CLINTON, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) – Police charged a Clinton man with murder after determining he killed his mother and spent a day burning her body in her backyard, court documents state.
Detectives found the remains, including a human spinal column, after they found flaws in his story about his mother’s disappearance, documents state.
The investigation into 20-year-old Nick Yates, which led to him being charged with the murder of his mother, Cheryl Yates, began on October 5.
According to court documents, a deputy with the Vermillion County Sheriff’s Department was dispatched to a home in the 300 block of Davis Street after Yates had filed a missing person report on his mother. When the deputy arrived, Yates told the deputy he hadn’t heard from his mother since October 3 and that all her clothing, ID, and bank cards were gone, but not her purse, wallet, or phone.
The Probable Cause Affidavit (PCA) states that Yates claimed he had waited to contact the police until attempts to call her remained unanswered due to an error. When the deputy asked Yates why he would be calling the phone left at the home, he stated she had gotten a new one with the same number, but when the deputy asked to see the old phone, Yates stated he had sold it.
“Upon asking Nick if he knew of anyone who would want to harm his mother, he advised ‘No, she was the sweetest person.’ (Emphasis added.)”
The PCA goes on to state that deputies checked the home searching for any signs leading to the location of Cheryl. They found a pill planner showing Cheryl had regularly taken her meds up until the evening of October 3. When deputies spoke with Cheryl’s supervisor at Eli Lilly, he stated that she had left work on October 3 with her phone and had even mentioned she was going to “kill him” referring to Yates, for blowing all of his money and her paying his bills. The supervisor also stated that Cheryl had mentioned Yates had doctor appointments in Indianapolis later that day.
Court documents state that Yates had moved two individuals into his mother’s bedroom. When deputies questioned Yates and the two individuals, they did not corroborate multiple parts of Yates’ story, such as being with Yates when he had sold the phone and Yates’ whereabouts, instead of going to the doctor on Friday. They also added that Yates had spent most of Friday in the attic. Also, throughout the weekend, Yates was seen either cleaning or that “they went to multiple stores and restaurants with Nick, where Nick paid for a majority of the items purchased”.
The PCA states that when deputies searched the backyard of the home, they found a smoldering pile of papers that Yates stated he was burning because they were DCS papers and he didn’t want to be in trouble for having other individuals’ private information. The PCA states that deputies also found one other thing of notice in the backyard.
“We proceeded to the backyard where we discovered bones within the burn pit. The shape and appearance of the bones would lead one to believe that they perhaps were human bones. Particularly indicative of a human bone was one bone which appeared to be that of a human spinal cord,” stated the PCA.
Court documents state that on October 6, Yates was interviewed by deputies. Yates stated that he hadn’t seen his mother for a month and that when he saw her on October 3, they had gotten into a dispute about Yates moving out or her. The PCA states that Yates claimed that he struck his mother in the throat before her face turned blue and she fell backward, striking her head on the metal bed frame and a nearby wooden chest. Court Documents state that Yates then placed the body in a wooden box that he then moved to the fire pit outside and burned for a majority of the day on October 4. Deputies also noticed another suspicious part of the incident in that Yates had moved the individuals in because he claimed he was scared to be alone.
