1 00:00:02,784 --> 00:00:05,396 [Narrator] A loving and outgoing mother of three. 2 00:00:05,439 --> 00:00:08,355 Everybody wanted to be around her and her energy 3 00:00:08,399 --> 00:00:10,183 and her beauty. 4 00:00:10,227 --> 00:00:14,144 She was an incredible human being and a great mother. 5 00:00:16,450 --> 00:00:19,323 [Narrator] Is found murdered in a farmer's field. 6 00:00:19,366 --> 00:00:22,065 There was numerous blunt force trauma injuries. 7 00:00:22,108 --> 00:00:25,198 Cuts, lacerations, bruising throughout her body. 8 00:00:25,242 --> 00:00:29,376 This poor woman was brutally, brutally attacked 9 00:00:29,420 --> 00:00:31,204 and murdered. 10 00:00:31,248 --> 00:00:33,206 [Narrator] As detectives hunt the killer, 11 00:00:33,250 --> 00:00:35,295 they unearth dark secrets. 12 00:00:35,339 --> 00:00:37,384 All the information kept leading us to think 13 00:00:37,428 --> 00:00:40,387 that he was trying to find a way out of this relationship. 14 00:00:44,652 --> 00:00:47,264 They had an argument, something happened, it went too far. 15 00:00:48,874 --> 00:00:50,658 [Narrator] Then, new revelations turn the case 16 00:00:50,702 --> 00:00:52,573 on its head. 17 00:00:52,617 --> 00:00:54,401 In the video, there is a male party following her 18 00:00:54,445 --> 00:00:55,446 into the darkness. 19 00:01:00,538 --> 00:01:03,802 [Narrator] And points to a predator no one saw coming. 20 00:01:03,845 --> 00:01:06,761 It was definitely a very big twist. 21 00:01:06,805 --> 00:01:11,549 When the news came out, he made me sick, when I saw him. 22 00:01:11,592 --> 00:01:13,377 He looked like a monster. 23 00:01:15,161 --> 00:01:17,859 [mysterious music] 24 00:01:20,471 --> 00:01:22,212 [blade scrapes] 25 00:01:22,255 --> 00:01:24,866 [upbeat acoustic guitar music] 26 00:01:24,910 --> 00:01:27,434 Green Bay, Wisconsin is a relatively small, 27 00:01:27,478 --> 00:01:31,264 close-knit community, where a lotta people know each other. 28 00:01:31,308 --> 00:01:34,267 Obviously, our claim to fame is having the Green Bay Packers 29 00:01:34,311 --> 00:01:35,442 in town here. 30 00:01:35,486 --> 00:01:37,140 So, during football season, 31 00:01:37,183 --> 00:01:39,229 pretty much everything centers around that. 32 00:01:40,317 --> 00:01:41,666 It's a hundred percent a place 33 00:01:41,709 --> 00:01:43,276 that you would wanna raise a family. 34 00:01:43,320 --> 00:01:45,148 The crime rate in the Green Bay area 35 00:01:45,191 --> 00:01:46,497 is generally very low, 36 00:01:46,540 --> 00:01:48,499 especially when it comes to violent crime. 37 00:01:49,891 --> 00:01:52,894 [Narrator] On a warm May afternoon in 2016, 38 00:01:52,938 --> 00:01:55,419 nearby Brown County Sheriff's Office 39 00:01:55,462 --> 00:01:58,857 gets a troubling 9-1-1 call from a local farmer. 40 00:02:11,783 --> 00:02:15,439 The 9-1-1 call was from farmers working in a field, 41 00:02:15,482 --> 00:02:16,831 and they located a body. 42 00:02:18,833 --> 00:02:21,532 [Narrator] Investigators race to the farmer's field 43 00:02:21,575 --> 00:02:24,274 on the outskirts of Green Bay. 44 00:02:24,317 --> 00:02:27,581 The body was behind a brushy, woody area, 45 00:02:27,625 --> 00:02:29,931 not visible by the road itself. 46 00:02:31,759 --> 00:02:35,198 It was laying face down with arms spread across the front 47 00:02:35,241 --> 00:02:38,505 of her head, and feet towards the road. 48 00:02:38,549 --> 00:02:42,509 The victim was a blonde female, approximately in her 30s. 49 00:02:42,553 --> 00:02:46,252 Past that, we really didn't have any identifying information 50 00:02:46,296 --> 00:02:48,733 other than the pink wristband on her wrist. 51 00:02:50,430 --> 00:02:53,564 There was a distinct pattern that we found 52 00:02:53,607 --> 00:02:56,219 on the victim's back, which appeared to be 53 00:02:56,262 --> 00:02:57,394 from the sole of a shoe. 54 00:02:59,613 --> 00:03:03,226 It wasn't until body was turned that all the injuries 55 00:03:03,269 --> 00:03:04,270 were located. 56 00:03:05,576 --> 00:03:07,752 The extent of injuries that she suffered 57 00:03:07,795 --> 00:03:09,754 were pretty horrific. 58 00:03:11,321 --> 00:03:13,627 There was trauma to her neck that would indicate 59 00:03:13,671 --> 00:03:14,933 possible strangulation, 60 00:03:16,761 --> 00:03:19,720 in addition to lacerations, bruising throughout her body. 61 00:03:20,765 --> 00:03:23,376 Her fingernails were damaged, 62 00:03:23,420 --> 00:03:25,465 indicative of defensive wounds. 63 00:03:25,509 --> 00:03:28,642 That tells us that she was fighting for her life. 64 00:03:28,686 --> 00:03:31,471 There were nail clippings taken for the potential 65 00:03:31,515 --> 00:03:34,996 of any DNA from the suspect, underneath her fingernails. 66 00:03:37,738 --> 00:03:38,826 We were looking for anything 67 00:03:38,870 --> 00:03:40,741 that could be used as a weapon. 68 00:03:40,785 --> 00:03:43,004 However, the search of the area didn't reveal anything. 69 00:03:44,528 --> 00:03:45,920 [Narrator] After questioning the farmer 70 00:03:45,964 --> 00:03:48,358 and clearing him of any suspicion, 71 00:03:48,401 --> 00:03:51,926 investigators try to determine how the victim ended up 72 00:03:51,970 --> 00:03:52,971 in his field. 73 00:03:54,799 --> 00:03:56,931 The area was searched thoroughly for any clothing 74 00:03:56,975 --> 00:03:58,498 that may have been left behind, 75 00:03:58,542 --> 00:04:00,979 any other tracks, footprints. 76 00:04:02,502 --> 00:04:03,590 There were a set of tire tracks 77 00:04:03,634 --> 00:04:05,375 that went from the driveway 78 00:04:05,418 --> 00:04:07,681 to where the victim's body was found, 79 00:04:07,725 --> 00:04:10,771 and then circled back towards the driveway. 80 00:04:12,512 --> 00:04:14,601 The farmers working the field were using a skid-steer 81 00:04:14,645 --> 00:04:17,430 and a four-wheeler, and they definitely didn't match 82 00:04:17,474 --> 00:04:19,780 those pieces of equipment. 83 00:04:19,824 --> 00:04:22,043 We definitely felt like this was likely 84 00:04:22,087 --> 00:04:24,785 the suspect vehicle that was used 85 00:04:24,829 --> 00:04:26,613 to transport the body there. 86 00:04:27,962 --> 00:04:29,050 [Narrator] As detectives continue 87 00:04:29,094 --> 00:04:30,922 to process the crime scene, 88 00:04:30,965 --> 00:04:34,317 the local sheriff's office receives another call. 89 00:04:48,722 --> 00:04:51,638 Our dispatch center received a phone call 90 00:04:51,682 --> 00:04:54,075 from a party named Doug Detrie, 91 00:04:54,119 --> 00:04:57,644 reporting that he did not know where his girlfriend was. 92 00:04:57,688 --> 00:05:00,343 And the last he had seen or heard from her 93 00:05:00,386 --> 00:05:02,040 was the night before. 94 00:05:02,083 --> 00:05:04,869 We felt very strongly that the missing person report 95 00:05:04,912 --> 00:05:08,002 was gonna involve the victim we had in the field. 96 00:05:11,745 --> 00:05:13,399 [Narrator] Officers from the crime scene 97 00:05:13,443 --> 00:05:15,706 are dispatched to interview the caller, 98 00:05:15,749 --> 00:05:19,362 34-year-old Doug Detrie, who lived with his girlfriend, 99 00:05:19,405 --> 00:05:20,885 Nicole VanderHeyden. 100 00:05:28,109 --> 00:05:30,503 [Narrator] As allowed by Wisconsin law, 101 00:05:30,547 --> 00:05:33,941 officers secretly film the conversation. 