TN Leryan "Meat" Nicholson April 13,1998, Nashville, TN

[LeRyansWarrior]

PV must have recently died. I usually get a lot of information from a site I go to for searches, but it has her as still alive, living at the same address in the article and nothing else for information. It shows she was never married, so not a lot comes up.

PV must have recently died. I usually get a lot of information from a site I go to for searches, but it has her as still alive, living at the same address in the article and nothing else for information. It shows she was never married, so not a lot comes up.

PV must have recently died. I usually get a lot of information from a site I go to for searches, but it has her as still alive, living at the same address in the article and nothing else for information. It shows she was never married, so not a lot comes up.

These were her family members speaking of her. Pauline was an older disabled women with whom My brothers mother lived with at some point before my brother died. She knew my brother but I have no reason to think she would have made that call. I believe someone who knew of the murder called using her name so they would stop looking for him. Who would think police would not even do a welfare check??!! His mother is the one who told us he was in Kentucky in a mental hospital for all those years.

 

[LeRyansWarrior]

Life and death of LeRyan Nicholson

(Ms. Nolan is beautiful!)

Consider contacting your Attorney General's office:

Divisions

as there certainly were some problems with the investigations.

Your county prosecuting attorney/district attorney's office may have a Victim Advocate. That person is there to help you & your family.

Welcome to WS, glad you found us here but incredibly sad that you found us while searching for answers about your brother's passing!

Thank you.. i will definitely try contacting them. It seems as though no one wants to touch this case because it was fumbled so bad in the beginning.

 

[LeRyansWarrior]

Life and death of LeRyan Nicholson

(Ms. Nolan is beautiful!)

Consider contacting your Attorney General's office:

Divisions

as there certainly were some problems with the investigations.

Your county prosecuting attorney/district attorney's office may have a Victim Advocate. That person is there to help you & your family.

Welcome to WS, glad you found us here but incredibly sad that you found us while searching for answers about your brother's passing!

Thank you.. i will definitely try contacting them. It seems as though no one wants to touch this case because it was fumbled so bad in the beginning.

Life and death of LeRyan Nicholson

(Ms. Nolan is beautiful!)

Consider contacting your Attorney General's office:

Divisions

as there certainly were some problems with the investigations.

Your county prosecuting attorney/district attorney's office may have a Victim Advocate. That person is there to help you & your family.

Welcome to WS, glad you found us here but incredibly sad that you found us while searching for answers about your brother's passing!

Life and death of LeRyan Nicholson

(Ms. Nolan is beautiful!)

Consider contacting your Attorney General's office:

Divisions

as there certainly were some problems with the investigations.

Your county prosecuting attorney/district attorney's office may have a Victim Advocate. That person is there to help you & your family.

Welcome to WS, glad you found us here but incredibly sad that you found us while searching for answers about your brother's passing!

That story in the Tennessean is false. His mother did nothing assist in the search for him. She is the one who told us he was safe in a mental institution in Kentucky all those years. She was very abusive to him as a child and teenager. So no she is not a beautiful person inside. I tried to get them to retract that story and they wouldn’t.

 

[LeRyansWarrior]

Thank you.. i will definitely try contacting them. It seems as though no one wants to touch this case because it was fumbled so bad in the beginning.




That story in the Tennessean is false. His mother did nothing assist in the search for him. She is the one who told us he was safe in a mental institution in Kentucky all those years. She was very abusive to him as a child and teenager. So no she is not a beautiful person inside. I tried to get them to retract that story and they wouldn’t.

I apologize if I sound angry. I’m angry with the reporting of that story.

 

[janeqpublic]

I'm attaching the missing persons report on LeRyan as well as MNPD's incident report from when his remains (obviously unidentified at the time) were located.

 

[Skully]

Here is what I do know about cold cases, when someone dies, or gets divorced or heat put on them, someone talks. I saw the remarks and I can tell you that if you can get it reopened and looked at, you may get some results. Either way, call them or the supervisors and tell them or about those posts on the missing site. There are people there that knew her and him. Wishing you the best.

