The Case of Nicole and Arianna Fitts: A Mother Found, a Daughter Still Missing (The Last Known Moment, S3E5)

Content warning: This article discusses a homicide, a missing child, and housing insecurity. We do not include graphic details.

Quick Context

Nicole Fitts was a 32-year-old mother, sister, and Best Buy employee when she disappeared in San Francisco on April 1, 2016. Her family reported both Nicole and her daughter, Arianna Fitts, missing on April 5. Three days later, workers found Nicole buried in McLaren Park. Arianna has not been found, and the FBI continues to list her as missing. No one has been charged in Nicole’s murder or Arianna’s disappearance. (Sources: SFPD; FBI)

At a Glance

• ✔Nicole Fitts: 32 when she was found deceased. (Source: KTVU, April 21, 2016)
• ✔Arianna Fitts: Born September 6, 2013; two years old when she was last seen. (Source: The Charley Project)
• ✔Nicole last seen: April 1, 2016, after being summoned to meet someone she knew. (Source: SFPD)
• ✔Arianna last seen: Family accounts place it in mid-February 2016; The Charley Project lists February 1, 2016. We could not resolve this difference in the sources reviewed. (Sources: SF Weekly; The Charley Project)
• ✔Nicole found: April 8, 2016, in McLaren Park, San Francisco. (Source: SFPD)
• ✔Case status: Nicole’s homicide remains unsolved; Arianna remains missing. (Sources: SFPD; FBI)
• ✔SFPD case ID: 160289073. (Source: SFPD)
• ✔Reward: $250,000 for information leading to the identification, arrest, and conviction of the person or people responsible for Nicole’s murder and Arianna’s disappearance. (Source: SFPD)
• ✔Tips: SFPD Tip Line 415-575-4444; text 47411 beginning with “SFPD”; SFPD Homicide 415-553-1145. (Source: SFPD)

Who Was Nicole Fitts?

Before the case became a homicide investigation, Nicole was a daughter and sister who wanted to help people. She grew up in Southern California as the middle of three sisters. Her sister Contessa remembered her as shy and caring. Nicole volunteered at Culver Slauson Recreation Center, received a City of Los Angeles volunteer award at age 15 in 1999, and hoped to become a teacher. (Source: SF Weekly)

Nicole was also raising two daughters. Her older daughter, Sendy, lived with her father in Southern California, while Nicole worked to care for Arianna and keep her Best Buy job. At the time, Nicole was struggling with housing insecurity in the Bay Area. With help from her sister Contessa (whom SF Weekly also calls Tess) and Contessa’s partner, Clare Bonnar, Nicole and Arianna moved to Santa Cruz. Nicole then faced a long commute to work in San Francisco. (Sources: SF Weekly; KTVU, April 21, 2016)

A coworker offered Nicole and Arianna a place to stay. Nicole began preparing for Arianna to come home by buying a small bed and presents for her daughter, whom she called “butterfly.” These details come from interviews with Nicole’s family and coworkers; they help describe what Nicole was working toward in the months before she disappeared. (Source: SF Weekly)

At Best Buy, coworkers described Nicole as energetic and bubbly. Nia Ripley said of Nicole’s daughters, “They were everything she worked for.” Nicole’s sister Contessa, in a statement read at a police press conference, described her as “big-hearted and generous,” “positive and giving.” (Sources: KTVU, April 21, 2016)

Who Is Arianna Fitts?

Arianna was born on September 6, 2013. The Charley Project describes her as a Black girl with black hair and brown eyes, about two feet tall and 45 pounds at the time she went missing. She was approximately two and a half years old in 2016. (Sources: The Charley Project; SFPD)

There is a difference among the public accounts of when Arianna was last seen. The Charley Project lists February 1, 2016; family interviews reported that relatives last saw her in mid-February. We cannot resolve the discrepancy from the public sources we reviewed, so we are keeping both versions visible rather than choosing one. (Sources: The Charley Project; SF Weekly)

In December 2024, the FBI released an age-progression image showing how Arianna might look at approximately age 11. As of November 10, 2026, Arianna is 13 by date of birth and remains listed as missing. The FBI reported that a lead had been followed in the Las Vegas area; that does not establish that Arianna was there or confirm a sighting. (Sources: FBI; FOX5 Vegas, December 11, 2024)

