Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - A Year After Alexis Nelson's Disappearance, Husband Charged with Murder | Crime Alert 05.22.26

Episode Date: May 22, 2026

While Alexis Nelson's body has not been found, her husband is now charged with her murder. Former conversion therapy proponent accused of trying to meet a 14-year-old boy for sex. An ominous phone call revealed a kidnapping and execution plot in Chicago. Sydney Silvagni reports.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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It's a summer kickoff thing. Join today at Simonplus.com. Rewards program Terms Apply. See Simonplus.com for details. Crime alert, hourly update. Breaking crime news now. I'm Sidney. A chilling investigation out of Wisconsin has culminated in a major arrest

more than a year after a woman vanished without a trace, leaving a trail of disturbing behavioral patterns and forensic evidence. The Dodge County Sheriff's Office announced that 43-year-old Aaron Nelson was taken into custody on Monday, May 18. The Dodge County District Attorney's Office has officially hit Nelson with heavy charges, including first-degree intentional homicide and hiding a corpse. Although prosecutors are moving forward with a murder case, authorities admit that the body of his wife, 42-year-old Alexis Nelson, has still not been found. Nelson is currently being held in the Dodge County Jail on a staggering $1 million

cash bond, with a court appearance scheduled for May 28th. Officials added there withholding additional details out of respect for the family and the ongoing integrity of the judicial process. As reported by local news outlet WISC, Alexis Nelson was last seen alive in May of 2025. Behind closed doors, prosecutors allege a history of volatile domestic abuse, noting that Alexis had previously filed a restraining order against her husband following an alleged domestic incident. A neighbor who lived near the couple's Beaver Dam apartment spoke with WITI for calling frequent intense arguments echoing from the home before Alexis disappeared. The timeline constructed by investigators reveals a dark series of events. According to a criminal complaint, the couple was last captured together on

surveillance footage at a Beaver Dam Quick Trip on March 29, 2025. From there, the digital and physical evidence began to pile up. Phone records allegedly track Alexis's cell phone traveling to Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, before going dark. The very next day, Aaron Nelson was spotted purchasing a 32-gallon trash can. Shortly after his wife's disappearance, Nelson allegedly created a fraudulent Facebook profile under the alias James Nelson, changing his relationship status to widowed. Within weeks in April of 2025, Nelson matched with another woman on the dating app Tinder and moved into her residence by the end of May. Shockingly, investigators later noticed that this new girlfriend was actively wearing Alexis's stolen wedding ring. In June, a search warrant executed at the girlfriend's home uncovered the 32-gallon

trash can, which forensics confirmed tested positive for Alexis's blood. A certified cadaver dog also alerted handlers to a shed on the property where that exact trash can had been hidden. While the Dodge County Medical Examiner's office confirms there is no official record of Alexis's death within the state, the evidence was more than enough to secure a homicide charge. More crime and justice news after this. Get rewarded just for shopping with Simon Plus. Don't miss Memorial Day sales at Simon premium outlets and mills. You can get points at scores of stores, access to exclusive offers, and exciting surprises. You've got an extra day off, so make it pay off, with the best deals

from brands you love all in one place. It's a summer kickoff thing. Join today at Simonplus.com. Rewards program Terms Supply. See Simonplus.com for details. In Orange County, Florida, a prominent figure who wants led a controversial national religious movement is now behind bars, caught in a high-stakes internet crime sting operation. Alan Chambers, the former high-profile president of Exodus International, a now defunct ministry that infamously advocated for conversion therapy, was arrested in Winter Park on Monday, May 18th. Court records reveal that Chambers is facing severe felony charges, including soliciting a minor via computer, transmitting information harmful to a minor, and the unlawful

use of a two-way communication device. According to an arrest affidavit, Chambers' downfall was the result of a meticulous, months-long sting operation spearheaded by cybercrime detectives. Investigators allege that Chambers was actively communicating with an undercover detective who was posing online as a vulnerable 14-year-old boy. Per the arrest documents, Chambers utilize multiple digital platforms to maintain contact, including Snapchat, text messaging, and the encrypted app, Telegram. The explicit nature of their interactions escalated significantly when Chambers allegedly transmitted an explicit photograph displaying a man's torso and genitals to the undercover agent. The affidavit further claims that Chambers repeatedly

initiated conversations about arranging an in-person meeting with the person he believed to be a young teenager. Throughout these digital exchanges, Chambers reportedly voiced calculated paranoia, explicitly expressing deep concern over being discovered. Chambers is currently being held at the Orange County Jail. This arrest marks a stunning chapter for a man who made national headlines back in 2012 when he publicly renounced his support for conversion therapy, later offering a formal apology to the gay community in 2013 for the undue suffering and judgment caused by his former ministry. Chambers, who authored three books throughout his career detailing his shifting stances, has not yet entered a formal plea. An international phone call has exposed a brutal kidnapping and execution in Chicago,

leaving Area 1 detectives searching for answers. The investigation unfolded on Tuesday night when Chicago police officers responded to a requested well-being check around 9 p.m. inside an apartment located in the 6800 block of South Perry Avenue. Upon entering the residence, officers made a gruesome discovery, finding the body of an unidentified 18-year-old male inside a bathtub. According to an official Chicago police report, the teenager was found lying face down with his hands tightly bound behind his back.

The victim had sustained multiple fatal gunshot wounds to his chest and leg. Officers processing the scene recovered three 9mm shell casings adjacent to the bathtub. The sequence of events leading authorities to the crime scene began with an extraordinary and terrifying phone call received by the victim's mother. A police report indicates that the mother was contacted by an unknown individual placing a call from Venezuela. The anonymous caller claimed that her 18-year-old son had been kidnapped on Monday afternoon around 3 p.m. near a basketball court in the 7100 block of South King Drive. The foreign caller then provided the exact address of the Perry Avenue apartment, stating that the young man could be found inside.

Area 1 detectives are currently working to unravel the connection between the local kidnapping, the execution, and the mysterious caller broadcasting from South America. For the latest crime and justice breaking news, be sure to tune in tomorrow on your favorite podcast app. With this crime alert, I'm Sidney Solvani. Get rewarded just for shopping with Simon Plus. Don't miss Memorial Day sales at Simon Premium Outlets and Mills. You can get points at scores of stores, access to exclusive offers, and exciting surprises.

You've got an extra day off, so make it pay off with the best deals from brands you love all in one place. It's a summer kickoff thing. Join today at Simonplus.com. Rewards program, Term Supply. See simonplus.com for details. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.