CLINTON — UPDATED - 12:15 p.m.: Law enforcement officials have arrested a Clinton man in connection with the 2008 death of a Sabula woman.

Andy Cole, 47, of Clinton, is charged with first degree murder of Alysia Marburger, 27, of Sabula.

Cole made an initial court appearance today and will return to court for a preliminary hearing on Aug. 3. He is being held on $500,000 cash bond at the Clinton County Jail.

Clinton County Sherriff’s Sgt. Steve Cundiff would not comment further on how the arrest was made.

“It’s a great day for the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office, the Clinton County Attorney’s Office and the Marburger family. Starting today, the Marburger family will have answers on what happened to their loved one, Alysia Marburger,” Cundiff said.

Marburger’s partially clothed body was found on Oct. 24, 2008, lying in a ditch near the Rock Creek Cabin area off Iowa 67. The medical examiner conducted an autopsy on Oct. 26 and ruled the cause of death as undetermined, but found the circumstances highly suspicious of foul play.

According to the affidavit, on Oct. 7, 2008, around 12:28 a.m., Marburger was seen purchasing a bottle of Captain Morgan at Hy-Vee with an adult female friend. An adult male acquaintance told investigators he remained in Marburger’s car while the two women purchased alcohol. The three then went to the adult female friend’s apartment in Clinton. As they were at the apartment, Cole showed up, and Cole, Marburger and the male acquaintance left for the adult male acquaintance’s apartment.

The adult male acquaintance last saw Cole and Marburger leaving his apartment at 2:15 a.m. The male acquaintance’s roommate came home around the same time and also saw Cole and Marburger leave the apartment.

According to the affidavit, Cole was questioned during the investigation and confirmed he left with Marburger to have sexual relations with her in the backseat of her car. Cole originally said he left Marburger’s car at 4 a.m. and she drove off.

Phone records indicate at 2:55 a.m. on Oct. 7, 2008, the number “9112” was dialed on Marburger’s phone. Records also indicate two minutes late that the number “8550” also was dialed from Marburger’s phone.

When Marburger’s Hyundai Sonata was found on Oct. 13, 2008, near the 400 block of 10^th Avenue South, half of the display screen of Marburger’s flip cell phone was found on the backseat, according to the affidavit. Marburger’s underwear and pants were found on the floor under the driver’s seat of the car, consistent with Cole’s admission that the two had sexual relations.

When Marburger’s body was discovered on Oct. 24, the key pad portion of her cell phone and an empty bottle of Captain Morgan was found across the road from her body. Her purse was found several feet from her body in the woods.

A sexual assault kit performed during the autopsy revealed DNA matching the profile of Cole. DNA found on a black knee-high sock Marburger was wearing when her body was discovered, was also consistent with Cole’s profile.

The affidavit states, when Cole was interviewed by law enforcement, he admitted to being with Marburger in the early morning hours of Oct. 7. Cole stated Marburger dropped him off near his residence around 4:25 a.m. Cole claimed he walked to see a friend who was not home and then walked back to his residence at sunrise. Cole claimed he knocked on his apartment door and his girlfriend let him in the apartment. Phone records show Cole actually called his girlfriend at 7:06 a.m. Records indicate the sunrise on Oct. 7 was at 7:05 a.m. Cole claimed he slept on the couch for a few hours and went to work. Cole’s employer’s work records show Cole did not work on Oct. 7.

Cole also later stated to an acquaintance that, “I wish you had went. If you would have went that night dude, I still believe (expletive) would have went in a different place.”

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A Clinton man has been arrested in connection with the 2008 death of a Sabula woman.

The Clinton County Sheriff’s department arrested Andy Cole, 47, of Clinton, in connection with the death of Alysia Marburger, 27, of Sabula. Cole has been charged with murder in the first degree.

Marburger’s body was discovered along a private drive leading to Rock Creek cabins located south of Camanche in October 2008.

Cole was seen this morning for his initial court appearance. His next appearance will be a preliminary hearing on Aug. 3 at 8:30 a.m. Cole is being held in the Clinton County Jail on a $500,000 cash bond.

The arrest is the culmination of an investigation by the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, the Clinton County Attorney’s Office and the Iowa Attorney General’s Office.

We will have more on this story later today.