My name is Chad Anderson, I am the Sheriff of Bates County. We are here today in reference to the missing person Nicole Mallatt. Nicole is a 36 year old white female. She is approximately 5'3" and a 120 pounds. He has long brown hair.
Nicole was last seen on November 26, 2019 at approximately 7:40 p.m. Nicole is the mother of 3 children that range from 11 to 16 years old.
The Sheriff's Office received a missing person report on Friday November 29, 2019 at approximately 4:30 p.m. Deputies began generating leads and following up on them. On Monday morning the the Command Staff met and reviewed the case. A decision was made to activate the Southwest Missouri Major Case Squad. The Major Case Squad is composed of law enforcement from Bates County, Vernon County, St. Clair County, Barton County, Cedar County and the municipalities within those counties. It also includes the MSHP. Investigators with the Major Case Squad has extensive training and experience in major investigations. We typically activate the squad when we have numerous leads to follow up on in a short period of time. This also allows for overview and direction of the investigation.
We are currently on our 7th day of the Investigation., So far we have recovered Nicole's phone, backpack and a pair of shoes. We have served a search warrant on Nicole's residence. That residence has been processed by the KCPD crime lab.
Our search has centered around the 220 acre property that she lived on with her boyfriend of 18 years. We have since moved our search to surrounding farms close to the residence. We will continue ground search until we no longer have any indication that our searches will produce evidence to her whereabouts.
I would like to address Nicole if she is watching now. "Nicole if you are watching me, you do not owe us an answer. If you have just decided to leave, I ask that you go to the nearest law enforcement agency and let them identify you so that we can offer closure to your family and friends. Our goal is to ensure you are safe and alive."
"To Nicole's family and friends, we will not rest until we have answers for you."