 

[Bit of hope]

These were her family members speaking of her. Pauline was an older disabled women with whom My brothers mother lived with at some point before my brother died. She knew my brother but I have no reason to think she would have made that call. I believe someone who knew of the murder called using her name so they would stop looking for him. Who would think police would not even do a welfare check??!! His mother is the one who told us he was in Kentucky in a mental hospital for all those years.

Just trying to understand all of this, with a good heart towards you. Sorry upfront for all my questions.

So your brother was last seen by his mother on April 12th 1998 and she filed a missing persons report. "The report stated clearly that he had not been seen since April 12th, 1998" (post #1). Why was he officially reported missing on April 15th, 1998? Was this an LE decision, after they concluded that maybe he didn't went missing on his own accord afterall? Or did his mom reported him missing on that day. Having the dates right in a missing persons report is essential.

Unknown to you his body was found the next day on April 13th. It's a 5 minute drive from Alameda street (where Ms. V lived) to Mary Street. Did Ms. Nolan and your brother lived there too? At first I thought he went missing from the Vanderbilt psychiatric hospital hospital, but in the article Ms. Nolan says he just left. From where? How come that LE didn't put one and one together. Missing man, last seen April 12th, man found killed and burned on the 13th. Isn't that the first thing you do when you find an unidentified homicide victim; going through a list of missing persons.

Then on April 20th LE got a call that your brother was no longer missing. LE closed the case....without checking it??? Very weird. So hypothetically anybody can call the PD and tell that such and such is no longer missing, even me.....case closed. The person who made the call had at least knowledge about who your brother was, that he (officially) was (reported) missing and must have known his mother and/or Pauline and there living situation. Why would a random person call, so there must have been knowledge and some kind of connection. Who could gain from the fact that he was no longer missing? The killer I assume. Like you, I don't think Ms. V made that call or she was forced by somebody else to make the call (IMO) The other thing that's bothering me is that Ms. Nolan told you he was hospitalized in Kentucky. Why? Not to mention her heartbreaking cry in the Tennessean article and you saying she wasn't involved in the search at all. IMO it doesn't feel good.

I don't understand the phrase about him smoking and getting gray hair, stated in the article in the Tennessean. Does Ms. Nolan mean crack cocaine and could he, because of that be, placed on the Mary Street, a place known for prostitution and drug users shooting up -NO JUDGMENT HERE- and somebody from that crowd did this to your brother?

I wonder who was cruel and hated enough to murder and cover up this murder by setting the body on fire.

 

[Skully]

Bit of Hope, great outline of events. Thank you. Another thought, why didn't anyone check to see or visit or call the hospital he was reported to be in? All those years and no one checked to see if he was committed?

 

[Bit of hope]

Bit of Hope, great outline of events. Thank you. Another thought, why didn't anyone check to see or visit or call the hospital he was reported to be in? All those years and no one checked to see if he was committed?

Smart thinking...thanks.

 

[Skully]

In most cases when a body is burned, buried, put in water or just taken miles away, the killer wants to to put distance between them and the victim. The reason is that they know the victim and don't want to be associated with the crime scene. If a person is not connected with the victim, a stranger, most times they just leave the body exposed, or dump it, thinking no one will connect them to the victim so they don't have to worry when it is found.

 

[Bit of hope]

In most cases when a body is burned, buried, put in water or just taken miles away, the killer wants to to put distance between them and the victim. The reason is that they know the victim and don't want to be associated with the crime scene. If a person is not connected with the victim, a stranger, most times they just leave the body exposed, or dump it, thinking no one will connect them to the victim so they don't have to worry when it is found.

Thanks....I'm working on another case where a body was set afire to cover up a murder, but she was found before her body was totally burned. I did a little research on this modus operandi. Bringing the info over.

