Two held in the murder of former San Marcos man
Suspects under bonds of $500,000 each in death of Michael Van Dyke
By Anita Miller
News Editor

San Marcos — Two people, one a San Marcos resident, have been arrested in Bastrop County in connection with the murder of former San Marcos man Michael Van Dyke.

St. Ric Cole of the Bastrop County Sheriff’s Office said 26-year-old Dennis Don Leetch of San Marcos has been charged with murder and is being held on a $500,000 bond. Also charged in the case is 24-year-old Dustin Dickman of Paige, who is also being held on a bond of $500,000.

Cole said Van Dyke was reported missing by his mother, Belinda Van Dyke of San Marcos on Dec. 27, but that he had not shown up at his job since mid-December.

“His parents hadn’t heard from him since Dec. 14. He didn’t show up for Christmas,” Cole said.

At the time of his disappearance, Van Dyke, 23, was living with Dickman at 321 County Line Road in Paige, an area in far eastern Bastrop County that Cole described as ranch country. He had been working at a Paige restaurant, but hadn’t shown up for work since mid-December.

Cole said there apparently were disagreements “over property and relationships” between the roommates. He said Bastrop County investigators “started digging at it and finally got enough information on who was involved to arrest Dickman.”

Dickman gave a confession, he said, that led detectives to Leetch, who also reportedly confessed.

Acting on that additional information, Hays County assisted Bastrop investigators in executing a search warrant Wednesday morning at 500 Roadrunner Road in Rocky Ranch 1, Hays Sheriff’s spokesman Lt. Leroy Opiela said.

Cole said the search warrant turned up a vehicle with some evidence inside it and “some evidence of where the body had been.”

He said investigators believe Van Dyke’s body was initially buried on the property where he lived but that the suspects “got nervous and moved the body.” He said a dive team has searched three stock ponds on different area ranches.

Cole said no body was found but the searches did turn up “some of Van Dyke’s property.”

Investigators have found what they believe are the murder weapons, which Cole described as “construction boards and blocks.”

He said no additional arrests are anticipated but investigators are “still looking for some vital information that we haven’t got yet,” and have one more person in mind they would like to talk to.

“It’s a long process, and exhausting process for our guys,” he said. Van Dyke’s mother agreed. “Bastrop County has worked tirelessly on this case,” she said on Wednesday.

Van Dyke graduated from San Marcos High School in 2004 and served in the U.S. Army. Leetch graduated SMHS in 2002.

Van Dyke’s mother said her son and Leetch had been friends since high school. “The connection between those two was longstanding.”

Anyone with any information is urged to contact the Bastrop County Sheriff’s Office at (512) 303-1080. Callers who wish to remain anonymous can contact Crime Stoppers at (800) 324-TIPS.

Posted by Thomas A. (Tad) DiBiase, No Body Guy