A Lebanon man accused of killing his wife was arrested March 26 and faces a preliminary murder charge following an investigation by the Indiana State Police and Boone County Sheriff’s Office.
Andrew Wilhoite, 39, was arrested on preliminary charges of level 1 felony murder after allegedly striking his wife, 41-year-old Elizabeth “Nikki” Wilhoite, on the head with a blunt object and dumping her body in a creek within a few miles of the scene, according to investigators.
On March 25, the BCSO launched a missing persons investigation after Nikki Wilhoite of Lebanon was reported missing by co-workers.
After hours of searching, BCSO Sheriff Michael Nielson called the Indiana State Police to lead the investigation.
Sheriff Nielson issued the following statement:
“When our investigators realized this could be a possible homicide investigation, we wanted to discuss the best way to move forward with the investigation since the mother of Andrew Wilhoite is a County Councilwoman, another county elected official. To avoid any conflict of interest, it was decided to contact the Indiana State Police and ask them to lead the investigation and we would assist them. This is another prime example of working with our law enforcement partners to solve a horrendous crime. I cannot be prouder of our Investigations team, Crime Scene Investigations team, the entire Sheriff’s Office staff, the Boone County Prosecutor’s Office and the Indiana State Police Investigators. Please keep all families and first responders in your thoughts and prayers.”
The suspect is the son of Boone County Council member Marcia Wilhoite, who has served as an at-large council member since 2005.
During the course of the investigation, Indiana State Police determined that a domestic dispute culminated in Wilhoite striking his wife in the head with a blunt object. The suspect then placed her in a vehicle and drove her to a nearby creek.
Nikki Wilhoite’s body was found at approximately 3 a.m. on March 26 partially submerged in water. An autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of death.
The investigation is ongoing.
