A Fitbit Helped Solve This Murder?! The Case of Nicole VanderHeyden

Summary

True Crime with Kendall Rae: A Fitbit Helped Solve This Murder?! The Case of Nicole VanderHeyden

Release Date: January 9, 2025

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Introduction

In this gripping episode of True Crime with Kendall Rae, host Kendall delves deep into the tragic and complex case of Nicole VanderHeyden. Released on January 9, 2025, this episode uncovers the intricate details of Nicole's life, her untimely death, and the unexpected role a Fitbit played in solving her murder. Kendall's empathetic approach shines as she meticulously breaks down the events leading up to Nicole's disappearance and the subsequent investigation.

Background: Who Was Nicole VanderHeyden?

Nicole "Nikki" VanderHeyden was a beloved mother, teacher, and an active member of her community. Born on March 29, 1995, in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Nikki was known for her intelligence, passion for education, and unwavering dedication to her children. She earned dual bachelor's degrees in science and education from the University of Wisconsin, Green Bay, and became a substitute science teacher, inspiring countless students with her love for biology.

Kendall highlights Nikki's vibrant personality and her profound impact on those around her:

"Nikki was the type of person that didn't just show up and do the job. She genuinely loved it. And she helped her students get excited about what they were learning about. She especially loved biology." ([04:15])

Nikki was a devoted mother to two children from a previous marriage and was eagerly expecting her third child. Her love for family was evident in her active lifestyle and her efforts to create lasting memories with her children.

The Fateful Night: May 20, 2016

In January 2015, Nikki began dating Doug Dietri, a 33-year-old whom she believed could be a supportive partner. However, their relationship soon showed signs of strain. On the night of May 20, 2016, Nikki and Doug, along with Doug’s friends, decided to spend the evening at The Watering Hole, a local bar and music venue where the band Steel Panther was performing.

As the night progressed, tensions between Nikki and Doug escalated. Around 11 PM, following the concert, the couple became separated amidst the chaos of the departing crowd. Instead of regrouping, Doug stayed behind with a friend, leaving Nikki feeling abandoned and increasingly upset. Nikki began sending Doug distressing text messages expressing her anger and suspicion:

"What slut are you with? Because none of your friends know. Fuck you, abusive asshole." ([19:34])

Nikki's distress culminated in her leaving the bar alone, captured in surveillance footage as she exited through the back gate, resisted by one of her companions who tried to convince her to return.

Disappearance and Initial Investigation

Doug, appearing unbothered, drove back home, raising red flags for those around him. Nikki failed to return, and Doug waited until the next day before reporting her missing. Concurrently, another individual discovered a body near the scene of Nikki's disappearance, initially mistaking the severe brutality for decay due to the body's condition.

Authorities quickly connected the dots, recognizing the distressing timing of Doug’s missing person report just hours after the body was found. An official report was filed, and Doug was subjected to questioning. During an interview, Doug exhibited behavior that was deemed suspicious by investigators, showing minimal concern despite the gravity of the situation.

Breakthrough: The Role of Technology

A pivotal moment in the investigation came with the analysis of data from Doug's Fitbit. This wearable device tracked his movements meticulously. The Fitbit data revealed that Doug had taken only 12 steps during the critical three-hour window when Nikki was murdered, suggesting that he hadn't left his home as initially suspected. This evidence was crucial in undermining the prosecution's case against Doug.

"The Fitbit ended up playing a huge part in the case, and it actually helped prove that he didn't commit her murder." ([27:15])

Additionally, forensic evidence initially pointed towards Doug, including a pair of shoes matching the pattern found on Nikki's body and traces of blood. However, further analysis debunked these findings:

• The blood on Doug's shoe was identified as turkey blood.
• DNA found on Nikki's tissues matched her sister, not Doug.
• Nikki's car, monitored by Progressive Snapshot, showed it had not moved on the night of her disappearance.

Arrest and False Accusations

Despite the emerging evidence pointing away from Doug, investigators were initially convinced of his involvement due to his suspicious behavior and prior allegations of abuse from an ex-partner. Doug was arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder, but the Fitbit data and other forensic evidence quickly dismantled the case against him, leading to his release after 18 days.

The Real Culprit: George Stephens

With Doug exonerated, attention turned to George "Big Country" Stephens, a 38-year-old from Virginia with a history of violent behavior. Stephens' DNA was found on Nikki's sock, and phone data placed him at all significant locations related to the crime. Moreover, his involvement in a prior hit-and-run incident added to the suspicion.

Investigators pieced together Stephens' movements, linking him directly to the crime scene through his phone's GPS data. His casual demeanor during questioning and lack of a credible alibi further solidified the case against him. Ultimately, Stephens confessed to the murder during trial, driven by a combination of personal motives and opportunistic violence.

Trial and Conviction

The trial commenced in February 2018, with the prosecution presenting overwhelming evidence against Stephens, including DNA matches and witness testimonies. Stephens' defense attempted to shift blame to Doug, but the Fitbit evidence and DNA conclusively proved his sole responsibility for Nikki's murder.

After a swift trial lasting two weeks, Stephens was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The judge remarked on the severity of the crime, acknowledging Nikki's suffering and the impact on her family.

Aftermath and Justice Served

Kendall emphasizes the closure that justice brought to Nikki's family, despite the irreparable loss:

"Nikki deserved so much better. And George Burch got exactly what he deserved, which is rotting in prison until the day he dies." ([48:30])

Additionally, the episode sheds light on the ongoing struggles of Nikki's children, who continue to live without their mother. A fundraiser has been initiated to support their education, with Kendall pledging to assist through her foundation, Higher Hope.

Conclusion

This episode of True Crime with Kendall Rae poignantly captures the harrowing journey of Nicole VanderHeyden's murder case. From the initial misdirection and wrongful accusation of Doug Dietri to the eventual identification and conviction of George Stephens, the story underscores the importance of meticulous investigation and the role of technology in solving crimes. Kendall Rae's compassionate storytelling not only honors Nikki's memory but also highlights the resilience of her family in the face of unimaginable tragedy.

