Case Preview: The Case of Nicole and Arianna Fitts

Content Warning: This article discusses the murder of a mother and the disappearance of her young child. It avoids graphic detail.

Quick Context

Nicole “Nikki” Fitts, a 32-year-old mother of two, was last seen on April 1, 2016, in San Francisco. Her daughter, Arianna Fitts, was 2½ and had last been seen by family in February. Nicole’s body was found in McLaren Park on April 8; Arianna has never been found. The cases remain unsolved, and no one has been charged in Nicole’s murder or named a suspect in Arianna’s disappearance. (Sources: SFPD; SF Weekly; The Charley Project)

This is a preview of Season 3, Episode 5 of The Last Known Moment. We’ll follow the public record and the family’s accounts, while leaving the deeper document-by-document examination for the companion episode and evidence post.

At a Glance

• ✔Nicole Fitts: 32, a mother and Best Buy employee. (Sources: SFPD; SF Weekly)
• ✔Arianna Fitts: 2½ when she went missing; born September 6, 2013, she is now 13. (Sources: The Charley Project; FBI)
• ✔Last seen: Nicole on April 1, 2016, after her shift; Arianna was last seen by family in Oakland in mid-February 2016. (Sources: SF Weekly; The Charley Project)
• ✔Reported missing: Nicole and Arianna were reported missing on April 5, 2016. (Source: SFPD)
• ✔Nicole found: April 8, 2016, in McLaren Park, San Francisco. SFPD case ID: 160289073. (Source: SFPD)
• ✔Status: Both investigations remain unsolved. No one has been charged in Nicole’s murder. (Source: SFPD)
• ✔Reward: SFPD currently lists $250,000 for information leading to identification, arrest, and conviction of the person or people responsible for Nicole’s murder and Arianna’s disappearance. (Source: SFPD)

Who Was Nicole Fitts?

Nicole was the middle of three sisters, raised in Southern California. Her sister Tess remembered her as shy, caring, and eager to help others. As a teenager, Nicole volunteered at Culver Slauson Recreation Center and received a City of Los Angeles award for her service in 1999, when she was 15. She wanted to become a teacher. (Source: SF Weekly)

She was also a mother of two. Her older daughter, Sendy, lived with her father in Southern California. In the Bay Area, Nicole struggled with housing insecurity while trying to keep her job at Best Buy. With help from Tess and Tess’s partner, Clare Bonnar, she and Arianna moved to Santa Cruz. Nicole continued commuting to San Francisco for work. (Source: SF Weekly)

A coworker eventually offered them a place to stay. Nicole had begun preparing a small bed and presents for Arianna, whom she called her “butterfly.” Family members said they had not seen Arianna since mid-February, and reporting described Nicole’s efforts to bring her daughter home. (Source: SF Weekly)

What Happened

• ✔Mid-February 2016: Nicole’s family last saw Arianna in Oakland, according to family interviews. Missing-person sources give slightly different date descriptions; the Charley Project lists February 1 as the date Arianna went missing, while family accounts place their last sighting in mid-February. We use the family’s account here and note that the exact date is not consistent across the sources reviewed. (Sources: SF Weekly; The Charley Project)
• ✔April 1, 2016: Nicole was last seen after her shift at Best Buy on Harrison Street. SFPD says she was lured to meet the babysitter during the time she disappeared. (Sources: SF Weekly; SFPD)
• ✔April 5, 2016: Nicole’s family reported her and Arianna missing. (Source: SFPD)
• ✔April 8, 2016: Recreation and Parks staff found Nicole buried in a shallow grave in McLaren Park, covered by plywood bearing spray-painted markings. (Source: SFPD)

A different officer-involved shooting occurred in San Francisco the day before Nicole was found. SF Weekly later reported that the Fitts case faded from headlines as the city’s attention shifted. (Source: SF Weekly)

What We Know About Arianna’s Disappearance

SFPD says Arianna was in the care and custody of a babysitter and the babysitter’s husband around the time she disappeared. That information describes the investigation’s publicly stated timeline; it is not a charge or an accusation of guilt. No one has been charged or named a suspect in Arianna’s disappearance. (Source: SFPD)

The FBI released an age-progression image in December 2024, depicting how Arianna might have looked at about age 11. Investigators also followed a lead in the Las Vegas area. That lead does not establish that Arianna was there, and authorities have not announced that she has been found. (Sources: FBI; FOX5 Las Vegas)

Where the Case Stands

The SFPD case page continues to seek information in both investigations and lists a $250,000 reward. The FBI’s age-progression outreach renewed attention to Arianna’s disappearance, but the cases remain open. As of November 9, 2026, Arianna has not been found, and no one has been charged in Nicole’s murder. (Sources: SFPD; FBI)

The case matters because it concerns a mother and daughter from the same family, and a child missing for more than a decade. It also asks us to keep attention on cases involving Black women and children, including after the headlines move on.

Do You Have Information?

• ✔If you see Arianna, call 911 immediately.
• ✔SFPD Tip Line: 415-575-4444.
• ✔Text-A-Tip: Text “SFPD” followed by your tip to 47411.
• ✔SFPD Homicide Unit: 415-553-1145.
• ✔Reference SFPD case 160289073. (Sources: SFPD; SF Weekly)

Frequently Asked Questions

Who was Nicole Fitts?

Nicole “Nikki” Fitts was a 32-year-old mother of two who worked at Best Buy in San Francisco and was last seen on April 1, 2016. (Sources: SFPD; SF Weekly)

What happened to Nicole Fitts?

Nicole Fitts was found buried in a shallow grave in McLaren Park on April 8, 2016, and her death is being investigated as a homicide. (Source: SFPD)

Who is Arianna Fitts?

Arianna Fitts is Nicole’s daughter, born on September 6, 2013, who was two years old when she went missing. (Source: The Charley Project)

Is Arianna Fitts still missing?

Yes. Arianna Fitts has not been found, and her disappearance remains under investigation. (Sources: SFPD; FBI)

Has anyone been arrested in the Nicole Fitts case?

No one has been charged in Nicole Fitts’s murder, and no one has been named a suspect in Arianna Fitts’s disappearance in the sources reviewed. (Source: SFPD)

What is the reward in the Nicole Fitts case?

SFPD lists 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)

How can I submit a tip in the Fitts case?

You can call the SFPD Tip Line at 415-575-4444, text “SFPD” followed by your tip to 47411, or call the SFPD Homicide Unit at 415-553-1145. (Sources: SFPD; SF Weekly)

More From The Last Known Moment

• ✔Case Preview: The Case of Altomease Sallet
• ✔Case Breakdown: The Murder of Sony Millbrook
• ✔Listen to The Last Known Moment on our podcast page

Sources

1. San Francisco Police Department: Nicole Fitts case page

2. The Charley Project: Arianna Fitts

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

4. FBI: Arianna Fitts wanted/missing-person profile

5. FOX5 Las Vegas: FBI search for missing girl leads to Las Vegas Valley

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

Disclaimer: This preview is based on publicly available records and reporting and is current as of November 9, 2026. No one has been charged in Nicole Fitts’s murder or named a suspect in Arianna Fitts’s disappearance; anyone not convicted is presumed innocent. We use AI-assisted research tools and strive for accuracy, but this article may not include every available record.

Season 3, Episode 5, “The Case of Nicole and Arianna Fitts,” drops Tuesday, November 10. We’ll examine the public record, the timeline, and the unanswered questions without filling the gaps with speculation.

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