JACKSON COUNTY, Ore. – Remains found in Douglas County near the Jackson County border have been positively identified as those of missing mom Malina Nickel.
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office already suspected the remains belonged to Nickel, but they were waiting on DNA tests to officially make that determination. On January 8, 2020, they got their confirmation.
The mother of two from Shady Cove had been missing since November 23, 2016.
The case into her disappearance stretched through most of 2019 without any solid leads. That all changed this past November when Shane Ryan Michael Wayman was arrested for allegedly murdering his roommate, 20-year-old Destiny Anne Finch. Her remains were found in a wooded area near Highway 227 in Douglas County just north of the border with Jackson County
Wayman happens to be the nephew of Nickel.
In the Nickel case, a witness reported seeing a male ditching the woman’s car near the Trail post office, very close to where Finch’s remains were found.
On November 15, 2019, the Jackson County District Attorney’s Office announced a major development regarding the Nickel case.
Investigators said they found human remains along with other evidence that leads them to believe they found Malina Nickel, but they were waiting for DNA evidence to be processed before confirming their suspicions. Prosecutors said they think Shane Michael Wayman is connected to her disappearance.
On November 20, 2019, the Jackson County District Attorney’s Office announced Wayman was indicted by a grand jury for two counts of criminal mistreatment and one count of abuse of a corpse in the Nickel case.
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office announced DNA tests were completed on the remains found in the Nickel case. It was confirmed the remains belonged to the missing mom.
Wayman entered “not guilty” pleas in both cases. He’s scheduled to appear in court for a pre-trial conference on January 13, 2020.
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