The 1969 murder of Elsa Romo Nickell
UNSOLVED: The 1969 murder of Elsa Romo Nickell in Panhandle
PANHANDLE, Texas — More than half a century after 24-year-old Elsa Romo Nickell was found murdered inside her home, her younger brother continues searching for the person responsible.
Nickell was a well-liked secretary who lived with her husband, Bill Nickell, in Panhandle, a Carson County community of roughly 2,400 residents. She worked for a local attorney and was described by those who knew her as a woman with an impeccable reputation.
On July 13, 1969, Nickell failed to respond when her brother, Jesse Romo, attempted to contact her. Romo went to her home and discovered her nude body on a bed at approximately 5:20 p.m. An alarm clock intended to wake her was reportedly still sounding.
Nickell’s husband was not home when her body was discovered but returned shortly afterward, according to contemporary accounts.
Investigators determined that Nickell had been strangled or suffocated. Some later accounts describe the murder weapon as a pillow, although surviving reports are not entirely consistent about the precise manner in which she was killed.
The condition of the crime scene complicated the investigation. Before officers could properly secure and process the residence, several people reportedly entered the home, potentially disturbing or contaminating physical evidence.
Authorities investigated hundreds of leads and questioned numerous people. Several suspects underwent polygraph examinations, but none was conclusively connected to the murder. By August 1969, Carson County Sheriff John Nunn and Panhandle Police Chief Sam Teague acknowledged that the investigation had reached a virtual dead end.
Reports surrounding the case have also referenced a mysterious black car reportedly seen in the area. Despite its potential significance, investigators were unable to establish who was driving it or whether it was connected to Nickell’s death.
A second murder raises questions
Less than two months later, another woman was murdered about 15 miles away in Skellytown.
On September 7, 1969, 69-year-old Edith M. Beighle was found dead inside her home. An autopsy determined that she had been struck in the head, sexually assaulted and strangled with the cord from an electric blanket kept beneath her bed.
Sheriff Nunn publicly acknowledged similarities between Beighle’s death and Nickell’s strangulation. However, investigators never established that the same person committed both killings, and the possible connection produced no arrest.
Family continues seeking answers
Nickell’s brother, who discovered her body, has spent decades pressing for answers and keeping the case before the public. The passage of time has made the investigation increasingly difficult as witnesses have died, memories have faded and the condition or availability of physical evidence has remained uncertain.
The case received renewed attention in 2015, when the Carson County Sheriff’s Office reported receiving information that had not previously been available. Law-enforcement officials hoped the information might generate new leads, but no arrest followed.
Later accounts indicate that investigators uncovered additional information as recently as 2017. Officials have not publicly disclosed enough about that development to determine whether it identified a viable suspect.
The case has since been examined in newspaper reports, television segments and the Gone Cold: Texas True Crime podcast, but no person has been charged.
The enduring question remains the same one Jesse Romo has asked since discovering his sister in 1969: who killed Elsa Nickell, and why?
Sources: Amarillo Globe-News, MyHighPlains, Amarillo Globe-News cold-case gallery, August 1969 White Deer News report, September 1969 White Deer News report, and Gone Cold episode listing.