The Troubling Disappearance of Air Force Nurse Nonnie Dotson — Vanished — Crime Library
Nonnie Dotson, 33, was reported missing on Nov. 19, 2006, just three days after arriving in Littleton, Colo., from her home in San Antonio, Texas. According to her brother, Tony Dotson, she had spent the previous evening out with friends at the Grizzly Rose Saloon and Dance Emporium, where she had stayed until midnight before returning to his house.
Nonnie spent the following morning surfing the Internet, and in the afternoon she told Tony she was going to the Jefferson Village shopping center, just a few minutes away from Tony’s home, to catch up with old friends. Nonnie left her 16-month-old toddler, Savannah, with Tony and walked out the door at 2:00 p.m. That was the last time anyone saw her.
On Nov. 24, 2006, CNN News’ Nancy Grace interviewed Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department media spokesperson Jim Shires about Nonnie’s disappearance. Shires discussed the search for Nonnie’s missing cell phone, which police had been able to trace to a field by C-470 and South Kipling Parkway. The field is located not far from Nonnie’s brother’s house and is on the way to the shopping center where she was supposed to meet her friends.
“We tried three or four times to, as they say, ‘triangulate’ where that cell phone was and we came up to the same location each time we did that,” Shires said. “That field, that area where that phone was supposedly located at, and had not moved for three days until, we believe, (the) battery went dead, has been walked by our K-9 units, many of our employees here, investigators here [and] sheriff’s deputies.”
The following day, Shires told Crime Library that investigators had been able to pinpoint the last signal from the cell phone to a thirty-foot area within the three- to four-acre field. When asked how he thought the phone might have ended up there, Shires said the initial assumption was that it might have been thrown there.
In an interview with The Denver Post, Nonnie’s brother, Beau Dotson, said he did not understand how his sister could have disappeared without a trace.
“I don’t see how someone can disappear in the middle of the day going to the store,” Dotson said. “Someone has to know something.”
Dotson also did not believe his sister vanished voluntarily, especially without taking her daughter with her.
“She adored her daughter,” he said. “She meant everything to her, she would never leave her behind.”
One of the websites Nonnie visited on the day of her disappearance was SingleParentmeet.com, a personals Web site where she posted. Under the heading “A little about me,” she wrote:
“I’m the girl who will put her head on your shoulder, not because she’s sleepy, but because she wants to be closer to you. I’m the girl who likes to be kissed anywhere. I’m the girl who says, ‘ok, but you owe me.’ Jokingly not because I actually want something, but because it means I get to spend more time with you. I’m the girl who never gives up hope even when I tell others I have. I’m the girl who loves the feeling when you take me by the hand! Am I that girl?”
In describing the type of man she was looking to meet, she wrote: “Someone who is open, honest and most importantly not afraid to be themselves.” At the end of the profile, in a section titled “I’d just like to add” she described her current situation.
“I am an ICU nurse in the Air Force with 6 months to ago [sic]. I am blessed to have the opportunity to meet so many people and be touched by my patients everyday as they teach me something new about life. I am looking for a friend; I believe that in order to have a meaningful relationship with a partner you must be friends first. Life is a gift; enjoy it while you have it because it can end in a heartbeat!”
Nonnie also visited a profile she kept at the popular social networking website MySpace.com. In the “About Me” section of the profile she wrote:
“What’s to say…I’ve been there, done it, and continue to screw it up 😉 Just kidding! I’ll get back to ya on this one!!!!!”
Nonnie described the person she would like to meet in these terms:
“Someone who is honest, willing to be themselves, stand up for themselves and what they believe in and not change for anyone, say what’s on their mind without the fear of being judged. Someone that will accept me for all my good and a few of my flaws (we all have them). Someone who is not willing to settle for anything but the best and who has a sense of humor about life. If you don’t fit this description than don’t waste my time or yours, thanks!”
It remains unclear whether her Internet activities have any relation to her disappearance.