102 00:05:33,985 --> 00:05:36,988 It was important to record the interview with Doug. 103 00:05:38,468 --> 00:05:39,860 Based on the victim in the field, 104 00:05:39,904 --> 00:05:41,775 it's always in the back of our mind 105 00:05:41,819 --> 00:05:43,037 that this could be some kind of domestic violence issue 106 00:05:43,081 --> 00:05:44,561 that happened. 107 00:05:44,604 --> 00:05:46,389 Doug looked completely hungover. 108 00:05:46,432 --> 00:05:48,129 He had really dark circles under his eyes. 109 00:05:48,173 --> 00:05:51,481 He looked like he hadn't slept in days. 110 00:05:51,524 --> 00:05:54,005 I asked him why he's making this missing person's report. 111 00:06:00,446 --> 00:06:04,494 Doug indicated that he and Nikki joined a group of friends 112 00:06:04,537 --> 00:06:07,105 out at a local establishment 113 00:06:07,148 --> 00:06:10,021 to participate in watching a live band. 114 00:06:11,979 --> 00:06:13,981 [Narrator] Doug provides a telling detail 115 00:06:14,025 --> 00:06:16,157 when asked what Nikki was wearing. 116 00:06:24,470 --> 00:06:26,559 There was a wristband that the victim was wearing. 117 00:06:26,603 --> 00:06:27,952 So based on that information, 118 00:06:27,995 --> 00:06:29,780 we were quite certain that it was Nikki 119 00:06:29,823 --> 00:06:31,434 that we were with in the field. 120 00:06:32,783 --> 00:06:34,567 [Narrator] As police work to confirm 121 00:06:34,611 --> 00:06:38,092 that the victim in the field is 31-year-old mother of three, 122 00:06:38,136 --> 00:06:42,140 Nicole VanderHeyden, they learn more about her background. 123 00:06:45,491 --> 00:06:48,755 Nikki was born in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. 124 00:06:48,799 --> 00:06:50,583 Then, she went to high school here. 125 00:06:50,627 --> 00:06:55,632 She was the most amazing, inspiring, beautiful, 126 00:06:56,981 --> 00:06:59,723 happy woman I have ever met in my life. 127 00:06:59,766 --> 00:07:02,943 She always enjoyed being around family. 128 00:07:04,031 --> 00:07:05,816 [Narrator] After high school, 129 00:07:05,859 --> 00:07:08,862 Nikki attended the University of Wisconsin, Green Bay, 130 00:07:08,906 --> 00:07:10,995 graduating in 2010. 131 00:07:12,518 --> 00:07:14,477 Nikki's background included a double major 132 00:07:14,520 --> 00:07:16,087 in science and education. 133 00:07:16,130 --> 00:07:19,090 From that, she was a substitute school teacher. 134 00:07:19,133 --> 00:07:21,484 Nikki was one of the hardest workers I've known. 135 00:07:21,527 --> 00:07:24,965 She always had two jobs as a substitute teacher 136 00:07:25,009 --> 00:07:26,227 and waitressing. 137 00:07:27,881 --> 00:07:29,143 [Narrator] Outside of work, 138 00:07:29,187 --> 00:07:31,711 Nikki was dedicated to fitness. 139 00:07:33,104 --> 00:07:36,499 She definitely took care of herself, 140 00:07:36,542 --> 00:07:38,152 and she worked out a lot. 141 00:07:38,196 --> 00:07:40,677 Everybody wanted to be around her and her energy 142 00:07:40,720 --> 00:07:42,505 and her beauty. 143 00:07:42,548 --> 00:07:44,898 We always complimented how beautiful she was, 144 00:07:44,942 --> 00:07:47,292 and she was, inside and out. 145 00:07:49,207 --> 00:07:52,079 [Narrator] In 2005, Nikki got married 146 00:07:52,123 --> 00:07:56,127 and had two children, but the marriage ended in 2012. 147 00:07:57,607 --> 00:07:59,565 Nikki was definitely a hands-on mom. 148 00:07:59,609 --> 00:08:02,568 I think it made her proud to be able to do that. 149 00:08:02,612 --> 00:08:04,614 'Cause being a single mother is not easy. 150 00:08:06,224 --> 00:08:10,184 [Narrator] Then, in 2015, Nikki met Doug Detrie. 151 00:08:11,229 --> 00:08:13,666 Nikki and Doug had a spark. 152 00:08:13,710 --> 00:08:16,582 They moved very quickly, and got pregnant, 153 00:08:16,626 --> 00:08:21,631 and she was so excited to be become a mother 154 00:08:22,719 --> 00:08:24,677 of three beautiful children. 155 00:08:24,721 --> 00:08:26,853 Nikki and Doug were still learning to live with one another. 156 00:08:26,897 --> 00:08:29,552 It was definitely a life changer. 157 00:08:31,945 --> 00:08:33,556 [Narrator] As Nikki's boyfriend, 158 00:08:33,599 --> 00:08:35,993 Doug is a leading suspect in her murder. 159 00:08:36,036 --> 00:08:39,300 He is brought to the sheriff's office for a formal interview 160 00:08:39,344 --> 00:08:42,042 and informed that the body police have found 161 00:08:42,086 --> 00:08:43,914 is most likely Nikki. 162 00:08:50,268 --> 00:08:53,314 Doug was crying, emotional, in a state of shock. 163 00:08:54,751 --> 00:08:57,101 With Nikki identified as the victim, 164 00:08:57,144 --> 00:08:59,843 detectives asked Doug to recount the events 165 00:08:59,886 --> 00:09:03,107 leading up to the last time he saw her alive. 166 00:09:04,935 --> 00:09:06,327 Doug reported that they had been out at a concert 167 00:09:06,371 --> 00:09:09,113 at the Watering Hole, which is a bar 168 00:09:09,156 --> 00:09:11,071 in a suburb of Green Bay. 169 00:09:11,115 --> 00:09:14,640 As the night progressed, they had been consuming alcohol 170 00:09:14,684 --> 00:09:16,990 and Doug had ran into some friends from high school 171 00:09:17,034 --> 00:09:18,949 that he had not seen in awhile. 172 00:09:18,992 --> 00:09:21,212 And he confirmed that Nikki was mad because she saw Doug 173 00:09:21,255 --> 00:09:23,606 talking to another female at the Watering Hole, 174 00:09:23,649 --> 00:09:25,782 and this basically set her off. 175 00:09:25,825 --> 00:09:27,697 From there, they got separated. 176 00:09:27,740 --> 00:09:30,264 He stayed at the Watering Hole with his friend, Gregg, 177 00:09:30,308 --> 00:09:32,266 and Nikki went with their friend group 178 00:09:32,310 --> 00:09:34,965 to the Sardine Can, which is downtown Green Bay. 179 00:09:38,969 --> 00:09:41,928 Doug had last actually seen Nikki around 11:30 180 00:09:41,972 --> 00:09:45,715 when she departed from the Watering Hole to the Sardine Can. 181 00:09:47,368 --> 00:09:49,806 At some point, Nikki did get ahold of Doug on the phone. 182 00:09:58,902 --> 00:10:01,644 [Narrator] Detectives ask if they can search Doug's phone 183 00:10:01,687 --> 00:10:04,211 for any texts he'd exchanged with Nikki. 184 00:10:06,431 --> 00:10:09,826 Nikki was definitely angry texting Doug. 185 00:10:09,869 --> 00:10:14,395 She made mention of, "What bitch are you talking to?" 186 00:10:14,439 --> 00:10:16,789 She was accusing him of cheating, 187 00:10:16,833 --> 00:10:19,009 telling him that he was abusive. 188 00:10:19,052 --> 00:10:21,794 It was actually a really big red flag for me. 189 00:10:21,838 --> 00:10:23,361 [Narrator] Had Doug and Nikki's argument 190 00:10:23,404 --> 00:10:26,712 escalated into violence later that night? 191 00:10:28,105 --> 00:10:30,150 It started to kinda click with everybody 192 00:10:30,194 --> 00:10:31,978 that they had an argument and something happened, 193 00:10:32,022 --> 00:10:34,938 it went too far, and Doug may be involved. 194 00:10:36,809 --> 00:10:39,203 [Narrator] Coming up, detectives learn more 195 00:10:39,246 --> 00:10:41,205 about the night of the murder. 196 00:10:41,248 --> 00:10:43,033 When we look at the video footage, 197 00:10:43,076 --> 00:10:45,122 you can see a male follow her out of the gate. 198 00:10:45,165 --> 00:10:48,429 We are trying to figure out what exactly happened 199 00:10:48,473 --> 00:10:50,693 a short distance away, out of camera view. 200 00:10:52,346 --> 00:10:54,218 She's not wanting to have anything to do with him, 201 00:10:54,261 --> 00:10:56,263 and starts turning into an argument 202 00:10:56,307 --> 00:10:58,352 and becomes a little bit physical. 