L to R: Anne Osburn, Gabriel Yates, and Nichole Yegge
Las Vegas, NV - Nichole Elizabeth Yegge, called “Nikki”, would have turned 18 on August 8, this coming Friday. But she won’t have a birthday party or a night out with friends this weekend, because she’s dead. Nichole’s body was found in a shallow grave in the desert outside Las Vegas last week, her teeth knocked out, her tattoos sliced off. On Sunday, Anne Osburn, 21, and Gabriel Yates, 31, were arrested for Nichole’s kidnapping and murder.
Nichole’s life wasn’t all sunshine and roses in any event. At just 17, she was being pimped out by Yates and Osburn via Craigslist ads and little black book contacts. Her relationship with her charismatic pimp and his pretty young wife was rocky. Anne Osburn had just given birth on July 6 to Gabriel Yates’ baby daughter, and there were undercurrents of jealousy in the apartment where Nichole was living with the pair. Police say that both Nichole and Anne were involved in romantic relationships with Yates.
Nichole’s own family had reported her missing in June from her Henderson home. Her last Myspace update was on June 11, and it appears that before that time her life had been more normal. Teen angst, no doubt, and a fantasy of independence likely played into her decision to run away. Nichole was a Juggalette, an Insane Clown Posse devotee who painted her face in the Dark Carnival style made popular by the band. She wanted to be free, I’m sure, of parental restrictions. Whether she knew Osburn and Yates before she ran away is unclear. It’s certain that she had no clue what life on the run with the couple would bring.
On July 23, tensions in the pimpin’ apartment took a violent turn. During an argument, Yates hit Nichole, and she started to cry, but then got mad. Nichole told the couple that she was going to turn them in to the police for “pimping out an underage girl”. As she started for the door, Yates hit Nichole again and knocked her down. And then Anne Osburn choked the girl to death.
The couple then broke out all Nichole’s teeth, sliced off her tattoos, and shoved her body into a hockey bag. They took Nichole in her makeshift body bag to the desert, where Yates buried the runaway teenager in a shallow grave. Afterward, they took the teeth and tattooed skin pieces to a lake for disposal. Just like that, Nichole Elizabeth Yegge was gone.
A tip from a friend of the couple’s was called in on July 28, and FBI investigators from as far away as Alabama spoke with people who knew Yates and Osburn. On Saturday, August 2, police followed Yates into the desert and found Nichole’s gravesite. The next day, Gabriel Yates and Anne Osburn were arrested.
Gabriel Wayne Yates and Anne Marie Osburn are each being held without bond at the Clark County Detention Center. They are each charged with first-degree kidnapping and first-degree murder, and are scheduled to appear in court for arraignment on Wednesday morning. No word on where their baby daughter is now. Here’s hoping her life turns out better than Nichole Yegge’s.
Unamused Cat is discussing this topic in our forums - thanks!
28 responses so far ↓
1
Kitty
Aug 5, 2008 at 9:02 am -What confuses me is that victims almost always tell their attackers “I’m gonna turn you in!” and then get killed for their troubles.. Do they think these bad people are just going to let them walk off and call the police?? *note to potential victims.. don’t talk about it– just do it..
Before I get flamed.. it’s just an observation..
I’m thankful that Nicole’s family will at least have closure.
And that the victim’s baby will hopefully get a chance at a life better than her dna contributors would have given her..
2
impqueen
Aug 5, 2008 at 9:22 am -Good point. I thought about that when I was writing. And this was a rebellious teenager who was in a sexual relationship with the male in the house. She may have thought she had some kind of power in that equation. She was really, really wrong.
3
Paigey
Aug 5, 2008 at 9:23 am -I wonder how long it will be before Anne Osburn pleads not guilty due to abuse by Yates. She’ll say he made her strangle Nichole Yegge and she was too scared not to do as he told her.
Isn’t that how this story almost always goes?
4
goofygoober168
Aug 5, 2008 at 9:47 am -Probably. Although the cops may not be sympathetic if there wasn’t physical evidence of abuse. Besides, Yegge probably isn’t the first girl he/they have pimped out.
Meanwhile…what’s the point in knocking out her teeth and slicing off her tattoos if you’re just going to lead the police right to the body anyway? Waste of time, on his part. Or hers. There’s a question for them. LOL. Whose idea was that one?
5
impqueen
Aug 5, 2008 at 9:47 am -One of the neighbors is already setting that up for Anne in the media, telling a press reporter that Anne was a “good little dog” for Gabriel Yates. But i think Anne was so jealous that she had no problem strangling Nikki.
6
WryBread
Aug 5, 2008 at 10:08 am -If she’d just headed out the door to do some tricks and went instead to the police station, she’d be alive. But she had to have her moment of triumph and it got her killed. This is what I see in the mouthy teens who come on DD to straighten us out. Their little act of power and anger works well among people who love them or are paid to be polite to them, but how will it work with people who don’t give a shit if they live or die? Guess this poor young woman found out once and for all.
7
WryBread
Aug 5, 2008 at 10:26 am -Anne Osburn should be in the Most Beautiful Mugshot Contest.
Damn. She PROVES that beauty is only skin deep. She looks like a live version of those large-eyed Japanese animation characters.
8
Ladyeridan
Aug 5, 2008 at 10:33 am -OK, been reading the site for a while, but i had to sign up, finally… i am LOVING his mugshot. My first thought was, OOOOH, so the pimp is practicing for when HE gets pimped in prison?
9
captainhowdy
Aug 5, 2008 at 10:40 am -Wow, nice mugshot, Yates. He looks like he’s in the middle of a meth yawn.
