GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – A $2 million bond has been set for the man arrested in connection with the murder of Nicole VanderHeyden.
38-year-old George Stephen Burch appeared in Brown County court Thursday. The court commissioner agreed with prosecutors that there was probable cause to hold Burch in the case, but ordered those documents sealed from the public.
A criminal complaint is expected to be released when Burch returns to court September 16.
The Brown County Sheriff’s Office has called a Friday morning news conference to discuss Burch’s arrest. Officials say Burch was taken into custody around 6:20 a.m. Wednesday. Burch, who goes by the name Steve, has not yet been formally charged in the case.
The 31-year-old VanderHeyden was found near a field in Bellevue back on May 21. Investigators believe that she was beaten and strangled.
Just days after VanderHeyden was found, Douglass Detrie was arrested after investigators said they found blood near the home the two shared in Ledgeview. However, Detrie was released from jail in June after prosecutors said they didn’t have enough evidence to charge him.
WTAQ reached out to Detrie and his attorney for comment on the arrest of Burch. Detrie’s attorney, Emily Lonergan, declined an interview but released this statement:
“Mr. Detrie and his family are hopeful that the man being held in custody is the correct person who is responsible for this horrible tragedy, and if so, that the prosecutor will charge him. Mr. Detrie, his family and his legal counsel have steadfastly maintained throughout this matter that someone other than Douglass Detrie killed Nicole. The recent arrest of the new suspect, who is not connected in any way to Mr. Detrie, shows this to be true.”
