Three-year-old Nicole Lynn Bryner of Pittsburgh was reported missing on March 11, 1982, after her mother, Melody Thomas Childs, said the toddler had been taken from a Giant Eagle shopping cart on the city’s south side. Nicole was described as a white female with brown hair and brown eyes, 2 feet 6 inches tall, weighing 35 pounds, last seen wearing a blue jacket, gray turtleneck sweater, green velour t-shirt, blue jeans with a star on the right rear pocket, and brown suede shoes.

From the outset investigators doubted the abduction story; no other shoppers or store staff recalled seeing Nicole that day. A few days later a letter purportedly from an abductor stated Nikky was dead and buried, but handwriting analysis indicated Melody Childs likely wrote it.

Widman was initially charged with involuntary manslaughter but those charges were dropped in 1987; he was later charged again and in May 2007 pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter, receiving two to four years. Childs faced hindering prosecution and false report charges that were later dropped when Widman declined to testify. Nicole’s remains have never been found. Does anyone have memories or information from Pittsburgh in 1982 that could shed light on Nicole’s last days?