyon County. As mentioned earlier, these events, often attended by influential and secretive individuals, were a hidden world of escort services, illicit activities, and power dynamics that left women vulnerable. One key figure in the investigation was a woman known as Sugar, a dancer, escort and prostitute who was notorious for robbing other women in the industry. Investigators believed Sugar may have played a direct role in Wilma's death, or at least had knowledge of what happened to her. Shortly after Wilma's murder, Sugar fled to Canada, raising suspicions about her involvement. Later, she was implicated in a violent stabbing incident, further cementing her reputation as a dangerous individual. Another potential witness or suspect was Peaches, described as a light skinned black woman from thunder Bay, Canada. Authorities attempted to track her down, believing she may have had key information regarding the events leading up to Wilma's death. However, Peach's true identity remains unknown and she's never been located. In an effort to narrow down the pool of suspects, one individual was subjected to a polygraph test but failed three times. Despite this, no charges were ever filed due to insufficient evidence. Highlighting the frustrating legal roadblocks investigators faced. Authorities strongly believed that at least two individuals were involved in Wilma's murder, but without physical evidence or reliable eyewitness testimony, prosecution remains elusive. Recognizing the complexity of the case, investigators submitted Wilma's murder to the FBI's Violent Criminal Apprehension Program, a system designed to analyze patterns of violent crimes nationwide. If her murder shared similarities with other unsolved cases, the database could provide leads. Additionally, DNA testing was requested at the FBI laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, though the likelihood of obtaining usable forensic evidence was slim given the degradation of Wilma's remains. Despite the passage of time, though law enforcement continues to pursue leads determined to uncover the full story of what happened to Wilma. Junissen. Her murder remains one of Lyon County's most haunting cold cases, a reminder of a young woman whose life was stolen far too soon and whose killers have yet to be brought to justice. When the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation launched a cold case unit in two thousand and nine, Wilma's case was included among one hundred and fifty unsolved cases across the state. Investigators hoped that advancements in forensic technology, combined with renewed public interest, would lead to new breakthroughs. However, in twenty eleven, federal grant funding for the unit was cut, forcing the cold case unit to disband. Despite this setback, the DCI has continued to investigate Wilma's murder, reviewing evidence and following up on leeds as they develop. Over the years, law enforcement has conducted dozens of interviews, re examined crime scene photos, and reached out to forensic experts to assess the viability of DNA testing. The case has also gained attention from true crime enthusiasts and independent investigators like myself, some of whom have taken to online forums and social media to discuss potential suspects and theories. Still, the investigation remains frustratingly incomplete, with authorities lacking the crucial evidence needed to make an arrest. Wilma's daughter Chrissy shares more about the case and her experience fighting for justice for her mom. Take a listen, all right, so my mom is willand g ands it. He is the cold case from She was found murdered and dragged into a rural roadstug ditch in lying Canty, Iowa, in nineteen seventy eight. I never met her. I was a year old. It was actually right around my first birthday that she was murdered, and it was right to the police. It was an excessive, excessively brutal murder. Her body was found naked from the way stuff believe she had a bikini style panties I believe still on her. The pants were wrapped around her left leg and she was wearing white Kathleen zip off the cocoa foods. She had a couple of injuries. They don't know if it was from before work after the start of Joss was dawn completely ding like not there, not found and not from a wildlife and all the two of her teeth were smashed out. The police were bury in for a small town that she wasn't from. They were amazing at first. Lately I've been having a harder time connecting with them, but I do have an appointment finally scheduled for the beginning of May, and that's a plus. Nobody ever imported her rassing. I've searched for from entire life, but it seems like I'm the only person that served for her. She was in Chaango for twenty seven years. The only reason they identified her was from an arrest for prostitution in Los Angeles County I believe for in nineteen seventy five or so. She lived a rough life, really rough life from birth. Okay, she had a younger sister, and her younger sister is deaf and me. Their mother walked out on them when they were very young and left them with their father. I wouldn't say in the care of their father, but kier is a strong word in this case. He would good work and a lot of the girls in a closet. They had no you know, love, no loving family cut off bringing us her intus. Dad shockingly lost his job, and all three of them were living in a car I don't know where he was at this point during the day, but I did he left the girls alone. He would lock the disabled sister in the trunk. My mom, while not at nine or maybe barely ten, would be wandering the streets southern California, Los Angeles lom Vircharia, searching for food, scranging for food, digging their dumpsters, asking for money, you know, alone a little girl. It's horrific. I don't like even if this wasn't my mother again, it's heart breaking. Thankfully, twelve