NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Twenty-two years after a Nashville teenager was brutally murdered, his family still doesn't know who killed him or why.
“It’s devastating,” said Candace Williams. “This would mean everything to me to find out what happened.”
Williams’ older brother, LeRyan Nicholson, was reported missing in Nashville on April 12, 1998. He was a student at Pearl Cohn High School at the time who excelled in track. He had recently been diagnosed with Schizophrenia, but Williams said she couldn’t recall anything suspicious happening in the days leading up to his disappearance.
“I can’t think of anyone who would want to hurt him,” said Williams. “He was so loving and caring.”
Nicholson was reported missing on April 15, 1998. Police documents show five days later, the case was closed. A woman named Pauline Venable, who had no relationship to Nicholson, was quoted in the report as saying he had returned home and was okay.
Williams said that was not the case. About a year later, his mother told family members that Nicolson was in a mental health facility in Kentucky.
On April 13, 1998, a body that had been badly burned and wrapped up in carpet was dumped on Mary Street in North Nashville. At the time, Nicholson’s family had no idea the body belonged to their missing loved one. They continued to search for him.
It wasn’t until March of 2013, a DNA sample confirmed the body belonged to Nicholson. However, Williams said his family members still don’t know who killed him, and she will continue working until the case is solved.
“Every year around his birthday I get the feeling I have to get this solved,” said Williams.
She has worked tirelessly collecting police reports, and sharing her brother’s story on podcasts and on social media. She continues to keep in touch with Metro Police detectives, but said updates on the case have been few and far between.
“I want the story to be out there in case there are people who may remember something,” said Williams. “I want to know why the missing person case was closed and the dots weren’t connected.”
Nicholson’s remains were buried in the Bordeaux Cemetery in 1998. The stone was originally marked “John Doe,” but has now been replaced with one that features his name.
A spokesperson for Metro Police said the case is still open. In 2013, detectives traveled to Cedar Rapids, Iowa to follow up on a lead, that ultimately went cold. In 2019, one of Nicholson’s relatives presented detectives with new theories on what may have happened.
Anyone with information on what happened to Nicholson can contact the Homicide Cold Case and Missing Persons Unit at 615-862-7329.
