Found Deceased CA - Wendy J. Abrams-Nishikai, 21, Berkeley, 31 October 1989

[getthefax]

Hello everyone. This is my first post on Websleuths.

Did Wendy have short hair at the time of her disappearance? The facial reconstruction of Jane Colfax Doe has short hair but all the photos of Ms. Abrams show she had long hair. It appears the unidentified remains had hair as it was listed as brown, but a length was not specified. The discrepancies in the physical description of the unidentified remains as appeared in the 1990 articles and some websites is a little confusing.

Congrats to all the sleuths who remained tenacious in their efforts to alert law enforcement to the identification of Wendy Abrams-Nishikai.

Wendy had kind of a mullet— shorter/ feathered in front/up top, slightly longer in back.

 

[Angelcat13]

Hi j.a.,
I am checking back in on this case from time to time. I noticed today that Wendy's husband filed for dissolution of marriage three years to the day that that Jane Doe in Placerville was found. I have submitted the tip to the Calfornia regional contact at NamUs and will post if I get a response. Fingers crossed.

Bringing this forward now that Wendy has been identified. If it is true that Wendy’s husband applied for dissolution of the marriage “three years to the day that Jane Doe in Placerville was found” I would have to say that this is either significant or a REALLY strange coincidence. If the remains were not identified until now, WHY did the husband pick THAT particular date to file for dissolution of the marriage? Did he know that the remains were Wendy’s and thought he was so smart and that after three years of the remains being unidentified he thought he was “safe” - that the remains would forever remain unidentified and he would not be implicated? I don’t know anything about him and I’m not saying he is responsible for her death, but if this report is true then I hope police take a very serious re-look at him. If he did have anything to do with her death, I can only imagine how fearful he may have become as genetic genealogy started identifying long dead remains and suspects - especially if may have been a member here following her thread and realizing there are still people who cared about Wendy.

 

[victoriarobinson642]

Bringing this forward now that Wendy has been identified. If it is true that Wendy’s husband applied for dissolution of the marriage “three years to the day that Jane Doe in Placerville was found” I would have to say that this is either significant or a REALLY strange coincidence. If the remains were not identified until now, WHY did the husband pick THAT particular date to file for dissolution of the marriage? Did he know that the remains were Wendy’s and thought he was so smart and that after three years of the remains being unidentified he thought he was “safe” - that the remains would forever remain unidentified and he would not be implicated? I don’t know anything about him and I’m not saying he is responsible for her death, but if this report is true then I hope police take a very serious re-look at him. If he did have anything to do with her death, I can only imagine how fearful he may have become as genetic genealogy started identifying long dead remains and suspects - especially if may have been a member here following her thread and realizing there are still people who cared about Wendy.

Case C-712248 Nishikai Vs Abrams-Nishikai - Trellis: Legal Intelligence + Judicial Analytics

On February 11, 1993, Nishikai, John filed a Divorce,Separation - (Family) case against Abrams-Nishikai, Wendy in the jurisdiction of Alameda County, CA. This case was filed in Alameda County Superior Courts, with None presiding.

trellis.law

1 day after the three year anniversary.

 

[getthefax]

Bringing this forward now that Wendy has been identified. If it is true that Wendy’s husband applied for dissolution of the marriage “three years to the day that Jane Doe in Placerville was found” I would have to say that this is either significant or a REALLY strange coincidence. If the remains were not identified until now, WHY did the husband pick THAT particular date to file for dissolution of the marriage? Did he know that the remains were Wendy’s and thought he was so smart and that after three years of the remains being unidentified he thought he was “safe” - that the remains would forever remain unidentified and he would not be implicated? I don’t know anything about him and I’m not saying he is responsible for her death, but if this report is true then I hope police take a very serious re-look at him. If he did have anything to do with her death, I can only imagine how fearful he may have become as genetic genealogy started identifying long dead remains and suspects - especially if may have been a member here following her thread and realizing there are still people who cared about Wendy.

This detail was in the email I sent to the Berkeley Police Department in 2023 and 2024.
It would have been the day the news got around that those remains had been discovered.

 

[Angelcat13]

This detail was in the email I sent to the Berkeley Police Department in 2023 and 2024.
It would have been the day the news got around that those remains had been discovered.

I’m not sure what you mean by “It would have been the day…discovered.” It’s late and I’m tired so I’m probably just not the brightest bulb right now.

You were a neighbor/friend of Wendy’s, right? I can’t imagine the pain & heartbreak all of these years for her family and friends. She is lucky to have you for a friend - a friend that not only wouldn’t forget, but who wouldn’t let go! IMO, it is proof that Wendy wouldn’t forget you and was always with you all of these years. THAT is an amazing bond & love!

 

[Tower]

I’m not sure what you mean by “It would have been the day…discovered.” It’s late and I’m tired so I’m probably just not the brightest bulb right now.

You were a neighbor/friend of Wendy’s, right? I can’t imagine the pain & heartbreak all of these years for her family and friends. She is lucky to have you for a friend - a friend that not only wouldn’t forget, but who wouldn’t let go! IMO, it is proof that Wendy wouldn’t forget you and was always with you all of these years. THAT is an amazing bond & love!

Not OP, but I believe they are saying the ex-husband filed for divorce the day after her remains were discovered, likely on the exact same day the news would have reported the discovery.

I’m a little skeptical about that because news was so limited then compared to now. I don’t believe the discovery of a Jane Doe in Placer County would make the news in Berkeley. There were very few ways to access news in those days: newspaper or evening news. I don’t believe either would report a Placer County Jane Doe in the Bay Area. Jmo

 

[getthefax]

Not OP, but I believe they are saying the ex-husband filed for divorce the day after her remains were discovered, likely on the exact same day the news would have reported the discovery.

I’m a little skeptical about that because news was so limited then compared to now. I don’t believe the discovery of a Jane Doe in Placer County would make the news in Berkeley. There were very few ways to access news in those days: newspaper or evening news. I don’t believe either would report a Placer County Jane Doe in the Bay Area. Jmo

Unless you were regularly looking around for that news. Plenty of killers are routinely checking the newspapers for stories about their crimes. In the early 90s that would have been the only source, apart from television news.
Wendy disappeared on Halloween, 1989. Police were told she walked away from the family—voluntarily missing.
Remains found in Colfax on 2/10/1993.
He filed for dissolution on 2/11/1993.

I’m not saying it is conclusive evidence, but… it is one hell of a coincidence to add to the mix.

 

[Angelcat13]

Unless you were regularly looking around for that news. Plenty of killers are routinely checking the newspapers for stories about their crimes. In the early 90s that would have been the only source, apart from television news.
Wendy disappeared on Halloween, 1989. Police were told she walked away from the family—voluntarily missing.
Remains found in Colfax on 2/10/1993.
He filed for dissolution on 2/11/1993.

I’m not saying it is conclusive evidence, but… it is one hell of a coincidence to add to the mix.

Agree 100%!