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Note: For further updates and to support Nikki's family, visit the Higher Hope foundation and the linked GoFundMe page provided by Kendall.

Transcript

[Kendall Rae]

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[David]

I don't even know where he is.

[Kendall Rae]

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[David]

I'm a prosecutor. We deal in truth and facts.

[Kendall Rae]

Maybe everybody should try that, huh? Will Trent. The two part season premiere Tuesdays on ABC and stream on Hulu.

[David]

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[Kendall Rae]

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[David]

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[Kendall Rae]

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[David]

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[Kendall Rae]

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[David]

Healthy food and healthy living. Visit azurestandard.com that's a Z U R E standard.com foreign and welcome back to True Crime. Kendall ray. It is 2025. Here we are. Cannot believe it. That number just sounds insane. Does is anyone else still just living in like 2020? I mean, mentally I feel like I'm in like 2018. But anyway, welcome back. I hope you guys all had a nice holiday and if you are new to the show, welcome. I'm happy to have you here. So guys, today we are jumping in for with a case that was requested on my members only request form and I started looking into it and it's one of those cases where I thought it was going one way and I was pretty confident about that. And then as I learned more and more details, it completely shifted. I don't want to give anything away so I'm going to jump right in here. But this is definitely a case that needs more awareness. More people should know about Nicole's story and what she went through at the end of her life. It is just so tragic. Nicole seemed like an awesome person. She was a mother and she was a great mother. And the fact that her children have to live the rest of their lives without her is. I don't even have words for that. Before I jump into her case though, I wanted to thank each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart who participated in our holiday matching program raising funds for my foundation, Higher Hope. We were able to raise quite a bit and then of course we matched it and this is all going to go towards projects and grants for the upcoming year. So really appreciate that. If you are interested in making a donation, you can do so@higher hope.org and we are super, super grateful. But let's go ahead and get into Nicole's case. And I want to start out, as I always do, by telling you more about who she was. So most of the time, Nicole went by Nikki. And she was born on March 29, 1995, to her parents, Steve and Vicki. And she was raised just outside of Green Bay, Wisconsin, alongside her three siblings. She had one sister, Heather, and then two brothers as well, Brent and Brandon. And she's been described as a very loving and incredibly intelligent person. Like I said, she's a mother. She's also a daughter, sister, and friend. And she was so, so very loved. After graduating from Denmark High school back in 2003, Nikki went on to attend the University of Wisconsin, Green Bay, where she earned her bachelor's degree in both science and education. And with her degree, she was able to pursue her passion in life, which was helping others and making an impact on them. So what better career field for her to be in than education? Nikki was a teacher. She ended up becoming a substitute science teacher for the Green Bay Area public school system, where she made a huge impact on so many students. And I'm sure that we can all agree from experience that the best teachers out there are the ones who truly care about the subject matter, are passionate about what they're teaching and also passionate about their students. And that was Nikki 100. She was the type of person that didn't just show up and do the job. She genuinely loved it. And she helped her students get excited about what they were learning about. She especially loved biology. And this was such a fun little detail to learn about her. But a friend of hers said that whenever they would go on runs together, Nikki would actually just recite the periodic table. I mean, that's how into it she was. One student said that she was the kind of teacher who actually cared about her students succeeding, and not just in the classroom, but in life. And I love that that's how she's remembered by so many. But aside from teaching, Nikki's biggest passion and greatest joy in life was definitely being a mother. She actually became a mom in a previous marriage to two children, a son and a daughter. And she loved her kids with every bone in her body. Family was definitely the most important thing to her, and that really reflected in every decision that she made. And since she was such an active person and loved being outdoors, loved nature, she loved doing those types of things with her kids. And so she especially loved taking them to the zoo, to the park, anything where they were going to get outside and build lifelong memories together. And those are the Types of memories that she was hoping to make with her third child. In January of 2015, Nikki was ready to start dating again. And like so many people out there, she wanted to find someone to share her life with. Her friends say that she was super spontaneous and that type of person who was just down for whatever. She was literally someone who would go skydiving, which is so cool. I'm so afraid of heights, I don't think I could ever do it. But it really does sound like the most incredible experience. But that's the type of person Nikki was. She was willing to take these chances, willing to experience anything in life. So when she started looking for someone to date, finding someone who's also like that was very important to her. And pretty quickly, she ended up meeting 33 year old Doug Dietri, who she thought might be a great partner for her. But their relationship didn't really follow the, you know, typical timeline because just a few weeks into dating, Nikki found out that she was pregnant. And whether or not he was ready to settle down, they had a child on the way. And so it was time for him to get serious, which he seemed to do. Nikki moved in with him, and when she had custody of her two older kids, they would stay there too. But he didn't really seem to be as ready for family life as he said he was. And during this episode, I'll be sharing text messages with you that will really paint that picture, make what I just said make a little bit more sense. But basically their relationship was not a very healthy one because of the way that Doug treated her. And I will continue to break that down and what that means as we go on here. But that brings us to May 20th of 2016. It was a Friday night, and a group of Doug's friends convinced him and Nikki that they should go out with them. They had already had their son. It had actually been about six or seven months since their son was born. And they were, you know, ready for a fun night out for a change. Their other two kids were with their dad for the night. So in the beginning of the night, her mom watched the baby, and then eventually her friend Dallas came over and watched the baby the rest of the time that they were out. So this group of Doug's friends ended up going to this place called the Watering Hole. And it's like a bar, music hall type situation all in one. Bands will book gigs there on the weekend. And that night in particular, Steel Panther was playing. And based off what we know from the reporting on this case, that night started out completely normal. Nikki sent a selfie of her and Doug to Dallas, the friend of hers that was babysitting that night. And by everyone's recollection, everyone was doing okay. But around 11pm when the band finished their set, things took a turn as everyone is ushering out of the concert area. Nikki and Doug end up getting separated. And to some extent, I understand this, it can be very chaotic at the end of a show like this, especially in a bar scene. But instead of making any type of effort to find Nikki and go with the rest of the group to the next bar that they were going to, Doug ended up staying behind with one other friend and he basically said that he went to the bathroom and then when he got out of the bathroom, everyone except for this one friend was gone. And so they went to leave, but then they ended up running into some old friends and decided to stay behind and have a drink with them. And Nikki was unhappy about this because reminder, she's out with all of his friends and she was hurt that he just abandoned her. Essentially, the start of the new year is a perfect time to get organized, set goals, and prioritize what matters most. And it can also be a great time of year to get your financial wellness in check. And thanks to Rocket Money, it's easier than ever. Your goals will feel achievable. They'll show you all your subscriptions in one place and help you cancel the ones you forgot about. 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Rocket Money has over 5 million users and has saved a total of 500 million in canceled subscriptions. That's huge, saving members up to $740 a year when using all the app's premium features. So cancel your unwanted subscriptions and reach your financial goals faster with Rocket Money. Go to Rocket Money.com Kendall Rae today, that's Rocket Money.com Kendall Ray once again, RocketMoney.com Kendall Ra now I will say that one of the other girls in the group took Nikki under her wing, which was really kind of her. But still, it seems to be the start of where things went wrong. Because while they were at this second bar, which was called the Sardine Can, Nikki started to send Doug text messages that made it clear that she was more than just a little upset. She was actually pretty damn pissed at him and even accused him of being with another woman because not only did he not show up like he said that he would, but he wasn't even responding to her text messages. So let me just read you some of the texts that she was sending him. It really paints a picture of where her mind was at. Wow, what slut are you with? Because none of your friends know. Fuck you, abusive asshole. And another one that said, you hurt me all the time. Now, that's only three texts, but there's quite a lot to unpack there. And obviously abuse is no joke. And Nikki certainly wasn't joking. In fact, I'll talk about this a little bit more as we go along here. But her friends and family did say that there was abuse in their relationship. And so that night, when Doug had ditched her, she brought it up to show him how angry she was. And it all eventually seemed to come to a boiling point when one of the girls that Nikki was with decided to call Doug herself, and she thought that maybe if she tried Doug that he would answer and it would help the situation, but it actually didn't because Nikki was like, why the fuck are you ignoring my calls? But you are answering from my friend, and I would certainly be pissed about that too. So at that point, Nikki decided that she had enough and she ended up leaving the bar. There's actually surveillance footage that shows her leaving out the back gate, and you can actually see that one of the guys that she was with went after her, and he was trying to convince her to come back inside, but she wanted to leave, and he felt that he couldn't stop her. After this point, there's one call between Nikki and Doug that we know of, and he basically just tells her that he's finally on his way to the Sardine can and will meet her there. But according to him, she was drunk and not making a whole lot of sense, and she was. Was obviously very angry. And I guess at one point, the friend that he was with, whose name is Greg, took the phone from him and started trying to talk to Nikki himself, but said that she either hung up or that maybe her phone had died. And then after that, that was it. Nikki was never seen or heard from again. Doug says that he and Greg did drive around looking for her, but they ultimately ended up going to the Sardine can for some drinks before finally going back home around 3am and when he got home, Dallas, the babysitter, said that she had a really weird feel. She said that she thought it was strange that Doug came home without Nikki. And I think most of us can agree that that is pretty strange. And if I were in Dallas's shoes, I would definitely think that was extremely odd too. I guess she even jokingly asked if Nikki was in the trunk of his car. And apparently he just brushed that comment off. So she sort of just had to leave and hope that her friend made it home safely that night. But she didn't. Nikki didn't come home that night, and she didn't come home later the next morning either. And next day, around 4:30pm Doug finally decides to go ahead and call 911 and report Nikki missing. And here is the audio from that call from County Public Safety. This is Therese. Yes.