From a Dutch study on the topic. https://openaccess.leidenuniv.nl/bitstream/handle/1887/83797/Boer_N_CSM_2017.pdf?sequence=1

Arson-related homicide:
A case of homicide with one or multiple lethal victims, in which arson was used either as a modus operandi to kill the victim(s), or in which a fire is set after a homicide is committed. Five types are distinguished:

• Primary arson: ∙ Setting fire to a structure or vehicle in which the victim is present (ante-mortem)
• Person burned: Setting fire to the body of the victim (antemortem)
• Secondary arson: Setting fire to a structure or vehicle in which the victim’s body is present (post-mortem)
  
• Body burned: Setting fire to the body of the victim (postmortem)
  
• Evidence burned: Setting fire aimed at pieces of evidence (flight vehicles, for example), leaving the victim unaffected by firesetting (post-mortem)

According to this study this kind of crime is most likely committed by a male, between 30 - 39 years, with a motive as revenge, jealousy and relation problems and thus a known person to the deceased.

In cases in which arson was involved post-mortem, the majority of deaths were caused by sharp object injuries (22%, n=39), gunshots (20%), followed by blunt object injury (14%, n=25) and asphyxia (smothering or strangling; 14%, n=24).

"Dalhuisen (2016, p. 193) found the mean age of firesetters (evaluated at the Pier Baan Centre, n=389) was 29.1 years, and that the population of firesetters consisted for 91% of male offenders and 9% female offenders".

Was there another male around....did Ms. Nolan or Ms. V had a boyfriend at the time?

 

[PayrollNerd]

Thanks....I'm working on another case where a body was set afire to cover up a murder, but she was found before her body was totally burned. I did a little research on this modus operandi. Bringing the info over.

From a Dutch study on the topic. https://openaccess.leidenuniv.nl/bitstream/handle/1887/83797/Boer_N_CSM_2017.pdf?sequence=1

Arson-related homicide:
A case of homicide with one or multiple lethal victims, in which arson was used either as a modus operandi to kill the victim(s), or in which a fire is set after a homicide is committed. Five types are distinguished:

• Primary arson: ∙ Setting fire to a structure or vehicle in which the victim is present (ante-mortem)
• Person burned: Setting fire to the body of the victim (antemortem)
• Secondary arson: Setting fire to a structure or vehicle in which the victim’s body is present (post-mortem)
  
• Body burned: Setting fire to the body of the victim (postmortem)
  
• Evidence burned: Setting fire aimed at pieces of evidence (flight vehicles, for example), leaving the victim unaffected by firesetting (post-mortem)

According to this study this kind of crime is most likely committed by a male, between 30 - 39 years, with a motive as revenge, jealousy and relation problems and thus a known person to the deceased.

In cases in which arson was involved post-mortem, the majority of deaths were caused by sharp object injuries (22%, n=39), gunshots (20%), followed by blunt object injury (14%, n=25) and asphyxia (smothering or strangling; 14%, n=24).

"Dalhuisen (2016, p. 193) found the mean age of firesetters (evaluated at the Pier Baan Centre, n=389) was 29.1 years, and that the population of firesetters consisted for 91% of male offenders and 9% female offenders".

Was there another male around....did Ms. Nolan or Ms. V had a boyfriend at the time?

Very interesting research especially on the perp's gender and age. It makes me wonder if this young man was exploring his sexuality also. Did acquaintances give him a difficult time about it? Taunting, teasing, bullying him and as a result their behavior went too far. How knowledgeable would his family been about this aspect of his life? Any cousin or sibling close enough to him that he would have shared any emotions or struggles he was dealing with?

 

[LeRyansWarrior]

You’re welcome! If you click report on a post, it lets you type a reason. Mostly people report inappropriate posts, but it can be used to ask for assistance if needed.

got it.. thank you

 

[LeRyansWarrior]

Thanks....I'm working on another case where a body was set afire to cover up a murder, but she was found before her body was totally burned. I did a little research on this modus operandi. Bringing the info over.

