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317. The Fitbit That Solved a Murder - Nicole VanderHeyden - Murder With My Husband | Wave AI Podcast Notes

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317. The Fitbit That Solved a Murder - Nicole VanderHeyden

Murder With My Husband

Mon Apr 20 2026

Summary

Murder With My Husband – Episode 317: The Fitbit That Solved a Murder – Nicole VanderHeyden

Release Date: April 20, 2026
Hosts: Peyton Moreland & Garrett Moreland

Overview of the Episode

This episode focuses on the 2016 murder of Nicole VanderHeyden (Nikki), a mother of three from Green Bay, Wisconsin, and the critical role that modern technology—most notably, a Fitbit—played in both identifying her killer and protecting an innocent man from a wrongful conviction. Peyton sets out to highlight not just how tech helps solve crimes, but how it can also prevent miscarriages of justice in the face of misleading circumstantial evidence.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Technology in Crime & Justice

Opening Commentary on Modern Crime-Solving:
Peyton reflects on how technology (geofencing, digital forensics, genetic genealogy, etc.) is shaping modern investigations:

"Googling one damning search phrase can literally lead to an arrest." (05:16)
She emphasizes that new tech doesn't just catch criminals, but also prevents wrongful convictions.

2. The Life of Nicole VanderHeyden

Background:
Nicole, known as "Nikki," was a beloved mother and teacher who prioritized others and found solace in nature. After divorcing her first husband, she met Doug Dietree and had a child with him.
Context for the Night:
Nikki and Doug, exhausted parents, sought a rare night out at a Steel Panther concert with friends (08:53).

3. The Night of Nikki's Disappearance (May 20–21, 2016)

Sequence of Events:
- Nikki and Doug go out but split up during the night after a minor argument about Doug socializing with old friends.
- Nikki leaves upset, seen on surveillance dancing and socializing at the "Sardine Can" bar until 11:30pm.
- After heated texts and calls, Nikki storms out, refusing a ride from friends and is last seen by them (13:40–15:00).
- Doug and his friend Greg claim to search for Nikki, eventually returning home without her at 2:40am.

4. The Investigation Begins

Discovery of Nikki's Body (01:30pm, May 21):
A farmer finds a naked woman's body, later identified as Nikki, three miles from her home. She'd been strangled, beaten, and fought for her life (22:00-23:37).
Doug as the Initial Suspect:
Circumstantial evidence and their rocky relationship put Doug in the crosshairs:
- He was the last known person to see her.
- Blood, a matching shoe imprint, and a cord were found near his home (39:25–41:45).
- Peyton: "While searching their garage, detectives spotted blood on the floor... Air Jordans... some bloody smudges on the bottom." (40:41)

5. The Turning Point: Exonerating Doug with Technology

Technology Provides an Alibi:
- Doug’s car never left the bar parking lot; Nikki’s car didn’t move (44:25).
- Fitbit data proved Doug only took 12 steps during the critical time window (46:20):
  
  Peyton: "A Fitbit tracks your movements entirely...which means there's no way he could have killed his girlfriend and moved her body in 12 steps." (46:21)
- Blood in the garage was from a turkey; blood in the car from a child; shoeprint didn’t match (47:19–47:56).
- Doug is freed; police realize they're back to square one.

6. The True Killer: George Burch & Digital Forensics

Breakthrough via DNA:
DNA on Nikki’s sock matches George Burch, a recent Virginia transplant with a violent past (49:24).
Digital Trail:
Police had previously cloned Burch’s phone during an unrelated investigation, revealing:
- GPS + WiFi logs place him at Nikki's house at her time of death
- His phone moves from Nikki's house to the dump site, then to where her belongings are found (52:01–52:41).
George Burch’s Ridiculous Defense:
On trial, Burch tries to claim Doug committed the murder (55:14), but Fitbit and data prove otherwise.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Wrongful Convictions & Technology:

"This is definitely something about technology that we don't often go over in true crime... advances have made it easier to not put the wrong person in prison." (06:40) — Peyton
Surprising Doug’s Innocence:

Peyton: "Little details start pointing away from Doug… For example, Doug left his car overnight at the watering hole. He had to go get it the next day." (44:25)
Garrett’s Reaction to Doug’s Ordeal:

"Shoot. It's not Doug. Yeah, I just ripped Doug a new one and it's not Doug. Why would you let me do that?" (43:12)
"Doug just got drugged through the wringer." (54:15)
On the Power and Privacy of Technology:

"Most of my devices, if I'm not doing anything wrong, should have my back... They offer indiscriminate proof should I ever find myself in an unthinkable situation. Doug had his Fitbit." (57:55) — Peyton
On the Randomness and Tragedy:

"Just got a ride home from the wrong person, just got killed for no reason." (59:17) — Garrett

Important Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment Description | |------------|------------------------------------------------------| | 05:16 | Introduction of technology’s role in crime-solving | | 11:08 | The couple’s night out described | | 13:40–16:23| Nikki’s fight, disappearance, and last communication | | 22:00–23:37| Discovery of Nikki’s body and crime scene details | | 39:25–41:45| Police search Doug and Nikki’s house | | 44:25 | Timeline inconsistencies and exonerating evidence | | 46:20 | Fitbit data exonerates Doug | | 47:19–47:56| Debunking evidence against Doug | | 49:24 | DNA breakthrough—George Burch identified | | 52:01–52:41| Burch's phone movement on night of crime | | 54:15 | Burch gives false story blaming Doug | | 56:12 | Jury finds George Burch guilty | | 57:55 | Reflection on technology and justice |

Episode Takeaways

Circumstantial Evidence Isn’t Enough:
Peyton and Garrett stress how easily the “obvious” suspect can be innocent, and how digital records like Fitbit, car trackers, and phone data can change the course of justice.
Technology as a Safeguard:
Not only did tech lead to the real killer, it protected an innocent man from spending life in prison for a crime he didn’t commit—illustrating both the promise and power of digital forensics.
The Tragedy of Random Violence:
Nikki’s story is a chilling reminder that the most tragic crimes can sometimes result from simply crossing paths with the wrong person.

Final Thoughts

Peyton closes by reflecting on the bittersweet reality: justice for Nikki thanks to digital forensics, but an unthinkable loss for her family and an ordeal for Doug, who became a single dad overnight. The episode ultimately affirms the importance and growing role of technology in both solving crimes and exonerating the innocent.

Memorable Closing
Peyton: "While some may argue that technology can be invasive and it definitely can be used against us, there is one thing that helps me sleep at night: most of my devices, if I'm not doing anything wrong, should have my back… Doug had his Fitbit." (57:55)

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Transcript

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Peyton Moreland (0:31)

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Garrett Moreland (0:40)

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Peyton Moreland (1:38)

You're listening to an Ono Media podcast. Hey everybody, welcome back to the podcast. This is Murder with My Husband. I'm Peyton Moreland.

Garrett Moreland (1:45)

And I'm Garrett Moreland.

Peyton Moreland (1:46)

And he's the husband.

Garrett Moreland (1:47)

And I'm the husband. Happy Monday. Happy Monday. Thank you for being here. Thank you for listening. Thank you for watching. Thank you for following. Liking, commenting, hating. I don't even care if you hate. Do it. Dare you. Anyways, that's all we got going on. Hope everyone's having. We're going to have a great week. And yeah, that's our intro. A reminder real quick, for those who don't know, we do have bonus content. We have bonus episodes and ad free content over on Apple, Spotify and Patreon and that's that. So go check that out if you want that.

Peyton Moreland (2:24)

Peyton Moreland (11:09)