Timeline

• ✔September 6, 2013: Arianna was born. (Source: The Charley Project)
• ✔February 2016: Arianna was last seen, according to family accounts described by SF Weekly. The Charley Project lists February 1, 2016. The sources we reviewed do not settle the difference. (Sources: SF Weekly; The Charley Project)
• ✔April 1, 2016: Nicole was last seen. SFPD says she was lured to meet her babysitter during the time of her disappearance. At an April press conference, police said she had been summoned to meet someone known to her. KTVU reported that she was thought to have traveled on Muni along the Third Street corridor at about 9:45 p.m. (Sources: SFPD; KTVU, April 21, 2016)
• ✔April 5, 2016: Nicole’s family reported her missing and told police Arianna was also missing. (Sources: SFPD; KTVU, April 21, 2016)
• ✔April 8, 2016: Recreation and Park Department workers found Nicole buried in McLaren Park. (Source: SFPD)
• ✔April 21, 2016: SFPD held a press conference and displayed evidence connected to the investigation, including the plywood board, burial-site photographs, and a photograph of the shirt Nicole wore the night she disappeared. Police said they had not named suspects or persons of interest at that time. (Source: KTVU, April 21, 2016)
• ✔December 2024: The FBI released a new age-progression image of Arianna. The FBI also followed a lead in the Las Vegas area, but the public reporting did not establish that Arianna had been seen there. (Sources: FBI; FOX5 Vegas, December 11, 2024)
• ✔November 10, 2026: SFPD continues to list the case and reward, and the FBI continues to list Arianna as missing. We found no public report of an arrest or charges in the sources reviewed. (Sources: SFPD; FBI)

The Night of April 1

The public record establishes that April 1 was the last day Nicole was seen alive. SFPD says she was lured to meet her babysitter during the time she disappeared. In 2016, police said Nicole had been summoned to meet a person she knew, but did not publicly identify that person at the press conference. (Sources: SFPD; KTVU, April 21, 2016)

KTVU reported that Nicole worked at the Best Buy store on Harrison Street and was thought to have traveled on Muni along the Third Street corridor at approximately 9:45 p.m. Police described her as wearing her blue Best Buy shirt under a jacket. The reported route and time are presented as what police believed at the time, not as a confirmed full itinerary. (Source: KTVU, April 21, 2016)

Nicole did not return home. Her family reported her missing on April 5. (Sources: SFPD; KTVU, April 21, 2016)

The Discovery in McLaren Park

On the morning of April 8, 2016, workers from San Francisco’s Recreation and Park Department found Nicole buried in a small, shallow grave in McLaren Park. KTVU reported that she was curled in a fetal position and covered by a plywood board. (Sources: SFPD; KTVU, April 21, 2016)

The description matters because it is what public reporting established, not an invitation to speculate about details that have not been released. The sources reviewed do not publicly detail the cause of Nicole’s death. (Sources: SFPD; KTVU, April 21, 2016)

The Nicole Fitts Plywood Evidence

The plywood board became a distinct part of the public appeal. At the April 21, 2016 press conference, SFPD displayed the board, which had a painted symbol or markings. Commander Greg McEachern said, “The plywood has markings on it we hope someone will recognize.” Police said the board did not appear to have come from within the park and believed the person who buried Nicole brought it to the scene. (Sources: KTVU, April 21, 2016; SFPD)

Police also displayed photographs of the burial site and the shirt Nicole wore the night she disappeared. Those items were shared to seek information from people who might recognize a detail, not as proof of a publicly identified suspect. The sources we reviewed do not explain the meaning of the painted marking or establish who owned or transported the board. (Source: KTVU, April 21, 2016)

What the public sources say

• ✔SFPD says the person who buried Nicole brought the plywood board to the scene. (Source: SFPD)
• ✔KTVU reported that the board had a painted symbol and did not appear to have come from inside the park. (Source: KTVU, April 21, 2016)
• ✔Police publicly asked whether someone could recognize the markings. (Source: KTVU, April 21, 2016)

What we did not find in the sources we reviewed

• ✔We did not find a public identification of the symbol or an explanation of its meaning.
• ✔We did not find a public determination of where the board came from or who brought it.
• ✔We did not find a publicly detailed cause of death for Nicole.

