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COLUMBIA CITY - The body of a Warsaw man missing since July 23 was found Thursday in a cornfield near Columbia City.
Police said Donald Dean Sundheimer, 63, of Eagle Street, died from blunt trauma to the head and was the victim of a homicide. Two suspects are in custody in the Whitley County Jail. The apparent motive for the killing was robbery, officials said.
Arrested were Eugene Alan Nowack, 36, of 8280 U.S. 30E #55, Pierceton, charged with murder and felony murder, and Stephanie Smith, 27, of the same address, charged with aiding in an armed robbery. Smith's bond is set at $100,000 and Nowack is being held without bond.
Smith led police Wednesday morning to the location where Sundheimer's body was left. The badly decomposed remains were about three rows into a cornfield south of the Noble County Line along Whitley CR 450E, north of CR 600N and south of U.S. 33. Detective Sgt. Steve Adang of the Warsaw Police Department said that if Smith hadn't provided that information, Sundheimer's body likely wouldn't have been found until harvest time, about two months from now.
Adang began his investigation into Sundheimer's disappearance after Sundheimer's son reported him missing on July 28. Sundheimer was last seen July 22 leaving Muncy's, a bar in Boggs Industrial Park in Warsaw, with Nowack and Smith.
Adang said that before Sundheimer left with the couple, he spoke to a woman he knew who also was familiar with Smith and Nowack and questioned her as to whether they were "OK." The woman reportedly told Sundheimer that she didn't think it would be a problem for him to go with them.
After it was publicized that Sundheimer was missing, the mutual friend contacted Smith, who denied that Sundheimer left with her and Nowack the night of July 22.
Because Sundheimer had a history of mental illness and was a maniac depressive, Adang said, the initial investigation was to check with treatment facilities and jails in an attempt to find him admitted somewhere as a John Doe. However, nothing was located. Also, when Sundheimer was entered into the police computer system as a missing person, local police were able to determine that the Whitley County Sheriff's Department had run his license plate within a few days of his disappearance.
After checking with Whitley County officials, it was learned that Sundheimer's abandoned car - found on Whitley CR 250N, north of Columbia City - was impounded. Officials said the car was intact but they were concerned that the rear seat of the vehicle smelled strongly of diesel fuel or petroleum. Also, the driver's seat was pulled far forward, indicating that a short person was the last to drive the car. Smith is approximately 5 feet tall, while both Nowack and Sundheimer are around 5 feet, 10 inches tall.
Police already knew that Sundheimer's Lake City Bank account was accessed at 4:11 a.m. and 4:12 a.m. July 23 at the east branch of the bank in the Woodland Plaza in Warsaw. Attempts to withdraw funds were made at 4:18 a.m. that day at the Teachers Credit Union automatic teller machine on Commerce Drive and about 4:30 a.m. at the First Source Bank on Frontage Road and the National City Bank on Commerce Drive.
Several attempts to withdraw funds were denied because the amounts exceeded the daily limits, Adang said, but $600 was withdrawn from Sundheimer's accounts. Two attempts to garner funds via Western Union using Sundheimer's MasterCard also were denied. Those attempts reportedly took place from Smith and Nowack's residence the morning of July 23.
Videotapes pulled from the cameras at the various bank locations show Sundheimer personally approaching the ATMs. However, Adang said, Sundheimer was seen exiting the passenger side of his own vehicle, with two other people captured on tape in the car.
During an initial interview with Smith, Adang said, she denied being with Sundheimer. She later changed her story when police told her she was pictured in the video.
The trio allegedly made the withdrawals to get enough money to travel to Fort Wayne, where they were reportedly going to conduct a drug transaction.
Police interviewed Smith and Nowack on three occasions since the investigation began and Adang said there were several inconsistencies in both of their stories. Nowack even denied knowing anyone named Don.
Adang said the break in the case came after he met with Smith's parents and they convinced her to tell the truth about her involvement in Sundheimer's disappearance. In making her confession, Smith allegedly implicated Nowack, who was subsequently questioned again and made a partial admission regarding his involvement only.
Smith reportedly told police that she was with Nowack when Sundheimer was killed. Nowack allegedly struck Sundheimer in the head with a tire iron at least six times.
Police said the act occurred in Whitley County, at the location where Sundheimer's body was found and about seven miles north of where his car was abandoned.
The three were apparently en route to Fort Wayne, with Smith driving Sundheimer's car and Nowack following in Smith's car. Along the way, Nowack flashed his headlights at Smith, indicating she should pull over. Once stopped, both Smith and Sundheimer got out of the car, and Nowack reportedly said one of the back tires was flat and told Smith to start getting the spare tire out of the trunk.
Meanwhile, Sundheimer apparently noticed that there was no flat tire and began to argue with Nowack about it. Nowack then reportedly struck Sundheimer in the head with the tire iron. Sundheimer became disoriented after the blow, but regained his bearings and asked why Nowack did that to him. Police said Smith told them that Nowack then struck Sundheimer twice more before dragging him into the cornfield, where she saw Nowack strike Sundheimer in the head with the tire iron at least three more times.
Nowack then took Sundheimer's wallet, which contained about $400, and Smith helped Nowack disposed of Sundheimer's personal property.
Police said Nowack moved to the area from Florida less than two years ago and his criminal history doesn't include convictions for any violent offenses. Smith was arrested once on an alcohol offense, Adang said.
In addition to Warsaw and Whitley County police investigations, Indiana State Police are involved in the ongoing probe.
An autopsy for Sundheimer is scheduled for this afternoon in Fort Wayne.
Initial hearings for Smith and Nowack will be at 9 a.m. Monday in Whitley Circuit Court with Judge James Heuer presiding.
Conviction on a charge of murder is punishable by 45 to 65 years in prison. A charge of felony murder means the death occurred during the commission of another crime, such as robbery.
Aiding in an armed robbery, Class A felony, is punishable by 20 to 50 years in prison.