203 00:10:58,396 --> 00:11:01,704 [Narrator] And uncover surprising new suspects. 204 00:11:10,800 --> 00:11:12,366 [Narrator] Before a stunning twist 205 00:11:12,410 --> 00:11:14,978 throws the case into turmoil. 206 00:11:15,021 --> 00:11:18,372 The true killer came completely outta left field. 207 00:11:18,416 --> 00:11:20,940 The Google Dashboard data showed him 208 00:11:20,984 --> 00:11:23,900 at every single crime scene that we had. 209 00:11:23,943 --> 00:11:26,467 I was very concerned who this could be. 210 00:11:26,511 --> 00:11:29,427 Who did this to our beloved Nikki? 211 00:11:29,470 --> 00:11:31,821 [daunting music] 212 00:11:31,864 --> 00:11:34,780 [mysterious music] 213 00:11:38,436 --> 00:11:40,960 [Narrator] After confirming that the body discovered 214 00:11:41,004 --> 00:11:44,355 in a farm field is 31-year-old mother of three, 215 00:11:44,398 --> 00:11:48,228 Nikki VanderHeyden, police suspect that her violent murder 216 00:11:48,272 --> 00:11:51,188 may be linked to an angry exchange of texts 217 00:11:51,231 --> 00:11:53,930 she had with her boyfriend, Doug Detrie, 218 00:11:53,973 --> 00:11:55,322 the night she was killed. 219 00:11:57,324 --> 00:11:59,979 The text messages definitely led us to believe 220 00:12:00,023 --> 00:12:02,547 that if Nikki would've made it home, 221 00:12:02,590 --> 00:12:05,115 and if she would've had contact with Doug, 222 00:12:05,158 --> 00:12:08,161 there would've been some sort of altercation. 223 00:12:10,860 --> 00:12:12,252 [Narrator] When detectives press Doug 224 00:12:12,296 --> 00:12:14,211 about what happened that night, 225 00:12:14,254 --> 00:12:18,084 he claims that after 12:30 a.m., he and his friend Gregg 226 00:12:18,128 --> 00:12:20,260 left the bar they'd been at to look for Nikki 227 00:12:20,304 --> 00:12:21,305 at another bar. 228 00:12:23,176 --> 00:12:25,135 Doug describes getting to the Sardine Can with Gregg, 229 00:12:25,178 --> 00:12:26,571 finding that Nikki's not there, 230 00:12:26,614 --> 00:12:28,834 and then continuing to look around for her, 231 00:12:28,878 --> 00:12:30,444 and being concerned. 232 00:12:30,488 --> 00:12:33,056 Doug stated that he had assumed that Nikki made it home 233 00:12:33,099 --> 00:12:35,580 and that she would be there when he got there. 234 00:12:35,623 --> 00:12:39,192 So, him and Gregg got in their car and drove home. 235 00:12:40,933 --> 00:12:42,369 [Narrator] With Nikki's two older children 236 00:12:42,413 --> 00:12:44,502 away for the night with their father, 237 00:12:44,545 --> 00:12:48,245 Doug says he got home to find the babysitter and his son, 238 00:12:48,288 --> 00:12:49,550 but no Nikki. 239 00:13:12,922 --> 00:13:14,488 He said that he woke up to give the baby a bottle 240 00:13:14,532 --> 00:13:17,535 at 6:30 in the morning and Nikki wasn't there. 241 00:13:17,578 --> 00:13:20,146 And it did not appear that Mr. Detrie 242 00:13:20,190 --> 00:13:23,323 was all that concerned until later in the day, 243 00:13:23,367 --> 00:13:25,282 which drew our suspicions. 244 00:13:26,674 --> 00:13:28,633 I did have concern as to, why did it take 245 00:13:28,676 --> 00:13:32,898 until about 4:30 the next day to report her missing? 246 00:13:35,292 --> 00:13:37,207 [Narrator] Following their interview with Doug, 247 00:13:37,250 --> 00:13:41,080 investigators obtain a sample of his DNA and release him. 248 00:13:42,473 --> 00:13:45,389 The initial interview with Doug was basically 249 00:13:45,432 --> 00:13:47,608 to get him locked in so that we could corroborate 250 00:13:47,652 --> 00:13:49,480 everything that he was telling us, 251 00:13:49,523 --> 00:13:52,178 through either physical evidence or through other statements 252 00:13:52,222 --> 00:13:53,484 from other witnesses. 253 00:13:56,269 --> 00:13:59,403 [Narrator] As police set out to verify Doug's story, 254 00:13:59,446 --> 00:14:03,581 Nikki's family and friends learn that she's been murdered. 255 00:14:03,624 --> 00:14:07,411 Knowing that Nikki was murdered and how horrific it was, 256 00:14:07,454 --> 00:14:11,981 impacted our lives in a very horrible way. 257 00:14:12,024 --> 00:14:15,593 Who the hell would do this to someone with such an amazing, 258 00:14:15,636 --> 00:14:17,203 beautiful soul? 259 00:14:18,988 --> 00:14:21,033 [Narrator] Reports of Nikki's murder spread shock 260 00:14:21,077 --> 00:14:23,514 through the community, and Nikki's family members 261 00:14:23,557 --> 00:14:26,473 share their grief on local news. 262 00:14:26,517 --> 00:14:28,171 [Reporter] Heather Meyer and her family 263 00:14:28,214 --> 00:14:29,955 say it doesn't seem real. 264 00:14:29,999 --> 00:14:32,436 Terrible. Absolutely terrible. 265 00:14:32,479 --> 00:14:35,178 It's just been extremely up and down, numbing pain. 266 00:14:37,049 --> 00:14:39,356 [Narrator] As Nikki's loved ones continue reeling 267 00:14:39,399 --> 00:14:42,576 from her death, an officer from the sheriff's office 268 00:14:42,620 --> 00:14:44,317 makes a crucial find. 269 00:14:46,363 --> 00:14:49,105 An officer located some clothing on the side of the road, 270 00:14:49,148 --> 00:14:50,628 approximately a mile drive 271 00:14:50,671 --> 00:14:53,239 from where Nikki's body was located. 272 00:14:53,283 --> 00:14:57,200 Deputies were able to identify the clothing as Nikki's. 273 00:14:57,243 --> 00:15:00,681 There was blood located at numerous areas in the clothing. 274 00:15:00,725 --> 00:15:04,294 The majority of the blood was in her pants area. 275 00:15:04,337 --> 00:15:07,079 There was also a purse located, which contained her ID. 276 00:15:07,123 --> 00:15:09,690 Her cell phone was also found at that same location. 277 00:15:09,734 --> 00:15:11,649 It was pretty apparent that it just got tossed 278 00:15:11,692 --> 00:15:14,304 out the window, in a panic, just by the suspect 279 00:15:14,347 --> 00:15:15,522 wanting to get rid of it. 280 00:15:20,136 --> 00:15:22,355 [Narrator] As they submit Nikki's items to the lab 281 00:15:22,399 --> 00:15:26,185 for testing, detectives receive her autopsy report. 282 00:15:27,578 --> 00:15:29,754 The primary injuries were the strangulation 283 00:15:29,797 --> 00:15:31,756 and trauma to the head. 284 00:15:31,799 --> 00:15:35,673 They had discovered over 240 injuries to Nikki's body, 285 00:15:35,716 --> 00:15:39,068 including 30 to her head and face area. 286 00:15:39,111 --> 00:15:41,244 The last few minutes of Nikki's life, 287 00:15:41,287 --> 00:15:43,550 would've been very painful. 288 00:15:45,074 --> 00:15:47,685 There were injuries to her genitalia, 289 00:15:47,728 --> 00:15:51,210 which could be indicative of a sexual assault. 290 00:15:53,082 --> 00:15:56,302 The medical examiners did do a sexual assault exam, 291 00:15:56,346 --> 00:15:58,391 which included swabbing for evidence. 292 00:15:59,827 --> 00:16:02,352 The lab started finding a partial male profile, 293 00:16:02,395 --> 00:16:04,180 but they didn't have enough information 294 00:16:04,223 --> 00:16:05,790 to get an identification of it. 295 00:16:05,833 --> 00:16:09,620 The crime lab advised us that we would need to 296 00:16:09,663 --> 00:16:11,665 continue to submit samples 297 00:16:11,709 --> 00:16:13,624 that the suspect would've touched. 298 00:16:13,667 --> 00:16:16,322 We're only allowed to send in so many exhibits at a time, 299 00:16:16,366 --> 00:16:18,281 as the crime lab is very busy. 300 00:16:18,324 --> 00:16:21,719 We have hundreds of swabbings of Nikki's clothing. 