[Kendall Rae]

How do I go about, I guess, missing person.

[David]

Okay.

[Kendall Rae]

And who. Who's missing? It's my girlfriend, and she does live with me, and she's never done this before.

[David]

What's her name?

[Kendall Rae]

Nicole Vanderheim.

[David]

Now, a few hours before, Doug made that Call. Another older gentleman who lived just down the road from them had placed a call to 911 himself. And he called 911 because it turns out his grandson and his grandson's friends were helping him remove some stones from his field when they stumbled upon what no person, especially children, should ever have to see. For our county 911. What is the address for your emergency?

[Kendall Rae]

We just found a human body laying in. Okay.

[David]

Okay. Person beyond help, or do I need to give you instructions for cpr?

[Kendall Rae]

No, it's starting. Is it a.

[David]

Is it a male or female?

[Kendall Rae]

It's got long hair, but I didn't go near it.

[David]

What you just heard was just a portion of the 911 call. But you heard him say that he thought the body had started to decay, but the truth is, the body hadn't even been there for a full day. And what he thought was decay was actually just severe brutality. It was so bad, in fact, that they needed dental records to make a positive identification. For a body that has been there less than 24 hours, that is pretty rare. And obviously, it took some time for that identification to be made. But it didn't take long for them to connect the body to Nikki. As soon as Doug had made the missing persons report, the Brown county sheriff's department realized that the two calls were probably connected. However, they decided not to tell Doug what they had found, at least not yet. And instead, officers went over to his house, where they took an official missing persons report. And they also asked more questions to see if his description of Nikki matched their description of the body. Because besides a pair of socks and a pink, like, little event bracelet that was on her wrist, there was nothing on the victim's body or at the scene to make an identification. And ultimately, his description of her was a match. But they still didn't tell him because they thought the timing of his 911 call, which, again, was three hours after the first 911 call, was super suspicious. And if I were in their shoes, I would feel the same way. I mean, it's pretty suspicious when someone calls to report a body, and then hours later, someone is calling to report that person missing. And of course, that doesn't always mean something suspicious happened. But in their minds, the alarm bells are going off. Not to mention the fact that he waited all day to report her missing. So they loosely questioned him at his house about the events that took place the night before without letting him know what they knew. Officer Shield arrived at Berkeley Road on May 21, 2016, completing a missing Person's report. Hi there.