Many of Nonnie’s friends from MySpace say it would be out of character for Nonnie to disappear of her own free will. Below are just three of the responses Crime Library has received from her friends. (Identifying information has been removed to protect the authors’ privacy.)
Original Message
“I’m a good friend of Nonnie’s and one of her regular dance partners here in the San Antonio area. I’ve always enjoyed dancing with her and making her smile and laugh. I know she would not have left her daughter for any reason if she was going to disappear intentionally. Her daughter is the center of her life and meant the world to her. She was fighting tooth and nail for full custody and the child support due to her from her baby’s father and was putting up with and dealing with the stress of the regular court appearances as well as could be expected from anyone. She wouldn’t even go out most nights past 10 p.m. without calling and checking up on her daughter at least once and hardly ever stayed out past 10:30.”
Original Message
“I am an RN that works with Nonnie. I will tell you that Lt. Dotson is a very loving and dedicated mother. Her baby has always been her first priority. Although she was not enamored with the military way of life, she only had a few months to go in her service commitment. I think any talk of her disappearance being related to her military commitment is ridiculous. I, like many of her friends here, am very worried. We hope and pray for her safe return every day. Any help or information is greatly appreciated.”
Original Message
“Nonnie and I worked together at [redacted] in the Intensive Care unit. She told me she was having a very nasty custody battle over her daughter Savannah, but that she had won the case and her ex wasn’t taking advantage of the supervised visitation. I don’t know any details, just that she was frightened of Savannah being alone with her ex. She didn’t tell me why.”
While he was not officially named a suspect, investigators initially sought to speak with Edward Vehle, 54, the father of Nonnie’s child. However, according to ABC 7, when investigators in Bexar County, Texas, along with members of the Air Force Special Investigations, went to Vehle’s home to question him shortly after her disappearance, he refused to speak with them.
“He’s acting on the advice of his attorney, and so it’s hard to make anything of it,” said Bexar County sheriff’s Sgt. Mike Pesses. “It seems to me the reasonably prudent person would want to do whatever they could do to help find the mother of his child. It does seem rather odd to me.”
On Dec. 1, 2006, Vehle’s attorney contacted authorities and made arrangements for his client to meet with them the following week. During the interim, Crime Library investigator David Lohr spoke with a source close to the investigation who was able to provide background information on Nonnie’s relationship with Vehle.
According to the source, Nonnie and Vehle met in 2004 while taking line-dancing lessons at the Midnight Rodeo and Cowboys dance hall in San Antonio. Nonnie was immediately smitten with Vehle, who was twenty years her senior, and the two soon began dating.
Things went well at first, but the situation allegedly took a turn for the worse in 2005, when Nonnie discovered she was pregnant. According to the source, Vehle became angry when he heard the news and demanded Nonnie get an abortion. When she refused, he broke off their relationship and denied that the baby was his.
A friend of Nonnie’s, who wishes to remain anonymous, said that after he learned of Nonnie’s pregnancy Vehle’s personality completely changed, and he turned from happy-go-lucky to hostile.
“He started spreading nasty rumors about Nonnie that anyone who truly knows her would know weren’t even remotely true. But enough people chose to believe the lies, and it made it difficult for Nonnie to feel comfortable at dance lessons. And when Nonnie would show up, Ed would leave shortly thereafter usually and come back only after she left.”
According to a Hollywood Park police report obtained by the Rocky Mountain News, Vehle placed a 911 call regarding a domestic dispute on June 22, 2005, just days before the birth of the couple’s child. The following text is taken from the police report:
“Upon arrival I contacted [Vehle], who stated that [Nonnie] was refusing to leave. After speaking with both subjects, it was determined that there had been no physical violence. Dotson had come to the residence to pick up some of her belongings, and the two subjects got into a verbal disturbance.”
The officer was able to defuse the situation, and Vehle declined to press charges. Nonnie then agreed to make arrangements with the police to have her belongings picked up at a later date.
