Ten years after the body of 25-year-old Tucker County resident Ivan “Vanya” Perlis was discovered just over the county line in Grant County, an arrest has been made in the seemingly cold case. Richard William Nichols, 65, who at the time also resided in Tucker County, is charged with first- and second-degree murder in the case as of September 11, according to court records.
The Facts
On Nov. 12, 2016, a hunter called Grant County 911 after discovering human remains in a remote area of Dolly Sods near Brushy Ridge Road. Officials from the West Virginia State Police Moorefield/Petersburg Detachment responded to the area and determined the remains to be that of Perlis.
Troopers reported that they discovered “an intact human skull” with three “round holes” that were determined to be related to gunshots located in the back of the skull. In total, five bullet fragments were recovered from the skull by authorities, which were later determined to be from three .22 caliber bullets fired from a rifled barrel.
Perlis was further determined by authorities to have died the month prior, between Oct. 3 and Oct. 5.
The Tucker County Connection
Prior to his disappearance in October, Perlis had been living in a garage on a property in the Dry Fork area. On this same property, Nichols lived in a camper, according to the criminal complaint reported by WBOY News.
The complaint later states that in January of 2017, Nichols was interviewed about Perlis and described an altercation involving the theft of a bandana that Nichols claimed belonged to a dead friend. In the altercation, the complaint said Nichols allegedly picked Perlis “up by the neck” and shook him, an account that was corroborated by the owner of the land in November of 2016, the report states.
Two other key witnesses tied to the case also resided in Tucker County at the time, but have since moved to Virginia, according to reports.
Where It Stands
Nichols was arrested on Sept. 2 in Indiana and extradited to West Virginia to face charges of first- and second-degree murder in the case.
Nichols, who is currently in the Potomac Highlands Regional Jail with no bond set, has a motion to set/reduce bond made Oct. 8 by his attorney Harley Orrin Staggers, III. The motion is pending in West Virginia’s 25th Judicial Circuit Court before Judge F. Cody Pancake, III. No hearing date has been announced.
Full investigative reports were published by the Grant County Press. The Parsons Advocate will continue to follow this story as it develops.