logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2024
33m 40s

Nikole Bakoles (3 of Hearts, Utah)

AUDIOCHUCK
About this episode

Our card this week is Nikole "Niki" Bakoles, the 3 of Hearts from Utah. 

When duck hunters discovered human remains in an area called Saltair near The Great Salt Lake in Utah in the fall of 2000, investigators began the difficult task of trying to learn the real name of the woman they called “Saltair Sally".  It took 12 years for the remains to be identified as those of Nikole “Niki” Bakoles, a 20-year-old mom originally from Washington state. Now, nearly another 12 years have passed, and investigators are still trying to figure out what happened to Niki and who left her by that lake. 

  • Investigators are still looking to talk to anyone who knew Niki Bakoles or Joel Chaudoin in the greater Salt Lake City area in early 2000. If you or anyone you know knew them, or if you have any information about Niki’s death, please contact Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Detective Ben Pender at 385-468-9816 or bpender@saltlakecounty.gov.
     


View source material and photos for this episode at: thedeckpodcast.com/niki-bakoles

 

Let us deal you in… follow The Deck on social media.

The Deck is hosted by Ashley Flowers. 

Text Ashley at 317-733-7485 to talk all things true crime, get behind the scenes updates, and more!

Up next
Today
Roger "Unkle Rog" McCall (2 of Spades, New York)
Our card this week is Roger "Unkle Rog" McCall, the 2 of Spades from New York. If you lived in the Rochester area back in the day, you might recognize the smooth voice of “Unkle Rog.” As a late-night radio host and DJ at WCMF for almost 30 years, perhaps he kept you company past ... Show More
27m 43s
Jul 2
Blanca Acevedo (7 of Clubs, Arizona)
Our card this week is Blanca Acevedo, the 7 of Clubs from Arizona. In June 2010, 50-year-old Blanca Acevedo was navigating a life of quiet chaos when she was found murdered in a building set aflame. The brutal case of overkill quickly went cold for the detectives on the case… But ... Show More
43m 9s
Jun 25
Luther Meshell (9 of Hearts, Louisiana)
Our card this week is Luther Meshell, the 9 of Hearts from Louisiana. On a mild spring night in 1991, Luther’s teenage son found him lying dead on his bedroom floor next to his overturned wheelchair and a knife. With a locked door and no signs of forced entry, police believe his ... Show More
30m 32s
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2024
Episode 10: Birch Road
The search for Ada Haradine takes a tragic turn when her remains are discovered by chance in a remote, wooded area just over three years after she vanished… and with this revelation, the investigation shifts focus from finding her to uncovering what happened in her final moments. ... Show More
15m 41s
Jun 30
MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF: Jeannette Bishop May & Gabriella Guerin
In 1980, the ex-wife of a British aristocrat and her Italian friend vanished from a small ski resort town during a snowstorm in the mountains of central Italy, and investigators had a simple theory—they got lost and had some kind of accident. But when mysterious messages arrive, ... Show More
1h 8m
Sep 2024
Ada Haradine (3 of Clubs, Indiana)
Our card this season is Darlene Hulse, the 4 of Hearts from Indiana."The Deck Investigates" returns with Season 2, delving deep into the perplexing case of Ada Haradine, a 40-year-old mother of two who vanished without a trace from her Elkhart, Indiana home on a seemingly ordinar ... Show More
4m 46s
Oct 2024
Episode 8: The Calls
As the anniversary of Ada Haradine’s disappearance passes, her husband Ed receives a chilling call at his office from a man who claims to know what happened to her. But while investigators scramble to trace the call – while keeping an eye on Terry – they’re left at a standstill w ... Show More
16m 17s
Nov 2024
Episode 12: A Friend Flips
Under pressure from the police due to his own involvement in drug dealing, Kenny suddenly changes his story about Steve’s behavior around the time of Ada Haradine’s disappearance. And his new account just fuels investigators’ lingering suspicions.If you have any information about ... Show More
15m 52s
Jun 23
MISSING: Jennifer, Sidney, & Monique
When a young mom and her two small daughters disappear without a trace from Topeka, Kansas, in May 2000, her family goes on a decades-long hunt for answers. But right in the middle of our reporting, the family gets a huge tip that could change everything.If you have any informati ... Show More
41m 11s
Dec 2024
INFAMOUS: The Jeff Davis 8
Between 2005 and 2008, eight women are killed in and around the small town of Jennings, Louisiana. Rumors of a serial killer on the loose are met with apathy by local law enforcement, possibly due to the corruption that’s broken the trust between the public and the forces meant t ... Show More
54m 49s
Jun 16
MURDERED: Jennifer Farber Dulos
When Jennifer Farber Dulos vanished after dropping her five children off at school in New Canaan, Connecticut, on May 24, 2019, all eyes were on her estranged husband, Fotis Dulos. And when investigators found surveillance footage showing Fotis suspiciously stopping at multiple t ... Show More
1h 2m
Mar 2025
INFAMOUS: Indiana Dunes Disappearances
In the summer of 1966, three young women head to the beaches of Lake Michigan and are never seen again, setting off a mystery that remains unsolved to this day.If you have any information about the disappearances of Patricia Blough, Ann Miller, and Renee Bruhl, please contact the ... Show More
43m 57s
May 12
MURDERED: Kala Williams & Heather Higgins
Kala Williams was 20 years old when her family stopped hearing from her. Weeks later, her body was discovered dismembered in the woods with the DNA of a possible suspect on her body and items from the crime scene. Yet, the DNA evidence hasn’t been enough to charge him in Kala’s c ... Show More
48m 47s