Remembering Nikki Fitts: The Mother Behind the Case File

Category: Victim Spotlight · Published November 12, 2026

Content note: This remembrance briefly mentions a homicide. Its focus is Nicole Fitts's life and the people who remember her.

Before she was a case file, she was Nikki.

Nicole Fitts was 32, a mother and a Best Buy employee. The people who knew her remembered a smile, a quiet kindness, and a warmth that could stay with you. Her friend and coworker Michael Jacobo recalled that she was "one of the kindest people you would ever meet." He remembered her as shy, and said she "always had a smile on her face." (Source: The Seattle Times, April 9–10, 2016)

Those details are small, but they matter. They give us a fuller picture of Nicole Fitts than a headline or case number can. They remind us that who was Nicole Fitts is not only a question about what happened to her. It is also a question about the sister, friend, colleague and mother her loved ones knew. (Source: The Seattle Times, April 9–10, 2016; SF Weekly, "Where Is Arianna Fitts?")

A Sister's Portrait

Nicole and her sister Contessa Fitts lived in different cities, but stayed close. Contessa said the sisters got together about once a month. She described Nicole as "a cheerful and pleasant person," and held onto the hope that her niece, Arianna, would come home. (Sources: NBC Bay Area, April 11, 2016; The Seattle Times, April 9–10, 2016)

In an interview with NBC Bay Area, Contessa described herself as "really scared." She said, "I want to believe she's OK and no one has hurt her." Her words hold the uncertainty of that moment, and a sister's effort to keep believing while searching for answers. (Source: NBC Bay Area, April 11, 2016)

"I want to believe she's OK and no one has hurt her."

Contessa Fitts, speaking about Arianna (Source: NBC Bay Area, April 11, 2016)

Nicole was the middle of three sisters, according to SF Weekly's reporting. Her younger sister, Contessa, remembered her as shy and caring. Their family moved around Southern California while the sisters were growing up, and they remained connected through the changes in their lives. (Source: SF Weekly, "Where Is Arianna Fitts?")

That closeness continued into adulthood. Contessa's recollections do not turn Nicole into a symbol or an explanation. They let us see her as a person within a family: someone her sister teased, missed, and continued to hope for. (Source: NBC Bay Area, April 11, 2016; SF Weekly, "Where Is Arianna Fitts?")

The Teacher She Wanted to Be

Nicole's wish to become a teacher was part of a longer interest in helping others. SF Weekly reported that as a teenager, she volunteered at Culver Slauson Recreation Center in Los Angeles. In 1999, when she was 15, she received a City of Los Angeles volunteer award for her work there. (Source: SF Weekly, "Where Is Arianna Fitts?")

Her sister recalled that Nicole loved school and wanted to teach. Contessa described her as sensitive and someone who looked out for people around her. That early volunteering and the work she hoped to do offer a glimpse of the values her family remembered: care, attention and a wish to be useful to others. (Source: SF Weekly, "Where Is Arianna Fitts?")

A portrait has room for both a dream and a life that did not follow a straight path. Nicole's story, as family and friends described it, included hard stretches and determined efforts to care for the people she loved. (Source: SF Weekly, "Where Is Arianna Fitts?")

Working Hard in a Hard City

Nicole worked at the Best Buy on Harrison Street in San Francisco. In April 2016, she was close to celebrating her first year at the store. NBC Bay Area reported that, while she and Arianna were "living under the radar," Nicole used the store's address to collect her mail. (Source: NBC Bay Area, April 11, 2016)

SF Weekly later described Nicole's housing insecurity in the Bay Area and the difficulty of balancing work, housing and childcare. Its reporting says Nicole moved with Contessa and Contessa's partner, Clare Bonnar, to the Santa Cruz area, while Nicole continued working in San Francisco. The commute could take more than two hours each way. (Source: SF Weekly, "Where Is Arianna Fitts?")

