Nichol Olsen (37) and her two daughters Alexa Montez (16) and London Bribiescas (10) were found dead in the home of Nichol’s boyfriend on January 10, 2019 and there is still debate to this day as to the circumstances surrounding their deaths.
We will start with some background on the people involved.
Nichol Leila Olsen was born in California on 27 May, 1981. Her parents were Rick and McCherryl Olsen. Rick died in December 1988, when Nichol was 7.
According to her obituary, the family moved to Texas when Nichol was around high school age. She attended James Madison High School and was a popular student.
After school, she obtained her cosmetology license and worked at salons in San Antonio. She ended up starting her own hair and jewelry business.
Nichol’s mother McCherryl passed away on December 26, 2001.
Around 1997, when Nichol would have been 15, she gave birth to her first child, a son named Skylar Nobles. Skylar’s father is James Nobles II. Nichol and James married in 1998 (when she was aged around 17) and divorced a year later. According to the Houston Chronicle, Skylar lived with his father on and off through his childhood.
Nichol’s first daughter, Alexa Denice Montez, was born on 8 October 2002 in Honolulu, Hawaii. Alexa’s father is Carloz Montez.
On 11 February 2008, Nichol’s second daughter, London Sophia Bribiescas was born. London’s father is Hector Bribiescas. We don’t know much about Nichol’s relationships with the fathers of her children. The San Antonio Express says that Nichol was divorced twice. Find A Grave says that London was born in San Antonio, so it appears Nichol moved between Hawaii and Texas around the time of having her children.
Nichol loved spending time with her family and enjoying fun, food and games. Alexa was a sophomore at Clark High School, class of 2021. She loved cheerleading, animals and her favorite colour was aqua. She wanted to attend Texas A&M University and had dreams to become an obstetrician.
“When I think about the things I’ll never be able to do with her, it’s hard to face,” Alexa’s father Carlos Montez said.
According to London’s obituary, she was a 5th grade student at Leon Springs Elementary School. She loved monkeys, singing, painting, theatre arts, and spending as much time as possible with her friends and family. London was and will always be an example of what pure joy and love can be in this world.
The company that Nichol co-owned at the time of her death is called KeVa Col and the company sold watches and other jewelry.
This info about Nichol is from the Houston Chronicle:
Nichol Leila Olsen took pride in her appearance. Her dark hair cascaded past her shoulders and was always meticulously styled. She wore outfits that highlighted her petite figure.
She had warm brown eyes, an electric smile and a personality that drew others to her. Her humor was contagious — if she was particularly amused, she would crinkle her nose and tilt her head as she laughed.
The 37-year-old single mother doted on her daughters, leaving work by 2:30 p.m. every day to pick them up from school. She kept an immaculate home. She worked hard as a hairstylist, double- and triple-booking appointments with clients at a North Side salon. She was resolutely upbeat, having survived a string of hardships in her younger years.
“She loved those girls,” said Nichol’s friend Vanessa Turney. “She was incredibly proud of who they were as people.”
A man named Charles Edward Wheeler came across Nichol on Instagram. He reached out to her and they began chatting. They met in person in the summer of 2016 at the La Cantera Resort in San Antonio. Their relationship developed quickly after their meeting and within a year they were living together in Charles’ home. The girls spent several days a week with Nichol, and spent the remainder of time with their fathers.
You can see Charles’ home here.
This home is the perfect blend of contemporary-modern and rustic elegance. Superior craftsmanship is evidenced by every detail inside & out with a thoughtful flow that lends itself to entertaining as well as comfort. Inside the gated front entry is an exquisite courtyard complete with walk-in pool & spa, outdoor kitchen, waterfall, and elegant lighting so you can enjoy it day or night. Situated on 2.7 manicured acres, this home is in the highly desirable Anaqua Springs Ranch.
Charles is an entrepreneur who used his winnings from being a former professional rodeo competitor to start his first company which made security gates. He sold that company when he was 24. He later started an oil field services business. By 2019, when he was 31, he owned the home worth over a million dollars in Anaqua Springs. He was said to be an avid hunter and he owned both a Range Rover and a Maserati.
The relationship between Nichol and Charles was said to be somewhat tumultuous. According to San Antonio Express News, in May 2017, Nichol showed up for a business photo shoot with a bruised eye. She began putting makeup on to try to conceal the bruise. Nichol told a friend at the time that she and Charles had argued but that she did not want to go into detail.
Another friend said that in 2017, she took Nichol in one weekend after she and Charles had a fight. They had been at a Galveston hotel celebrating their first anniversary when he had left her stranded without any belongings.
There was an incident in January 2018 where Nichol and a friend were on their way to a Spurs game. Charles called Nichol’s phone and asked to speak with her friend. This made Nichol feel controlled and humiliated. They went to a club after the game and Charles allegedly kept calling Nichol and telling her to come home.
Another friend said during a visit to Charles’ home, he and Nichol would fight over little things such as a dropped pepperoni on the floor.
