(Yankton, SD) — Yankton authorities are investigating a grizzly first murder of 2025 in South Dakota. Court documents say 32-year-old Craig Nichols Jr. is accused of killing 41-year-old Heather Bodden and cutting off her head late Wednesday night or early Thursday morning. Her body was found by friends who came to check on her. Before Bodden was murdered, one of her friends told investigators Bodden texted her, saying her boyfriend threatened her with a weapon. Nichols could be seen coming and going from her apartment hauling out trash bags. Authorities later found him about a mile away at his own apartment. Nichols is charged with second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter while being held on a 500-thousand-dollar cash bond with his next court appearance scheduled for Wednesday morning.