[Kendall Rae]

Is Doug here?

[David]

Oh, okay. Hi. Hi. Hello. Hi. I'm here for a missing persons report. What's going on?

[Kendall Rae]

I haven't seen nobody seen or heard from her since last night. I'd say like what, midnight? Yeah, we were actually on the west side at the watering hole. I was on my way down there and she was down at the Sardine camp with some other friends of mine. My friend Aaron saw her. She was upset and walking way down south on Maple.

[David]

So before you even got down to the Sardine can, he text you that she just stormed off south on Maple Street. What was she mad about?

[Kendall Rae]

I don't know. She said I was talking to a girl.

[David]

Who?

[Kendall Rae]

I have no idea.

[David]

Were you guys drinking?

[Kendall Rae]

Yes. We had actually talked to her. I was calling her on the way down. You actually talked to her? She's mad. She was walking. She was trying to get her to tell us where she was. I thought maybe if I was talking to her that said to Doug that maybe she would let me know where she was and let us come pick her up. So she's not just wandering the streets? Yeah, she didn't believe that I wasn't Doug talking to her. Then she hung up.

[David]

Okay.

[Kendall Rae]

And then every time we tried to call her again, her phone just went to the email.

[David]

Did you see her walking?

[Kendall Rae]

No. We drove up and down the streets for a while trying to find her. And then we went back to the Sardine can thinking maybe she walked back there. And then we asked people around the Sardine can if they had seen her.

[David]

Is it normal for her to sleep off being angry at you somewhere else? Is that normal? No. No.

[Kendall Rae]

Even when she's been upset with me, still will maintain contact.

[David]

She told you where she was at, but she was definitely upset at that time, thinking maybe she saw you talking.

[Kendall Rae]

Yeah, she had sent me a text saying that.

[David]

That she was upset with me. Okay. See the text? Why is she calling you abusive?

[Kendall Rae]

I. I don't know.

[David]

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[Kendall Rae]

What time do you leave the watering hole then? I didn't leave. I'm guessing around midnight. Ish. A little after. I was pretty intoxicated at that point. And Greg was driving. He didn't. He was sober, so he was driving. And then did the whole group kind of. Did you guys have a plan where y'all were gonna go? We kind of did, yeah. We had talked, told everybody. Right after the show, I went and got in line for the bathroom. It was a long line. And then I couldn't find anybody. I talked to Greg and then I ended up calling Nikki and saying she was in the car with my friends already. She said, crystal and Aaron and Darcy and whoever else is in that car. So I didn't run out there. And I said, okay, I'll meet you at the Sardine Camp. So when Greg and I were walking out, we ended up running into some good high school friends that we hadn't seen in a long time and got chit chatting with them. Probably 20 minutes or so, 30 minutes. But before you left and before you ran into those high school friends, you spoke to Nikki on the phone? Yep. Okay. And she was already. She was in the car. In the car with the other friends and headed towards going to the Sardine Camp. And she was upset at me. I was talking to a girl and whatever. And what did she say? Who are you talking to? I said, I don't know if I even told her it was Katie or whatever. There's a lot of people and self commotion in there. So it was relatively short conversation. Okay, so then you talk to Katie and her. Whoever's with her and for about 20, 30 minutes. So we're looking at what now? Yes, about midnight or so after midnight that we left watering home. Okay. And because I remember when we had that conversation, I called Nikki on the way when we were driving. Greg was driving, we're going down bell. And he was calm and then he took the phone from me because she was kind of hysterical and drunk and irrational, not making any sense and just kind of yelling at me. And she said, well, let me try to talk to her. And then she said that's when she was walking. So that's when. Did she tell you where you were at? Where she was at that time? Not that, not on the phone. Okay. And I assume she was with the group at the Surdy. No, that's when she said she was walking at that time. Okay. So that. And she told Greg that, that she was walking. So we were like, where are you? Can we don't. We'll pick you up. Where are you? And she wouldn't say. And then Greg said he didn't know if she just hung up on him or the phone died. So then we just kept on going. And then we drove around in the area looking for a little bit before we went into the sardine can. Okay. And we have a few people in there, you know, if we had seen Nikki and where, where she went, you know, weird. I was just thinking she was kind of mad at me and pulling a little stunt to that at this point.

[David]

And then after that he starts trying to explain why he waited so long to report her missing, which was basically that he thought she was upset and pulling a stunt and that she would be home in the morning. But then when she didn't come home and when none of her loved ones had heard from her, that's when he got worried and made that call.

[Kendall Rae]

Has any of those other friends called you today? Well, I haven't had my phone since. Basically, you know, sitting there feeding Dylan. I woke up and then think maybe she was just like, you know, pulling a stunt, not coming home. And then like the second time I went back to sleep with Dylan and then woke back up and he was hungry again and was feeding him and I started getting a little more worried and like, okay. Then I contacted her sister afternoon. And then as the time progressed I contacted Dallas who was the other sitter that night at my house, and that's like, one of her really good friends. And she hadn't heard from her. And I just started getting more worried. And then Heather was working, and she was contacting a few people, and people getting back to me and whatever. 4:00 it was studying real worried. And that's when we decided to call the police and go with the report.

[David]

Now, by this point, the body being found was no longer a secret. Doug had found out. Her friends and family had found out, and they found out because it was reported on the news. So it wasn't something investigators could continue to hide. But what loved ones didn't know yet was if it was her body. Obviously, they're concerned that that could be a possibility, but they didn't know for sure. Investigators, though, felt that's pretty certain, which is what they told Doug.