From a Dutch study on the topic. https://openaccess.leidenuniv.nl/bitstream/handle/1887/83797/Boer_N_CSM_2017.pdf?sequence=1

Arson-related homicide:
A case of homicide with one or multiple lethal victims, in which arson was used either as a modus operandi to kill the victim(s), or in which a fire is set after a homicide is committed. Five types are distinguished:

• Primary arson: ∙ Setting fire to a structure or vehicle in which the victim is present (ante-mortem)
• Person burned: Setting fire to the body of the victim (antemortem)
• Secondary arson: Setting fire to a structure or vehicle in which the victim’s body is present (post-mortem)
  
• Body burned: Setting fire to the body of the victim (postmortem)
  
• Evidence burned: Setting fire aimed at pieces of evidence (flight vehicles, for example), leaving the victim unaffected by firesetting (post-mortem)

According to this study this kind of crime is most likely committed by a male, between 30 - 39 years, with a motive as revenge, jealousy and relation problems and thus a known person to the deceased.

In cases in which arson was involved post-mortem, the majority of deaths were caused by sharp object injuries (22%, n=39), gunshots (20%), followed by blunt object injury (14%, n=25) and asphyxia (smothering or strangling; 14%, n=24).

"Dalhuisen (2016, p. 193) found the mean age of firesetters (evaluated at the Pier Baan Centre, n=389) was 29.1 years, and that the population of firesetters consisted for 91% of male offenders and 9% female offenders".

Was there another male around....did Ms. Nolan or Ms. V had a boyfriend at the time?

Ms. V’s Son was his mother’s boyfriend at some point I believe his name was Sonny. He is deceased as well. My brothers Uncle with whom he lived with at the time and with whom his mother went to file the missing persons report with is also deceased. The only person alive that was in constant contact with him is his mother. My sister and I both lived with our respective families.

 

[LeRyansWarrior]

Just trying to understand all of this, with a good heart towards you. Sorry upfront for all my questions.

So your brother was last seen by his mother on April 12th 1998 and she filed a missing persons report. "The report stated clearly that he had not been seen since April 12th, 1998" (post #1). Why was he officially reported missing on April 15th, 1998? Was this an LE decision, after they concluded that maybe he didn't went missing on his own accord afterall? Or did his mom reported him missing on that day. Having the dates right in a missing persons report is essential.

Unknown to you his body was found the next day on April 13th. It's a 5 minute drive from Alameda street (where Ms. V lived) to Mary Street. Did Ms. Nolan and your brother lived there too? At first I thought he went missing from the Vanderbilt psychiatric hospital hospital, but in the article Ms. Nolan says he just left. From where? How come that LE didn't put one and one together. Missing man, last seen April 12th, man found killed and burned on the 13th. Isn't that the first thing you do when you find an unidentified homicide victim; going through a list of missing persons.

Then on April 20th LE got a call that your brother was no longer missing. LE closed the case....without checking it??? Very weird. So hypothetically anybody can call the PD and tell that such and such is no longer missing, even me.....case closed. The person who made the call had at least knowledge about who your brother was, that he (officially) was (reported) missing and must have known his mother and/or Pauline and there living situation. Why would a random person call, so there must have been knowledge and some kind of connection. Who could gain from the fact that he was no longer missing? The killer I assume. Like you, I don't think Ms. V made that call or she was forced by somebody else to make the call (IMO) The other thing that's bothering me is that Ms. Nolan told you he was hospitalized in Kentucky. Why? Not to mention her heartbreaking cry in the Tennessean article and you saying she wasn't involved in the search at all. IMO it doesn't feel good.

I don't understand the phrase about him smoking and getting gray hair, stated in the article in the Tennessean. Does Ms. Nolan mean crack cocaine and could he, because of that be, placed on the Mary Street, a place known for prostitution and drug users shooting up -NO JUDGMENT HERE- and somebody from that crowd did this to your brother?

I wonder who was cruel and hated enough to murder and cover up this murder by setting the body on fire.

