A woman who survived cancer and was looking forward to living life on her terms had her life cut short in a domestic violence incident that police say her husband is responsible for.
Elizabeth "Nikki" Wilhoite was diagnosed with breast cancer in the fall of 2021. The mom of two had everything to celebrate after finishing her last round of chemotherapy just a week ago. She was ready to move on to the next phase of her life when she learned some shocking news.
Authorities believe that shortly after finishing chemo, Nikki discovered her husband, Andrew Wilhoite, had been having an affair. She contacted a lawyer and submitted a petition for legal separation in Boone County Circuit Court on March 18. It was a dispute over the divorce that police believe led to the domestic dispute where Andrew allegedly killed Nikki.
On March 25, Nikki's coworkers at at Indiana Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery called police to report her missing when she failed to show up for work, which was out of character. They also noted to police that she'd been having problems with her husband after filing for divorce.
Officers from the Boone County Sheriff's Office visited Nikki's home to conduct a wellness check. She was not there, but three children were home. Two were children the couple shared, who also claimed to be trying to reach their mom, while the other was Andrew's child from a previous relationship. She told authorities that Nikki could be at her sister's house and would sometimes leave to spend time there when she was upset.
At that time, Andrew Wilhoite arrived home. He told police that his wife was missing and that she'd left drunk after they got into a fight. Authorities used bloodhounds to search for Nikki in the surrounding area, but came up with nothing.
Andrew also told police that she'd slept on the couch the night prior after the two argued. "Andrew stated that he was laying in the bed and [Nikki] was flipping out," a probable cause affidavit obtained by The Daily Beast revealed.
"Andrew advised that it is not the first time that an incident like this has occurred. Andrew Wilhoite stated that he's done things to [Nikki] that he shouldn't have before."
Andrew said the fight happened after he learned that Nikki had taken $3,000 from a joint bank account and that she was filing for divorce. He then suggested his wife might be on drugs. Police then reached out to Nikki's father, Thomas Richards, who was suspicious Andrew had done something to her.
Police searched the property and found blood on the bedsheets and pillow of the Wilhoites' master bedroom, "along with small droplets on and around the door and inside the master bathroom on the sink." It was then that concerns for Nikki's well-being escalated.
At that point, the Indiana State Police were called in to assist with the investigation. "When our investigators realized this could be a possible homicide investigation, we wanted to discuss the best way to move forward with the investigation since the mother of Andrew Wilhoite is a County Councilwoman, another county elected official," Sheriff Mike Nielsen said in a statement.
"To avoid any conflict of interest, it was decided to contact the Indiana State Police and ask them to lead the investigation and we would assist them. This is another prime example of working with our law enforcement partners to solve a horrendous crime."
When speaking with state police, Andrew mentioned that Nikki had taken the news of his affair badly. He intended for them to work it out and go to couples' therapy, but she blindsided him with the separation paperwork. He said that he refused to sign it until his own attorney looked it over. He said they fought for three hours in the garage before continuing their argument in the bedroom.
"[Nikki] was yelling at Andrew for having the affair and was emotionally upset with him. Andrew stated that he has hit [Nikki] in the past but did not during this particular altercation," the affidavit states.
"[Nikki] left the room and went to sleep on the couch, while Andrew went to sleep in the bed."
Hours into his conversation with state police, Andrew confessed to killing Nikki. He claimed she began physically striking him and telling him to leave the house. He then picked her up and "physically threw [Nikki] out the front door of the house" before "he picked up a cement, gallon-sized flower pot that had dirt in it and struck [Nikki] in the face."
"[Nikki] fell to the ground and Andrew stated he didn't know what to do so he took [Nikki]'s body, placed it in his pickup, and threw it in a nearby creek that is east of the residence," the affidavit revealed.
Andrew was arrested and charged with Nikki's murder. Her body was recovered from the creek, where it was partially submerged in about 3 feet of water, at 3 a.m.
Andrew is currently being held without bond at the Boone County Jail. Family and friends continue to grapple with the shock at what has happened.
"She was just fun. You could always count on her to have a funny story, or just to make you laugh," childhood friend Mary Smith told WRTV.
"She could be friends with anybody, and she was just fun, she was fun to be around. Just a really devoted mom."
Mary was particularly heartbroken at how hard Nikki fought for her life as she battled breast cancer, only to be killed by a monster in her own home.
"She's fighting to stay alive, to see her kids grow up," she said.
"To have it end like this, it's just a tragedy that no one should have to go through. It just shouldn't be that way."
