Michelle Nicole Roper was found dead in her Emporia, Virginia, home on Friday, July 25, 2014. She was 36 and known to friends and family as Nikki, Shell, or Mickey Mouse. Born April 15, 1978, in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, she was the daughter of Haldana R. Cooper Thomas and the late Lawrence G. Roper and a mother to her son, Wakki K. D. Roper.

Michelle had worked at Food Lion, Web Craft, and an animal shelter, and was remembered for her love of animals. Funeral services were held and she was interred at Old Field Cemetery in Church Creek.

If anyone knew Michelle, her routines, or has information about what happened in Emporia in July 2014, please share what you remember.