On March 28, 2022, in Eunice, Missouri, 31-year-old Nikki Lynne Goodchild was found dead by her 12-year-old daughter, lying just inside the front doorway of the family home and covered in blood. Emergency responders pronounced her dead at about 5:45 p.m. Investigators determined Nikki had sustained multiple gunshot wounds to the head, chest, and shoulder; a single bullet casing was recovered near the entrance.

Attention quickly focused on extended family. Nikki’s husband identified his brother, Joshua Goodchild, as a potential suspect, saying Joshua resented the couple after they took over the family farm. Police executed a search warrant at an RV near the victim’s home the next day and seized weapons and ammunition, including .45-caliber bullets, that matched ballistics evidence. Joshua, then 43, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, armed criminal action, first-degree burglary, and unlawful use of a weapon. He spoke to police about government conspiracies and initially denied being at the house, while admitting a prior confrontation with Nikki.

Court proceedings were delayed for mental evaluations to determine Joshua’s fitness to stand trial. The investigation established the scene and the charges; other questions about motive and the full sequence of events remain.