A coworker, Goyette Williams, later offered Nicole and Arianna a place to stay, according to SF Weekly. That account describes a person trying to make practical arrangements amid difficult circumstances, not a complete explanation for everything that followed, and not a basis for blame. (Source: SF Weekly, "Where Is Arianna Fitts?")

The public reporting gives us only pieces of Nicole's life at work. It does tell us that she was approaching a one-year milestone at Best Buy, and that coworkers remembered her not only as an employee but as a mother working toward a future for her daughters. (Sources: NBC Bay Area, April 11, 2016; KTVU, April 21, 2016)

"Butterfly"

The most tender detail in the accounts of Nicole's life with Arianna is a nickname: "butterfly." SF Weekly reported that Nicole called her daughter that, and that she bought a small bed and presents as she prepared to bring Arianna home. (Source: SF Weekly, "Where Is Arianna Fitts?")

The bed and presents were ordinary objects, but they carried a particular kind of hope: a mother making space for her child. In SF Weekly's reporting, Jacobo said buying presents for other people was one of Nicole's ways of celebrating. (Source: SF Weekly, "Where Is Arianna Fitts?")

Nicole was also a mother to Sendy, her older daughter, who lived with her father in Southern California, according to SF Weekly. KTVU reported that Nicole's coworker Nia Ripley described her as an energetic, bubbly single mother. Ripley said of Nicole's daughters: "They were everything she worked for." (Sources: SF Weekly, "Where Is Arianna Fitts?"; KTVU, April 21, 2016)

"They were everything she worked for."

Nia Ripley, Nicole's coworker (Source: KTVU, April 21, 2016)

Arianna was not simply a detail in a case about her mother. She was a little girl Nicole loved, planned for, and called "butterfly." Keeping that in view is part of remembering both of them with care. (Source: SF Weekly, "Where Is Arianna Fitts?")

What Her Friends Remember

Jacobo's words return to kindness and shyness. Contessa's account returns to sisterhood and the rhythm of monthly visits. Nia Ripley's memory returns to a mother whose daughters were central to her life. These are not all of Nicole, but they are grounded memories from people who knew her. (Sources: The Seattle Times, April 9–10, 2016; NBC Bay Area, April 11, 2016; KTVU, April 21, 2016)

"She was one of the kindest people you would ever meet."

Michael Jacobo, Nicole's friend and coworker (Source: The Seattle Times, April 9–10, 2016)

In April 2016, Nicole's friends planned to gather at John McLaren Park, and friends continued writing on her Facebook page, NBC Bay Area reported. The reporting gives us a glimpse of people trying to hold onto their connection with her while searching for Arianna and waiting for answers. (Source: NBC Bay Area, April 11, 2016)

What Nicole Was Facing

The reporting describes housing insecurity, a long commute, work and the effort to bring Arianna home. Those circumstances deserve to be acknowledged without treating them as an explanation for the crime or as a reason to blame Nicole. They are part of the context of her life, not a verdict on her choices. (Sources: NBC Bay Area, April 11, 2016; SF Weekly, "Where Is Arianna Fitts?")

We cannot fill in parts of Nicole's private life that the sources do not document. We can say that family, friends and coworkers remembered a woman who cared deeply for her daughters and for the people around her. (Sources: SF Weekly, "Where Is Arianna Fitts?"; KTVU, April 21, 2016)

Where the Case Stands

Nicole was found in John McLaren Park in April 2016, and Arianna remains missing as of November 12, 2026; the San Francisco Police Department continues to seek information. (Sources: SFPD, Nicole Fitts case page; FBI, Arianna Fitts) For the case history, see our preview, full breakdown, and evidence analysis. The public SFPD page lists a $250,000 reward and asks anyone with information to contact investigators. (Source: SFPD, Nicole Fitts case page)

Do You Have Information?

