Family and friends remember Nicole Lovell on the fifth anniversary of her disappearance on Jan. 27, 2021. January 27 is a day Tammy Weeks-Dowdy will never forget. Five years ago, she learned her daughter Nicole Lovell was missing. [Nicole Lovell: A timeline of the years since her disappearance]To honor Nicole’s memory on this anniversary, family and friends gathered at her final resting place. David Eisenhauer is spending 50 years in prison, found guilty of first-degree murder, abduction and hiding Nicole’s body.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Va. – The woman convicted in connection with the death of a Blacksburg girl in 2016 won’t see her appeal move forward in the Virginia Supreme Court. The court denied Natalie Keepers’ petition for appeal on Wednesday. In September 2018, a jury found Keepers guilty of being an accessory before the fact in the first-degree murder of Nicole Lovell. In April, Keepers and her legal team attempted an appeal on the grounds that her original trial was unfair. However, the Virginia Court of Appeals didn’t agree with Keepers and her legal team and it affirmed the conviction by the trial court.

BLACKSBURG, Va. – An appeals court upheld the conviction of Natalie Keepers by a lower court for her role in the murder of 13-year-old Nicole Lovell, according to court documents. Statements Keepers made to police were included in the original trial Two specific jurors were not removed despite the defense’s requestHowever, the Virginia Court of Appeals didn’t agree with Keepers and her legal team and it affirmed the conviction by the trial court. According to opinion notes in court documents, the appellate court stated that the trial court did not make a mistake in allowing statements Keepers made to police to be included and that there was no problem with the inclusion of the two jurors Keepers took issue with. Going forward, Keepers can ask to have the appeal heard by the entire Court of Appeals (en banc) or she can appeal the decision directly to the Virginia Supreme Court, according to Pettitt. Lovell’s family released the following statement in October when the appeals court agreed to review Keepers’ case:“This appeal is demeaning to Nicole Lovell and our family.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY (WSLS 10) - Police talked to Natalie Keepers for more than 24 hours over the course of two days and it's all on video or audio recordings, according to testimony at her hearing on Tuesday. Recordings also detailed Keepers explaining how Eisenhauer made up a code in the event she was in police custody. MONTGOMERY COUNTY (WSLS 10) - Prosecutors spent much of Tuesday morning playing video and audio recordings during motions hearings for Natalie Keepers. She went in to explain how Eisenhauer asked her to "give him 24-hour headstart" if police questioned her. On January 31, Blacksburg police made arrested 19-year-old Natalie Keepers and charged her with improper disposal of a dead body and accessory after the fact.

CHRISTIANSBURG (WSLS 10) -- David Eisenhauer's preliminary hearing scheduled for March 28 is being delayed. Eisenhauer, the former Virginia Tech Student accused of first-degree murder in the death of 13-year-old Nicole Lovell, was scheduled to appear in Montgomery County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court on Monday. The hearing for Natalie Keepers, the second person facing charges in the case, has also been rescheduled. Eisenhauer is charged with abduction and first-degree murder in the death of Lovell. Keepers, also a former Virginia Tech student, is charged with accessory before and after the fact to the murder and improper disposal of a body.

Crowds came together for the "Battle of the Burgs", an annual basketball game. Both the girls and boys basketball teams from Blacksburg and Christiansburg High battled for bragging rights on the court. Organizers said a teenager from the Blacksburg High School came up with the idea to raise awareness about Nicole, but also allow the community to grieve. One student from Blacskburg High School, created t-shirts with a panda which was also Nicole's favorite animal. Volunteers from Help Save the Next Girl Christiansburg High School Chapter attended the game to promote safety and awareness.

BLACKSBURG (WSLS 10) – A scholarship fund has been set up at the National Bank of Blacksburg to help following the death of Nicole Lovell. Donations will be used to help with incidentals, services or related expenses. Any remaining funds will be used to start a scholarships in Nicole’s name. The Criminal Injuries Compensation Fund, which provides up to $5000 toward funeral expenses for the victim of a crime, has provided for funeral expenses, along with McCoy Funeral Home in Blacksburg. Donations can be made at any National Bank of Blacksburg location or by mail to:National Bank of Blacksburgc/o Nicole Madison Lovell Memorial FundPO Box 90002Blacksburg, VA 24062Click here for more information on Nicole Lovell

BLACKSBURG (WSLS 10) - Virginia Tech student Natalie Keepers is now charged with accessory before the fact to willfully, deliberately, and with premeditation kill and murder Nicole Lovell in the 1st degree. Nicole Lovell, 13, was found dead Jan. 30, 2016, three days after she went missing. The 19-year-old Keepers is still charged with unlawful disposal of a body and accessory after the fact, according to Pettitt. "Multiple agencies are seeking justice for Nicole and her family," Albert said, " We will be vigilant in the days, weeks, and months ahead." Lovell's official autopsy results may not be back until the preliminary hearings for Eisenhauer and Keepers in March, Pettitt said.

CHRISTIANSBURG (WSLS 10) -- David Lovell walked into the Montgomery County courthouse Monday looking for answers in the death of his daughter, 13-year-old Nicole Lovell. 18-year-old David Eisenhauer is charged with felony abduction, which occurred on or about January 27, 2016 and first degree murder, which occurred on or about January 30, 2016, according to arrest warrants. Arrest warrants did; however, reveal new information. These are all details David Lovell knows will become harder to hear. Blacksburg police confirmed Saturday that Nicole Lovell was found dead, her remains found in Surry, NC.

Nicole Lovell, 13, was found dead Jan. 30, 2016, three days after she went missing. MONTGOMERY COUNTY (WSLS 10) - Nicole Lovell's church held a special service Sunday morning to remember her and support her family. Youth Pastor Josh Blankenship at Auburn Baptist Church said Lovell's death was a shock to a community that loved and cared for her. She was the type of young lady that never, never met a stranger and was very faithful at the church. Loved the lord and was very loved by her family," said Blankenship.

BLACKSBURG (WSLS 10) WSLS 10 has learned the Virginia State Police Search and Recovery Team spent Sunday searching a pond on the Virigina Tech campus. WSLS 10's Dawn Jefferies reports the dive team is searching the pond near the VT Veterinary school for evidence in the Nicole Lovell case. Authorities aren't releasing much more information at this time. We'll update this story when we have more information.

BLACKSBURG (WSLS) – The Blacksburg Police Department will be conducting a news conference tonight in reference to new developments in the investigation involving the Nicole Madison Lovell abduction. Location – Blacksburg Transit meeting room, 2800 Commerce Street Blacksburg, VA. The press conference comes after police arrested 18-year old David Eisenhauer, a Virginia Tech freshman. Eisenhaur is charged with abduction in the disappearance of Nicole Lovell. Eisenhauer is from Columbia, Maryland, police say.

BLACKSBURG (WSLS 10) -- The Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership of Virginia Tech is aiding in the search for missing 13-year-old Nicole Lovell. It also has infrared search capability to detect heat, explained Mark Blanks, associate director of Virginia Tech’s Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership. Thursdays search marked only the second time drones have officially been used for search and rescue in Virginia. That search on, September 30, 2014, marked the first use of unmanned aircraft technology for search and rescue in Virginia’s history. MAAP is headquartered at the Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science at Virginia Tech .