Tonya Priest came forward and told police that James Steen confessed to her that he and others killed Heidi, and dismembered her body at a cabin in the woods. Police concluded their investigation by saying that Priest was not credible and that there was no cabin in the woods. But Gary Thibodeau's defense team and a reporter had already found a cabin in the woods that seemed to corroborate what Priest said. During an excavation of the site, three cadaver dogs picked up the scent of human remains right outside the cabin.