MISSOULA, MT — More than three decades after two elderly women were found dead at Riverside Health and Rehabilitation in Missoula, prosecutors have filed two counts of deliberate homicide against a suspect. Missoula County Attorney Matt Jennings said the state charged Nickie Dean Gardiner in the deaths of Bertha Scott and Nancy Lagerquist.
Authorities said both women had dementia and were unable to care for themselves when they died in 1990. Scott was found dead in May of that year, and Lagerquist was found dead in July; investigators now say recent DNA work gave them the evidence needed to move forward.
How the case advanced
Jennings said the investigation gained momentum after advanced DNA analysis linked Gardiner to both victims. Biological samples taken during later autopsies, along with material from the exhumation of one victim, were preserved well enough for new testing decades later.
Using modern forensic methods, investigators were able to build usable DNA profiles from evidence collected in 1990. Prosecutors said the results created a strong enough basis to bring charges in a case that had remained unsolved for years.
Evidence pointed to Gardiner
According to county officials, laboratory testing by the Montana State Crime Lab and Bode Technology found Gardiner’s DNA strongly associated with material collected from both victims. One set of results placed the odds of the DNA coming from someone else in the tens of millions.
Scientists also developed Y chromosome DNA profiles from fingernail clippings collected from the other victim. Investigators said those findings suggest the woman may have scratched her attacker, and they said Gardiner was identified as a statistically significant contributor to that evidence as well.
Officials cite cold case work
Missoula County leaders credited the sheriff’s office cold case unit, city police, and forensic specialists for revisiting the case and sorting through old records and evidence. Sheriff Jeremiah Petersen said the unit reviewed thousands of pages of dictation and examined material from this and other cold cases.
Chief Criminal Deputy County Attorney Mac Bloom said the case devastated families and shook the community more than 30 years ago. He said the office intends to continue the case with professionalism and transparency while working toward justice for the victims.
Next steps in court
County officials said the state requested a $5 million arrest warrant because of the seriousness of the charges, the DNA evidence, and Gardiner’s criminal history. They said Gardiner is being held at the Missoula County Detention facility.
The case will now move through the normal criminal process. Officials said more information will be released when appropriate, and they thanked the agencies and labs that helped revive the investigation.
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