The SFPD lists these ways to share information about Nicole's homicide or Arianna's disappearance:

• ✔Anonymous tip line: 415-575-4444
• ✔Text: SFPD followed by your tip to 47411
• ✔Homicide Unit: 415-553-1145

The department lists a $250,000 reward. Please share information with investigators rather than posting unverified claims about the case online. (Source: SFPD, Nicole Fitts case page)

Remembering Nikki

This post is not a substitute for the investigation, and it cannot tell us everything about Nicole. It can hold onto what her sister, friends and coworkers chose to share: a shy and kind woman, a sister who stayed close, a worker nearing her first anniversary, and a mother who called her daughter "butterfly." (Sources: NBC Bay Area, April 11, 2016; The Seattle Times, April 9–10, 2016; SF Weekly, "Where Is Arianna Fitts?")

Her name was Nicole Fitts. The people close to her called her Nikki. If you share this remembrance, share it for the person her loved ones described, not only for the case file.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who was Nicole Fitts?

Nicole "Nikki" Fitts was a 32-year-old mother of two daughters, Sendy and Arianna, who worked at a Best Buy store in San Francisco. Her sister described her as cheerful and pleasant, and her friend and coworker remembered her as kind and shy. (Sources: NBC Bay Area, April 11, 2016; The Seattle Times, April 9–10, 2016; SF Weekly, "Where Is Arianna Fitts?")

What did Nicole Fitts do for work?

Nicole Fitts worked at the Best Buy store on Harrison Street in San Francisco. NBC Bay Area reported that in April 2016 she was approaching her one-year employment anniversary. (Source: NBC Bay Area, April 11, 2016)

Who was in Nicole Fitts's family?

Nicole Fitts was the middle of three sisters, and she was the mother of Sendy and Arianna. Her sister Contessa said they stayed in touch and met about once a month despite living in different cities. (Sources: SF Weekly, "Where Is Arianna Fitts?"; NBC Bay Area, April 11, 2016)

What did Nicole Fitts call her daughter Arianna?

Nicole Fitts called Arianna "butterfly," according to SF Weekly's reporting. The article also reported that Nicole bought a small bed and presents as she prepared to bring Arianna home. (Source: SF Weekly, "Where Is Arianna Fitts?")

Was Nicole Fitts's daughter ever found?

Arianna Fitts remains missing as of November 12, 2026, according to the FBI's wanted page and the SFPD case page. (Sources: FBI, Arianna Fitts; SFPD, Nicole Fitts case page)

How can I help find Arianna Fitts?

Anyone with information about Arianna Fitts or Nicole Fitts's homicide can contact the SFPD anonymous tip line at 415-575-4444, text SFPD followed by the tip to 47411, or call the Homicide Unit at 415-553-1145. The SFPD lists a $250,000 reward. (Source: SFPD, Nicole Fitts case page)

More From The Last Known Moment

• ✔Case Preview: The Case of Nicole and Arianna Fitts
• ✔The Case of Nicole and Arianna Fitts: Full Case Breakdown
• ✔Nicole and Arianna Fitts: Evidence and Analysis
• ✔Listen to The Last Known Moment on NaturalQueen77 TV

Sources

1. NBC Bay Area, "I Want to Believe She's OK": Slain Woman's Sister Scared, But Hopeful Police Will Find Missing Niece, April 11, 2016

2. The Seattle Times / Associated Press, "2-year-old daughter of slain mother missing in San Francisco," April 9–10, 2016

3. SF Weekly, "Where Is Arianna Fitts?"

4. KTVU, "SF police release new details in case of missing 2yo girl, her slain mom," April 21, 2016

5. San Francisco Police Department, Nicole Fitts case page

6. FBI, Arianna Fitts wanted page

Current as of November 12, 2026. This article is based on public records and published reporting available to us. We use AI-assisted research tools to help locate and organize sources; factual claims are checked against the cited material. If you have information about the case, contact law enforcement directly.

We are an independent show, and our work depends on readers who value careful, victim-centered reporting. Listen to the episode and visit NaturalQueen77 TV to follow the series.