FAMILY NIGHTMARE

THE CASE WAS INITIALLY RULED A MURDER-SUICIDE; NOW SOME AREN’T SO SURE. COULD THERE BE A KILLER ON THE LOOSE?

To everyone around her, Nichol Olsen seemed like she was living an enviable life. With boundless energy and enthusiasm, the vivacious 37-year-old was always meticulously put together: perfectly coiffed hair, manicured nails and stylish clothes. An exercise enthusiast, she was committed to her daily routine of yoga and Pilates. And as a muchsought-after hairstylist at an upscale San Antonio salon, Olsen happily chatted with clients, sharing stories about her grown son Skylar, 24, and her two daughters, Alexa, 16, and London, 10. She also ran a successful jewellery business on the side. “To meet Nichol was to love her,” says her best friend, Kelly Myrick. “She made new friends everywhere she went.”

One of those friends was former-rodeo-star-turned-entrepreneur Charlie Wheeler, now 33, whom Olsen began dating in 2016. After about a year, Olsen and her daughters moved into Wheeler’s sprawling mansion in the gated community of Anaqua Springs Ranch, Texas. “I can’t say that their relationship was perfect, but she was ready to settle down,” says Nichol’s brother Justin Olsen. “She wanted a family with him for sure.”