Plains, TX Area Cold Cases

Name

Joan Vance

Age

Cause of Death

Homicide

Info

Joan Vance Was Killed During A Robbery At A Local Gift Shop. The Suspects Were Believed To Be Traveling Through Town.

Agency

New Mexico State Police

Name

Melissa Romero

Age

22

Cause of Death

Gun/Firearm

Info

Agency

Roswell Police Department

Name

Crystal Nitcher

Age

3

Cause of Death

Homicide

Info

First, it was 2-1/2-month-old tammy in january 1972. Two months later in march, 2-year-old sarah. Fast forward four years — and to another state — to 3-month-old crystal. And finally, almost a year to the day after crystal’s death, the youngest of them all — misti, just 5 weeks old.One by one, helen nitcher’s daughters all died under mysterious circumstances.Patterns got missed. Medical examiners struggled with inconclusive autopsy reports. But helen c. (née tenery) nitcher, later known as crystal price, had two dead daughters within 2-1/2 months — in iowa, that is — until nitcher relocated and the pattern repeated in abilene, texas.Two more dead infant daughters followed.News reports on the four girls’ successive deaths also had a strikingly familiar ring; officials reported all three infants, as well as the 2-year-old, dead on arrival.The mother’s explanations for the short-lived lives were conflicting at best; the stories varied depending on the city and state where the obituaries appeared, leaving astute readers as mystified as iowa and texas medical examiners, who never could quite pinpoint exact causes or manners of death.Iowa coroners had no way of knowing nitcher left iowa after her first two daughters’ deaths, only to have two more infants die in texas. And texas officials apparently were unaware of the two previous iowa deaths.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Misti Nitcher

Age

5

Cause of Death

Homicide

Info

First, it was 2-1/2-month-old tammy in january 1972. Two months later in march, 2-year-old sarah. Fast forward four years — and to another state — to 3-month-old crystal. And finally, almost a year to the day after crystal’s death, the youngest of them all — misti, just 5 weeks old.One by one, helen nitcher’s daughters all died under mysterious circumstances.Patterns got missed. Medical examiners struggled with inconclusive autopsy reports. But helen c. (née tenery) nitcher, later known as crystal price, had two dead daughters within 2-1/2 months — in iowa, that is — until nitcher relocated and the pattern repeated in abilene, texas.Two more dead infant daughters followed.News reports on the four girls’ successive deaths also had a strikingly familiar ring; officials reported all three infants, as well as the 2-year-old, dead on arrival.The mother’s explanations for the short-lived lives were conflicting at best; the stories varied depending on the city and state where the obituaries appeared, leaving astute readers as mystified as iowa and texas medical examiners, who never could quite pinpoint exact causes or manners of death.Iowa coroners had no way of knowing nitcher left iowa after her first two daughters’ deaths, only to have two more infants die in texas. And texas officials apparently were unaware of the two previous iowa deaths.

Agency

Iowa

Name

Dolly Bell

Age

56

Cause of Death

Gun/Firearm

Info

Agency

Colorado City Police Department

Name

Cindy Rivera

Age

Cause of Death

Missing

Info

Cindy Rivera, Aka “tig,” Was Last Seen At 405 Peggy Lane In Las Vegas, New Mexico. She Disappeared Under Suspicious Circumstances And Is Believed To Be Endangered. She Was Last Seen Wearing Pink Silk Pajama Pants And A White Spaghetti-strap Shirt. A $50,000 Reward Is Available For Information Leading To Her Location.

Agency

New Mexico State Police

Name

Deputy Juan Ortiz

Age

Cause of Death

Homicide

Info

Deputy Juan Ortiz Was Shot And Killed In Retaliation For Killing A Suspect Who Pointed A Gun At Him. He Was Due To Resign From The Department The Following Day.

Agency

New Mexico State Police

Name

Teal Pittington

Age

Cause of Death

Strangulation

Info

Teal Pittington Was Last Seen Alive On Aug. 15, 1984, In The Parking Lot Of A Cerrillos Road Variety Store. Her Remains Were Discovered Months Later In A Culvert About A Mile South Of The New Mexico Girls Ranch On U.S. 285 South Of Lamy, Nm. Investigators Say She Was Strangled With Her Own Bra.

Agency

New Mexico State Police

Name

Scott Lloyd

Age

22

Cause of Death

Gun/Firearm

Info

Agency

Santa Fe Police Department