Those are gaps in the public information, not evidence that any particular theory is correct.

The Investigation

SFPD’s public case page says the investigation found that Arianna was in the care and custody of the babysitter and the babysitter’s husband at the time of her disappearance. It also says Nicole was lured to meet the babysitter during the time she disappeared. We use those descriptions as SFPD states them; we do not name or accuse anyone. No one has been charged, and anyone not convicted is presumed innocent. (Source: SFPD)

At the April 2016 press conference, police said they had executed search warrants and seized more than 30,000 pieces of evidence at locations in Oakland, Emeryville, and Daly City connected to places where Arianna was thought to have been staying. The FBI was assisting the investigation. At that time, SFPD had not named any suspects or persons of interest. (Source: KTVU, April 21, 2016)

SFPD now authorizes a $250,000 reward for information leading to the identification, arrest, and conviction of the person or people responsible for Nicole’s murder and Arianna’s disappearance. (Source: SFPD)

What the Family and Coworkers Have Said

At the April 2016 press conference, Contessa Fitts’s statement was read aloud by Commander McEachern. She said, “I will never be able to understand how anyone could be capable of hurting Nicki.” She also said, “That is what Nickie would want, for Arianna to be home with her family.” (Source: KTVU, April 21, 2016)

Nicole’s coworkers remembered her as a mother whose daughters mattered deeply to her. Nia Ripley described Nicole as an “energetic, bubbly” single mother and said, “They were everything she worked for.” Coworkers told KTVU they had not heard Nicole discuss threats. That account does not answer what happened to her; it records what people who worked alongside her remembered and knew at the time. (Source: KTVU, April 21, 2016)

Where the Case Stands as of November 10, 2026

Nicole’s homicide remains unsolved, and Arianna remains missing. The FBI’s December 2024 age-progression image depicts Arianna at approximately age 11. FOX5 Vegas reported that investigators followed a lead in the Las Vegas area; the report does not confirm Arianna was there. (Sources: SFPD; FBI; FOX5 Vegas, December 11, 2024)

The FBI continues to list Arianna’s case on its website, and SFPD continues to publish the homicide and missing-child case information. In the sources we reviewed, we found no public announcement that Arianna had been located or that anyone had been arrested or charged. (Sources: SFPD; FBI)

Why This Case Matters

The Nicole Fitts case is not only a homicide investigation. It is also the unresolved disappearance of a very young child whose family still has no public answer about where she is. Nicole’s life (her work, her sisters, her daughters, her plans for Arianna) should not be reduced to the place where she was found.

This case also belongs in a wider conversation about the attention given to missing Black women and children. SF Weekly reported that the story faded from headlines as attention shifted to other major events in San Francisco. That account does not quantify media coverage, but it does document how public attention can move on while families continue living with unanswered questions. (Source: SF Weekly)

We believe independent reporting should keep returning to the record: what is established, what remains unknown, and whose lives are at the center of the case. No network or sponsor gets to decide which family’s questions deserve to be heard.

Do You Have Information?

If you have information about Nicole’s murder or Arianna’s disappearance, contact:

• ✔SFPD Tip Line: 415-575-4444. (Source: SFPD)
• ✔Text-a-Tip: Text 47411 and begin the message with SFPD. (Source: SFPD)
• ✔SFPD Homicide: 415-553-1145. (Source: SFPD)

If you see Arianna or believe you know her immediate location, call 911. (Source: SF Weekly, quoting SFPD guidance)

Reference SFPD case 160289073 when sharing information. The reward is $250,000 for information leading to the identification, arrest, and conviction of the person or people responsible for Nicole’s murder and Arianna’s disappearance. (Source: SFPD)

What We Still Don’t Know

• ✔Who summoned Nicole to meet on April 1, 2016? (Sources: SFPD; KTVU, April 21, 2016)
• ✔What do the markings on the plywood mean, and who might recognize them? (Source: KTVU, April 21, 2016)
• ✔Where was Arianna between her last reported sighting in February 2016 and Nicole’s disappearance? (Sources: SF Weekly; The Charley Project)
• ✔What was the cause of Nicole’s death? The sources reviewed do not publicly detail it. (Sources: SFPD; KTVU, April 21, 2016)
• ✔Does the plywood connect to any person, location, or other evidence? The sources reviewed do not establish that connection. (Sources: SFPD; KTVU, April 21, 2016)
• ✔Where is Arianna now? The FBI continues to list her as missing. (Source: FBI)

Listen to the Episode

Our Season 3, Episode 5 companion episode, “The Case of Nicole and Arianna Fitts,” is available through the NaturalQueen77 TV podcast page. This deep dive accompanies the episode released November 10, 2026. For the shorter introduction published the day before, read our Nicole and Arianna Fitts case preview.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who was Nicole Fitts?