According to Nonnie’s friends, the breakup with Vehle devastated her. She was, they maintain, deeply in love with him, and his decision to leave her over the pregnancy broke her heart. After the breakup with Vehle, it took Nonnie nearly a year before she felt comfortable dating again.
In September 2005, Vehle filed a paternity dispute, claiming Savannah was not his child. However, a DNA test confirmed he was the father, and two months before her disappearance a Bexar County, a Texas, judge ordered Vehle to pay Nonnie $10,000 in back child support, and $900 a month until Savannah is 18.
“He fought tooth and nail to prevent taking any responsibility for Savannah,” said one of Nonnie’s friends. “And when finally faced with having to take responsibility, as I was told, ‘he told the judge that he would be a token father only’ and [would] provide the monetary support mandated by the court, but that would be his only involvement.”
While most of Nonnie’s friends had nothing positive to say about Vehle, his neighbors in San Antonio described him as nice, friendly, and “the perfect neighbor.” Crime Library was able to gain some insight into Vehle’s life by speaking with several neighbors on the telephone. According to one neighbor, who wishes to remain anonymous, Vehle is unemployed and receives money from his mother, whom neighbors describe as “very wealthy.” She reportedly owns several properties throughout the state of Texas, including a 500-acre ranch outside of Fredericksburg.
Several people claimed Nonnie had wanted to finish out her term in the Air Force and move back to Colorado. However, prior to her disappearance she had sold her home in Colorado and purchased one in San Antonio.
On December 4, 2006, authorities in Texas were scheduled to meet with Vehle to discuss Nonnie’s disappearance, but Vehle failed to show. According to an article in published by the Rocky Mountain News, investigators were shocked by Vehle’s lack of cooperation. Neither Vehle nor his attorney called the Bexar County Sheriff’s Department to cancel the meeting.
“We are frustrated by the lack of cooperation involving Edward Vehle, and it causes us a great deal of concern that he is unwilling to cooperate or share any information that might be pertinent to this missing person’s investigation,” said Jefferson County Sheriff’s spokeswoman Jacki Kelley. “We have little recourse, at this point. I can’t imagine the difficult position he has put himself in, in the San Antonio area. This is such big news down there, people knowing him, knowing where he lives. I think he has created some difficult circumstances for himself.”
According to Kelley, it was the second time in two weeks that Vehle had snubbed investigators. The previous week authorities had gone to Vehle’s home to speak with him, but he allegedly refused to open the door, claiming that his attorney had advised him not to speak with them.
During this time, San Antonio’s WOAI News 4 conducted an interview with one of Nonnie’s neighbors. According to Jennifer Johnson, who had met Nonnie when she first had moved into the neighborhood, Nonnie had made a peculiar statement to her shortly after they met.
“When we moved in and she met us, one of the first things she said to us was that she had problems with her ex,” Johnson said. “And that if we saw anything suspicious, to call the police. And that if anything ever happened to her, if she ever came out missing or was hurt or anything, that he [Vehle] was behind it.”
On Dec. 7, 2006, Vehle finally met with investigators from the Bexar County Sheriff’s Department. The meeting took place at the office of Jay S. Norton, Edward Vehle’s San Antonio attorney.
According to Norton, Vehle provided investigators with receipts and cell phone records that prove he was either in San Antonio or Fredricksburg, Texas, during the days leading up to and following Nonnie’s disappearance.
“This interview was not about Nonnie Dotson,” Norton said in a brief comment to WOAI 4. “It was about where Ed was during relevant times.”
Shortly after the interview, Crime Library spoke with Jefferson County Sheriff’s spokeswoman Jacki Kelley, who said Vehle was cooperative during the 45-minute interview.
“I cannot give you any specifics, but I can say he answered all of the questions he was asked,” Kelly said. However, when asked if the information was useful in regard to Nonnie’s disappearance, she gave a less positive reply. “We are still no closer to understanding what happened,” she said.
Crime Library also spoke with 2nd Lt. David Herndon, a spokesman for Wilford Hall Medical Center, where Dotson worked as an ICU nurse. According to Lt. Herndon, the military had changed Nonnie’s status from “whereabouts unknown” to “missing.”