301 00:16:21,762 --> 00:16:25,549 So I started off with areas where you would more likely see 302 00:16:25,592 --> 00:16:26,854 some touch DNA. 303 00:16:28,682 --> 00:16:30,554 [Narrator] While they await answers from the crime lab, 304 00:16:30,597 --> 00:16:33,209 detectives get ahold of security video 305 00:16:33,252 --> 00:16:37,300 to learn what they can about Nikki's last hours. 306 00:16:37,343 --> 00:16:38,779 When we first were able to take a look 307 00:16:38,823 --> 00:16:41,478 at the video footage from the Sardine Can, 308 00:16:41,521 --> 00:16:44,698 we were able to identify Nikki there with Doug's friends. 309 00:16:44,742 --> 00:16:47,092 Initially, she appeared to be having a good time, 310 00:16:47,136 --> 00:16:48,180 dancing around. 311 00:16:49,529 --> 00:16:51,401 The later portion of the evening, 312 00:16:51,444 --> 00:16:53,577 we can see Nikki and her group of friends 313 00:16:53,620 --> 00:16:55,405 at an outside table, 314 00:16:55,448 --> 00:16:58,103 and you can see Nikki looking down at her phone. 315 00:16:58,147 --> 00:17:01,411 You can tell by her body movements that she is upset. 316 00:17:01,454 --> 00:17:04,718 And eventually she gets up and storms off 317 00:17:04,762 --> 00:17:07,243 through an entrance that they're sitting nearby. 318 00:17:08,635 --> 00:17:10,463 [Narrator] What detectives see next 319 00:17:10,507 --> 00:17:12,422 catches their attention. 320 00:17:12,465 --> 00:17:14,554 After Nikki leaves, you can see a male follow her 321 00:17:14,598 --> 00:17:16,382 out of the gate. 322 00:17:16,426 --> 00:17:19,124 [Narrator] Police ask themselves, who was this man? 323 00:17:19,168 --> 00:17:21,692 And was he involved in Nikki's murder? 324 00:17:21,735 --> 00:17:24,521 We knew that his information was gonna be vital. 325 00:17:24,564 --> 00:17:28,264 That was the last time Nikki was seen before she was killed. 326 00:17:28,307 --> 00:17:31,441 We wanted to know everything that he saw and heard 327 00:17:31,484 --> 00:17:33,834 because he's the last known person that we knew 328 00:17:33,878 --> 00:17:35,314 that saw her alive. 329 00:17:37,490 --> 00:17:40,363 [mysterious music] 330 00:17:44,323 --> 00:17:46,238 [Narrator] The day after Nikki VanderHeyden 331 00:17:46,282 --> 00:17:48,893 is found murdered in a farmer's field, 332 00:17:48,936 --> 00:17:51,765 investigators are trying to track down the man 333 00:17:51,809 --> 00:17:53,767 seen following her out of a bar 334 00:17:53,811 --> 00:17:56,248 just hours before she was killed. 335 00:17:57,902 --> 00:18:00,383 In the video, there is a male party following after Nikki 336 00:18:00,426 --> 00:18:02,950 and walking off into the darkness. 337 00:18:04,778 --> 00:18:07,520 We are trying to figure out what exactly happened 338 00:18:07,564 --> 00:18:09,609 a short distance away, out of camera view. 339 00:18:11,394 --> 00:18:13,831 [Narrator] Officers are dispatched to interview patrons 340 00:18:13,874 --> 00:18:15,572 who were at the bar that night. 341 00:18:17,356 --> 00:18:18,749 Based on the interviews with the witnesses, 342 00:18:18,792 --> 00:18:21,360 we knew that male was Aaron Kulinski. 343 00:18:21,404 --> 00:18:23,754 This was a friend that they were with earlier 344 00:18:23,797 --> 00:18:24,668 in the night. 345 00:18:27,888 --> 00:18:30,369 [Narrator] Police track Aaron down and bring him in 346 00:18:30,413 --> 00:18:32,197 for an interview. 347 00:18:32,241 --> 00:18:35,200 Aaron advised us that throughout most of the night, 348 00:18:35,244 --> 00:18:36,941 Nikki was having a great time. 349 00:18:36,984 --> 00:18:40,640 And then, at some point he saw a mood shift in her. 350 00:18:40,684 --> 00:18:43,513 He basically had said that Nikki was trying to get ahold 351 00:18:43,556 --> 00:18:45,776 of Doug, and that he wasn't responding. 352 00:18:47,560 --> 00:18:49,214 Nikki ultimately became very angry, 353 00:18:49,258 --> 00:18:51,912 and that's when she left the Sardine Can on foot. 354 00:18:51,956 --> 00:18:54,959 Aaron describes following her and trying to convince her 355 00:18:55,002 --> 00:18:58,397 to come back and get a taxi or an Uber to go back home. 356 00:18:59,746 --> 00:19:01,574 [Narrator] What Aaron says happened next, 357 00:19:01,618 --> 00:19:03,620 raises detectives' suspicion. 358 00:19:05,448 --> 00:19:07,667 But she's not wanting to have anything to do with him, 359 00:19:07,711 --> 00:19:10,279 and it starts turning into an argument 360 00:19:10,322 --> 00:19:11,932 and becomes a little bit physical. 361 00:19:13,760 --> 00:19:15,936 At one point, Nikki fell to the ground on her own 362 00:19:15,980 --> 00:19:18,678 and she started creating a bigger scene. 363 00:19:18,722 --> 00:19:22,987 Aaron advised us that she began kicking and punching at him 364 00:19:23,030 --> 00:19:25,032 as he was trying to help her up. 365 00:19:25,076 --> 00:19:28,253 He had tried to tell her, "Hey, we can get you home. 366 00:19:28,297 --> 00:19:31,474 You can come with us," but she refused. 367 00:19:31,517 --> 00:19:33,954 Aaron noticed that there were people in the neighborhood 368 00:19:33,998 --> 00:19:35,782 seeing what was going on. 369 00:19:35,826 --> 00:19:37,654 So he decided to just leave it alone at that point. 370 00:19:39,482 --> 00:19:41,614 [Narrator] Investigators wonder if there's more 371 00:19:41,658 --> 00:19:43,877 to the story than Aaron's telling them. 372 00:19:45,401 --> 00:19:47,794 We were actually able to find those people 373 00:19:47,838 --> 00:19:51,058 and they indeed remembered a female and male yelling 374 00:19:51,102 --> 00:19:52,756 or having a disagreement. 375 00:19:52,799 --> 00:19:54,366 Continuing to watch the video, 376 00:19:54,410 --> 00:19:56,368 Aaron does return a very short time later. 377 00:19:56,412 --> 00:19:59,066 And, based on the other statements from the friends 378 00:19:59,110 --> 00:20:00,938 that were with the group, 379 00:20:00,981 --> 00:20:03,636 we knew that Aaron didn't necessarily do anything wrong. 380 00:20:04,942 --> 00:20:06,813 [Narrator] Aaron says he and his friends 381 00:20:06,857 --> 00:20:10,556 took an Uber home, never to see Nikki alive again. 382 00:20:12,123 --> 00:20:14,473 There was video footage that showed Aaron 383 00:20:14,517 --> 00:20:17,650 and the other group leaving in an Uber. 384 00:20:17,694 --> 00:20:20,653 And, there was no indication that they had come back 385 00:20:20,697 --> 00:20:22,133 to the area after they left. 386 00:20:24,440 --> 00:20:26,616 [Narrator] With Aaron crossed off the list, 387 00:20:26,659 --> 00:20:30,881 police continue scouring the bar security video for clues, 388 00:20:30,924 --> 00:20:33,971 and find something unexpected. 389 00:20:34,014 --> 00:20:37,496 We eventually saw Doug and Gregg arrive there. 390 00:20:37,540 --> 00:20:39,629 Doug told us they're looking all over for Nikki, 391 00:20:39,672 --> 00:20:41,848 but the video's showing that he and Gregg go to the bar 392 00:20:41,892 --> 00:20:43,372 and just start hanging out. 393 00:20:45,025 --> 00:20:47,724 It definitely isn't consistent with the sense of concern 394 00:20:47,767 --> 00:20:49,726 that he was initially talking about. 395 00:20:51,118 --> 00:20:52,685 According to the surveillance video, 396 00:20:52,729 --> 00:20:54,731 Doug and Gregg stayed at the Sardine Can 397 00:20:54,774 --> 00:20:56,776 until about 2:15 in the morning. 