[Kendall Rae]

Well, I think what we're looking at is this body that was found okay, down the street. I don't think it's been 100% identified as her, but there's a lot of similarities. What do you mean, a lot of similarities? This is a physical description. Height, blonde, belly button ring. What happened? Well, I don't know. That's what we're trying to figure out here. That's what we don't know. They're still out there processing that scene where that body is. Yeah, I saw it on the Uzrid.

[David]

Now, at certain points through the interview, Doug began crying and saying that he wanted her back and that she needs to come back. And he did seem to show some genuine emotion. It's pretty heartbreaking to watch back.

[Kendall Rae]

You're scared. She needs to come back. I need help with me telling.

[David]

But obviously, you never know if someone is just putting on an act. And there are different ways to grieve. And so often we judge interrogation footage and assume that someone is just putting on that act when that may or may not be the case. And so even with that emotion, investigators thought that he may be the one who's responsible for Nikki's murder. So during that interview, they told him that a search warrant had been written and that officers were on their way to his house to execute that search right now. And when it came to this, Doug didn't seem at all worried. He even assured them that they wouldn't find anything. However, when that search was executed, they did end up finding several things that appeared to be suspicious. For starters, one thing that investigators were looking for was a pair of shoes that had some type of zigzag pattern on the bottom. And that's because Nikki's body, when it was examined, they had found zigzag marks on her back that looked like it was from somebody's shoe. And so based on these injuries, it was believed that whoever this victim was had been violently and repeatedly stomped on. So, of course, they wanted to see if maybe Doug owned a pair of shoes that matched those markings. And guess what? He did. The shoe not only looked like it had a similar zigzag pattern, but they also ended up finding what looked like a drop of blood on the bottom of one of them. That was one seemingly big finding. And then they also found what appeared to be blood in Nikki's car, along with what they described as drag marks in the garage. Now, inside of their house, there didn't appear to be any signs of a struggle, but they did locate bloody tissues as well as blood on the sleeve of a jacket. And all things considered, of course, this can't be ignored. So of course they end up collecting swabs of all of the blood and the blood like stains that they had found and sent them off to the crime lab for testing. And obviously they had to wait for those to be process. But in the meantime, there was a major break in the case. Everyone should love their hair, but that can be hard to do if you're dealing with shedding or thinning. Luckily, Nutrafol is here to help their whole body approach to hair health works from the inside out so that you can start loving your hair again. After my daughter was born, I didn't know where to turn. My hair had thinned out so much, I did not like the way I looked when I looked in the mirror. And I was looking into all types of solutions. And that's when I found neutrophil on my own, before they even started sponsoring me. And I can't tell you how much I truly love Nutrafol. I've recommended it to several people in my life and they've also had a great experience. I started on their postpartum formula, but I've just been on their women's formula for the last probably year and a half since getting off of the postpartum blend. And I've just seen such a massive transformation in my hair. Neutrophil is the number one dermatologist recommended hair growth supplement brand trusted by over 1 million people. You can see thicker, stronger, faster growing hair with less shedding in just three to six months. That's about how long it took for me and everyone's root cause of hair thinning is different. So a one size fits all approach to hair growth just doesn't cut it. And that's why Nutrafol has multiple formulas that are tailored to give your hair exactly what it needs to grow throughout different stages such as postpartum and menopause as well as for different lifestyles such as plant based diets. While many supplements rely solely on ingredient studies, Nutrafol clinically tests final formulations to ensure their efficacy. In a clinical study, 86% of women reported improved hair growth after taking Nutrafol Women hair growth supplement for six months. Its physician formulated with 100 drug free ingredients and their supplements support visibly thicker stronger hair from within by targeting root causes of thinning including stress, hormones, aging, nutrition, lifestyle and metabolism as they evolve through a woman's life. Building a hair growth routine is simple. Purchase online, no prescription required, automated deliveries and free shipping to keep you on track. Plus, with a neutral subscription you can save up to 20% and you'll have access to free naturopathic doctor consults and a headspace meditation membership is included, which is really cool. So start your hair growth journey with Nutrafol. For a limited time, Neutral is offering my listeners $10 off your first month subscription and free shipping. When you go to neutrophil.com and enter promo code Kendall Ray Find out why over 4, 500 healthcare professionals and stylists recommend Neutrophil for healthier hair. Neutropol.com spelled n u t r-a f o l.com promo code Kendall Ray that's neutral.com promo code Kendall Ray get me Will Trent. ABC Tuesdays I don't even know where he is.

[Kendall Rae]

Will Trent is back. He's all chicken. Hazmat ever time to come home. The series that's being called one of the best network procedurals. We're going to solve this case featuring new cast member Gina Rodriguez.

[David]

I'm a prosecutor. We deal in truth and facts.

[Kendall Rae]

Maybe everybody should try that, huh? Will Trent the two part season premiere Tuesdays on ABC and stream on Hulu.

[David]