Now Doug said Nikki was excited this night about letting loose. According to him, she had had two drinks before he had even finished his first. Nikki deserved to blow off some steam after not having gone out for the last six months with a brand new baby. So Doug wasn't holding her back. But around 11pm, as the concert began to wrap up, things started to get a little tense with the couple. Doug and Greg had actually run into some old friends from high school at the Watering Hole. But the rest of the friends they had gone to the show with, including Nikki, were now trying to leave. So they wanted to go to another bar called the Sardine can that was nearby. But Doug and Greg, who are now catching up with their old friends, are like, we don't want to go to Sardine can. We want to stay at Watering Hole with our friends. So they told Nikki, you go with the rest of the group on this date night to the other bar and we will meet you there shortly. Now Nikki obviously is not exactly happy to hear about this because the group they had even come here with was mostly Doug's friends, not even her own. And some of the people he was now catching up with were attractive young women from his past. Still, she didn't want to wait around for him to finish catching up, finish his conversation. So she left with the original friends, figuring Doug and Greg would be along in a matter of minutes. Now this ends up not being the case this night. Instead, Doug continued to hang around the Watering Hole for a while longer. And at first Nikki seems fine at the new bar she's seen on security footage, looking happy, dancing, having a good time. But when Doug still hasn't shown up 15 minutes later, Nikki does start to get pissed. She texts Doug, wondering where he is. Now, eventually those texts escalate as Nikki begins to accuse Doug of cheating on her. And she also mentions something about him being abusive towards her. Now soon Doug does text back with some cavalier response like, lol, stop and be good, I'll see you at the Sardine Can. But when he still doesn't show up to the second place. By 11:30, she calls Doug, and he doesn't answer. So she asks one of the other friends they're with, hey, can you try calling Doug? And when they call, he does answer. So this sets Nikki off because her boyfriend has now screened her call on their date night. I mean, they have a newborn baby at home. This is their night out. He's at a completely different place and is now ignoring her. She gets so angry, she runs out of the bar. And one of Doug's friends, a guy named Aaron, chases her out to the street to try and convince her to come back again. He's probably just being a good friend. They've had a lot to drink this night. He's like, hey, Nikki, I understand you're mad, but you can't just, like, go out alone and leave. He tells her, hey, the rest of us are actually calling Ubers, and we're gonna head home. Why don't you just catch a ride with us? But by this point, Nikki is in hysterics. And when Doug's friend Aaron, who's trying to help, tries to approach her, she actually pushes him away, ends up falling on the ground, and kind of just starts kicking and screaming at him. And when he realizes people are looking, he's like, that's it. I'm gonna just back away. Leave her be. I mean, this isn't even his friend. This is, you know, he knows her through Doug. And as he's leaving, he yells to her one last time, quote, we can get you home faster to your child, your babe in the woods. But she just gets up, storms off in another direction on her cell phone. Now, eventually, around 12:30am so an hour and a half after the concert ended, Doug and Greg finally decide to leave the watering hole. Doug, at this point, has been trying to call Nikki back, texting her, hello, I've tried calling you 10 times. But Nikki, at this point isn't responding. And apparently, once he hears that the rest of the friends have actually already left the sardine can and that Nikki had wandered off on her own, refused to go with them, refused to take an Uber home, him and Greg decide to start driving around the area looking for her because she's not answering her phone. Now, around 12:36, she actually finally does answer, but according to Doug, she is slurring her words so badly that he can hardly understand her. And he's like, listen, I don't know where you are. Just go back to the sardine can. We will meet you there in five minutes. And then we can Go home. But a few minutes later, their calls stop going through because Nikki's phone is either turned off or dead.

Peyton Moreland (49:25)

Put in jail? I said prison. He doesn't go to prison. He's just in jail. Detectives start pulling surveillance footage. Basically, anything that leads from that area where the bars were to home doesn't get them anywhere. They're starting to hit dead ends and are worrying this case might run cold if nothing turns up soon. But then In August of 2016, three months after Nikki's death, they get some good news. One of the socks Nikki was wearing has enough DNA to run through the national database, and they get a hit. Okay, it belongs to someone from the State of Virginia, 38 year old George Burch. Now, George had just moved from Virginia to the Green Bay area two months before Nikki's death in March of 2016. And this is a guy who could stand out in a crowd. He was 6 foot 7, 270 pounds. It's not someone who would really blend in. And the police definitely took notice of that. So now that they have his name and his DNA on her socks, they start looking into his history. They find that back on June 8, just a week or so after Nikki's death, George was questioned by the sheriff's department, but it was for something else. They believed he was involved in a hit and run accident with a stolen vehicle and that he then tried to burn that car in a fire. But George denied the accusations, saying he was at a bar, texting with a woman on the evening in question would happily give the police his phone to prove it. The police then say, hey, it actually just be a lot easier if we can just download the contents on your phone rather than like take a bunch of screenshots. We can just like do a mass download. Is that okay? According to the police, he says yes. Again, this is questioning a week after for something else. Yeah, they even have him sign a bunch of consent forms. Now, unfortunately, they never did prove it. It was George who, if he was guilty of the crimes involving the stone vehicle and burning it. But when those DNA results come back in August of 2016 and they get George's name and they're like, hey, wait a second. We actually have George's entire phone history in our systems from the week after this murder. We should use that to our advantage now that his DNA is linked to Nikki's case. See, George had Google dashboard on his phone, which actually shows them not just what cell towers he pinged, but every wi fi hotspot the phone encountered, as well as more exact GPS coordinates for specific Dates and times.