MT MT - Nicole Waller, 31, Kalispell, 14 Feb 2013 *C. Johnston guilty*

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Crime Stoppers of Richland County

Eleven weeks have passed since the disappearance of Montana resident Nicole Waller.

More: http://richlandcs.com/crimeoftheweek.aspx?ID=12578

 

[AngelaH]

Bump. Still missing as of 7/15/13. FB page still active.

 

[hayaletcatcher]

Bump. Hit the seven month mark a few weeks ago and seems like no new news.

 

[OkieGranny]

Nicole is still missing.

"Mothers traditionally don't abandon their children," Hilyard said. "This is clearly not normal behavior and has every indication of a homicide."

Hilyard said a number of factors point to foul play.


Read more: http://billingsgazette.com/news/sta...538-5428-8481-6e69210afcdf.html#ixzz2juhZo4cz

 

[HulaMum]

Nicole is still missing.

I wonder what the "suspicious activity" was that was witnessed?

 

[blefuscu]

She was picking up Methadone? Did she have a heroin addiction then?

 

[OkieGranny]

She was picking up Methadone? Did she have a heroin addiction then?

Not necessarily. I think it can be used for any kind of opioid addiction, i.e. prescription pain pills.

 

[los2188]

I think we can almost rule out a voluntary disappearance.

http://www.kpax.com/mobile/story.cfm?n=86248

"Someone witnesses suspicious activity taking place," Hilyard said. "It also appeared odd that her children's pet Guinea pigs were still in the vehicle when it was recovered."

I would really like to know who saw something and what did they see... I know that with an opioid addiction, it's possible that she could have had a relapse, but not this long.

 

[OkieGranny]

I think we can almost rule out a voluntary disappearance.

http://www.kpax.com/mobile/story.cfm?n=86248

"Someone witnesses suspicious activity taking place," Hilyard said. "It also appeared odd that her children's pet Guinea pigs were still in the vehicle when it was recovered."

I would really like to know who saw something and what did they see... I know that with an opioid addiction, it's possible that she could have had a relapse, but not this long.

I agree.

Diabetes, insulin left in the car. Brain tumor? Opioid addiction? Seems she definitely had some health issues. A stent in her head, presumably due to the tumor:

http://www.dailyinterlake.com/news/local_montana/article_523d0a18-7c7f-11e2-bedb-0019bb2963f4.html?mode=jqm

Can't walk very far and gets dizzy. And yet was regularly driving a 20-hour round trip alone? Or alone on this trip, at least. Has a state-funded caretaker in Kalispell.

Why were there guinea pigs in the car? Surely she didn't bring them with her on a long road trip? Maybe she picked them up in Fairview to take home to her kids? That's just very odd.

Boyfriend living in Fairview, picking up methadone from Sidney, about 11 miles away.

She last spoke to a family member during the early morning hours of February 14th, and her car was found later that day parked beside Highway 2 a few miles west of Poplar.

Looking at distances, Fairview is on the Montana/North Dakota state line and 557 miles from Kalispell. It's 68.4 miles from Fairview to Poplar.

Some mention that she may have been in North Dakota, doesn't say what for or why that might be relevant. No description of the suspicious activity witnessed around the car.

Hmm, tried an advanced search on the FB page and can't find any mention of methadone, tumor, diabetes, insulin, or guinea pigs. I did find where someone asked if Nicole's boyfriend is involved in the effort to find her, and her sister responded, "I don't know." So it sounds like they are not in close contact with him. Interesting.

And another post where her sister responded to a really stupid question and added that Nicole was not involved in any drugs and to stop running that rumor around. IN ALL CAPS, no less.

The sister claims no info on any stops Nicole might have made between Fairview and Poplar.

Will have to keep reading, see what else is on there.

 

[OkieGranny]

Slightly different info in this article:

http://www.fortpeckjournal1.com/

“We’re getting worried, too, because she is a diabetic and has other medical issues. The police haven’t told us yet if she left her purse in the car. Inside it was her insulin, which is a life-saving medicine for her,” Ewalt said.

Inside the vehicle, officers found two gerbils that Waller was taking care of for her daughter...

<snip>

Ewalt said she and the family worried about Waller traveling in eastern Montana because of the rough crowd working in the Bakken oil patch and the kidnapping and murder of Sidney High School teacher Sherry Arnold. Two suspects in the case, who were seeking work in the oil field when the crime against Arnold occurred in January 2012, are preparing to stand trial on felony homicide charges in Sidney later this year.

The way I'm reading this, the insulin was in her purse, and LE had not told them if her purse was found in the car.

Boyfriend had just moved to Fairview for work; doesn't specifically say in the oil patch, but that seems like a reasonable possibility.

 

[summer_breeze]

http://helenair.com/news/local/offi...cle_f169f2ec-4716-11e3-b09b-0019bb2963f4.html

17 hours ago • Independent Record

State officials are seeking the public’s help in finding a Kalispell woman who has been missing since Feb. 14.

 

[OkieGranny]

The assumption seems to be homicide at this point, and LE may have very good reasons to believe this is the case, but could Nicole have had some kind of medical emergency that led to her disappearance?