Just that next morning, blood stained clothing was found on a freeway on ramp not far from where Nikki's body was left. And so they could pretty much now confirm that it was in fact her body because along with the clothing, they also found Nikki's school district lanyard and id. And like I said, they already pretty much believed it was Nikki. But this was further proof. And that wasn't the end of their findings. That morning, two joggers were just out for a run and they happened to come across what can only be described as the crime scene. And it was only 118ft from Nikki and Doug's house. There was an area on the concrete road where several pools of dried up blood were found. And the guy who lived in the house right in front of it reported that while he was mowing his lawn, he ended up running over a black charging cord, which was significant because Nikki's body showed obvious signs of ligature strangulation. And when her autopsy was finished, they confirmed that strangulation and blunt force trauma were the causes of her death. In total, the medical examiner determined that she sustained 241 injuries. Think about that. 241. That's really, really hard to wrap your mind around. That's just beyond inhumane. And not only that, there were also signs that Nikki had been sexually assaulted. And I don't even know what to say. I'm just so sad for Nikki's friends and family. Just terrible thinking about what she went through in the final hours of her life. And, of course, when they found out, it was just unbelievably painful. They were confused and angry, and, you know, none of them wanted to believe that the body was Nikki's. But now it was confirmed it was her. Now, luckily, Nikki and her loved ones do end up getting justice in this case. I'm very happy to be able to say that. And while getting justice will never bring her back and it will never take away their pain, I do hope that it at least brought them comfort when it came to getting justice, though I don't think it played out how anyone expected it to be. So let's get into that. So after all of the DNA at the crime scene came back as a match to Nikki, investigators began painting a picture, which was a picture where Doug was guilty of her murder. They hadn't gotten anything back from the crime lab at this point, but they believe that they had enough probable cause to support an arrest. And so just two days after her body was found, Doug Dietri was arrested on suspicion of first degree murder. And in those two days, they looked deeper into text messages between Doug and Nikki, as well as Doug and his mom. And it painted a pretty nasty picture. Bottom line is, their relationship was not in a good place in multiple ways. And Doug had even texted his mom and told her that he was even thinking about asking Nikki and the kids to move out. And so to investigators, it's looking like a motive. They thought that he exaggerated his concern for her disappearance and even suggested that he wasn't Honest about how hard he look for her that night. On top of that, they looked into his record and found out that an ex accused him of abuse. And at one point, he was even arrested because of it. Those charges did end up being dropped, but of course, they're not going to ignore what she had told them. Plus, both Nikki's mom and sister spoke to detectives and said that Nikki confided in them about being abused by Doug. And to clarify, they were talking about physical abuse. And so all of this is just adding to the narrative, to the picture that they were already starting to paint about who Doug was and how he could have been involved in her murder. I mean, it would make a lot of sense, and I can't necessarily blame them. It certainly looked that way. It was just speculation. But investigators thought that at some point that night, Nikki was offered a ride by someone. And then when she returned, maybe Doug was still awake and freaked out on her. They had some type of altercation where things ended badly. They believe it started outside where all that blood was found. And then eventually, maybe he dragged her into the garage and put her into her own car. And then from there, he drove her to the dump site and then just went back home. But there was an issue with that theory, though, because it meant that one other person would have seen Nikki in those final hours, Whoever had given her a ride home, and whoever that person was hadn't come forward. But even though they didn't know who that person was, that didn't stop them from going ahead and arresting the man who they thought was responsible. But you guys, as you probably can tell from the way I'm speaking about this, this Doug was innocent. Less than two weeks after Doug was arrested, the results came back from the crime lab, and they disproved the investigators theory completely. So let me break this down for you, starting with the male DNA that was found in 16 places on Nikki's body, as well as on that cord. Even though it was just partial DNA, it was not a match to Doug. Then, of course, we have the shoe, the one with the zigzag print on the bottom, that Doug did own a pair just like that. Well, for starters, the results came back as inconclusive when it came to that zigzag pattern. Meaning they couldn't prove or disprove whether that shoe was a match to the shoe that was used to stomp on Nikki's body. And then, of course, there was the drop of blood found on Doug's shoe. Well, turns out it wasn't even human blood. It was turkey blood from when Doug had previously gone hunting. And then as for the drops of blood in Nikki's car car, turns out it was her daughters. And then the blood on those tissues and jacket were actually from her sister who was recently at their house and had had a bloody nose while she was there. Then it turns out that Nikki's car had never left the garage that night. And they were able to figure that out because Nikki had Progressive snapshot, which I'm sure some of you are familiar with, especially if you have Progressive or if you've seen the ads for it. It's basically like a device that you hook up in your car and it tells tells the Progressive insurance company how well you're driving. And through that data, they could see that her car did not move all night. And if all that wasn't enough, get this. Remember when I talked about how when they went to Doug's house, they were recording his conversation so that they could review his body language later on? Well, it turns out when they reviewed that footage, they saw that Doug was wearing a Fitbit. And this is not the first case where I have either covered or heard of this happening, but the Fitbit ended up playing a huge part in the case, and it actually helped prove that he didn't commit her murder. Isn't that crazy? When they ended up looking at his Fitbit data, it showed that there were only about 12 steps in a three hour span where they believe that Nikki was murdered. And of course you might be thinking, well, maybe he took it off, maybe he thought ahead on that one. Well, they don't believe he did because if he did, kid, it wouldn't have even registered those 12 steps. Those 12 steps he took, which they believe were probably from where he maybe went to go to the bathroom or to check on their kid, proved that he was wearing the device throughout the time that they believe that she was murdered. And so ultimately they did not have enough evidence to keep him behind bars any longer. So after 18 days, Doug was released. But with the exception of his friends, most people still thought he was guilty and they couldn't understand why they were letting him out. And what was even harder to understand was the fact that weeks started going by and it didn't seem like anything was happening with the case. But there was earlier in this episode, I told you guys how Nikki was found only wearing her socks and a pink bracelet, like the event bracelet. And it turns out that there was some DNA found on her socks. And when they ran this DNA through CODIS, it came back as being a match to 38 year old piece of George Stephens. And it turns out his DNA would end up being a match to all other DNA found on Nikki and the murder weapon. But who was this guy? Well, when investigators first looked into him, they could see that he was from Virginia and didn't appear to have any connection to Nikki whatsoever. So how did this random dude's DNA end up on her sock? Well, if you haven't already figured it out, it's because this good for nothing bag murdered her. It turns out that George was new to the green bay area. He had just moved there a few months earlier after going through a divorce. He ended up moving in with his buddy Ed Jackson and Ed's wife Linda, who he had been friends with for over 20 years. And the thing that interested investigators the most about him was the fact that on his record, it showed that he had already been arrested for murder. Back in 1998, he was arrested for the murder of a man named Joey White, who was supposedly a rival gang member. A jury did end up acquitting George, but investigators felt like this wasn't a coincidence, so they kept looking into him him and this is what they found out. George, whose nickname is actually big country because he's 6 foot 8, was a regular at this bar called Richard Craniums, which happens to be a half mile away from the sardine can. Investigators also learned that he had recently been associated with a hit and run incident. I'm talking like right after the murder. And what happened was the Jacksons had let George borrow their Chevy Blazer. And one night that vehicle was involved in a hit and run. And on top of being super banged up, whoever was driving the car also decided to torch it. And naturally, the police suspected George was involved since he was the person known to drive the vehicle. But of course, he said it wasn't him and that someone else had stolen it. Now, they didn't end up charging him with anything since they couldn't prove that he did it. But the whole ordeal ended up really being a golden ticket in Nikki's murder investigation. It turns out when police brought him in for questioning over that whole ordeal, he ended up giving them written permission to download the data from his phone. And he did this by because he thought it would prove that he wasn't near the area where the hit and run took place. But what big dummy dumbs didn't even factor in was the fact that now police had access to everything. And so, to make a long story short, investigators got a hold of the Data, and it proved that George was at every single location associated with Nikki's murder on the night it happened. So if the DNA wasn't already a slam dunk drunk, this certainly was. The data ultimately showed that he drove from Richard Cranium's to his house, where he stopped briefly, then from his house to Nikki's house, and lastly from Nikki's house to the field where her body was dumped. It also placed him on the highway on ramp where her clothes had been discarded. And if all that weren't bad enough, this bigfoot looking ass had been dumb enough to be googling the case not once, not twice. 64. Four times. Okay, so things are not looking good for Mr. George. So of course they arrest him. And they ultimately believe that on the night that she was killed, Nikki had met George at Richard Cranium. And while the specific details are uncertain, they think that he had offered her a ride home. And during this ride home, they believe that he tried to make a move on her sexually, which they believe that she denied. And because she denied him, he sexually assaulted and killed her that day. He was brought in for questioning, and George could not have been more casual about the whole thing. He straight up sat in that room smoking a cigarette and smiling like he hadn't just been arrested on suspicion of murder. And unfortunately, not much more information was learned. George answered a handful of personal questions, but when the detective started talking about the murder and reading him his Miranda rights, he asked for a lawyer.

