At the time of her disappearance, the woman maintained a romantic relationship with her ex-husband, who was 16 years her junior.
Thinking she had found true love with a man 16 years her junior, mother of two Sue Marshel quickly married. But just 10 days later, she decided to end it. Little did she know, the story didn’t end there.
Two handprints in the trunk
On July 4, 1995, while most residents of Wayne, Illinois, USA, were celebrating Independence Day with traditional attire, patriotic banners, parades, and fireworks, the police received a report of a partially submerged car in the lake.
At the scene, investigators found blood on the taillight. Inside the car contained “a large amount of blood.” A long piece of wood was used to jam the accelerator.
Two .32-caliber bullet casings were also discovered, catching the police’s attention. This type of weapon was not common. In the trunk, investigators found two bloody handprints, as if someone inside was trying to escape.
From the license plate, the police learned that the car was registered under Sue Marshel’s name. Sue was divorced and had two children, Michael, 19, and Melinda, 13. Sue and Melinda were not present at the family’s annual party on July 4.
A widespread search was conducted, but there was no trace of Sue and her two children. Authorities suspect that a crime has taken place.
Age-Gap Romance
At this time, Sue was facing charges of cocaine possession. In fact, she had previously cooperated with the police to target a drug dealer. Family members suspected this might be the reason for Sue’s disappearance.
Investigators turned to those close to Sue, including her ex-husbands.
Johnny Marshel and Sue married in 1974, and they had Melinda in December 1981. Johnny had a solid alibi on July 4, spending time with friends and going to work all day the next day. This schedule was confirmed by many witnesses.
The next interview was with Jim Gelsinger, Sue’s second husband. Jim was quickly ruled out due to a clear alibi, having left the area around the time of the disappearance.
Next, investigators spoke with Sue’s most recent husband, Niels Nielsen. Niels had a criminal history, having been arrested for burglary in Utah in 1992 and was not allowed to leave the state.
However, Niels disregarded this order and moved to live with his mother and stepfather in southern Illinois, then met Sue, a single mother, in Wayne. Despite the age gap—Sue was 36 and Niels was only 20—they quickly developed feelings for each other and got married.
However, shortly after the wedding, Sue discovered Niels had a warrant and decided to report his whereabouts to the authorities. Niels was then brought back to Utah. Eventually, Sue decided to abandon their marriage after only 10 days.
In 1995, Niels returned to Wayne. Despite their tumultuous past, Sue and Niels still maintained a romantic relationship at the time of her and her daughter’s disappearance.
The Canvas Bag Beneath the Pond
Despite leaving Niels Nielsen, her husband 16 years her junior, just 10 days after their marriage, Sue Marshel still maintained a romantic relationship with him at the time of her and her daughter Melinda Marshal’s disappearance.
Niels told the police that he was with Sue and her mother on July 4, 1995. While they were driving back to Niels’ house, they ran out of gas. Niels claimed that he took a gas can out of the car to get fuel. When he returned, he saw Sue talking to a tall, unfamiliar man driving a red car. Sue and Melinda then got into the man’s car and left.
The police met with Sue’s family and friends to gather information about the man driving the red car. However, they found no clues and questioned how Niels knew the height of a man he allegedly saw sitting down.
Three days after Sue and her daughter disappeared, the police received shocking news about what was found beneath a pond about 8km from where Sue’s car was discovered. Two boys fishing spotted a suspicious-looking canvas bag floating on the water.
As soon as they pulled the bag ashore, authorities opened it and immediately smelled a strong odor of decay along with two skulls protruding. They were two badly charred and decomposed bodies.
The bodies appeared to have been shot and set on fire before being dumped into the water. A .32-caliber bullet casing was found in the bag, and another similar casing was found inside one of the bodies.
Horrendous Deaths
To identify the bodies, experts had to analyze the jawbones and dental records. The results matched those of Sue Marshal and Melinda Marshal. Sue was shot twice, while her 13-year-old daughter was shot three times, all in the head. Both had experienced violent and gruesome deaths. The disappearance case now turned into a double homicide.
The police and the victims’ family did not believe the murders were related to Sue’s involvement with drugs. Relatives said Sue’s life was stable. However, they also mentioned that recently she had been spending more time with one of her ex-husbands, Niels Nielsen.
Sue’s sister recounted that just a few days before she disappeared, Sue was on the phone with her when she heard Niels’ voice in the background. “I advised Sue not to trust him,” her sister said.