I understand all of your questions and confusion surrounding that Tennessean article as I too had the same questions.

We (my sister and I) asked the ME specifically if there were drugs in his system and we were told no drugs of any kind.

The excuse we got from MNPD about how they could not have put one and one together to make two about the missing a persons case and the murder victim, and why they accepted the callers statement and did not go and do a welfare check was.. that year we had a tornado in Nashville and they said all their resources were used for that and did not have anyone to send. That is totally unacceptable. But that is the explanation we received.

His mother does not answer any questions, when we try and get a timeline from her or when asked why she would tell us he was in Kentucky when he actually was already deceased. She told this to everyone in the family. When he was finally identified, she had the memorial and did not tell us when and where it would be had. Since she was the mother she had total control over that process. Notice in the Tennessean there are no pictures of the family there at the gravesite. We did not get to witness him finally getting his headstone.

I want this investigation to be active and all of these unanswered questions and timelines that are not adding up, the inept police work.. all of this needs to be addressed.

 

[LeRyansWarrior]

LeRyan Nathaniel Nicholson was reported missing from Nashville, TN on April 12th, 1998.

LeRyan Nicholson was 18 years old at the time of his disappearance.

At one time.. He was an athlete that excelled in track. A student a Pearl Cohn High School. Most of all he was a son and a big brother, who was known the "protector" of his sisters.

This all started changing sometime around 1996 when LeRyan fell victim to schizophrenia. He was hospitalized at Vanderbilt psychiatric hospital but the treatments did not prove to be successful.

LeRyan was officially reported missing April 15th, 1998. The report stated clearly that he had not been seen since April 12th, 1998.

LeRyan's sisters would spend the following 15 years looking for their brother. They were completely unaware that a body of a murder victim was found April 13th, 1998 on Mary St. in Nashville, wrapped up in carpet and set on fire. The original missing person's report does state that the Officer made a patrol car aware of a murder but no further details were included other than the fact that a BOLO had been issued for LeRyan Nathaniel Nicholson.

On April 20th, 1998 his case was closed. The report states as follows "1020 Talked with Pauline Venable, 3909 Alameda St. She stated the victim has returned home and is ok. Case closed by exception"

*Pauline Venable has no relationship to LeRyan so it is very hard to understand how his case could have been closed based on her statement. *

His sisters would continue to search for him, they had been told at one time that he was in a mental health hospital in Kentucky.

Then in 2012, they found www.Namus.gov and after a few minutes of looking, they found an unidentified person matching LeRyan's description. The body that was found April 13th, 1998 burned on Mary St. After a few calls, an appointment to obtain a DNA sample was made and in March 2013 they were notified that the body was, in fact, that of LeRyan Nathaniel Nicholson.

LeRyan was the 19th unidentified man buried in the Bordeaux Cemetery. He lies in plot #555. He had been buried in a paupers' grave just 3 miles from home in May 1998.

The stone that was marked JOHN (19) DOE 1998 has now been replaced with one that says LeRyan Nathaniel Nicholson 1979-1998. This gave him his name back and his loved ones some answers and a place to honor him but his case is not complete.

The murder of LeRyan Nicholson remains unsolved.

If you have any information regarding his case please reach out to us anytime! You can message us here Tennessee Missing and Unsolved. You are also welcome to call or text us anytime at 615-556-0534.

Please share this case with everyone you know. This story is not just about a local case but also about raising awareness to many things including mental illness, a family searching for a missing loved one, mistakes with a missing person case and of course the importance of the missing, unidentified and unclaimed being entered into namus.


Below I have attached the missing persons report and the news reports that were printed when my brother's body was found in 1998.

 

[LeRyansWarrior]

Just trying to understand all of this, with a good heart towards you. Sorry upfront for all my questions.

