Document: Man told police he helped cousin bury woman's body

A court document shows that the cousin of a man charged in the slaying of a 25-year-old western Michigan gas station clerk initially told investigators he helped bury her body.

The document released Wednesday reveals Kevin Bluhm's statements to police helped lead to murder and kidnapping charges against Jeffrey Willis.

Jessica Heeringa disappeared April 26, 2013, from Norton Shores, near Muskegon. Her body hasn't been found.

The document says Bluhm told police that the next day he saw a woman bound in a Norton Shores home and helped to bury her.

Bluhm later told police he had lied. He is charged with being an accessory after the fact.

Telephone and credit card records show Willis had been at the gas station. Willis also is charged in a separate murder case.