Her sister is understandably protective of her and the FB page is very stingy with details, so it's impossible to say what issues her brain tumor might cause, but Nicole did have diabetes so I'm wondering if she might have had a hypoglycemic episode or something that caused her to be disoriented and unable to continue driving. Maybe she pulled over and went for a walk to clear her head, but her condition worsened and she passed away before she could return to her vehicle.

I've been searching the FB page for info about any search parties that have combed the area where the vehicle was found. Am not finding anything and, in fact, the sister is warning others not to go out and search on their own because the area is too dangerous.

Looking at the satellite view of the area, it seems to be mostly agricultural fields with a few scattered residences. Lots and lots of creeks. The Missouri River runs roughly parallel to the highway about a mile or two to the south. Nicole apparently could not walk that far, but may have fallen into a creek that flows into that river.

If her remains were lying in a field, I would think she'd have been found during the plowing/planting/harvesting that has taken place in the nine months since her disappearance, so I'm wondering if anyone has checked those creeks and the river.

 

[Redux]

Methadone can also be prescribed to treat pain, though I don't know how often that is the case versus being prescribed it for substance addiction.

Either way, to withdrawal from methadone is not fun, so unless she relapsed in an addiction, I can't see someone just not going to pick up their methadone anymore.

I fear for this lady. What a sad world it is sometimes.

 

[Redux]

I've been searching the FB page for info about any search parties that have combed the area where the vehicle was found. Am not finding anything and, in fact, the sister is warning others not to go out and search on their own because the area is too dangerous.

Snipped by me. Does she say in what way it is dangerous? The terrain or crime-wise?

 

[Redux]

Police: No sign of missing woman

[snip]

More: http://www.willistonherald.com/news...cle_14fefc8c-810d-11e2-a041-0019bb2963f4.html

Above snipped by me for space. Quote from the above link:

&#8220;It&#8217;s kind of spread out all across the state,&#8221; Crawford said of Waller&#8217;s possible location of disappearance. &#8220;And we&#8217;re kind of limited in our resources. One agency can&#8217;t just go all over.&#8221;

Ugh, well that just says it all right there, I'm afraid. Too much red tape between jurisdictions and this poor woman falls by the wayside.

 

[OkieGranny]

Methadone can also be prescribed to treat pain, though I don't know how often that is the case versus being prescribed it for substance addiction.

Either way, to withdrawal from methadone is not fun, so unless she relapsed in an addiction, I can't see someone just not going to pick up their methadone anymore.

I fear for this lady. What a sad world it is sometimes.

So do I. From the little bits of info her sister has let slip, it sounds like Nicole had been in recovery for about two years and was doing very well. The sister seems to have a (justifiable, IMO) fear that Nicole would be stigmatized as a junkie who probably just ran off if any past drug use was the focus of attention, giving the general public even less motivation to look for her.

Nicole's drug history makes no difference to me, unless it provides a clue as to where she might be now. Three little kids are missing their mother and she needs to be found.

 

[OkieGranny]

Snipped by me. Does she say in what way it is dangerous? The terrain or crime-wise?

Here's the link to that particular post:

https://www.facebook.com/FindNicoleWaller/posts/161992950626565

She says the FBI is discouraging a search. Really? Says she doesn't know if it is safe enough, wouldn't want anyone to get hurt trying to help.

Hard to say how much of the safety issue is perception vs. reality. Danger from the reservation? Or danger from the oil patch?

 

[Redux]

So do I. From the little bits of info her sister has let slip, it sounds like Nicole had been in recovery for about two years and was doing very well. The sister seems to have a (justifiable, IMO) fear that Nicole would be stigmatized as a junkie who probably just ran off if any past drug use was the focus of attention, giving the general public even less motivation to look for her.

Nicole's drug history makes no difference to me, unless it provides a clue as to where she might be now. Three little kids are missing their mother and she needs to be found.

Totally understandable that her sister would fear people looking at Nicole as just another addict as there are people who would do that. Agreed that drug history makes no difference. I wish I was on a different computer right now so I could map out where she was going from and to and where she was found. If I have time later when I'm on a different computer I'll do that.

 

[OkieGranny]

Totally understandable that her sister would fear people looking at Nicole as just another addict as there are people who would do that. Agreed that drug history makes no difference. I wish I was on a computer right now so I could map out where she was going from and to and where she was found. If I have time later when I'm on a different computer I'll do that.

I can do that! Hold on, will just take a few minutes.

 

[Redux]

Here's the link to that particular post:

https://www.facebook.com/FindNicoleWaller/posts/161992950626565

She says the FBI is discouraging a search. Really? Says she doesn't know if it is safe enough, wouldn't want anyone to get hurt trying to help.

Hard to say how much of the safety issue is perception vs. reality. Danger from the reservation? Or danger from the oil patch?

Thanks. I'll have to look at it later as this computer is slow as molasses and really has a hard time with facebook.

FBI discouraging a search? I sure hope they're doing their own searches then. I'd really like to know what that suspicious activity was that someone saw near her car.

I'm not there so I don't know everything that has happened, but some cases it just seems like if there's not enough family and friends to make a ruckus and force LE to do a lot, the person just doesn't get the attention they should. Which is sad because it shouldn't take a lot of people hooting and hollering to move the case along. JMO though - it's just what I'm sensing about this but I could be wrong.