February 14th, valentines day, was a heart. Then a message, on facebook. Who is sending me something at this hour of the night . Shes like, i got a message from nicky. So shes not really missing, shes off somewhere and she just doesnt wanna be found . Right. But where . I found one surveillance camera that captured the highway. This is our biggest lead. But the road to the truth, would be bumpy. [ bleep ] you hows that . Maybe, even dangerous. You didnt see that he had a gun . I missed it completely could anyone find answers, for a frantic family . Where is she . Why did she have to leave . What happened to nicole out on that lonely highway . Im lester holt and this is dateline. Heres Josh Mankiewicz with under the prairie sky. Way out west. The view in every direction is as big as the sky and just about as empty. Across montana from the betterknown, breathtaking ski resorts that bring in a mountain of money sits the prairie where our story begins. Its a mystery that without a doubt remains to this day. A tale wound around the slow, downward spiral of a group of longtime friends. You hear people say that life is high school with money, right . Yeah. Well, this is high school with murder . Very much. The twists start with the discovery of a Ford Expedition alone on a bleak highway outside a small town. An expedition like this one, that belonged to a woman named, Nicole Waller. She loved animals, i mean as kids we had mice, frogs, salamanders, and newts. Childhood memories spill happily from nicoles sister. Carmen. And as sisters carmen and nicole loved and sometimes loathed each other. The beauty of our relationship is we would butt heads, we could fight, scream. But the moment we got in trouble for it, we were like, in it together. Oh well, we were just playing around, dad did that work . Sometimes. As adults, she needed anything, we were there. Nicky was the type of person that if you were low on food. Shed be like yknow what . Come over, have some dinner on me. She would literally give you the shirt off her back. Nicole, carmen, and another friend named cami. All grew up together in the western montana town of kalispell just a stones throw from the majesty of Glacier National park. Cami loved nicoles free spirit. She didnt really have a care in the world. Yknow we were young. We were kids. And nicole, especially, acted like one. In fact, when cami got married back in the late 90s, nicole was a bridesmaid. And, true to her personality, she missed the rehearsal. But things changed in 2000. Nicole had a little girl when she was 18. Howd she change when she became a mom . She became like, oh, im a mom. I cant go out and party all the time, i have a child. I have to get a job. Im going to go do a cna. Nursing assistant. Yeah and that s what she did. In 2002, at age 21, nicky married a guy named jason. They welcomed two boys, who joined their sister. Then medical problems started. A neurological condition put pressure on her brain. Uncomfortable, but something she could live with. Her friends and family say it did take a toll on her marriage. Eventually she went on disability. It did not stop her. She never let it get her down. She always thought positive, she didnt let life stop her. By 2012 things seemed to be looking up. Shed reconnected with an old friend named cody on facebook and fallen head over heels for him. Once her divorce was final, nicole planned to move with her kids to join him. 500 miles across the state on the montana, north dakota border. Where the discovery of billions of barrels of oil, and an extraction process known as fracking had led to a boom in an area called the bakken. But before the final move could take place, during a trip to see cody in february 2013, nicole texted her sister the night before valentines day to say she was returning. Driving back home to see her kids, who were staying with their dad. And in between is a, what . An 8 or 9 hour drive . Correct. A pretty long, desolate 8 or 9 hour drive in some places. Yes. But on those long drives across montana nicole did have company. Tell me about your sisters relationship with her phone. Yknow some people love their pillow . My sister loved her phone. I swear she slept with it. She certainly drove with it. Thats why nicky was the queen of texting. Where are you at . Did you stop and get gas yet . You need to stay awake . Call me. But on this trip. Neither those calls nor those texts arrived from nicole. You didnt talk to her every day . No. So the fact that a few days and gone by and you hadnt heard from her, that was not in and of itself unusual or shocking . No because, shed come home, shed sleep, and wanna spend that time with her children. So for me to go a couple days without hearing from her wasnt unusual. What carmen didnt realize,is that while she wasnt worried, some friends of nicoles were, because they hadnt heard from her. Worried enough to file a missing persons report. Which brings us back to that vehicle. Nicoles expedition, found on the side of the highway. About an hour up the road from her boyfriends house. It was after dark, on a frigid 5degree night in midfebruary when fbi agent craig overby received a call from another agent about that vehicle. He asked me would i go out and take a look at the car and see if there was any evidence of why she might be missing. So overby, one of only a handful of fbi agents posted among the endless prairies of eastern montana. Drove the 70 miles from his home to the edge of a small town called poplar. The car was locked but we could see inside the car that it was just packed with belongings from the floor to the roof. The agent quickly made a decision. Whyd you decide to go inside . It was very possible that an injured or deceased person was concealed under all those things inside the car that we just couldnt see from the windows we opened the car. Looked inside. Can you tell if theres anybody in the car . No but, but we heard sounds coming from the back. Sound of what . I didnt know what it was, a sound id never heard before. It was a sound the agent would never forget. What was making that strange sound . When we come back, a bizarre discovery. I was really surprised they were alive it was 