Naman Shrestha
When Bethany Decker reached home in the early hours of January 29, 2011, after spending a lovely evening with her maternal grandmother, no one expected her to disappear. Neither her mother, Kimberly “Kim” Nelson, nor any of her loved ones expected it to be her last day on the face of the earth. She and her then-boyfriend Ronald Roldan had gotten into an argument, which culminated in him killing the 3-month pregnant mother. NBC’s ‘Dateline: Bethany Vanished’ gives us a detailed account of the case, including the struggles of Kimberly to get justice for her beloved late daughter.
Kimberly Nelson Has Always Been a Deeply Devoted Mother
Kimberly Nelson was quite young when she gave birth to Bethany. So, in a way, they both taught each other various life lessons as they grew up together. Caring and loving, like most mothers, she also shared a deep bond with her daughter and wanted the best things for her. Therefore, when she learned that her little girl was in a relationship with a man named Ronald Roland, who was allegedly not only controlling but also abusive, she begged her to leave him. Her husband, Alex, her younger daughter, and her two young sons supported her stance as they wanted Bethany to be safe, too.
After things started getting out of control in their daughter’s relationship with Ronald, both Kimberly and Alex started plotting a plan to get her out of the toxic relationship. They understood why Bethany had separated from her husband and the father of her toddler son, Kai, Emile Decker. Emile was in the army, which took him away from the 21-year-old and left her to handle university, work, and parenthood all alone. However, they didn’t understand her romance with Ronald. But alas, before they could ever do anything, Bethany disappeared. It was as if she went underground after January 28, 2011, but friends later told Kimberly that the 3-month pregnant Bethany was privately messaging them on Facebook.
By that point in early 2011, Kai was already living with Kimberly full-time after an incident at home that left him with a black eye, according to the aforementioned show. The mother of 4 and grandmother thus knew something was wrong, because her daughter usually could not go even a day without talking to her son. So, on February 19, 2011, she asked her parents to visit Bethany’s place and check if she was doing fine. When she was nowhere to be found, they reported her missing. Suspecting foul play from Ronald, Kimberly wanted him to take a polygraph test to prove his innocence. However, when officials asked him to do so during a round of questioning, he asked for a lawyer instead. On February 21, 2023, Kimberly’s daughter Bethany finally received justice for her murder when Ronald was sentenced to 40 years in prison.
Kimberly Nelson is Focused on Her Remaining Family Today
Even though Bethany’s perpetrator, Ronald, was brought to justice, Kimberly didn’t seem to get a sense of closure. She said in a statement, “It was quite tragic for us to go from missing to murdered in just a sentence and in a day.”Kimberly admittedly felt like she was drowning at the time, but she expressed her gratitude towards the members of a support group that went by the name Team Bethany. After all, this group stood by her and her family throughout the 12 years it took to secure justice.
Apart from that, Kimberly admitted that even the simplest of gestures of kindness and concern meant the whole world to her. While the investigators kept giving her reassurance that her daughter was not forgotten and that she would receive justice, her church community and even strangers provided her emotional support, which gave her the strength she needed to keep her hopes alive. According to reports, Bethany’s son, Kai, was in the custody of Kimberly for a while after her daughter’s disappearance.
However, per the latest updates, Kai currently resides with his father, Emile Decker. Though Kimberly did not receive the closure she hoped for in the Bethany case, we believe she is focusing on healing her emotional wounds and trauma by focusing on her remaining family. This includes her husband Alex Nelson, daughter Ashley Littlejohn, son Robert Littlejohn, son Kyle Littlejohn, their respective partners, and their children. We should also mention that whenever the cardiac nurse is not devoting herself to family or making efforts to keep Bethany’s memories alive, it appears as if she likes traveling. In fact, from what we can tell, she, Alex, and their two dogs often go on long camping/hiking trips to beautifully quiet locations across the nation every year.
Read More: Emile Decker: Where is Bethany Decker’s Ex-Husband Now?
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