Authorities have a 35-year-old Will County, IL man in custody in the investigation of a homicide at a resort south of Sturgeon Bay in the town of Nasewaupee.
Door County Sherriff Terry Vogel says a 21 year old woman also from Will County, IL was found dead in a resort room Sunday afternoon. The sheriff says the suspect and the victim were in Door County together to attend a wedding at the Log Den in Egg Harbor.
Vogel says the man called the Sheriff's Department shortly after noon Sunday from a business in Sister Bay to report that he had killed his girlfriend. Sheriff's Department dispatchers remained on the line with the suspect until officers arrived and took him into custody.
Vogel would not confirm the name of the resort involved in the murder; however we did find several Door County Sheriff's Department cars parked at the Sand Bay Beach Resort & Suites around 3:00 PM Sunday. The sheriff did say the department received aid from the Wisconsin Dept. of Justice's crime lab mobile unit out of Wausau in the case. That vehicle can be seen pictured in front of the Sand Bay Beach Resort & Suites on Sunday evening.
Vogel did not identify the victim or the suspect, or reveal how the woman was killed. He did say that the suspect is cooperating with the investigation.
Authorities say a preliminary investigation does lead them to believe the victim died as a result of foul play.
Vogel expects the man to be charged with first degree intentional homicide. Law enforcement hopes to put him in front of a judge as early as Monday afternoon. The suspect is currently being held in the Door County Jail pending formal charges by the Door County District Attorney.
The Peninsula Pulse is reporting the business the suspect phoned the police from is Bhirdo's Shell station in Sister Bay.
We observed heavy radio chatter around 12:00 PM Sunday which also mentioned the Sand Bay Beach Resort, and referenced a 911 call for possible assault. Resort employees were not willing to confirm any information.
The last first degree intentional murder to happen in Door County came in 2001 on Christmas Eve. This is the first investigation of this nature under Sheriff Vogel's watch.
