A 20-year-old Indiana man is facing murder charges after police say he lied to investigators about his missing mother—only for human remains to be found smoldering in a fire pit behind the family’s home.
Nicholas Yates, of Clinton, Indiana, was arrested and charged with murder after what started as a missing person report quickly turned into a chilling investigation. Police were first called to the Yates family home on Sunday, October 6, when Nicholas claimed his mother had vanished.
But things didn’t add up.
According to court documents, Yates gave police multiple conflicting stories during interviews. He said he last saw his mom, believed to be 47-year-old Cheryl Yates, on October 3. But when investigators pressed for details, the inconsistencies began to pile up—starting with the fact that Cheryl’s phone, wallet, and purse had all been left at home.
Even more suspicious? When asked why he had been calling her phone if she supposedly left it behind, Yates allegedly admitted that he had sold it because he “needed the money.”
That’s when things took a darker turn.
Officers searching the family’s backyard discovered a smoldering pile of papers in a fire pit. But they also noticed something else: what looked like human bones, including what one deputy believed to be a spinal cord. The remains have not yet been officially identified, but police suspect they belong to Cheryl Yates. Confirmation from the local coroner’s office could take weeks.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Yates eventually confessed. He allegedly told police that he and his mother got into an argument on the night of October 3. During the fight, he claimed to have struck her in the throat, causing her to fall back and hit her head on a metal bed frame. He then said he placed her body in a wooden box and burned it in the fire pit the next morning.
Detectives also found her pill organizer, with medications accounted for up until the night of the argument.
Yates appeared in court for the first time this week and is scheduled to stand trial in late February. As of now, he remains in custody as investigators continue piecing together what happened inside the home.
The small town of Clinton is stunned, with neighbors still coming to terms with the horrific discovery. What began as a simple wellness check has turned into one of the most disturbing cases the area has seen in years.
Just put him in the same out with the same treatment