[Kendall Rae]

So obviously, you're brought here in handcuffs, right? Which means you're arrested, so you have the right to your Miranda rights. Are you familiar with those rights at all? Okay, so before I speak to you any further about my investigation, I want to read your Miranda rights and see if you're willing to talk to me. Okay. The reason you're here is into. In reference to a homicide investigation into Nicole Vanderheiden. Okay, so is this something that you want to talk to me about? Yes, sir. What's that? You don't want to talk to me about with that? So if I read you Miranda rights, you don't. You don't want to talk to me, So I would prefer a lawyer.

[David]

And honestly, even though he didn't end up saying much at the time, I'd say it was kind of a good thing because it gave this dummy time before the trial began to concoct a ridiculous story that no one was going to believe. The trial started in February of 2018, and I'll explain this more in a minute, but basically, the fact that he didn't tell his whole concocted story from the jump, just prove that everything he was saying was complete. So let's start going over the trial, shall we? The trial against George. Specifically, it began on February 19, 2018, and no time was wasted getting into the nitty gritty details. The prosecution argued that George undeniably murdered Nikki Vander Heiden and that the evidence proves that it was him and him alone. And just as a reminder, I thought it would be good for us to go over, once again, all of the evidence against him. And there's quite a bit. First, there was the phone data which placed him at every single location associated with Nikki's murder. And then they had his DNA on both her body and the cord that they say he strangled her with. And then they also had the testimony of Ed Jackson. And he explained during that testimony that the day after Nikki was murdered, he and George went out fishing. Like, can you imagine doing something that heinous? And then waking up the next morning and going fishing? And there's even a photo of George smiling as he's holding up a fish that he caught. And he looks totally unfazed, totally happy, just showing off his stupid fish. And that photo, plus the testimony of Ed ended up helping the prosecution because it showed that George didn't have any injuries to his head, which I'm sure you're a little confused on that. And I will explain more after I go over the defense's argument. So the entire, and I mean entire strategy of the defense was to convince the jury that Dr. Doug had been the one to kill Nikki. And I'm sure you're already thinking that's a terrible argument. And it is, because obviously they have all this physical evidence against George, plus they have plenty of evidence to prove that Doug is innocent. But they said they could explain it somehow. According to George, who did take the stand, by the way, he was with Nikki that night. He said that they met at Richard Cranium's and the two of them began flirting. And eventually he asked if she wanted to go home with him. He claims that she said yes and that the two of them got in his car and drove. Drove to his place. But then he said when they pulled up, other people were home, so they decided to go to Nikki's instead. And when they go to Nikki's, same situation, people are home. Duh. So he claims then that they decided to have sex in the back of his car. But here's the kicker. Out of nowhere, George claims that he was knocked out and completely lost consciousness. Then when he suddenly came to, he said he saw a man who he heard say, don't you think about it? As well as, look what the fuck you made me do. And when he did come to, he said that Nikki was already dead. So, yeah, that was his story that he felt good about, that he just happened to be unconscious for all of this. Okay, but even if the jury was foolish enough to believe all of that bullshit, he still had to explain why his phone placed him at the location where her body was dumped. So what did this big idiot say? He said that Doug forced him at gunpoint to move Nikki's body to the back of his car and then proceeded to hold that gun against him as the two of them drove her body to the field where he was forced to dump her. Now, apparently this entire time, George was trying to come up with a way to escape the situation. And he said he got that opportunity in the field when Doug wasn't paying attention. He said that he pushed Doug down as hard as he could and then he ran as fast as his little legs could carry him, I guess, big legs. And drove off. And while driving away, he noticed that Nikki's clothes were still in his car, so he threw them out his window in a panic. And I mean, no offense to Doug when I say this, but George looks like he could eat Doug. I mean, he was called big country for a reason. He is a 6 foot 8 inch, 260 pound behemoth. And Doug is kind of a regular looking dude. He's not tiny or anything. But George is certainly a lot bigger than him. Obviously you have to take into account that if his story was true, the person holding the gun does have more power. But I don't know why I'm just so hung up on that. It just seems like one other element to his story that just fundamentally doesn't make any sense. And that's why it's so ridiculous. He even tried to sell this to the jury. He didn't even mention any of this to investigators when he was arrested. But all in all, that was the gist of his testimony. And the fact that he even testified in his own defense was pretty shocking. I mean, that does not happen often. Now, Doug also took the stand and the defense went in on him. They brought up the text messages where Nikki alleges he abused her and the fact that he was planning on leaving her and their son. You know, things that would point to a motive. But he denied all of those allegations and even said that he didn't know why Nikki would say those things in the first place. They also did question why it took him so long to report her missing. And I certainly have thoughts on that and on Doug in general and the way he treated her. I don't feel great about him and I'm sure any of you can agree. But while it's frustrating he did wait so long, it definitely wouldn't have changed the outcome. Plus, let's not forget about the Fitbit. That did play a big role in clearing him. How could he have committed a violent murder and dumped a body and only have taken 12 steps? I mean, the logic just isn't there. The reality is Nikki's life was taken from her. And while Doug definitely has his own can of worms terms, he wasn't guilty of murder. Which is the same conclusion that the jury did end up coming to. And both the prosecution and the defense thought that they would take quite a bit of time, but they didn't really need much time at all. After a two week trial, they only took four hours to deliberate and they came back with a guilty verdict. And two of the jurors ended up telling reporters that their decision really just came down to one thing, and that was the wire cord. That cord, which was used to strangle Nick Mickey, only had one man's DNA on it, and that was George. And at sentencing a few weeks later, 19 letters were submitted to the judge asking that he punish him for as long as the law would allow. And that's exactly what the judge did. And I really, really like this judge. I mean, I don't know his whole career, but from the way that he handled this case, I thought he did a great job. He sent his George to life in prison without the possibility of parole and even told him that if he could, could he would sentence him to the death penalty. The death penalty isn't legal in Wisconsin, so he couldn't. But he did say that he believed that this crime warrants that sentence.

