Broward County detectives are asking the public for help to find the killer of Shelia Ann Nichols, a Decatur teenager who vanished in May 1983 and was recently identified through advanced genetic genealogy after her remains were found in the Florida …
DECATUR, Ga. - Broward County sheriff's detectives are asking the public for help to solve the 1983 murder of a metro Atlanta teenager whose remains were recently identified in South Florida.
Identifying Shelia Ann Nichols
What we know:
A truck driver discovered skeletal remains off U.S. 27 in the South Florida Everglades back in September 1983. For nearly 43 years, the identity of the murdered young woman remained a mystery to local investigators.
Through a federal grant, genetic genealogists with the Broward Sheriff's Office Crime Lab built a family tree that pointed to a missing teen from Decatur. Last year, a DNA match with her father, Clyde Nichols, confirmed the remains belonged to Shelia Ann Nichols, who disappeared in May 1983.
During the investigation, Detective Andrew Gianino discovered her sister, Virginia Gail, also went missing from Decatur around the same time. While looking into the case, the detective located Virginia Gail alive in Georgia, where she had been arrested for vagrancy in June 2025.
The Florida law enforcement recently highlighted the case in its YouTube series "Open and Unsolved."
Solving Everglades cold case
What we don't know:
Authorities still do not know how Shelia Ann Nichols was killed or who is responsible for her death. Investigators are also unsure if a blue work shirt with the business name "B.C. Cook" found with her body is connected to the murder.
Although a man named Ricky Ross claimed in the 1990s that he killed her, detectives proved he was locked up at the time of her disappearance. Investigators caught a break after finding a 1990s letter the family sent to the Maury Povich Show to find the missing sisters.
The letter helped Detective Gianino track down Virginia Gail, who was arrested for vagrancy in June 2025.
Hunting Nichols' killer
What's next:
Detectives are actively pursuing leads regarding who Shelia Ann Nichols was last seen with before she vanished. The Broward Sheriff's Office is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for any information that leads to an arrest.
What we don't know:
Anyone with information is urged to contact Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from the Broward Sheriff’s Office, which released a news statement and documentary video detailing the cold case, as well as public information officers Carey Codd and Claudinne Caro. This story is being reported out of Atlanta.