Bend woman indicted on murder, kidnapping charges
Published 5:30 am Tuesday, September 19, 2023
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A Bend woman has been indicted on charges of first-degree murder with a firearm in the death of a Madras man who was reported missing in September 2022.
Audrey Nicole Hahn, 31, is accused of murdering Thomas Nielson, 61, of Madras, in the course of or as the result of torture or maiming, according to the indictment filed Thursday in Crook County Circuit Court. She is further accused of killing him in an effort to conceal the crime of assault and in the course of committing the crime of kidnapping, according to the indictment.
Hahn, who has pleaded not guilty, was arrested by Jefferson County law enforcement on Sept. 8 and remains in the Crook County jail without bail, according to the jail roster.
The indictment provides few details about the allegations against Hahn. It states the crime occurred between Sept. 7 and 11 , 2022, in Crook County.
Hahn is accused of the unlawful use of a firearm and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, in addition to kidnapping and first- and second-degree murder charges.
Oregon State Police and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office reported last year that Nielson was last seen Sept. 9, 2022.
The Madras Pioneer reported at the time that a house listed as his address, 1610 SW Culver Highway in Madras, was destroyed by fire early on the morning of Sept. 14, 2022.
Police then sought the public’s help in finding Nielson, who they believed at the time was missing and endangered, according to a news release.
In August 2022, Hahn pleaded guilty to felony first-degree theft and received 20 days in jail and two years of probation.
Her next court date is Oct. 12.