Nicole Fitts was a 32-year-old mother of two, a Best Buy employee, and a sister remembered by family as caring and generous; she was found buried in McLaren Park on April 8, 2016. (Sources: SFPD; KTVU, April 21, 2016; SF Weekly)

What happened to Nicole Fitts?

Nicole Fitts was last seen on April 1, 2016, and was found deceased in a shallow grave in San Francisco’s McLaren Park one week later; her homicide remains unsolved. (Sources: SFPD; KTVU, April 21, 2016)

Who is Arianna Fitts?

Arianna Fitts is Nicole’s daughter, born on September 6, 2013, who was approximately two and a half years old when she went missing in 2016. (Sources: The Charley Project; SFPD)

Is Arianna Fitts still missing?

Yes. As of November 10, 2026, the FBI continues to list Arianna Fitts as missing, and we found no public report that she has been located in the sources reviewed. (Source: FBI)

When was Nicole Fitts found?

Nicole Fitts was found on April 8, 2016, by San Francisco Recreation and Park Department workers in McLaren Park. (Source: SFPD)

What was the plywood in the Nicole Fitts case?

The plywood was a board with painted markings that police said covered Nicole’s body; SFPD said the person who buried her brought it to the scene. (Sources: SFPD; KTVU, April 21, 2016)

Has anyone been arrested for Nicole Fitts’s murder?

No one has been charged in Nicole Fitts’s murder or Arianna Fitts’s disappearance, and the public sources reviewed do not report an arrest. Anyone not convicted is presumed innocent. (Sources: SFPD; KTVU, April 21, 2016)

What is the reward in the Nicole Fitts case?

SFPD authorizes a $250,000 reward for information leading to the identification, arrest, and conviction of the person or people responsible for Nicole Fitts’s murder and Arianna Fitts’s disappearance. (Source: SFPD)

How do I submit a tip about Nicole Fitts or Arianna Fitts?

Contact the SFPD Tip Line at 415-575-4444, text 47411 beginning with “SFPD,” or call SFPD Homicide at 415-553-1145; reference case 160289073. (Source: SFPD)

Why is the Nicole Fitts case still unsolved?

The public sources reviewed do not explain why the Nicole Fitts case remains unsolved; they describe evidence collected, an ongoing appeal for information, and unanswered questions about the plywood markings and Arianna’s whereabouts. (Sources: SFPD; KTVU, April 21, 2016; FBI)

More From The Last Known Moment

• ✔Read the Nicole and Arianna Fitts case preview
• ✔Explore more case articles on the NaturalQueen77 TV blog
• ✔Listen to NaturalQueen77 TV podcast episodes

Sources

1. San Francisco Police Department, Nicole Fitts

2. KTVU FOX 2: “SF police release new details in case of missing 2YO girl, her slain mom” (April 21, 2016)

3. SF Weekly: “Where Is Arianna Fitts?”

4. The Charley Project: Arianna Fitts

5. Federal Bureau of Investigation, Arianna Fitts

6. FOX5 Vegas: “FBI search for missing girl leads to Las Vegas Valley” (December 11, 2024)

7. NBC Bay Area: FBI releases age-progressed image of Arianna Fitts

8. KRON4: FBI releases age-progression image of missing San Francisco girl Arianna Fitts

This article is based on the public sources linked above and is current as of November 10, 2026. Public information may be incomplete or change as investigators release updates. AI-assisted research tools supported source discovery and drafting; claims have been checked against the linked material. This article does not accuse any person of wrongdoing.

For independent case reporting centered on victims, documents, and unanswered questions, listen to the podcast and subscribe through the NaturalQueen77 TV homepage.