The police then questioned Niels’ mother and stepfather, who were living with him at the time. Niels’ mother stated that she saw her son leaving with some people in Sue’s green Oldsmobile to watch fireworks on the evening of July 4. She recognized Sue in the car and mentioned a slim young girl with long blonde hair accompanying them. This description matched Melinda Marshal. With this information, the police obtained a search warrant for Niels’ residence.
The Unusual gun
During the search of Niels Nielsen’s residence, where he lived with his mother and stepfather, the police found several firearms in his bedroom. Notably among them was a .32-caliber semi-automatic handgun, matching the type used to kill Sue Marshel and Melinda Marshel.
Unlike the other dusty firearms, this .32-caliber pistol was clean. Niels’ stepfather agreed to allow investigators to take the gun and ammunition for examination.
While awaiting the results, the police received a report from Michael, Sue’s 19-year-old son. Michael said that Niels had visited their home on the day his mother and sister went missing. While talking to Niels through the window, Michael saw his toolbox in the back seat of his mother’s car.
During the search of Niels’ residence, the police found these tools. Additionally, they discovered thin wooden pieces resembling the ones used to prop up the gas pedal in Sue’s submerged car.
The evidence linking Niels to the deaths of Sue and Melinda was mounting. Although Niels was arrested for theft of tools, law enforcement knew they had only 48 hours to gather more evidence before he would be released.
Bones Beneath the Pit
Niels’ neighbors reported seeing smoke rising from his house on July 5, 1995. Acting on this information, the police checked the area and found a pit behind the house used to burn something. Inside, they discovered teeth, hair, and human bone fragments along with a key, jewelry, and a .32-caliber bullet casing. According to relatives, the key and jewelry belonged to Melinda.
Niels’ stepfather and mother admitted that their son had left with Sue and Melinda on the fateful evening of July 4 to watch fireworks. The woman also stated that Sue’s car had been at their house since the late hours of July 4 until July 6 but saw no sign of Sue. Fingerprints found on the blood-stained car matched Niels.
At this point, Niels changed his previous statement. He admitted involvement in the crime but claimed he only helped dispose of the bodies. Niels accused Johnny Marshel, Sue’s first husband and Melinda’s father, of being the real murderer.
According to Niels, Johnny abused and got Melinda pregnant. A heated argument ensued between Johnny and Sue. Niels claimed he was present but got out of Sue’s car when he saw what was happening.
When Niels returned, Johnny showed him Sue and Melinda’s bodies in the car trunk and forced him to help dispose of them. Niels attempted to sink the car but failed. He then burned the bodies in the pit in the backyard and dumped them in the canvas bag submerged in the pond. He claimed he did so out of fear of Johnny’s threats.
Dark Past
However, Marshall’s alibi when the crime occurred has been verified. Additionally, medical examiners confirmed that Melinda was not pregnant, contradicting Niels’ claims. Marshall was removed from the list of suspects.
Investigators believed that Niels had lied and acted alone. He was charged with 2 counts of first-degree murder and 2 counts of concealing evidence.
On May 27, 1996, Niels’ trial began and lasted for 10 days. During the trial, the jury was provided with Niels’ criminal history. Even as a juvenile, this man had alarming violent behaviors. At the age of 12, Niels stabbed a 6-year-old child with a knife and threatened to kill her.
Those who knew Niels believed that he had attempted to rekindle a romantic relationship with his much older ex-wife in the months leading up to the murders.
A witness reported hearing Niels complain about Sue at a fair in Wayne on July 4, 1995, the day of the murders, and stated they “might never see Sue again.”
The Price to Pay
The prosecutor presented a theory that on the way to watch fireworks, Sue and Niels had an altercation that led him to shoot both his ex-wife and her daughter.
According to witnesses, they saw Niels arrive alone at the fireworks display that night. Investigators believed that at this time, the two corpses were still in Sue’s Oldsmobile. Niels waited until the next day to burn and dispose of the bodies before sinking Sue’s car underwater.
After deliberation, the jury delivered a verdict of guilty on all four charges, sentencing Niels to death. Upon hearing the sentence, Niels spat at prosecutors, cursed at the judge, overturned tables, and engaged in vulgar behavior and speech.
In 2003, the Governor of Illinois commuted all death sentences to life imprisonment for all death row inmates, including Niels Nielsen. By 2011, the death penalty was abolished in Illinois.
Although spared from death, Niels will spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole. All of his appeals have been denied.
Niels Nielsen is currently incarcerated at the Menard Correctional Center in Illinois and has never disclosed the true motive behind the heinous murders.