5 degrees outside. And then, it turns out the place where nicoles car was found has a reputation. Im thinking you gotta have a lotta stabbings to be called stab city . yeah. urgent drumming drumsticks clatter lights clank off see ya. Take care. So probably take it at night. And if you have any questions, the instructions are here in spanish as you requested. Gracias. At walgreens, how we care will change over time, but why we care remains the same treating everyone with the care and attention they deserve. Walgreens. Trusted since 1901. Reporter fbi agent craig overby was looking at Nicole Wallers Ford Expedition. It had been found packed full of her belongings and abandoned, on montanas fort peck indian reservation, about a mile outside the small town of poplar. Then overby heard something strange. The agent walked around to the back door. Opened it. There were two guinea pigs in the very back cargo area of the expedition. The two guinea pigs were making squealing noises. They hadnt been fed in a while probably. Thats right. And i was really surprised they were alive. The car had been there for a few days. And it was 5 degrees outside. Reporter would nicole, the girl whod loved animals, have walked away from those family pets . It seemed unlikely. But the fbi knew nothing yet about nicole. Only, a highway patrolmans report that her expedition had been sitting there for four days. And, that she was nowhere to be found. The highways here in montana are long and desolate. If you stop here, if you break down here, if youre forced off the road here, it might be a long time before anyone comes to help. And theres one more thing. The place where nicoles vehicle was found was in an area so violent that decades ago police gave it a nickname. They called it stab city. The fbi has jurisdiction over certain crimes that occur on the indian reservations throughout the country and so primarly we work Violent Crime investigations on the fort peck indian reservation. Im thinking you gotta have a lotta stabbings to be called stab city . Yeah, you know not a lot of gun crime, but a lot of terrible assaults. People that live on the reservation are some of the finest people in the world. But there are a few that abuse alcohol and drugs. Which leads to a lot of Violent Crime. If someone had stopped there, or been made to stop there for some reason and was walking into poplar would they be in a position of some danger . Most of our crimes are people who know each other random crime is very rare in poplar. Reporter rare. But not unheard of. Just a year before, overby was lead investigator when a School Teacher named Sherry Arnold disappeared during a morning run in a town less than an hour from the reservation. Reporter massive searches did not find Sherry Arnold. Her disappearance became national news. Reporter just a week after arnold vanished, an excon and an accomplice were arrested. Like so many other men and women, theyd been drawn to the bakken by the prospect of oil jobs. Two months later, one of her killers led police to Sherry Arnolds body in a shallow grave. Both men were eventually convicted of her murder. It really changed the nature of the community. Eastern montana was like mayberry in a way prior to the Sherry Arnold case. That investigation was really fresh in our minds when Nicole Waller became missing. Kidnapping . Carjacking . Everything was on the table reporter from the beginning of nicoles case, one clue seemed important. Inside the Expeditions Center console, agent overby found her keys. Did you check to see whether the car could be started . Yup, i started it. So presumably, she didnt break down there. Thats correct. She stopped for some other reason thats right. Reporter but then weirdly left the keys locked inside . Agent overby drove the expedition to an impound lot, and called in montanas department of criminal investigation. And agent mark hilyard, who acted as both crime scene technician and detective. So as you go through the car, what do you find . It was somebodys life thrown into a vehicle it didnt make sense to me. Why . Why is it like that . Nicole had Health Problems were her meds in that vehicle . Yes, there were. I mean it doesnt make any sense for her to walk away, leave that medication when she needed it to survive. There was a calendar on the passenger floorboard, and on the date of february 14th, valentines day, it was like cody forever, and a heart. And on the 15th she had a medical appointment which i thought was odd. Shes got plans. Reporter across the state of montana, the same day that search was going on, nicoles sister carmen found out from nicoles friends that she had never made it back to kalispell. Immediately concerned or just thinking shes off the grid for a little bit . Immediately concerned. Like freaking out. So you talked to her on a wednesday. Shes gonna come back on thursday. Correct. And now its monday and youre getting a call that no ones seen or heard from her. Yeah and im angry because nobody got a hold of me prior to that and my mind is like, why . And im like, okay let me call the sheriffs office, you know, because im in disbelief reporter incredibly, nicoles friends had filed a missing persons report without ever once checking with nicoles family. Any good reason why nicky would go off the grid for four full days . None at all. She wouldnt have left her kids. I must have made a dozen or more phone calls to her. And you texted . Texted her. Where are you . Whats going on . Please respond can you talk to us . Reporter but again, from the woman known as the queen of texting. No response. So why would Nicole Waller just disappear . It was time for investigators to speak with those whod last seen her. Coming up, why some thought nicole might be just fine. So shes not really missing, shes off somewhere and she just doesnt wanna be found . Right. And that does sound like nicky . Very much so. Reporter when dateline continues. Comfortable you are in it. So find a venus smooth that contours to curves, flexes for comfort, and has a disposable made for you. Skin smoothing venus razors. When you ache and havent youre not you. Tylenol® pm relieves pain and helps you fall fast asleep and stay