[Kendall Rae]

What complicates things so is not only did you just brutally murder her, but you took away her life and then you kind of tried to take away her reputation by this story of sex in the car. And I agree with Mrs. D. The.

[David]

Easy out would have just been, I.

[Kendall Rae]

I'm not going to fight. And she did fight.

[David]

She had honor.

[Kendall Rae]

You took that away from her.

[David]

And essentially he said something along the lines of, I'm giving you the death penalty in a way because you're going to die in prison where you belong. He was also ordered to pay about $37,000 in restitution to the family and Doug for wage loss, headstone engraving, burial costs, counseling, and more. And despite everything, what really pisses me off, like the cherry on top of this evil man is that he continues to maintain his innocence. And he says that he'll never confess in a million years. I don't even know how to put into words how evil you have to be to not give her friends and family that closure. I mean, this is a must. Mother of children that are going to grow up without her. One of them who was too young to even have any memories of her. And you couldn't just own up, be a man at the end of the day and admit to what you did, confess, give them that type of closure. I guess you can't really expect a monster like George to have the heart to do that. But still, it just makes me so, so angry. So this is normally the part of the episode where I would start to wrap things up, but I do have one more piece of information that I want to share, and it actually has to do with charges that were filed against Doug. I've obviously said that Doug is innocent, and he is innocent of murder. However, after Nikki was murdered, he was charged with reckless endangering of safety, disorderly conduct, as well as false imprisonment, which had to do with an incident that took place after Nikki was killed, but before George's trial. And this is very shocking and disturbing, but what happened was Heather, Nikki's sister, had been living at their house, helping with the baby after Nikki was murdered. And a year before the trial, In February of 20, the two of them were driving to a birthday party. And, well, Doug ended up touching Heather's knee in a sexually suggestive way. And when she denied this advance, he locked the car doors and took off speeding. And it was a very bad, very scary situation. He ran a red light and completely put her in danger. And he only stopped when she started kicking at the windshield to try and break free, as if she hadn't been through enough recently. So another trial for that incident was scheduled for August of 2018, but he ended up pleading no contest to misdemeanor negligent operation of a vehicle. And if he stayed out of trouble by the agreed upon date, the charges would be dismissed, which, to my knowledge, they did ultimately end up being dismissed. So, yeah, Doug might be innocent of murder, but according to everything we know about him, he does not seem like an upstanding citizen by any means. I mean, to do this to the system, sister of someone you loved, someone who was murdered the mother of your child so soon after what happened to her. Pretty, pretty evil, in my opinion. Nikki, her sister, their whole family deserves so much better. And really, just at the end of the day, my heart breaks for those kids. I mean, the fact that if they don't already know what happened, they probably will learn what happened in their life, it's just beyond traumatic. I was curious how they're doing now, and I struggled finding any recent updates on how they're doing. But I did see that a fundraiser was started to help the family financially support their kids through life in College. It's a GoFundMe, and like always, I'm going to have that link down below in case you're in a position to be able to support them. And I'm going to attempt to get in touch with them and see if they're interested in applying for a grant through my foundation, Higher Hope, because we definitely would love to help them. But even though years have passed now, this will never be over for her family, especially for those three children who will forever have to grow up without their mother. How someone could just be in the wrong place at the wrong time and just happened to ask the wrong person for a ride, it's just. It's so unfair. Nikki deserved so much better. And George Burch got exactly what he deserved, which is rotting in prison until the day he dies. That is going to be it for me today, guys. Thank you for joining me for another episode. And make sure you follow the show on Spotify and Apple podcasts. It really does help me out. If you want to watch the video version of this show, you can find it on my YouTube channel, which will be linked, or you can just search Kendall Rae. I will be back with another episode soon, but until then, stay safe out there.