So your brother was last seen by his mother on April 12th 1998 and she filed a missing persons report. "The report stated clearly that he had not been seen since April 12th, 1998" (post #1). Why was he officially reported missing on April 15th, 1998? Was this an LE decision, after they concluded that maybe he didn't went missing on his own accord afterall? Or did his mom reported him missing on that day. Having the dates right in a missing persons report is essential.

Unknown to you his body was found the next day on April 13th. It's a 5 minute drive from Alameda street (where Ms. V lived) to Mary Street. Did Ms. Nolan and your brother lived there too? At first I thought he went missing from the Vanderbilt psychiatric hospital hospital, but in the article Ms. Nolan says he just left. From where? How come that LE didn't put one and one together. Missing man, last seen April 12th, man found killed and burned on the 13th. Isn't that the first thing you do when you find an unidentified homicide victim; going through a list of missing persons.

Then on April 20th LE got a call that your brother was no longer missing. LE closed the case....without checking it??? Very weird. So hypothetically anybody can call the PD and tell that such and such is no longer missing, even me.....case closed. The person who made the call had at least knowledge about who your brother was, that he (officially) was (reported) missing and must have known his mother and/or Pauline and there living situation. Why would a random person call, so there must have been knowledge and some kind of connection. Who could gain from the fact that he was no longer missing? The killer I assume. Like you, I don't think Ms. V made that call or she was forced by somebody else to make the call (IMO) The other thing that's bothering me is that Ms. Nolan told you he was hospitalized in Kentucky. Why? Not to mention her heartbreaking cry in the Tennessean article and you saying she wasn't involved in the search at all. IMO it doesn't feel good.

I don't understand the phrase about him smoking and getting gray hair, stated in the article in the Tennessean. Does Ms. Nolan mean crack cocaine and could he, because of that be, placed on the Mary Street, a place known for prostitution and drug users shooting up -NO JUDGMENT HERE- and somebody from that crowd did this to your brother?

I wonder who was cruel and hated enough to murder and cover up this murder by setting the body on fire.

I understand all of your questions and confusion surrounding that Tennessean article as I too had the same questions.

We (my sister and I) asked the ME specifically if there were drugs in his system and we were told no drugs of any kind.

The excuse we got from MNPD about how they could not have put one and one together to make two about the missing a persons case and the murder victim, and why they accepted the callers statement and did not go and do a welfare check was.. that year we had a tornado in Nashville and they said all their resources were used for that and did not have anyone to send. That is totally unacceptable. But that is the explanation we received.

His mother does not answer any questions, when we try and get a timeline from her or when asked why she would tell us he was in Kentucky when he actually was already deceased. She told this to everyone in the family. She had the memorial and did not tell us when and where it would be had. Since she was the mother she had total control over that process. Notice in the Tennessean there are no pictures of the family there at the gravesite. We did not get to witness him finally getting his headstone.

I want this investigation to be active and all of these unanswered questions and timelines that are not adding up, the inept police work.. all of this needs to be addressed.

I don't know if the moderators even look at alerts in this forum anymore because mine are continuously ignored. It might be better for the OP to start a new thread in the cold case section of WS and copy these posts there.....


Cold Cases

I started the new thread in cold cases but am having a bit of difficulty copying all the post on there. Any assistance would be appreciated.

 

[Cubby]

Would it be possible to do this from my phone or better to use a computer?

Whatever is easiest for you. It might help if you hit report and ask the mods to move this thread. Copying everything should be a last resort, when it would take a mod a minute or two at most to click a box and move it to the cold case forum.

Let me try again to get it moved.

@Tricia LeRyans family has joined us and are seeking our assistance in their brothers unsolved cold case murder. Can you please see to it this thread is moved to the cold case forum where it will get more attention. I know you guys are busy, so thanks for you help.

 

[LeRyansWarrior]

I am his sister who solved the missing persons aspect of this case and located his remains using NAMUS. I am looking to get any assistance with getting this case the attention it deserves even after all these years.

The Pauline Venable women is now deceased below are comments from her family members stating so...

 

[Laughing]

Cross-posting from:

Cold cases to bring to light