The true story behind Kelli Bordeaux's mysterious disappearance

Kelli Bordeaux, an Army medic who was 23 years old and based at Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, North Carolina, disappeared in the early hours of April 14, 2012. She had been out at Froggy Bottoms bar, which is close to where she was living, and was last observed leaving with Nicholas Holbert, a man from the area with a past conviction as a registered s*x offender. Suspicious SMSs sent from her mobile phone that evening stated that she had reached home safely, but she did not report for duty the following morning.

Her vanishing prompted large-scale searches by police, military, and volunteers. The case, unsolved for more than two years, put her family and community in an uproar. A private investigator's diligence eventually resulted in a break in 2014 when Holbert confessed to the crime, stating that Bordeaux had been murdered and buried in the woods. Her remains were found, confirming death due to blunt force trauma.

This real-life story has been featured in Dateline: Secret Uncovered season 8, episode 11, titled Deep in the Woods. The episode is re-airing on September 3, 2025, on Oxygen.

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Kelli Bordeaux's background and life at Fort Bragg

Kelli Bordeaux was a medic in the US Army (Image via Unsplash/ @ Levi Meir Clancy)

Kelli Marie Bordeaux was born in St. Cloud, Florida, and had medical ambitions from a young age. She was an experienced cheerleader with a big personality and served her time as a Private First Class in the US Army. She worked as a combat medic in the 44th Medical Brigade at Fort Bragg, a large North Carolina military base.

Kelli Bordeaux was seeking to further her career as a medical officer. She resided in an apartment complex on Ramsey Street in Fayetteville, according to CBS News. Her personal life involved a troubled marriage to Michael Bordeaux, who had come back to Florida because of job problems, with no plans to reconcile at present. She was also seeing Justin Thompson, another soldier. Bordeaux liked to socialize and was labeled responsible and caring by friends.

She met a 25-year-old bar attendant named Nicholas Holbert on April 13, 2012. Holbert went to visit her in her apartment before driving her to the bar. Holbert was previously convicted of indecent liberties with a child in 2008, had been in prison, and was on parole. He resided in a makeshift camp in neighboring woods, Oxygen states.

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The night of the disappearance

Kelli Bordeaux was last seen at Froggy Bottoms (Image via Unsplash/ @ Alex Knight)

On the evening of April 13, 2012, Kelli Bordeaux went to Froggy Bottoms, a bar about half a mile from her home. She arrived with Nicholas Holbert, whom she had met earlier when he stopped by her apartment. Holbert worked part-time at the bar as a barback and bouncer. They spent time there socializing. Around 12:45 a.m. on April 14, Bordeaux left the bar with Holbert, who offered to drive her home.

At 12:46 a.m., a text message from her phone was sent to her boyfriend, Justin Thompson, stating that Holbert was taking her home. Another message at 1:24 a.m. claimed she was home, drunk, and going to bed. Thompson found these texts unusual because the drive was short, yet there was a delay, as per Oxygen.

Kelli Bordeaux's phone's last signal was near the bar. She did not report for duty the next day, leading a co-worker to alert authorities on April 15. Police confirmed she missed formation at Fort Bragg on April 16, as per Oxygen.

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The investigation and searches

Kelli Bordeaux's body was found buried in the woods (Image via Unsplash/ @ Markus Winkler)

Fayetteville police and Fort Bragg officials launched searches soon after Kelli Bordeaux was reported missing. Searches continued through 2012 and into 2013, with a final volunteer effort on March 7, 2013. Rewards included $8,000 from a former soldier in May 2012 and $25,000 from the Army in March 2013. In May 2013, the Army declared her deceased for benefit purposes, though searches persisted.

Michael Bordeaux and Justin Thompson were cleared early due to alibis in Florida. Nicholas Holbert emerged as a suspect because of his history and being the last to see her. He violated parole by not registering his address change, leading to brief incarceration until May 2013, according to the Fay Observer.

Private investigator David Marshburn, a former military police officer, joined independently. He built trust with Holbert by offering jobs and used tactics like fake surveillance to gather information. Marshburn searched Holbert's campsite and employed a cadaver dog named Kaz, as per CBS News.

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The confession, discovery, and legal outcome

Nicholas was sentenced to life imprisonment (Image via Unsplash/ @ Emiliano Bar)

In May 2014, Nicholas Holbert confessed to private investigator David Marshburn. He admitted to knocking Kelli Bordeaux unconscious during an argument about his s*x offender status while driving her home. Holbert said he took her to his campsite, continued the assault until she died, sent the misleading texts from her phone, and buried her in a shallow grave off River Road near Interstate 295, about five miles from the bar, according to WRAL News.

On May 13, 2014, he led Marshburn to the site, where remains were found the next day with help from the cadaver dog. An autopsy revealed blunt force trauma, including skull fractures and a dislocated jaw. Holbert was arrested that day by the police after a recorded confession. Charged with first-degree murder and kidnapping, he pleaded guilty on August 7, 2015, in a deal that avoided the death penalty. He received life imprisonment without parole, as per CBS News.

During sentencing, Bordeaux's mother, Johnna Henson, addressed him, and Holbert expressed regret, claiming no premeditation. Henson later gave Marshburn Bordeaux's dog tags as thanks. The resolution brought closure after two years, with the case relying on persistent civilian investigation alongside official efforts. Holbert remains incarcerated, as per the Fay Observer.

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Watch Dateline's: Secret Uncovered episode, Deep in the Woods, on Oxygen.