asleep. We give you a better night. Youre a better you all day. Tylenol®. Weaving your own shoes. By out of flax. Or simply adjust your thermostat. Do your thing, with Energy Upgrade california. Really . Really . Really . Really . Really . See zero in a whole new way. Get zero down, zero deposit, zero first months payment, and zero due at signing on select volkswagen models. Now with the people first warranty. Reporter across western montana, word spread that Nicole Waller had disappeared while driving more than 500 miles across the state. A trip that began near the booming Bakken Oil Patch on the border with north dakota. It was left to nicoles sister carmen. To break the news to their mom. My mom knew something was wrong and shes like whats going on . And i had to tell her and im like, i just got the phone call that nickys missing. My moms like what . And shes screaming at me on the phone and it wasnt that she was mad at me. Its fear. So i had to tell my mom her daughters missing. Reporter carmen and her mother immediately wondered if nicoles neurological condition was the cause. My mom and i called hospitals, we called sheriffs departments. All just thinking okay, did she have some sort of medical issue on the way over and is unconcious and they brought in a jane doe . And they all told us no, they hadnt seen anybody with that. Reporter looking for support, carmen called her best friend angie. Howd she sound . Frantic. And carmens never frantic. Carmen is the most levelheaded person i know. Reporter what did you think had happened . Neither one of us really knew what was going on she was just disappeared. Reporter news of nicoles vanishing spread via facebook. Where it was seen by longtime friends like cami. And yknow at first you wonder if shes just somewhere you know, cause this doesnt happen in smalltown usa. Reporter so shes not really missing, shes off somewhere and she just doesnt wanna be found . Or she doesnt wanna talk to anybody . Right. Reporter and that does sound like nicky . Very much so. Reporter but before long, nicoles friends and family wondered if something more sinister was behind the disappearance. Carmen called nicoles estranged husband. Reporter did you talk to jason . Yes i called him and asked him have you seen nicky . Have you heard from her. And he said, i have not heard from her since the morning of the 14th she was on her way home. Reporter detectives too, called jason waller. Jason, do you know why im calling you today . Yes i do. cause uh. Yeah. No one can find her. Reporter jason said hed last spoken with his ex, nicole about 7 am on valentines morning, february 14th, when she called to say she was heading back home from her boyfriend codys house in eastern montana. By all accounts, nicole and jason got along well. They had an opendoor policy regarding visitation for their two boys. And he was known as a good father. There was, however, a big day coming up a meeting about officially ending their marriage. We were supposed to sign some divorce papers and parenting plans monday. Thats why i was kinda wondering where she was at. And she didnt show . No. Is that like her . No not usually. I mean if shes going to stop somewhere or her trucks having problems shell call me because im a mechanic. Reporter did you think he could have had anything to do with this . No. He had the boys. He was working. Just no way. Reporter carmen felt the same way about Cody Johnston. Nicoles boyfriend. Hed been an old friend of the family since high school, before he and nicole had reconnected on facebook in 2012. Reporter we live in a world in which the boyfriend is always the first suspect. Right. Reporter did you suspect cody . Not at all. Reporter when you get cody on the phone whatd he say . I said hey bud, hows it going . And im like, have you seen my sister . Have you heard from her . And hes like, i havent talked to her since thursday, and i said, cody my sister never made it home reporter cody as the last person known to have seen nicole alive also received a call from investigators and he volunteered to go to the Police Department for an interview. I am recording this. Reporter cody told detectives that on the night before valentines day he and nicole had been arguing and decided to break up. He said he drove to his workplace. Where he was a diesel mechanic at a trucking firm. That was 12 miles from the home he owned in a small town called fairview. Cody said he slept with a colleague in a camper the company kept to help provide shelter because of the chronic housing shortages during the oil boom. Still, the next morning, cody said nicole texted him. And then the last one she says to you is at 6 51 am. Uh your dog needs food. Is that correct . Mmhmm. Reporter cody said nicole then called him a couple of times. But he didnt want to talk with her. I said fine, i shut my phone off. I go back to bed. Ok. 8 oclock i get up, i go in the shop. I get on the computer. Her cell phones on my plan so i shut the damn thing off cause i cant block her, the only option i have is to suspend service on her phone. Okay. Um, yeah i shut off her phone. I went to work reporter so maybe thats why nicole didnt text that day she couldnt. Cody said he knew nicole was leaving his house that morning so he avoided her by staying at work until lunchtime. It was valentines day. February 14th. At lunchtime you went back. Yes. And she was already gone . Yes. Reporter fbi agent craig overby. When he went home he found that she and all her belongings were gone. And he figured shes headed home . Thats right. Yknow theyd broken up. And she was going back to kalispell. You know, i just hope she shows up. I hope shes okay. Reporter thats what everyone hoped. And then just two days later came what looked like a break. Maybe a miracle. A facebook message that changed everything. Coming up whos it from . Nicole willis waller. Thats her facebook name. Was carmen now messaging with nicole . Where are you . Whats going on . Where have you been . Yeah. It went from shes missing to shes just hiding. Trust 1 doctor recommended dulcolax. Use dulcolax tablets for gentle dependable relief. Suppositories for relief in minutes. And dulcoease for comforta