In December 2018, Nichol was allegedly looking for a new home. She toured an apartment at the Grand at the Dominion. The building’s managers would send Nichol an email, right around the time that she died, asking ‘how her apartment search was going. I have the 3 bedroom Fredericksburg floor plan available that you loved for your move-in time frame.’
The day that Nichol and her daughters died was Thursday January 10, 2019.
Charles has given his version of events of the time around the deaths. Charles said that he and Nichol argued the night before and that he left the home and spent the evening at a family member’s home. He said he left the home at around 10pm.
In the evening of January 9, 2019, four separate 911 calls were made from Nichol’s phone. Each of these calls failed to stay connected long enough to get through to a dispatcher. The calls were reportedly made at 11.10pm, two calls at 11.11pm and one at 11.12pm. A 911 operator attempted to call Nichol back but was unable to reach her. No emergency response was dispatched as information/evidence of an emergency was able to be confirmed.
Charles said that he returned home at around 7.30-8.30am and he went upstairs to check on Nichol and the kids. He said he found them unresponsive.
At 8.40am, Charles called 911. The calls have never been fully released, but according to media reports, Charles described finding Nichol and her daughters and he said he was the last adult in the house.
A handgun was found near Nichol and the three had obvious gunshot wounds. Charles told dispatchers that Nichol may have taken her own life.
Bexar County Deputies arrived at the home quickly – reportedly between 8.50 and 9.15am. When they arrived, Charles was said to be in the front yard, crying on the ground.
No sign of forced entry was found. The females were said to be ‘cold and rigid to the touch.’
(Note – we looked up information about how long it would take for someone to become cold and rigid after death:
Onset: Usually 2–6 hours after death.
Full rigor: Typically 12 hours after death, when muscles are fully stiff.
Resolution: Begins to fade after about 24–48 hours, as decomposition sets in.
“Cold to touch”: Usually noticeable within 1–3 hours, depending on the environment.
Time Since Death Condition of Body
0–1 hour Warm, flaccid
1–3 hours Beginning to cool, some stiffness in small muscles (jaw)
2–6 hours Rigor mortis sets in; small muscles first, larger muscles later
12 hours Full rigor mortis, body stiff
24–48 hours Rigor passes; decomposition begins)
Deputies found a ‘large amount of smeared blood on the floor and some on the walls’ as well as a ‘small pool of blood’ in a bathroom doorway. The Sheriff said ‘ I can tell you that there’s a high probability that one of the victims in this case, at least, was not initially killed as a result of the gunshot. That victim moved around a bit during the course of this time, and unfortunately, left blood evidence behind.’
Gate camera footage was found and that showed Charle’s truck passing through the neighborhood. The driver could not be clearly seen. The sheriff was asked ‘Could you see the face of the person?’ He responded “The only video that we’re aware of is the video that was at the guard gate we were able to see a vehicle leaving.’
The Bexar County Medical Examiner conducted autopsies on Nichol, Alexa and London. Nichol’s death was ruled as suicide by gunshot and the children’s deaths were ruled as homicide by gunshot. The full autopsy reports — including detailed findings, bullet trajectories, toxicology results, and internal examination details — have not been released to the public.
Police began interviewing Charles, as well as neighbors and family. Charles was named as a person of interest in the case (not a suspect).
Charles’ attorney urged people to not jump to conclusions. “And respect the privacy of presumptively innocent people and of Charlie Wheeler, who did not commit a crime here,” Mark Stevens said.
In late January 2019, it was announced that the FBI was joining the investigation. Bexar County Sheriff Salazar said “We are proud of the exceptional investigative work done by the BCSO Criminal Investigations Division to now and we are excited to count on the FBI’s expertise and resources moving forward.
“We owe it to Nichol, Alexa, London, and their families to find the truth through meticulous investigation. It’s always better to have more tools at our disposal and more eyes on any case.”
Family and friends who spoke to the media said they believe Nichol was not capable of carrying out a murder/suicide.
“Nichol, she’s a beautiful person. I can’t believe we’re here. I was sick to my stomach coming here today, but I had to be here for her and the girls,” said Christine Leiva, a close friend for 17 years.
In April 2019, Nichol’s son Skylar spoke to the media.
“It honestly has been really hard,” he said. “I wake up every day thinking I am going to see them. And I am still not able to.”
“I just really want to know what happened that night,” he said.
“It is honestly just devastating,” he said. “I just want some more closure. All I need is some closure.”
“I feel like it was my time,” he said. “I feel like I need to put out my statement, what I have been feeling what I have been going through. It is tough. But I have to keep going and do it for them.”
He also had a message for law enforcement. “Just keep searching,” he said. “Please!”
In June 2019, the Anaqua Springs home was listed for sale for $975,000. It sold in July 2019.
Charles was arrested in Austin, Texas in November 2020 for a DWI following a traffic accident. He was taken into custody and charged. Jumping ahead slightly, the charged was dismissed by prosecutors in July 2021.