During this time Crime Library received several emails from sources claiming that Vehle had filed for custody of Savannah.
“I am aware of the rumors, but we have not received any paperwork regarding custody,” Nonnie’s mother, Candice Dotson Doyle, told Crime Library. “If it were true, I would have to get a lawyer and find out what our rights are.”
In addition to Doyle’s comments, The Denver Post published an article that quoted Vehle’s attorney as saying his client was not opposed to Nonnie’s parents retaining custody of Savannah Marie.
“It’s his belief that she is being adequately cared for and not neglected in any fashion,” Norton said.
In January 2007, despite previous assurances from his attorney that Edward Vehle had no opposition to Nonnie Dotson’s parents caring for Savannah Marie, Vehle asked a Texas court to award him custody of his daughter.
A few weeks later Vehle faced off with Nonnie’s parents in a San Antonio courtroom. During the hearing, Nonnie’s parents allegedly introduced several pieces of evidence, including a birth announcement that Nonnie had sent to Vehle on which he had allegedly written “bastard child” before mailing it back to her. Following testimony by both sides, District Judge Karen Pozza rendered a temporary judgment, granting full custody to the grandparents and allowing Vehle to have at least 12 hours of supervised visits with the child before he could resume his custody suit.
According to a friend of the family, the judge granted a request by Nonnie’s parents that Vehle be required to travel to Colorado for the supervised visitations. However, before her parents could return to Colorado, the judge also granted Vehle one hour of time to meet with Savannah at a local McDonald’s before Nonnie’s parents could leave the state.
“During that hour, Ed never once looked at his daughter nor touched her,” a family friend told Crime Library. “He also tried to intimidate Candice by staring her down when she marched over to the table where he sat with two other people (one of which was his sister), and asked him if he had anything to say to her, he told her to get out of the place ‘Right now!’ His sister was sitting at the table, but had hung her head, stared at the floor, and did not say anything.”
During an interview with ABC 7, Nonnie’s brother, Tony Dotson, said his family was happy with the ruling. “My mother feels [Savannah] is the last link to Nonnie, so we would like to keep her in the family,” Dotson said.
Many of Nonnie’s friends and family members believe Vehle filed for custody so he would not have to pay the $900-a-month child support.
In November 2007, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office transferred Nonnie’s case from the missing persons department to homicide investigator Kate Battan.
“As time goes on, it’s strange that if she was voluntarily missing, we have absolutely no evidence,” Battan said in an interview with The Denver Post. “None of her financial records have been accessed. It’s odd that there have been no sightings.”
The following month, Nonnie’s friends and family held two memorial services for Nonnie in Littleton and in San Antonio.
“We wanted Nonnie not to be forgotten, and we are afraid she is being forgotten because there’s no word and no clues on her disappearance,” Candice told WOAI.com. “For this to happen to her is horrible, and for us getting as little help as we’ve gotten I think is a tragedy.”
On Jan. 17, 2008, a Texas court granted Vehle custody of Savannah.
“My wife and I, from the start of this said that if we ever meet Nonnie either here on Earth or somewhere else, that we have to be able to look her in the eye and tell her that we did the best we could for what she wanted for Savannah and for her,” Kevin Doyle, Nonnie Dotson’s stepfather, said in an interview with CBS4denver.com, adding, “It’s always been what’s in the best interest for Savannah. “If we determine it’s in the best interest of Savannah to continue this [custody fight] we will.”
The Doyles have exhausted their entire savings on legal fees and they recently put their home up for sale to increase the reward for information on Nonnie’s whereabouts to $100,000.
There is nothing currently linking Vehle to Nonnie Dotson’s disappearance, and the authorities have not named him as a suspect. That, along with the fact that they were thousands of miles apart at the time of her disappearance, makes it less likely, although not impossible, that he was involved.
Anyone with information regarding Nonnie’s disappearance should contact the Jefferson County Sheriff’s tip line at (303) 271-5612.