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Kelli Bordeaux, a 23-year-old U.S. Army combat medic, disappeared after a night out in April 2012. The extensive manhunt that followed gathered national media attention and the investigation took two years to reach the perpetrator — the registered sex offender, Nicholas Holbert.
The 25-year-old bartender befriended Kelli and met her for drinks at Froggy Bottoms. When she confronted him about his criminal record, he hit her in the head in the parking lot, rendering her unconscious. Nicholas then drove her to his trailer where he repeatedly hit her in the head as she gained consciousness and started screaming, as per CBS News.
Kelli Bordeaux was buried in the woods close to Froggy Bottoms Bar. The Dateline NBC episode Deep in the Woods delves into the details of Kelli Bordeaux's missing case as it re-airs on Sunday, May 19, 2024, at 10 pm EST. The official synopsis of season 26 episode 17 reads:
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"When a young Army medic based at Ft. Bragg, N.C., goes missing, police can't solve the case despite having a suspect until an unorthodox private investigator steps in to help."
Who was Kelli Bordeaux? Details explored
Kelli Marie Henson Bordeaux was born on December 27, 1988, in Saint Cloud, Osceola County in Central Florida to parents Johnna Henson and the late Paul Henson. She was the youngest of three siblings including Olivia Cox and Matt Henson.
According to the Fayetteville Observer, Kelli had aspired to become a dental hygienist but ended up enlisting in the army. Meanwhile, Kelli had met Mike through mutual friends, and the two got married on June 12, 2010. She completed her basic training and was stationed at Fort Bragg in November 2011.
Kelli and Mike Bordeaux's marriage started to face difficulties and the two were on an alleged break. Mike publicly denied rumors of divorce. Meanwhile, she reconnected with one of her friends from St. Cloud, Justin Thompson, and the two started seeing each other.
The 23-year-old Kelli Bordeaux had been working as a combat medic in the 261st Multifunction Medical Battalion when she went missing on April 14, 2012.
What happened to Kelli Bordeaux?
Kelli Bordeaux was seen for the last time on April 14, 2012, when she headed out to Froggy Bottoms Bar in north Fayetteville's Ramsey Street. Justin received a text from her at around 1:00 am local time, informing him that she had reached home. It read:
"Got home safe I'm going to bed I'm tired and drunk call me tomorrow."
The text was preceded by another, which read:
'Hey, call me. Call me. Call me.'"
Kelli remained unresponsive on calls and texts over the weekend, prompting her family to report her missing on April 16, 2012. While the investigation by the Fayetteville Police Department began, her family and army officials began an extensive manhunt around the area of Froggy Bottoms Bar.
As two years passed with no leads on the case, a reward of $8,000 followed by a $25,000 reward was announced for information.
Both Mike Bordeaux and Justin Thompson were cleared as suspects. However, Justin had dropped a name to the police — Nicholas Holbert, a registered sex offender. Nicholas, the 25-year-old bartender, had befriended Kelli and Justin the time the secret couple were at Froggy Bottoms a week earlier.
Kelli allegedly thought of Nicholas as a drinking partner and went to the bar the following Friday night for a drink. She was last seen leaving Froggy Bottoms with Nicholas at around 1:20 am local time on April 14.
However, the extensive efforts of the private investigator David Marshburn led the investigation to Nicholas Holbert. Marshburn was assisted by Marsha Ward and his dog, Cass, while he befriended Holbert and paid him per his needs. He drafted a false plea deal and an indictment paper, which eventually led to Holbert's confession.
Nicholas Holbert led Marshburn to Kelli's shallow grave on River Road in a wooded area one mile north of I-295 in May 2014, according to Fox8 News. The remains were positively identified as Kelli's and the autopsy report revealed that she suffered blunt force trauma to her head, as per WTVD.
The Dateline episode airing on Sunday covers all the details of Kelli Bordeaux's murder case.