398 00:20:56,820 --> 00:20:59,692 And the fact that Doug said that they did all this looking 399 00:20:59,736 --> 00:21:01,346 while at the Sardine Can, 400 00:21:01,390 --> 00:21:04,523 told us that he's not being entirely truthful 401 00:21:04,567 --> 00:21:06,699 with his efforts to locate her. 402 00:21:06,743 --> 00:21:09,136 [tense music] 403 00:21:10,921 --> 00:21:13,445 [Narrator] Detectives wonder if Doug had misled them 404 00:21:13,489 --> 00:21:15,534 about his concern for Nikki. 405 00:21:15,578 --> 00:21:17,928 Was there something he was hiding? 406 00:21:17,971 --> 00:21:19,886 Just the mere fact that he didn't know 407 00:21:19,930 --> 00:21:22,933 where his girlfriend was, and didn't appear to care 408 00:21:22,976 --> 00:21:25,718 all that much, was a red flag. 409 00:21:27,764 --> 00:21:29,635 [Narrator] With their suspicion growing, 410 00:21:29,679 --> 00:21:31,942 police reach out to Nikki's family 411 00:21:31,985 --> 00:21:35,032 to learn more about her relationship with Doug. 412 00:21:36,860 --> 00:21:40,559 Nikki's mother and sister, they both voiced concerns 413 00:21:40,603 --> 00:21:42,605 of Doug's behavior. 414 00:22:02,973 --> 00:22:05,671 Nikki's mom, as well as her sister, Heather, 415 00:22:05,715 --> 00:22:08,587 both say that they wouldn't be surprised 416 00:22:08,631 --> 00:22:12,243 if Doug was the person that was responsible for this. 417 00:22:13,984 --> 00:22:15,768 [Narrator] Investigators search Doug's name 418 00:22:15,812 --> 00:22:19,555 in police records, and make an alarming discovery. 419 00:22:21,208 --> 00:22:23,036 Checking police records, we did locate past girlfriends 420 00:22:23,080 --> 00:22:25,561 that accused him of being abusive. 421 00:22:25,604 --> 00:22:28,085 There was at least one incident that was reported to police, 422 00:22:28,128 --> 00:22:29,695 but was never charged. 423 00:22:31,480 --> 00:22:33,699 [Narrator] Police contact the woman who filed a complaint 424 00:22:33,743 --> 00:22:37,224 against Doug, and ask her for more details. 425 00:22:46,973 --> 00:22:48,497 So when we saw that, 426 00:22:48,540 --> 00:22:50,586 that was obviously very concerning to us. 427 00:22:53,937 --> 00:22:56,635 [Narrator] Despite learning that Doug's ex-girlfriend 428 00:22:56,679 --> 00:23:00,117 had a prior assault conviction, and that Doug had never been 429 00:23:00,160 --> 00:23:02,815 formally charged for domestic violence, 430 00:23:02,859 --> 00:23:05,252 investigators remained suspicious. 431 00:23:07,690 --> 00:23:10,475 At this point we had the information 432 00:23:10,519 --> 00:23:13,783 that showed there could be the pattern of this abusive, 433 00:23:13,826 --> 00:23:15,219 aggressive behavior. 434 00:23:15,262 --> 00:23:17,613 And, we know that Doug and Nicole 435 00:23:17,656 --> 00:23:19,658 had a volatile relationship, 436 00:23:19,702 --> 00:23:21,268 which would lead us to believe that there would be 437 00:23:21,312 --> 00:23:23,575 some sort of confrontation that night. 438 00:23:26,186 --> 00:23:27,710 [Narrator] Police obtain a warrant 439 00:23:27,753 --> 00:23:30,495 to search Doug and Nicole's home. 440 00:23:30,539 --> 00:23:32,671 During the search at Doug and Nikki's house, 441 00:23:32,715 --> 00:23:35,718 there were several things of concern that were located. 442 00:23:35,761 --> 00:23:38,764 There was blood on the floor in the garage, 443 00:23:38,808 --> 00:23:42,681 there was blood and dirt found in Nikki's vehicle. 444 00:23:42,725 --> 00:23:46,032 There was also a set of Nike Air Jordan shoes 445 00:23:46,076 --> 00:23:49,079 that had a herring bone pattern on them, 446 00:23:49,122 --> 00:23:53,039 which was similar to what was on Nikki's back. 447 00:23:53,083 --> 00:23:55,172 There was also some red marks, 448 00:23:55,215 --> 00:23:56,913 on the surface appeared to be blood, 449 00:23:56,956 --> 00:23:58,567 on the bottom of those shoes. 450 00:24:01,091 --> 00:24:02,875 [Narrator] While conducting the search, 451 00:24:02,919 --> 00:24:05,138 Doug's neighbors from across the street 452 00:24:05,182 --> 00:24:08,925 approach police with a startling new discovery. 453 00:24:08,968 --> 00:24:11,536 While mowing their lawn, they noticed a blood spot 454 00:24:11,580 --> 00:24:13,886 on the curb line of their property. 455 00:24:13,930 --> 00:24:16,062 And also, they hit a cord of some type 456 00:24:16,106 --> 00:24:17,194 with their lawn mower. 457 00:24:18,630 --> 00:24:20,893 We did find a large quantity 458 00:24:20,937 --> 00:24:22,721 of what appeared to be dried blood, 459 00:24:22,765 --> 00:24:27,247 as well as two pieces of electrical phone charging cord. 460 00:24:27,291 --> 00:24:30,294 There was also some clumps of blonde hair. 461 00:24:32,165 --> 00:24:34,820 The blood on those items and the blood found in the road 462 00:24:34,864 --> 00:24:37,562 were positively identified as Nikki's. 463 00:24:37,606 --> 00:24:40,043 It was pretty apparent to us that that's where 464 00:24:40,086 --> 00:24:41,784 the altercation took place. 465 00:24:41,827 --> 00:24:44,569 That's where she was likely killed. 466 00:24:44,613 --> 00:24:46,963 When that crime scene in front of the house was located, 467 00:24:47,006 --> 00:24:49,139 that gave us a theory of what happened. 468 00:24:49,182 --> 00:24:53,273 And it continued to point us towards Doug as the suspect. 469 00:24:53,317 --> 00:24:56,189 [mysterious music] 470 00:25:01,194 --> 00:25:03,719 [Narrator] After determining that Nikki VanderHeyden 471 00:25:03,762 --> 00:25:06,678 was likely murdered on the street in front of the home 472 00:25:06,722 --> 00:25:10,247 she shared with Doug Detrie, investigators are weighing 473 00:25:10,290 --> 00:25:12,945 a growing body of evidence against Doug. 474 00:25:15,339 --> 00:25:18,647 This evidence that we found is kind of emboldening 475 00:25:18,690 --> 00:25:21,867 what we had initially thought, that Nikki got home, 476 00:25:21,911 --> 00:25:24,261 an argument ensued between her and Doug, 477 00:25:24,304 --> 00:25:27,351 and this incident took place in the street. 478 00:25:27,394 --> 00:25:29,701 And somehow, some of that evidence 479 00:25:29,745 --> 00:25:32,182 would've gotten transformed into the garage 480 00:25:32,225 --> 00:25:33,879 and then into Nikki's vehicle. 481 00:25:37,143 --> 00:25:39,189 Looking at the totality of the circumstances, 482 00:25:39,232 --> 00:25:41,452 we decided there was probable cause 483 00:25:41,495 --> 00:25:43,280 to arrest Doug at that point. 484 00:25:59,949 --> 00:26:01,777 [Narrator] With Doug in custody, 485 00:26:01,820 --> 00:26:05,476 detectives work to solidify their case against him. 486 00:26:05,519 --> 00:26:08,697 When we did the search of Nikki's car 487 00:26:08,740 --> 00:26:11,395 and found the blood and the dirt in the car, 488 00:26:11,438 --> 00:26:14,137 it was initially thought that that may have been the vehicle 489 00:26:14,180 --> 00:26:16,487 that was used to take Nikki to the field 490 00:26:16,530 --> 00:26:18,358 where she was located. 491 00:26:18,402 --> 00:26:20,883 One of the things that we learned was that she had 492 00:26:20,926 --> 00:26:24,843 a progressive snapshot device in her vehicle, 493 00:26:24,887 --> 00:26:29,282 which is used for driving behavior, insurance rates. 494 00:26:29,326 --> 00:26:31,894 But we figured that this could help us 495 00:26:31,937 --> 00:26:35,288 show location from the night she was murdered. 496 00:26:37,290 --> 00:26:38,901 Once we got those records back, 497 00:26:38,944 --> 00:26:41,512 it was found that her vehicle did not move 498 00:26:41,555 --> 00:26:43,122 the night of her murder. 499 00:26:45,255 --> 00:26:48,214 At that point, all kinds of questions are still out there. 