Boyfriend Charged in South Dakota Murder Case

Craig Allen Nichols Jr., 32, has been charged with second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter after the decapitated body of his girlfriend, 41-year-old Heather Ann Bodden, was discovered in their Yankton, South Dakota apartment. Police were alerted by three women who found Bodden’s body when they came to check on her after she had sent messages about Nichols threatening her with a weapon. Surveillance footage showed Nichols entering and exiting the apartment multiple times on the night before the discovery, and witnesses reported that he was with two other men who stated that Bodden was alive when they left. Nichols was apprehended a mile from the apartment after allegedly barricading himself in his home during an attempted search. He is currently held on a $500,000 bond, with a court appearance scheduled for January 8. The investigation is ongoing and authorities are maintaining a heightened law enforcement presence in the area.