Detective Services did step in when she was almost eleven, and she went to her first Bolster family, and they were amazing. I met them. I actually called them a couple of weeks ago. They're amazing people. They when they got her, she was, like I said, she was almost eleven, I think, and she could not read. She could not write. She couldn't even write her own name, like her first name. She did not know how to use a fork. She had not been taught the basic basic of things. But she instantly, I mean, she's still she was young, and she still had love and hope, and she almost immediately called the foster father and dad. The foster mom taught her how to read and write and do a little bit of math. There's a photo of her saying that she turned her foster mom and said, thank your mother for teaching me so many things. And they're wonderful people. And they had her and a seph twins. Her sister Mona had to go to a special needs foster. Wiana love them, they love her. They stayed in touch up until she disappeared. Basically, but unfortunately the foster mom developed her and toroid arthritis really bad and they couldn't foster kids anymore. So with the twins they had and Will and I got shuffled back into the system. Well, they jump in, bounced around from grouplom to facility to school. She went to I came from here. I had a photo, but I needed I could get back with the shift spark and it was the Mona something in school, which is I have believed a nice way of saying, a group large, fasty group. We you know. She had another foster family and basically I don't know who they are. I haven't met them. I don't even know their names. But she wasn't with them for very long, and then finally she went to my adopted parents were her last bluster of them. I've been allowed to believe that she They told me that she had been with them for her whole life, basically, and I found out of the fact that that was not true. They had her for a couple of years. I'm told that when she turned eighteen she went on lock and didn't come back. She stayed in touch with the hol days. I think she's well. She had to stay in touch for my adopted parents, because I'm adopted guide to them. She ended up they can add the system. And I believed that she was probably pretty naive because she'd never had anyone, you know, teach her about the world. And she got married at eighteen. She married a man that it's quite possible could have talked her into constitution, which set to almost be a good thing, because when it's a good thing at a bad thing of his site, do you believe? Thus part of why she died. But it's also how she was identified. Okay, So her first chow was with a man named Michael Pizzarro. He actually had a different lass name, but that's what he used. And so she had a child. Well married to her first husband, Donald Wellington, she had a child and named him Michael Bluard Junior, or Spore michaelstar Egor was taken into the foster system as an infant because apparently she was trying to hitchhike across to Florida with him. Well she was still married to Wellington, and then seven months later she had Donald Wellington Junior. And yes, that is I know, it seems like odd you know that kid, that's not possible. But she had free interviewes all of her jo bag. All three were born a seven months. So she went back to I guess she's left and lost the baby, and then went back to Wellington and then something happened there and I believe the prostitution arrests stop after she left him. And then she met Robert Alexander Irvin, my father. They got married, oh the boy, because she was pregnant with me. I have seen the very low key wedding pictures and I mean them. I'm just a bump. Yeah, she had me to the months. I was two pals. I wasn't supposed to live and I don't know what happened here. My adopted friends wouldn't tell me anything about her or what happened. They just said she left the hospital and neverge. But I was also told that it was a pre arranged deduction that just sound it was not true. They actually go ast for me for a few years before you were allowed to adopt me after I was born. How she ended up Supposedly she went with a man named garls Belt, I believe, to Georgia. There was rumors that someone was wanting to hurt her, so she went with him to Georgia. She stayed there for I believe two weeks, and then took off. According to him, he's I believe he's passed away since then told law enforcement. Then she stayed for a couple of weeks. They were staying in at his mother's house, and then she just left, and he thought she left to go to San Diego. But somehow she ended up in Sioux Falls and Lion County exactly one year after I was born, and she was murdered and they found her a couple of months later. She was severely deep both They found her in that ditch. They believe she was killed somewhere else, possibly leaving an adult party at someone's house that they believe the motive was robbery by two women that were known to have a violent streak and known to rob other sex workers and the clients. Their names are weldor Stage fans are Sugar and Beaches. They don't know where Peaches is. They do know now I can't find any information, but I'm also, you know, not a detective. But they do know that after the murder, Sugar and Peaches fled to Canada for a minute, but apparently one of them stamps one in Canada, so they slid back. They have no idea where Peaches or who Peaches is for that matter, but they do know who and where shows there is. She's filled three polygraph tests, but they can't get enough information to actually arrest her. They need someone that has seen her, knows who she is, can identify her to step for it. Since it's a small conservative, you know, Midwestern and very Christian, very conservative town, nobody really wants to admit that they were at these parties. They wouldn't be in trouble. It's not like anybody's