Nathan Mowers, 37, was arrested and booked on suspicion of the murder of Azita Nikooei—who went missing in 2004. Nikooei was 29-years-old at the time of her disappearance.
Bakersfield Deputy District Attorney Melissa Allen wouldn’t comment on any evidence that’s been uncovered, but said Mowers will be charged with first-degree murder.
On September 6, 2004, Mowers reported Nikooei missing. Mowers, who had been dating and living with Nikooei for two years at the time of her disappearance, told police the last time he saw her was at a shopping center in Bakersfield that same day around 2 p.m. After her disappearance, Mowers handed out missing fliers. Four days later, Nikooei’s 1999 Nissan Pathfinder was found in the shopping center parking lot. Her body was never found.
Reports say the most damning evidence against Mowers contained in the criminal complaint is an alleged confession he made to a friend in 2004. He reportedly told Bryan Blair that he strangled Nikooei and dumped her body in the Mojave Desert, according to a report on Bakersfieldnow.com. Investigators did not arrest Mowers at that time because Blair told them he was drunk when he talked to Mowers.
According to police, Mowers disappeared for a short period of time in September but turned up again a couple of weeks later in Wisconsin, where he was arrested on weapons charges.
Evidence against Mowers outlined in the charge includes: The confession of co-workers that Mowers and Nikooei physically fought for months before she went missing; cell phone records indicating the suspect may have driven back to Bakersfield from the Mojave Desert immediately after Nikooei went missing; Mowers’ suspicious travel to Wisconsin just weeks after Nikooei went missing, during which he was stopped for a traffic violation and found to be with his dog, two handguns and nearly $20,000 in cash; inconsistent and untruthful statements Mowers made to investigators; and a lack of activity—financial transactions, contact with friends and family—by Nikooei, indicating that she is in fact dead.
Nikooei immigrated to the US in 1994 to marry Bobby Nikooei. Three years later, their child, Donial, was born and three years after that the couple separated. Bobby filed for divorce in July 2000, asking for sole legal and physical custody of their son. He accused his wife of being more interested in partying than caring for the boy. But a judge gave the mother physical custody, with visitation rights for the father. At that time, Nikooei was working as a waitress and a saleswoman for a distributor of beauty supply products.