The Murder of Alisha Sidie
For this case, I watched an episode of Shattered Hearts. It’s season 1 episode 2, titled ‘The Last Call.’
A 27-year-old mother of twins is reported missing.
Background
Alisha Marie Rowlee was born on April 22, 1981. Alisha spent a few years in the Air Force, but returned to Wisconsin due to being homesick. In 2004, Alisha met her future husband, Doug Sidie. Doug was 13 years older, and had come into a bar that Alisha was bartending at. Doug and Alisha went on to have twin boys together, and appeared very happy.
By 2008, Alisha was going to school to earn her nursing degree. She also had two jobs working as a bartender at Sunset Tavern and as a chiropractic assistant. Alisha, Doug and their sons lived in the small town of Hatfield, Wisconsin.
Alisha Sidie
Alisha and Doug
The Disappearance
On November 8, 2008, Doug called Alisha’s sister, Tracy, and asked if she had seen Alisha. He said they had gotten into an argument, and she left their house on foot. Tracy hadn’t seen her, but called several of Alisha’s friends. None of them had seen her either.
By that evening, Alisha hadn’t shown up for work, and was reported missing. Doug agreed to be interviewed. He said his friend, Jess Terry from Illinois had been staying with them for a day of hunting.
Doug said Alisha had come home the previous night around 9pm with their boys. They put the boys to bed together, but immediately started fighting. Doug said they were arguing over his son from a previous marriage. He said he grabbed Alisha’s keys, and threw them into the yard. He said he wasn’t expecting her to leave on foot, but followed her about 20 minutes later. He said he checked the local bars, which were within walking distance of their house, but she wasn’t at any of them.
Doug said Jess had returned to Illinois. The police reached out to him, but were only able to leave a voicemail.
The Voicemail
The police discovered that on Friday, November 7, Alisha had called her friend at 9:13pm. On the call, Alisha was crying and asked her friend to call her back. Alisha’s friend had went to sleep early that night She had tried call her back, but there was no answer. She said she had received a phone call from Doug not too long after. Doug had admitted that he and Alisha had gotten into a fight, and seemed emotional.
Alisha’s friend said it wasn’t uncommon for Alisha and Doug to fight. Alisha would always go to a bar called The Mug, or stay with friends.
The police contacted The Mug, but Alisha hadn’t been there after she left her driveway. The police also came up with a theory that maybe Alisha had been abducted by an out of town hunter.
Doug appeared on the local news asking for Alisha’s safe return. He could also be heard telling his sons that they would find mommy.
The Tips
On November 9, 2008, a cadaver dog was called in to track Alisha’s scent. Doug had given the police a coat of Alisha’s to use. The dog walked out of the driveway, and followed the road along the railroad tracks. The scent stopped abruptly, and the police thought that maybe Alisha could’ve gotten into a vehicle.
The police received a tip from a woman about an incident from August involving Alisha. Alisha had brought her car into an auto body shop to get an estimate. Alisha explained that she had kicked a drunk customer of the bar. Alisha had believed that the customer had then destroyed her car, and she filed a police report.
Alisha had never name the man in the police report, but the police were able to track the man down. He had an alibi from the night Alisha disappeared, and had been nowhere near the Sidie home.
Two other people had come forward about seeing Alisha at Walmart after the time she was believed to have disappeared. However, the police obtained the surveillance footage and couldn’t find Alisha on camera. The police also learned that the woman that these people had seen was Alisha’s sister. Alisha and her two sisters looked very similar.
A Declining Marriage
The police learned more information about Alisha and Doug’s relationship from her close friend. It was the same friend that Alisha had called on the night she disappeared.
The friend said that Alisha had been crying a lot, and talking about wanting to leave Doug. Alisha had even moved in with a male friend of hers to help him save money and pay bills. This male friend had shared that he was interested in Alisha. Alisha then said she was going back to Doug because she wasn’t looking for a relationship like that with him.