going to judge them. It was a long time ago, but it might help sell the murder. The first two sheriffs for raising The sheriff that was there when they found her, his son was Craig Vincent unfortunately passed away a couple of years ago. There was a team on between, but I'm not sure who else they are. They identified her, like I said, they're a They were able to get a thumb print and it matched to a dumb print for unrest And unfortunately they could have found off a lot sooner, but the thumbprint database wasn't spread the nationwide. They'd only done the area. Hadn't been sent nationwide, they would have been able to identify her immediately. Because they don't. They don't want to tell me, especially the new sheriffs. They don't want to community in all, I do have that appointment coming up. I'm terrified hoping it. You know, we all want the same outcome, so I'm hoping that it will, you know, be fruitful, meaning they do have amplified DNA. They had that found out. They had that in it was twenty twenty one. I don't know how long they'd had it. They'd had amplified touch DNA from either the rope or her clothes. I believe it was the rope. But DNA technologies progressed so far in the last you know, five years or wide years that I really think that they need to send that rope to one of the newer companies that are doing I mean, you see how many things are in the news about Obviously thought offering is the one that comes to my first, but there's a lot of companies. I've gone so far as to calls to do the companies and contact the companies and I would do I anything I could to pay for it. I'm for I'll admit it, but I would do anything I could to pay for it if they would just send it. Because the law enforcement has to give you, Okay, they have to give the evidence to the companies. But I spoke to a few companies and I said that it could be done at probably little or no cost to the Sheriff's department. The Sheriff's department hasn't responded to me on that. Hoping on that sit down meeting I can talk to them that they'll actually listen to me and and go through with that, because if they can, I truly believe her case can be solved. They've got suspects, They've got you know, amplified DNA companies that are willing to work with that amplified DNA. If nothing else, Sugar has failed polygraph tests. But polygraph tests are you know, kind of an iffy and anyway. But I'm sure if she wasn't there, she would be willing to give a sample. If she doesn't already have DNA in the system. I'm sure that she would be willing to give a sample of her DNA to prove she wasn't there if she wasn't involved. But I need the sheriff to part it, to work with me. I'll do everything I can. I've got Facebook page for her, Reddit, Instagram, Twitter X when do you want to call it? I have joined multiple forums and groups, and you know I went to absecone. I mean, I'm doing everything I can, but because I'm not law enforcement, I'm very very limited. Authorities have emphasized that Woma's case is not just about solving a murder, but about giving dignity to a woman who had been failed by the society at every stage of her life, from an abusive childhood to an adulthood filled with hardship, Wilma never had the security or protection she deserved. Now her case represents an opportunity for justice, not just for her, but for all the women who have been victimized and forgotten. One of the reasons her remains have not yet been reburied is to preserve the possibility that future forensic advancements could yield new evidence. As DNA testing continues to evolve, investigators hope that even degraded samples could one day be used to identify Wilma's killer. Some cold cases have been solved decades later using techniques like genetic genealogy, and while it remains uncertain whether this will be possible in Wilma's case, authorities are determined to keep that door open. A ten thousand dollars reward is still being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for Wilma's murder. Investigators believe that someone, whether a former acquaintance, a past client, or another woman from the underground escorts scene, holds the key to unlocking the truth. Even the smallest detail could help piece together the final moments of Wilma's life. Anyone with information, no matter how minor it may seem, is urged to come forward. You can submit a tip anonymously at seven one two four seven two eight three three four. I'll also have all the other ways that you can submit a tip or the direct contact information for the Lion County Sheriff's Office in the show notes below. Wilma's story is more than a cautionary tale. It's a reminder of the countless women who have been marginalized, discarded, and left behind by society. She was a person who deserved safety, love, and dignity. Her past should not define her, nor should it excuse the indifference that has long surrounded her case. As forensic science advances and new witnesses come forward, there's still hope that Wilma's killers will be brought to justice. The Lyon County Sheriff's Office and dedicated investigators continue to work on her case. Her remains have been preserved in case future forensic breakthroughs provide the evidence needed to finally close this case. But law enforcement cannot do it alone. Wilma's case needs the voices of those who remember, those who suspect, and those who may have even the smallest piece of information that could help bring justice. If you know something, say something. Thank you so much for joining me for this episode of Case Uncovered and for listening to Wilma's story. I want to thank Wilma's daughter Chrissy for partnering with me to share her story today with you all. Make sure to connect with me on Facebook and Instagram at gener Vere Investigates And until next time, stay curious, stay vigilant, and stay safe out there. Fire Eyes Media