A MOM was discovered decapitated just one day after sending an ominous message to a friend.
Heather Ann Bodden’s headless body was found in her apartment on January 2 by three of her friends.
The 41-year-old’s head was stuffed into a bin bag, which police discovered after searching the house.
According to NeedToKnow, Bodden’s boyfriend, Craig Allen Nichols Jr., has been arrested in connection with the killing.
Police arrested him after allegedly obtaining video evidence of him entering and exiting the house with trash bags on the day of the murder.
The 32-year-old faces charges of second-degree murder, first-degree manslaughter, and two counts of contempt of court.
According to court documents obtained by People, one of Bodden’s friends reported to police that she received a disturbing text message from the victim on January 1.
Bodden allegedly claimed that Nichols had threatened her with a weapon that afternoon.
After not hearing from the victim in over 24 hours, three concerned friends decided to meet at her apartment in Yankton, South Dakota, to check on her.
Security camera footage shows three men, one of whom police identified as Nichols, arriving at Bodden’s property around 10 p.m. on December 31.
The two other men, identified only by their initials – CE and CR – told police that the four of them had used narcotics.
They stated that Bodden was still alive when they left the house around 11 p.m. that day.
Nichols, also from South Dakota, was seen leaving Bodden’s apartment later.
The suspect left and returned several times between 2:50 and 6:45 a.m., and he was allegedly carrying two bin bags out of the building at one point.
Bodden’s troubling final Facebook post, on Christmas Day 2024, expressed a desire to be “left alone” during the holidays.
HEATHER ANN BODDEN’S FINAL POST
“Today I’m going straight to f**king hell. F**k you, and f**k you again. Proceed with caution today. Christmas, go ahead and f**k off; it’s just a stupid day to force people to get together and pretend to care.
In reality, nobody gives a f**k unless it benefits them. So don’t come at me with the “Christmas and we miss you” nonsense because it’s a bunch of bulls**t. Because if I truly cared about you, you’d be at my door already. Who is there at my door? Nobody. You have to be cautious around me.
I won’t force myself to be around people today. I’m not going to pretend to be fine today because I’m not, and I don’t want to talk about it at all. All I want today is to be left alone; do not try to pry or force me to do anything I do not want to do.”
In addition to the severed body, police say they discovered a bag of blood-stained clothing labeled as Nichols’.
They also discovered three weapons wrapped in a floor mat.
After searching the suspect’s apartment, police discovered shoes covered in a reddish-brown substance.
The Yankton Police Department and Yankton County Sheriff’s Office are still looking into the incident.
Nichols’ next court appearance is scheduled for January 8.
Heather’s family has since spoken out about her death, launching a GoFundMe page to help pay for her funeral expenses.
She leaves behind her daughter, parents, seven siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, and “many more family and friends who loved her dearly.”