Alisha’s male friend was interviewed. He did admit to telling Alisha about how much he cared about her. He was eliminated as a suspect as he had been at several bars with other people on the day Alisha disappeared.
Doug agreed to meet with the police for another interview. He was asked about his marriage to Alisha. Doug said he had been being pressured by Alisha’s family, and was even strip searched by her dad. Alisha’s dad had been checking him for any injuries as Alisha would’ve fought back.
Doug was also asked to do a voice analysis test. The results were that he had passed. The police were starting to think that maybe Doug wasn’t involved, but his friend, Jess was.
What Jess Saw
The police drove about 5 hours to Chicago to meet with Jess. Jess said that on the night Alisha disappeared, he walked to The Mug, had a beer and bought a 6 pack. He said he returned to the Sidie house around 7:30pm, and went right to sleep. He said he had been really tired and didn’t hear any arguments that night. He then woke up at 7am the next morning to drive home.
The police were suspicious of Jess because he had his timeline written out, almost like it was a script for him to follow.
On Wednesday, November 12, 2008, a woman found a cell phone in a local creek. It was the same make and model as the one Alisha had. That same day, the police reexamined Doug’s interview, and realized he had been referring to Alisha in the past tense.
A search warrant was obtained for the Sidie’s house. A few phone boxes were found. The serial number on the box matched the phone that had been found in the creek. The police also discovered that one of Doug’s guns, a pistol, was missing from his gun safe.
The police went back to Jess’ house. They had learned that he had lied. His receipt from The Mug put him there until about 9:15pm, not 7:30pm. It was just a short walk from The Mug to the Sidie’s house. The police believed he would’ve seen or heard something when he came home.
At first, Jess stuck to his story. He became anxious and constantly clicked a pen that he had with him when the police asked him uncomfortable questions. He then admitted that Doug had shot Alisha. He said he couldn’t understand how Doug could snap like that, and didn’t want him to hurt the boys.
Jess told the police that Doug had placed a sheet over Alisha, and left the house to get rid of the body. By the end of his interview, he was in tears and apologized for not telling the truth earlier.
Seeing Red
On November 15, 2008, after Jess’ admission, the police and a dive team went back to the creek. They found a pistol that was traced back to Doug and the empty gun case.
Doug was interviewed again, and also maintained his story. He admitted that he and Alisha were fighting that night. Eventually, his story changed, and he said that Alisha had threatened to take their sons away. Doug said Alisha was often mouthy, but this time, he realized she was serious. He said he saw red, and grabbed his pistol. He put the gun in his waistband, and followed Alisha. He said Alisha said “something else smart” to him, and shot her.
Doug said he couldn’t believe that the gun had gone off in his hands. He agreed to take the police to where he had taken Alisha’s body. At first, the exact location wasn’t found. But, a search dog was brought in. It was the same search dog that had attempted to look for Alisha earlier in the investigation. The coat that had been given to the police by Doug had actually been worn by someone other than Alisha.
This time, the search dog was given shoes and Alisha’s hairbrush to smell. The dog led them to Alisha’s body, which was found in a wooded area.
The Conviction
On August 12, 2009, Doug appeared in court. He pled guilty to first degree murder, and was sentenced to life in prison, and will eligible for parole after 35 years.
Doug
Jess Terry wasn’t charged as he had fully cooperated.
Alisha and Doug’s sons were adopted by Alisha’s cousins.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Doug’s behavior kind of gives me Chris Watts vibes. He didn’t really show much emotion when he begged for Alisha to return to them. He also promised his sons that they would find mommy when he knew all along what he had done. My heart breaks for Alisha’s sons, family, friends, etc. I really hope they are at peace knowing that Doug will hopefully never leave prison.
Sources
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/31578291/alisha-marie-sidie
https://thecinemaholic.com/alisha-sidie-murder-where-is-doug-sidie-now/
https://www.oxygen.com/criminal-confessions/crime-time/man-turns-in-best-friend-shot-wife