500 00:26:48,258 --> 00:26:50,129 The big one being, if Doug was involved in this, 501 00:26:50,173 --> 00:26:53,959 how Doug may have moved her, did he use a different vehicle? 502 00:26:54,003 --> 00:26:55,744 Did he have help? 503 00:26:55,787 --> 00:26:58,137 We knew that Doug's vehicle was not in play. 504 00:26:58,181 --> 00:27:00,749 It was at the Watering Hole all night, 505 00:27:00,792 --> 00:27:02,794 where it was verified on video. 506 00:27:04,970 --> 00:27:07,756 One person whose name came up was Gregg Mathu, 507 00:27:07,799 --> 00:27:11,107 who was actually driving Doug during their night out, 508 00:27:11,150 --> 00:27:13,022 and dropped Doug off at home. 509 00:27:14,110 --> 00:27:16,242 Gregg was Doug's best friend, 510 00:27:16,286 --> 00:27:18,418 was with Doug that entire night. 511 00:27:18,462 --> 00:27:23,162 And, we were focused on him maybe being an accessory. 512 00:27:25,817 --> 00:27:27,340 [Narrator] Investigators bring Gregg 513 00:27:27,384 --> 00:27:28,951 to the sheriff's office 514 00:27:28,994 --> 00:27:31,170 and ask him about the night of the murder. 515 00:27:32,998 --> 00:27:37,481 Gregg was very exact about timelines of phone calls 516 00:27:37,524 --> 00:27:39,048 and what they did that night. 517 00:28:07,903 --> 00:28:10,253 Gregg's timeline was very consistent with Doug's, 518 00:28:10,296 --> 00:28:12,995 which was suspicious in nature, 519 00:28:13,038 --> 00:28:17,260 that you usually aren't gonna have your times down that pat. 520 00:28:29,272 --> 00:28:31,143 We pressed Gregg very hard, 521 00:28:31,187 --> 00:28:34,886 hoping that we would find some sort of inconsistencies 522 00:28:34,930 --> 00:28:39,891 in his story, or get him to crack and finally turn on Doug. 523 00:28:52,251 --> 00:28:54,384 After becoming upset with some questions, 524 00:28:54,427 --> 00:28:56,560 he did leave while investigators were still 525 00:28:56,603 --> 00:28:59,563 sitting at the interview table, talking to him. 526 00:28:59,606 --> 00:29:01,652 [Narrator] Investigators asked Gregg's parents 527 00:29:01,695 --> 00:29:05,221 to confirm his alibi of coming straight home from Doug's 528 00:29:05,264 --> 00:29:07,963 shortly after 2:45 a.m. 529 00:29:09,312 --> 00:29:11,575 Gregg's parents told us they were only 530 00:29:11,618 --> 00:29:13,490 going off of what he told them. 531 00:29:13,533 --> 00:29:15,144 They didn't physically see him 532 00:29:15,187 --> 00:29:16,928 or have any firsthand knowledge. 533 00:29:19,235 --> 00:29:21,454 [Narrator] While detectives keep Gregg on the board 534 00:29:21,498 --> 00:29:24,066 as a potential accomplice to Doug, 535 00:29:24,109 --> 00:29:27,112 they receive DNA test results from the crime scene. 536 00:29:28,548 --> 00:29:32,117 There was little to no sign of Doug's DNA 537 00:29:32,161 --> 00:29:35,468 anywhere on Nicole's body or clothing. 538 00:29:37,601 --> 00:29:42,214 Doug's DNA profile is not matching up with an unknown male 539 00:29:42,258 --> 00:29:44,956 DNA profile that we're finding on those items. 540 00:29:47,132 --> 00:29:49,004 [Narrator] Test results on other evidence 541 00:29:49,047 --> 00:29:52,572 bring even more disappointing news for investigators. 542 00:29:54,400 --> 00:29:57,316 It turns out the blood on the floor of the garage 543 00:29:57,360 --> 00:30:01,451 was likely from a turkey that Doug had killed while hunting. 544 00:30:01,494 --> 00:30:05,629 The blood in Nikki's car was from one of her other children, 545 00:30:05,672 --> 00:30:07,500 and it was not Nikki's. 546 00:30:07,544 --> 00:30:09,111 What we thought was blood on the bottom of the shoe, 547 00:30:09,154 --> 00:30:11,504 tested inconclusive for blood. 548 00:30:11,548 --> 00:30:13,115 So all those things that we thought we believed 549 00:30:13,158 --> 00:30:15,291 to be Nikki's blood, turned out not to be. 550 00:30:17,119 --> 00:30:19,991 We also got location data from Doug and Gregg's cell phones 551 00:30:20,035 --> 00:30:22,472 that corroborated their account of where they were 552 00:30:22,515 --> 00:30:25,388 that night, down to the times they left the bar, 553 00:30:25,431 --> 00:30:27,259 the route they took home, 554 00:30:27,303 --> 00:30:30,001 then when they got back to Doug's house, and from there. 555 00:30:30,045 --> 00:30:31,568 [Narrator] With no concrete evidence 556 00:30:31,611 --> 00:30:33,700 linking Doug to Nikki's murder, 557 00:30:33,744 --> 00:30:36,181 authorities release him from jail. 558 00:30:39,010 --> 00:30:40,664 Doug's DNA isn't really showing up 559 00:30:40,707 --> 00:30:42,318 where we thought it was gonna be. 560 00:30:42,361 --> 00:30:44,973 And there's still this unknown male profile 561 00:30:45,016 --> 00:30:47,540 that really threw a curve at us. 562 00:30:47,584 --> 00:30:49,978 [Narrator] Police believe that Nikki was murdered 563 00:30:50,021 --> 00:30:51,980 in front of her own home. 564 00:30:52,023 --> 00:30:55,461 But if Doug hadn't killed her, who had? 565 00:30:55,505 --> 00:30:58,508 I was very concerned who this could be, 566 00:30:58,551 --> 00:31:00,336 who this monster could have been, 567 00:31:00,379 --> 00:31:02,599 that did this to our beloved Nikki. 568 00:31:04,253 --> 00:31:07,212 [mysterious music] 569 00:31:10,824 --> 00:31:13,653 [Narrator] Two days after finding Nikki VanderHeyden 570 00:31:13,697 --> 00:31:16,656 savagely murdered, detectives hunting her killer 571 00:31:16,700 --> 00:31:19,094 arrested her boyfriend, Doug Detrie. 572 00:31:20,443 --> 00:31:22,793 But when DNA evidence exonerates Doug, 573 00:31:22,836 --> 00:31:26,405 detectives turn their focus to one urgent question. 574 00:31:28,494 --> 00:31:30,409 The biggest question we had to answer 575 00:31:30,453 --> 00:31:33,804 outside of who did this was, how did she get home? 576 00:31:33,847 --> 00:31:36,067 We spent countless hours 577 00:31:36,111 --> 00:31:37,764 watching video surveillance 578 00:31:37,808 --> 00:31:42,160 of every single known business between Nikki's residence 579 00:31:42,204 --> 00:31:43,814 and the Sardine Can. 580 00:31:43,857 --> 00:31:47,557 We had investigators watching highway camera footage, 581 00:31:47,600 --> 00:31:50,299 bridge camera footage, to see if we could catch 582 00:31:50,342 --> 00:31:53,563 either her walking or crossing the river 583 00:31:53,606 --> 00:31:55,652 to get to that side of town. 584 00:31:55,695 --> 00:31:58,655 We were running outta leads. It was frustrating at times. 585 00:32:01,136 --> 00:32:04,356 [Narrator] Still hoping for a DNA match to the killer, 586 00:32:04,400 --> 00:32:07,098 investigators continue sending the crime lab 587 00:32:07,142 --> 00:32:10,623 samples of Nikki's clothing found at the side of the road. 588 00:32:13,148 --> 00:32:15,628 We picked 10 items at a time for testing. 589 00:32:15,672 --> 00:32:18,457 We were looking for any items that we believe 590 00:32:18,501 --> 00:32:22,461 might contain more of this unknown male's DNA, hoping for a 591 00:32:22,505 --> 00:32:23,810 full profile. 592 00:32:23,854 --> 00:32:25,595 After sending several batches 593 00:32:25,638 --> 00:32:28,250 and not coming up with anything definitive, 594 00:32:28,293 --> 00:32:30,904 we end up sending a batch that included the socks 595 00:32:30,948 --> 00:32:33,820 that Nikki was wearing still when her body was found. 596 00:32:35,692 --> 00:32:37,824 The crime lab were able to get enough of a profile 597 00:32:37,868 --> 00:32:39,652 off of that sock to be able to enter it 598 00:32:39,696 --> 00:32:41,785 into the CODIS system. 