10
Dakota Valkyrie
Aug 5, 2008 at 10:43 am -Getting rid of the teeth and cutting off the tattoos? Haven’t they heard of DNA and fingerprints? Even if she had never been printed, if LE was clued in enough to look at dental records, they would know enough to look at DNA. The fact the tats were missing would also be a big clue.
11
WryBread
Aug 5, 2008 at 10:46 am -Welcome, Lady — what a great first post! He does look like that. All he has to do now is to hold the expression while bending over and he’s set for jail!
12
Ms BasHterd
Aug 5, 2008 at 12:06 pm -Ok I have been a DD addict for quite sometime and I decided that it was finally time to show myself. So HI everyone thanxs for the years of entertainment and wisdom.
Lady that was an awesome first post cause I lost my coffee all over my puter screen!!!!
Anyone else think the fearsome two-some have a 21st century Manson look going on??????
13
Lizard
Aug 5, 2008 at 12:14 pm -He looks a little like Owen Wilson.
14
Athena
Aug 5, 2008 at 12:52 pm -What confuses me is that victims almost always tell their attackers “I’m gonna turn you in!” and then get killed for their troubles.. Do they think these bad people are just going to let them walk off and call the police??
ESPECIALLY after just being hit. You’d think this girl would realize that they had it in them to do worse.
Incidentally, I had a friend once who was dating a married couple. She had relations with both of them, but, when the wife got pregnant, she became less interested in sex. As a result, my friend was primarily focused on the husband, although she made herself available to the wife, but the jealousy building up in the wife was clear. My friend broke it off shortly after the jealousy became obvious. I can only imagine how jealous the wife would have been if they had carried on for the entirety of the pregnancy.
Based on the shot above, I don’t buy for a second that she was anyone’s “good little dog” or whatever.
15
Wildheart
Aug 5, 2008 at 7:03 pm -Absolutely! It’s the first thing I thought when I saw her pic….”Manson Girl!”
Hi, first time poster here! Just found this site yesterday (trying to keep up on the Caylee Marie Anthony story) and quickly became hooked.
16
April
Aug 5, 2008 at 10:48 pm -Whew - He is just SCREAMIN’ to be someones bitch (showin’ his “O” face already). WTF - I thought pimps wore leopard print pants and lots of bling. Either that or some sort of mafia dude with slicked back hair and lots of bling. This guy doesn’t fit either of those. He just looks like some drugged out, asshole, womanizer. Well, whatever it is - He looks like he is prepared to meet Thunderdick in the Las Vegas jail. Bend over boy!! Here comes THUNDERDICK!
17
WryBread
Aug 5, 2008 at 11:12 pm -THUNDERDICK! That’s hilarious.
A Bubbaku
Greet Thunderdicks! Oh!
The pimp is being pumped! Oh!
In and out we go!
18
April
Aug 5, 2008 at 11:18 pm -Love it! I will have to print it and pin it up at work.
19
WryBread
Aug 5, 2008 at 11:26 pm -Thank you (blushes modestly), but I couldn’t have done it without the inspiring word, THUNDERDICK!
20
April
Aug 5, 2008 at 11:38 pm -Awwwww.
21
bogustoo
Aug 6, 2008 at 7:04 am -Yeah, she does! That’s just plain freaky.
22
dammitall
Aug 6, 2008 at 7:33 am -Greet Thunderdicks! Oh!
The pimp is being pumped! Oh!
In and out we go!
*applauds*
That was pretty!
23
Trish
Aug 6, 2008 at 7:45 am -I must thank you all for the laughs I got out of your comments this morning. I am sitting in my office this morning watching this guy walk back and forth in the parking lot barking as he walks. I can tell it’s gonna be one of those days.
24
Boondock
Aug 7, 2008 at 5:36 am -Welcome Wildheart! Glad you decided to look deeper than the Caylee circus goin on
25
Dakota Valkyrie
Aug 7, 2008 at 9:47 am -Yates was acquitted of murder in 1996:
“For Yates, the murder arrest follows a memorable murder acquittal in 1996, when he was cleared of beating and drowning 13-year-old Nicholas Bishop in a gang initiation ritual.
http://www.nwfdailynews.com/ne.....yates.html
26
sugarglider
Aug 19, 2008 at 12:07 pm -Poor dead girl, she probably thought these a-holes actually cared about her…she was probably hoping they would respond with something like, “no, don’t go, we love you!” She probably didn’t intend to turn them in, or she would have already done it.
27
Poetic8Tradegy
Sep 14, 2008 at 12:43 pm -Nichole was a beautiful person. I knew her back in middle school and then didn’t see her again till sophomore of high school and that was it…the time I knew her showed she was a caring and sweet person, she could always make me laugh. I know she had a hard time meeting ends and I guess she was naive at the time and would take anyones help. I guess thats what she saw in these mo’ fo’s. I miss her terribly and it sucks to just have found this out like a week ago. She didn’t deserve this at all. She was going on to a bigger and better life when she turned 18 and they took that away from her! I hope those bastards rot in jail and the next life. R.I.P Nichole!!
28
sugarglider
Sep 14, 2008 at 12:56 pm -Poetic8tragedy, that’s a really sad story. People get used to thinking they can survive anything, and I’m sure she thought she was a strong young woman who could handle anything life threw her way. I’m sorry her life ended so soon. Do you know anything about how the case is progressing? These people are monsters, especially Yates. I cannot believe how they brutalized her body–the teeth, the tattoos. Just no respect at all for her, not when she was living, not when she was dead. I hope the prosecutors will able to make the case that their respect for the sovereignty of others is encapulated perfectly in thaat postmortem brutality.
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