CO CO - Cheyella Rainbow Nielsen, 16, Durango, 4 October 1986

[Mysteries1974]

This is a case I’ve done some research on but have yet to find any actual confirmation. This case involves a Colorado teenager who mysteriously disappeared while hitchhiking in 1986.

Cheyella Rainbow Nielsen was sixteen years old when she disappeared on October 4th 1986. She was last seen hitchhiking in Durango, Colorado at 12:00 pm. Nielsen was en route to Pagosa Springs, Colorado where she lived and went to school but she never made arrived.

No one ever saw or heard from Cheyella again. I couldn’t find any information on her fate but according to Newspapers.com, Cheyella was still missing as of September 1995. I couldn’t find any info on her disappearance or news articles from 1986 when she disappeared.

I posted about Cheyella in a Pagosa Springs Facebook group and people did remember her. Some people who knew her said they remember hearing that her remains were found on or near Devil Mountain years after she vanished.

I can’t find any information on her remains being found or anyone being arrested in the case at all.

Here’s a find a grave memorial I created for Cheyella https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/244706141/cheyella-rainbow-nielsen

(1985 Pagosa Springs High School yearbook)

Merced Sun-Star July 21, 1987

Kennebec Journal 09/24/1994

Kennebec Journal 08/05/1995

 

[Mysteries1974]

I assume the reason I can’t find newspaper articles about Cheyella’s case is because the Durango Herald and other local newspapers aren’t on Newspapers.com.

Her name is so distinctive that I’d figure articles mentioning her would come up if they were available.

I swear someone on the Facebook post commented that there was a rumor that a truck driver was behind Cheyella’s disappearance but I can no longer find that comment.

I’ve checked to see if Nielsen’s case could be linked to other cases of missing and murdered women in Colorado but most other cases similar to hers occurred five hours or more away from Durango so I’m not certain this is the case.