Nicole Diane Coleman was 23 and described by family as bright, empathic, poetic, and deeply spiritual. Born March 3, 1995, she struggled with severe mental illness from her pre-teen years but improved in late adolescence, earning an Associate of Arts with a 4.0 and planning to continue college. Her father says she relapsed as a young adult, moved back in with him, began self-medicating, and later checked into a mental health facility in Austin in fall 2018 before moving into a women’s group home in December.

On December 28, 2018, Nicole was captured on surveillance walking through the Kool Corner gas station parking lot at 5:26pm and again at 6:07pm before presumably entering the station. Her body was found three days later in woods off Ed Bluestein Boulevard, about a 10-minute walk from the gas station. Police say she was discovered without clothes and had traumatic injuries throughout her body; they recovered items of evidence and have not released whether sexual assault occurred. Detectives investigated and dismissed a nearby aggravated sexual assault as connected.

Investigators say Nicole was only in the area briefly and have asked the public for help identifying people she may have seen that evening or any suspicious vehicles near the gas station. If anyone knew Nicole or saw activity around Kool Corner on December 28, 2018, can you share what you remember with police?