599 00:32:41,828 --> 00:32:44,875 The suspect somehow got some touch DNA on those socks. 600 00:32:46,746 --> 00:32:48,879 [Narrator] Entered into the national DNA database, 601 00:32:48,922 --> 00:32:50,750 the profile returns a hit 602 00:32:50,794 --> 00:32:53,492 that takes investigators by surprise. 603 00:32:55,190 --> 00:32:57,583 The DNA hit that we received was that of 604 00:32:57,627 --> 00:32:59,629 George Steven Burch, 605 00:33:01,196 --> 00:33:04,242 who was from the state of Virginia. 606 00:33:04,286 --> 00:33:07,245 As far as we knew, he had no relation to anybody 607 00:33:07,289 --> 00:33:10,422 that was with Nikki that night, or Nikki herself. 608 00:33:12,250 --> 00:33:14,948 All the information we had was leading us towards Doug. 609 00:33:14,992 --> 00:33:19,257 So once we got that DNA information, it was very surprising. 610 00:33:19,301 --> 00:33:22,478 George Burch was in and out of prison on the East Coast. 611 00:33:22,521 --> 00:33:25,959 And at some point earlier in 2016, 612 00:33:26,003 --> 00:33:28,223 had moved to the Green Bay area. 613 00:33:29,615 --> 00:33:30,703 So we start digging through the Green Bay 614 00:33:30,747 --> 00:33:32,314 Police Department records, 615 00:33:32,357 --> 00:33:32,879 see what we can find out about him. 616 00:33:34,794 --> 00:33:37,188 George Steven Burch was contacted 617 00:33:37,232 --> 00:33:40,713 by the Green Bay Police Department a few weeks after 618 00:33:40,757 --> 00:33:44,761 the homicide for a hit and run car accident. 619 00:33:44,804 --> 00:33:49,374 The vehicle was a Chevy S-10 Blazer that was found 620 00:33:49,418 --> 00:33:53,335 a short distance away from where Mr. Burch was staying. 621 00:33:53,378 --> 00:33:55,250 At the time, he was questioned about it 622 00:33:55,293 --> 00:33:57,774 and claimed that the vehicle must have been stolen. 623 00:33:59,558 --> 00:34:01,560 [Narrator] Suspicious about the nature and timing 624 00:34:01,604 --> 00:34:05,564 of the supposed theft, investigators see if his Chevy Blazer 625 00:34:05,608 --> 00:34:08,306 could've been used to dump Nikki's body. 626 00:34:09,960 --> 00:34:14,269 We ended up comparing the specs of a Chevy Blazer 627 00:34:15,922 --> 00:34:17,446 and the width of the tire tracks that we found in the field. 628 00:34:17,489 --> 00:34:19,970 And we found it to be a very near match. 629 00:34:21,493 --> 00:34:23,452 [Narrator] Digging deeper, detectives find 630 00:34:23,495 --> 00:34:25,758 even more evidence connecting George 631 00:34:25,802 --> 00:34:28,021 to Nikki's last-known movements. 632 00:34:29,632 --> 00:34:32,330 We knew that he hung out at a bar 633 00:34:32,374 --> 00:34:35,638 that was down in that same general area of the Sardine Can. 634 00:34:35,681 --> 00:34:39,598 We were able to identify Burch's Google account, 635 00:34:39,642 --> 00:34:42,645 and track the location of the cell phone 636 00:34:42,688 --> 00:34:45,952 that that Google account is associated with. 637 00:34:45,996 --> 00:34:49,782 The Google Dashboard data showed us roadmap 638 00:34:49,826 --> 00:34:52,916 of Mr. Burch's whereabouts that night. 639 00:34:52,959 --> 00:34:57,964 And, he was found at every single crime scene that we had, 640 00:34:59,792 --> 00:35:02,447 including the farm field, Nicole and Doug's residence, 641 00:35:02,491 --> 00:35:05,624 the roadway where Nicole's property was found, 642 00:35:05,668 --> 00:35:08,279 and then back at his residence. 643 00:35:08,323 --> 00:35:09,759 When we got that information, 644 00:35:09,802 --> 00:35:11,543 we knew we had our guy at that point. 645 00:35:12,892 --> 00:35:14,981 [Narrator] Police track down George Burch 646 00:35:15,025 --> 00:35:17,810 and bring him in to the sheriff's office. 647 00:35:17,854 --> 00:35:20,509 When we had our contact with Mr. Burch, 648 00:35:20,552 --> 00:35:23,729 it was obvious that this wasn't his first contact 649 00:35:23,773 --> 00:35:24,904 with law enforcement. 650 00:35:24,948 --> 00:35:26,993 He was very cool, very calm. 651 00:35:43,532 --> 00:35:45,795 Burch didn't provide any details 652 00:35:45,838 --> 00:35:48,928 or provide his version of events of anything. 653 00:35:48,972 --> 00:35:50,974 We still didn't necessarily have the details 654 00:35:51,017 --> 00:35:53,106 on how they met, why they were together. 655 00:35:54,891 --> 00:35:56,936 [Narrator] But with DNA and other evidence 656 00:35:56,980 --> 00:36:00,505 firmly implicating him, police charged George Burch 657 00:36:00,549 --> 00:36:01,724 with Nikki's murder. 658 00:36:03,073 --> 00:36:04,901 When the suspect was arrested, 659 00:36:04,944 --> 00:36:08,905 it was a result of actual - physical evidence. And, - I felt 660 00:36:08,948 --> 00:36:10,863 so much relief that the family 661 00:36:10,907 --> 00:36:13,779 would never have doubt as to who did this to Nikki. 662 00:36:13,823 --> 00:36:17,087 When the news came out about who did this, 663 00:36:17,130 --> 00:36:18,784 he made me sick, 664 00:36:18,828 --> 00:36:20,003 when I saw him. 665 00:36:20,046 --> 00:36:21,396 He looked like a monster. 666 00:36:24,921 --> 00:36:28,359 [Narrator] On February 19th, 2018, 667 00:36:28,403 --> 00:36:30,143 George Burch goes on trial 668 00:36:30,187 --> 00:36:32,711 for the murder of Nikki VanderHeyden. 669 00:36:32,755 --> 00:36:34,887 But when he finally takes the stand, 670 00:36:34,931 --> 00:36:37,934 what he says leaves the courtroom stunned. 671 00:36:40,110 --> 00:36:43,592 At trial, Mr. Burch's explanation for what happened 672 00:36:43,635 --> 00:36:47,813 was he met Nikki at the bar, they were getting along, 673 00:36:47,857 --> 00:36:49,902 flirting, having a good time. 674 00:36:49,946 --> 00:36:52,775 And, he ended up bringing her back to her house 675 00:36:52,818 --> 00:36:55,647 where she resides with Mr. Detrie. 676 00:36:55,691 --> 00:36:58,563 George said they were having sex 677 00:36:58,607 --> 00:37:01,087 in front of Nikki's house, in his vehicle. 678 00:37:01,131 --> 00:37:03,394 And at some point, someone comes out, 679 00:37:03,438 --> 00:37:04,743 hits him over the head with a pistol 680 00:37:04,787 --> 00:37:06,179 and knocks him unconscious. 681 00:37:15,624 --> 00:37:18,975 He wakes up and finds Nikki already dead on the ground, 682 00:37:19,018 --> 00:37:21,456 and someone holding him at gunpoint. 683 00:37:35,557 --> 00:37:38,473 [mysterious music] 684 00:37:43,129 --> 00:37:45,958 [Narrator] Investigators believe that 31-year-old 685 00:37:46,002 --> 00:37:50,006 Nikki VanderHeyden was brutally murdered by convicted felon, 686 00:37:50,049 --> 00:37:51,660 George Burch. 687 00:37:51,703 --> 00:37:54,663 But at trial, George blindsides everyone 688 00:37:54,706 --> 00:37:57,840 by claiming that Doug Detrie was the one responsible 689 00:37:57,883 --> 00:37:58,928 for Nikki's death. 690 00:38:01,670 --> 00:38:04,499 Mr. Burch, in the courtroom, was 691 00:38:04,542 --> 00:38:07,153 very arrogant, very pompous. 692 00:38:07,197 --> 00:38:10,896 His demeanor was that of, "I'm innocent and Doug did this." 693 00:38:12,289 --> 00:38:15,205 Mr. Burch advised us that Doug ordered George 694 00:38:15,248 --> 00:38:18,034 to drive the body to the farm field. 