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21st century technology used to help solve Wisconsin mom''s murder

How Fitbit Data Cracked a Wisconsin Mother's Murder: A Tale of Technology and Justice

In the quiet suburbs of Green Bay, Wisconsin, a shocking murder in 2016 thrust modern technology into the spotlight as an unlikely detective. Nicole VanderHeyden, a 31-year-old mother of three and nursing student, vanished after a night out, only for her battered body to be discovered in a remote field. What began as a routine investigation into domestic violence suspicions quickly evolved into a high-tech whodunit, where wearable devices like Fitbit, smartphone location data, and surveillance footage unraveled the truth. This case not only exonerated an innocent man but also highlighted how 21st-century gadgets can serve as silent witnesses in the pursuit of justice.

The story unfolded on a seemingly ordinary Friday night in May 2016. Nicole, known to friends and family as Nikki, had been dating Doug Detrie for about a year. The couple shared a home in Ledgeview, a small town outside Green Bay, where they were raising their infant daughter, Dylan, along with Nicole's two older children from a previous relationship. That evening, Nicole and Doug decided to unwind at a local bar called the Watering Hole, joining friends for drinks and live music. But as the night progressed, tensions simmered. Witnesses later recounted seeing the couple argue—nothing explosive, but enough to raise eyebrows. Around midnight, Nicole left the bar with another man, heading to a nearby establishment called the Sardine Can. Doug, frustrated, returned home alone to care for their baby.

By the next morning, Nicole hadn't returned. Doug, growing worried, began searching for her. He drove around town, called her phone repeatedly, and even enlisted friends to help. When there was no sign of her, he reported her missing to the Brown County Sheriff's Office. The response was swift: deputies arrived at the couple's home, where they found bloodstains on the garage floor and Doug's clothes. Suspicion immediately fell on him. After all, statistics show that intimate partners are often involved in such crimes. Doug was arrested and charged with first-degree intentional homicide, facing the possibility of life in prison.

But Doug maintained his innocence from the start. He told investigators he had nothing to do with Nicole's disappearance and insisted he was home with the baby after leaving the bar. To prove it, he offered something unusual: access to his digital footprint. This included data from his smartphone's Google Dashboard, which tracks location via GPS, and even his home's smart devices. Investigators, intrigued, delved into this trove of information. What they uncovered would shift the entire case.

Meanwhile, the grim discovery of Nicole's body escalated the urgency. Farmers in Bellevue, about 10 miles from the couple's home, found her naked remains in a ditch, partially concealed by grass. An autopsy revealed she had been strangled, beaten severely—with broken bones and blunt force trauma—and possibly sexually assaulted. Her clothes were scattered nearby, and her phone was missing. The brutality of the crime shocked the community, and pressure mounted on law enforcement to solve it quickly.

Enter the Fitbit. Nicole had been wearing her Fitbit Charge HR, a fitness tracker that monitors heart rate, steps, and sleep patterns. The device, synced to her account, provided a chilling timeline of her final moments. Data showed her heart rate spiking dramatically around 1:30 a.m., indicative of intense physical activity or stress—consistent with a struggle. Then, abruptly, at 3:34 a.m., her heart stopped beating entirely. This precise timestamp became a cornerstone of the investigation, narrowing the window of the murder and challenging initial theories.

Doug's alibi began to solidify through technology. His Google Dashboard data revealed his phone's location pinging at home during the critical hours, corroborating his story. Surveillance cameras from neighbors and local businesses further supported this, showing no unusual activity around his residence. But if Doug wasn't the killer, who was? Investigators turned their attention to the man Nicole had left the bar with—a acquaintance named George Steven Burch.

Burch, a 38-year-old drifter with a criminal history including theft and drug offenses, had met Nicole and Doug's group at the Watering Hole through a mutual friend. He claimed to be new in town, crashing on a friend's couch. According to witnesses, Burch and Nicole hit it off, sharing drinks and conversation before leaving together. Burch later told police that after dropping Nicole off near her home, he got lost and accidentally crashed his car into a ditch. He said he wandered around, eventually sleeping in a park until morning. But his story had holes—big ones.

Detectives subpoenaed Burch's phone records and Google data, which painted a damning picture. His smartphone's location history placed him at the exact spot where Nicole's body was found around the time her Fitbit recorded her death. Furthermore, GPS data showed his phone traveling from the bar to Nicole's neighborhood, then to the remote field, and even lingering near Doug's home afterward. This digital trail suggested Burch had not only killed Nicole but possibly tried to frame Doug by planting evidence.

The evidence mounted. DNA analysis from Nicole's body and clothing matched Burch's profile, including semen that indicated sexual assault. Blood found in Burch's car trunk matched Nicole's. Surveillance footage from a gas station captured Burch's vehicle near the crime scene, and a neighbor's camera showed a man matching his description lurking around Doug's house in the early hours. Perhaps most incriminating, Burch's own internet searches post-murder included queries about how long DNA lasts and whether Fitbit data could be used in court—clear signs of a guilty conscience trying to cover tracks.

As the case built against Burch, Doug was released after 18 days in jail, his charges dropped. The focus shifted entirely to Burch, who was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. His trial in 2018 became a showcase for how technology can revolutionize forensics. Prosecutors presented the Fitbit data as a "digital alibi" for Doug and a smoking gun against Burch. Experts testified that the heart rate cessation was irrefutable evidence of the time of death, syncing perfectly with Burch's phone locations.

Burch's defense argued that the technology was unreliable—Fitbits aren't medical devices, they said, and location data can be imprecise. They even suggested Doug might still be involved, pointing to the initial blood evidence. But the jury wasn't swayed. After a two-week trial filled with emotional testimony from Nicole's family, Burch was convicted of first-degree intentional homicide and sentenced to life without parole.

This case marked a pivotal moment in criminal investigations, demonstrating the power of wearable tech and big data. Fitbits, once mere fitness tools, now join smartphones and smart home devices as potential evidence in courtrooms. Legal experts note that while such data raises privacy concerns—companies like Google and Fitbit can be compelled to hand over user information—it also offers unprecedented accuracy in timelines and locations.

For Nicole's loved ones, the resolution brought bittersweet closure. Her mother, Sue VanderHeyden, spoke of the pain of losing a vibrant daughter who dreamed of becoming a nurse to help others. Doug, cleared of all suspicion, focused on raising their daughter, Dylan, now a reminder of happier times. The murder exposed the dark underbelly of chance encounters but also the light of innovation in solving them.

In an era where our devices track every step, the VanderHeyden case serves as a stark reminder: technology doesn't just connect us; it can also convict. As one investigator put it, "The data doesn't lie." From Green Bay to courtrooms nationwide, this story underscores how the digital age is rewriting the rules of justice, one heartbeat at a time.

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Read the Full CBS News Article at:
[ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-fitbit-alibi-21st-century-technology-used-to-help-solve-wisconsin-moms-murder/ ]