( CNN ) -- The hidden skeleton of a woman who had been missing for 28 years came to light when a contractor cleaned out a vacant home in the Town of Poughkeepsie , New York . The gruesome find was uncovered behind a 'false wall ' in the basement of the home the woman had shared with her late husband , police said . Joann Nichols ' remains were found inside a large plastic bin , inside a plastic bag and wrapped in a sheet , said Dr. Kari Reiber , the Dutchess County Medical Examiner . `` The body was skeletonized and the hands were tied with rope . ... A large area of the right side of the skull was also missing , '' Reiber said . Sealing the body in the plastic bin behind a false wall might have been enough to mask the smell as the body decomposed , she said . Members of the medical examiner 's office removed the body after it was found Friday and were able to identify Nichols through dental records . An autopsy showed the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head , according to Reiber . Nichols , a 55-year-old former first-grade teacher at Gayhead Elementary School in Hopewell Junction New York , was reported missing on December 21 , 1985 , by her husband , James Nichols . Police said he called in the report after his wife did n't show up for a hair appointment at a beauty parlor earlier that day . The next day the couple 's vehicle was discovered in the parking lot of a shopping center in the town . Police Chief Thomas Mauro said an intensive investigation followed , but the woman was never located . The case had remained open since 1985 and was reviewed annually by police , he said . James Nichols was found dead in the home on December 27 after concerned neighbors called police because they had not seen him in several days . He was 82 and died of natural causes , police said . Officers said they found the house filled with personal items , debris and garbage . No one in Nichols ' family came forward to claim his body or take control of his estate , so Dutchess County Commissioner of Finance Pamela Barrack was appointed as temporary administrator , according to Barrack 's attorney , Kelly Traver . `` We were only able to locate two family members of Mr. Nichols , but they were not able to claim his body , '' Traver said . Nichols was buried by the Dutchess County Department of Community and Family Services in an unknown location , Traver said . The Town of Poughkeepsie Police Department said it has not closed the case and will continue to examine the new forensic evidence . `` It 's now safe to say James Nichols is a suspect in this case , '' said police Capt . Paul LeComte . The Town of Poughkeepsie surrounds the City of Poughkeepsie in southeastern New York State , about 70 miles north of New York City . Child 's body found under tarp in middle of Texas street .
A contractor finds a skeleton inside a container behind a false wall . Joann Nichols ' husband reported her missing in 1985 . Her husband continued to live in the house until he died there in December .