In November 2020, almost two years after Nichol and daughters died, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said his office’s investigation would soon be complete.
After combing through cellphone records, GPS records, surveillance video and forensics testing, Sheriff Salazar said investigators had not found anything leading them to believe the case was a homicide.
“Nothing that i have seen to this point in the case would lead me to refute or try to overturn the medical examiner’s ruling of suicide and murder in this case,” he said.
He also spoke about why the investigation had taken so long.
“The last thing that we wanted to do was prolong this for anybody but as I mentioned before … I did not feel comfortable closing this case with one piece of evidence if another five or six pieces of evidence were within our reach”.
The Sheriff said he wanted a final report in the case completed by December 31, 2020.
Despite this, on January 7, 2021, the Sheriff described the case as ‘incomplete’ during a press conference. “There were some stones left unturned, I’ll leave it at that,” he said.
”I’m not going to let this case be finalized until I’m confident that it’s going to withstand the scrutiny that it will be put under,” he said.
“Murdering your own children is about the worst thing, the worst thing that anybody can be accused of, and I’m not ready to accuse Nichol Olsen of that. I’m just not,” the sheriff said. “I’m not ready to go there yet and nobody can rush me to do that.”
“(Cold case investigators) are able to look at a case with a little bit more of a 30,000-foot view and give us some unique perspectives on it,” he said.
“The sheriff’s office decision to continue the investigation is a prudent one, as there continues to be many questions and possible discrepancies to this case,” Nichol’s friend Vanessa said at the time. “As long as those questions remain, Nichol and her beautiful daughters deserve a thorough, detailed investigation — and for however long that may take.”
In 2021, the fathers of London and Alexa filed separate wrongful death lawsuits against Charles, claiming he was negligent in the girls’ deaths. In the lawsuit filed by London’s father Hector Bribiescas, he alleges that after a lengthy argument with Nichol in which she was allegedly exhibiting “increasingly erratic behavior,” Charles left the home knowing he’d left an unsecured firearm in his bedside table.
Charles’ criminal defense attorney Therese Huntzinger says her client was “crushed” by the deaths. “Charlie has no responsibility, either criminally or civilly, in this matter,” she says. “It’s preposterous.”
The cases were dismissed/dropped. No damages were awarded and there was no admission of wrongdoing by Charles.
In 2022, the families of Alexa and London pushed for the Texas Attorney General to appoint the Texas Rangers to investigate the case.
“[Sheriff Salazar has] inflicted more pain on this family than anyone else other than whoever it was who killed their daughters,” said the Bribiescas family attorney Joseph Hoelscher.
The families said they had not heard anything from the Sheriff’s Office since 2020.
“I don’t think we’ve ever been able to just call him up and talk to him,” said London Bribiescas’ aunt Emma Sumners. “It’s always been we’ve had to go through the media and create a storm in order to get his attention.”
“He’s gone so far as to attack my client and myself personally, claiming that we’re money hungry,” Joseph Hoelscher said. “We believed based on all of our interactions with Salazar and the Sheriff’s Office, that they’re intentionally withholding an outcome in this investigation to punish this family.”
The family wrote a letter to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton asking the Texas Rangers to investigate the case.
The Sheriff’s Office issued this statement at the time:
“We have not seen the letter submitted by the Bribiescas Family to the Attorney General’s Office, this case remains ongoing with the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office. Additionally, there are pending items the investigator assigned to this case has had difficulty obtaining through attempts with the retained attorney, including difficulty making contact with Mr. Hoelscher. The assigned investigator will continue to devote his efforts until every facet of this investigation has been completed, in order to provide closure for the families of Nichol Olsen, Alexa Montez and London Bribiescas.”
In 2024, the Sheriff indicated that there may never be full closure in the case.
“There’s still some things in that case that stick with me and stick out like a sore thumb to the point where I don’t know that we’ll ever say, ‘Case closed, we’re done.’”
“It’s a tragedy that’s going to bug me for the rest of my days. And maybe I may never get answers to some of these questions… But the evidence points to a certain thing, and I can’t refute it at this point.”
The Sheriff said that Charles was still a person of interest. He is not a suspect though and has never been charged. The sheriff said there are other people of interest that have been found through texts and other communications, but these people have never been named publicly.
Charles has never spoken publicly about the case. His attorneys have said that ‘he had nothing to do with the deaths.’ He is said to have cooperated with investigators. He has since moved to Austin.
Nichol’s brother Justin said “It’s crazy for anyone to think she would kill her daughters.”
She was making plans for the future, was enrolling London in singing classes and was expecting a visit from her son that weekend.
SOURCE LIST:
https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/Anaqua-Springs-killings-unresolved-13738865.php
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/195954439/nichol_leila-olsen
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/195970740/alexa_denice-montez
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/195970758/london_sophia-bribiescas
https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/f/273-7284c640-a4ce-4a24-bb90-ef2b5d188d2c
https://www.ctpost.com/news/local/article/Anaqua-Springs-killings-unresolved-13738865.php