695 00:38:18,077 --> 00:38:21,951 George said that Doug had ordered him to carry Nikki's body 696 00:38:21,994 --> 00:38:23,692 into the field and drop it. 697 00:38:23,735 --> 00:38:25,302 George then said that at one point 698 00:38:25,346 --> 00:38:27,522 he was able to get into a struggle with Doug, 699 00:38:27,565 --> 00:38:30,699 push him away, and get back into the car and take off. 700 00:38:32,353 --> 00:38:34,964 He didn't come up with that story until he had a chance 701 00:38:35,007 --> 00:38:36,574 to look at all the evidence 702 00:38:36,618 --> 00:38:38,707 that was being filed against him. 703 00:38:40,883 --> 00:38:44,060 [Narrator] George's wild allegation forces detectives 704 00:38:44,103 --> 00:38:47,193 to dig deeper to prove his guilt. 705 00:38:47,237 --> 00:38:51,807 Part of the obstacles in this was disproving 706 00:38:51,850 --> 00:38:53,722 that Doug did it, 707 00:38:53,765 --> 00:38:57,073 and show his movements from that morning and that night. 708 00:38:58,988 --> 00:39:01,773 During the investigation, we learned that Nikki 709 00:39:01,817 --> 00:39:04,776 had given Doug a Fitbit device as a gift. 710 00:39:04,820 --> 00:39:08,563 So, we realized that Doug was wearing that Fitbit device 711 00:39:08,606 --> 00:39:10,129 during all our contact with him. 712 00:39:11,653 --> 00:39:13,742 So, we're able to review the information 713 00:39:13,785 --> 00:39:16,962 on the Fitbit device, when he was home, going to sleep, 714 00:39:17,006 --> 00:39:18,050 and waking up again. 715 00:39:20,313 --> 00:39:22,272 Based upon all the Google Dashboard data 716 00:39:22,315 --> 00:39:23,926 that we had from George, 717 00:39:23,969 --> 00:39:28,234 we knew at what time he and Nikki arrived back 718 00:39:28,278 --> 00:39:30,933 to Doug and Nicole's residence. 719 00:39:30,976 --> 00:39:33,936 So we were able to look at Doug's Fitbit 720 00:39:33,979 --> 00:39:37,200 to show that at that time that George and Nicole 721 00:39:37,243 --> 00:39:40,246 were outside, Doug was sleeping, 722 00:39:40,290 --> 00:39:43,293 and not in fact out murdering his girlfriend 723 00:39:43,336 --> 00:39:44,860 and disposing of the body. 724 00:39:48,037 --> 00:39:50,256 [Narrator] Back in court, prosecutors use 725 00:39:50,300 --> 00:39:54,130 the location-tracking evidence to demolish George's story. 726 00:39:56,001 --> 00:39:59,309 The act of violence that Doug allegedly did to him, 727 00:39:59,352 --> 00:40:02,181 did not add up with any of the other evidence that we had. 728 00:40:03,661 --> 00:40:06,708 None of us bought George's story 729 00:40:06,751 --> 00:40:08,623 in court. 730 00:40:08,666 --> 00:40:11,800 We all knew it was a joke, and a fairytale made up. 731 00:40:11,843 --> 00:40:15,412 I think Nikki just wanted to get home to her children. 732 00:40:15,456 --> 00:40:17,849 And I know she fought for her life that night. 733 00:40:19,416 --> 00:40:21,287 [Narrator] Now, prosecutors put forth their theory 734 00:40:21,331 --> 00:40:23,812 of what really happened that night. 735 00:40:25,466 --> 00:40:28,817 What I believe happened is that there was some arguments 736 00:40:28,860 --> 00:40:30,732 between Doug and Nikki. 737 00:40:30,775 --> 00:40:33,648 I believe that Nikki did leave the Sardine Can 738 00:40:33,691 --> 00:40:36,085 pretty upset, and ended up at Richard Craniums bar, 739 00:40:36,128 --> 00:40:38,174 'bout a half mile away. 740 00:40:38,217 --> 00:40:41,830 She was intoxicated. She was by herself. 741 00:40:41,873 --> 00:40:43,222 She was emotional. 742 00:40:43,266 --> 00:40:46,312 She is very outgoing, personable person. 743 00:40:46,356 --> 00:40:51,100 So, she'd be very easy for someone to prey upon. 744 00:40:51,143 --> 00:40:53,842 At some point she meets George Burch. 745 00:40:53,885 --> 00:40:57,193 They get to talking, he offers Nikki a ride home, 746 00:40:57,236 --> 00:40:58,150 she accepts it. 747 00:40:59,456 --> 00:41:01,284 They end up in front of her house. 748 00:41:01,327 --> 00:41:02,938 I believe at that point, 749 00:41:02,981 --> 00:41:05,070 George thought he was gonna get some action 750 00:41:05,114 --> 00:41:06,681 for taking a girl home, 751 00:41:06,724 --> 00:41:09,248 and didn't expect her to start fighting. 752 00:41:09,292 --> 00:41:11,990 And, that enraged Mr. Burch. 753 00:41:12,034 --> 00:41:13,862 And it turns into a sexual assault. 754 00:41:13,905 --> 00:41:16,255 At some point, he strangles her with that phone cord 755 00:41:16,299 --> 00:41:17,169 that was found. 756 00:41:18,431 --> 00:41:20,129 She fell out of the vehicle. 757 00:41:21,522 --> 00:41:23,785 He continued to stomp on her back and her head, 758 00:41:24,916 --> 00:41:26,048 eventually killing her. 759 00:41:27,963 --> 00:41:30,313 And then, loading her up in his vehicle, 760 00:41:30,356 --> 00:41:34,273 driving her to a field and disposing of her body, 761 00:41:34,317 --> 00:41:36,406 and then going home like nothing happened. 762 00:41:38,887 --> 00:41:42,934 This poor woman was absolutely, brutally, 763 00:41:42,978 --> 00:41:46,242 brutally attacked and murdered in front of her own home, 764 00:41:46,285 --> 00:41:48,374 where her baby lay sleeping. 765 00:41:48,418 --> 00:41:51,726 And, the thought of what he did to her 766 00:41:51,769 --> 00:41:53,423 is beyond comprehension. 767 00:41:57,122 --> 00:41:58,907 After closing arguments, 768 00:41:58,950 --> 00:42:01,170 it didn't take very long at all for them to make a decision. 769 00:42:02,563 --> 00:42:04,869 The verdict reads as follows. 770 00:42:04,913 --> 00:42:08,264 We, the jury, find the defendant, George Steven Burch, 771 00:42:08,307 --> 00:42:11,180 guilty of first degree intentional homicide. 772 00:42:14,096 --> 00:42:16,359 [Narrator] For murdering Nikki VanderHeyden, 773 00:42:16,402 --> 00:42:20,798 George Burch is sentenced to life in prison without parole. 774 00:42:22,191 --> 00:42:24,019 The true killer in this homicide 775 00:42:24,062 --> 00:42:26,108 came completely outta left field. 776 00:42:26,151 --> 00:42:28,806 I felt extreme relief for the family 777 00:42:28,850 --> 00:42:33,071 that someone was going to answer for this extremely heinous, 778 00:42:33,115 --> 00:42:34,943 horrific crime. 779 00:42:34,986 --> 00:42:37,119 He's going to prison for the rest of his life. 780 00:42:37,162 --> 00:42:38,990 That was music to our ears. 781 00:42:39,034 --> 00:42:42,167 But we still knew it wasn't going to bring our Nikki back. 782 00:42:43,516 --> 00:42:44,996 Nikki had three young children at home, 783 00:42:45,040 --> 00:42:46,519 one of which is a newborn. 784 00:42:46,563 --> 00:42:48,260 She had her entire life ahead of her, 785 00:42:48,304 --> 00:42:51,133 and a lotta things to accomplish, 786 00:42:51,176 --> 00:42:54,440 and a lot of friends and family that miss her. 787 00:42:54,484 --> 00:42:57,966 She was an incredible human being, a great mother, 788 00:42:58,009 --> 00:43:01,578 and she should be recognized as that. 789 00:43:03,145 --> 00:43:05,190 [Narrator] Despite the pain of Nikki's loss, 790 00:43:05,234 --> 00:43:07,410 her friends and loved ones are devoted 791 00:43:07,453 --> 00:43:09,499 to keeping her memory alive. 792 00:43:11,240 --> 00:43:14,025 My children and I, we celebrate her life every year, 793 00:43:14,069 --> 00:43:17,507 on May 21st, and we talk about her. 794 00:43:17,550 --> 00:43:19,030 And we go to the cemetery. 795 00:43:21,032 --> 00:43:23,382 I love to remember Nikki 796 00:43:23,426 --> 00:43:27,082 dancing and smiling and laughing. 797 00:43:27,125 --> 00:43:29,432 I loved her laugh. It was so contagious. 798 00:43:29,475 --> 00:43:31,216 She just was always smiling. 799 00:43:31,260 --> 00:43:33,088 I love to remember her that way.