Estimated read time: 7-8 minutes
- Alan Douglas Bruce, 70, is charged with the murder of Patrick Shelton, 47.
- Bruce allegedly shot Shelton, dismembered his body, and disposed of remains, police said.
- Bruce's bond is $1 million; he faces a preliminary hearing on May 27.
GRAPHIC CONTENT WARNING: The details in this article are extremely graphic and could be upsetting to readers. Please continue at your own discretion.
CHALLIS, Idaho — Court documents reveal extremely graphic information about the alleged murder of a missing Challis, Idaho, man.
Alan Douglas Bruce, 70, is charged with the first-degree murder of 47-year-old Patrick Shelton, as well as other felony charges: destruction of evidence, failure to notify of a death, unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and an enhancement for being a persistent violator.
According to court documents, the Custer County Sheriff's Office was notified on Saturday that Shelton was missing.
Later that day, deputies found Shelton's red 2001 Dodge pickup near Big Hill by Forest Service Road 256, with his dog inside.
Deputies searched the area and found no signs of Shelton.
Inside Shelton's pickup
On Sunday, deputies and Custer County Search and Rescue continued to look near the area where the truck was found. Idaho State Police assisted, and the truck was taken to the Custer County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies and an Idaho State Police sergeant then looked inside the vehicle, where they reportedly saw "blood spatter and possible brain tissue."
Police reports say the brain matter was "throughout the front of the interior" and on the rearview mirror.
Investigators say the driver's side window was down, and the passenger window was "busted" with small glass fragments inside the truck, leading them to believe that the window was broken from inside the truck.
They also reportedly found the copper jacket of a bullet on the passenger side window and "what appeared to be red human hair on the same windowsill."
Shelton was a redhead, according to a photo provided to EastIdahoNews.com by the sheriff's office when he was considered missing.
Bruce investigated
Deputies and police detectives interviewed two of Shelton's family members, who said they had been to the area where Shelton's truck was found.
One of the relatives said they found a piece of mail addressed to Bruce on the road near Shelton's truck.
The sheriff's office then looked at the location data from Shelton's phone and saw that he was in the area of Bruce's home on Thursday from 12:12 a.m. until 9:16 a.m., when the cellular carrier stopped receiving the location information.
Court documents say that when that happens, the cellphone is either powered off or destroyed and no longer communicates with the network.
Police reports say the sheriff's office then learned that Bruce had recently "obtained a black rifle that the reporting party thinks was an AR."
Deputies then obtained a warrant for Bruce's property to look for Shelton, Shelton's phone, the rifle and ammunition.
On Monday, deputies asked Bruce if he would meet them at the sheriff's office for an interview. Bruce said his truck was inoperable, so deputies offered to pick him up.
During the interview, Bruce allegedly denied killing Shelton, owning any firearms and knowing where Shelton was. He was then taken back to his home.
While Bruce was being interviewed, law enforcement began searching his property, where they reportedly found "possible bone fragments and broken glass behind a white Ford pickup."
Deputies also found a burn barrel with a broken truck window and a bag for dog treats inside.
Deputies say they found "what appeared to be small flecks of human flesh, including what appeared to me to be red human hair" along the side of Bruce's camping trailer.
Members of the Ravalli County (Montana) Search and Rescue and Bitterroot Search Dogs searched the property with a K-9 trained to detect the scent of human remains.
The K-9 reportedly indicated on a burn barrel, a Shop-Vac and three spots on the property. Two of those spots were where deputies reportedly found possible bone fragments.
Bruce's account
One of the deputies went to speak to Bruce, who was sitting in a patrol vehicle. The deputy took Bruce to the broken glass and possible bone fragments. Bruce then allegedly said he was "going to go to jail for a long time."
According to police reports, Bruce told deputies he was at his property when Shelton arrived in his red Dodge on Thursday. Shelton reportedly crashed into the passenger side of Bruce's red Dodge truck. Bruce then got into his Ford truck and left the property, going to an unidentified friend's house to get an AR rifle.
Court documents do not make clear if Shelton and Bruce knew each other.
Bruce said his friend then dropped him off south of his property, where he "utilized the cover of darkness and snuck back onto his property," police said.
He then allegedly used night vision and binoculars to watch as "Shelton moved between Bruce's property and Shelton's RV," which Bruce had reportedly moved off the property to the east. Documents do not detail how Shelton's RV got to the property. Deputies said Bruce admitted to spending "hours" watching Shelton.
At one point, Shelton reportedly parked his truck at the property's entrance and illuminated the area with his headlights. Bruce says he saw Shelton holding a silver-colored handgun and walking from the area of Bruce's camping trailer to a nearby shop.
Shelton then reportedly went to his truck and left the gun inside, leaving the property.
Bruce says he was hiding near a road grader when Shelton returned and parked behind Bruce's white Ford truck, next to where he was hiding. He then says he went up to Shelton while sitting in his truck, pointed a rifle at him and asked, "Do you want some of this?"
Shelton reportedly responded, "You better pull the trigger (expletive)," and pulled up a .45 firearm. Bruce then allegedly shot Shelton, later telling deputies, "When that 45 came up, it was me or him," police reported.
After the shooting, Bruce says he removed his body from the truck and "dismembered (Shelton's) remains with a chainsaw," according to police.
He placed the remains, wood, and the chainsaw in a burn barrel and lit them on fire, according to court documents. Bruce allegedly said he put the burn barrel in his truck, took it to a bridge at Deer Gulch in Lemhi County, and dumped it into the Salmon River, according to court documents.
Bruce told deputies he then cleaned up the truck and the "mess from dismembering the body" with bleach, water, a Shop-Vac and a rake, police said.
He then reportedly confirmed that the broken window and dog treat bag in the barrel were from Shelton's truck. Bruce stated that he then used his red Dodge and tow bar to take Shelton's truck and leave it near Big Hill.
When asked why he did not contact law enforcement, Bruce allegedly said, "Shoot, shovel, and shut up."
Additional evidence
Officials then obtained an amended search warrant to look for more evidence.
Inside the white Ford that was parked in front of where Bruce says he shot Shelton, deputies found a pair of binoculars. They also found a broken pair of night vision binoculars inside one of several burn barrels.
During the second search, Bruce reportedly showed a detective a photo he had taken of Shelton after he shot him. The photo allegedly shows a "male body from the torso down sitting in Shelton's Dodge truck."
Deputies say the photo shows a silver colored pistol in the middle of the front seat. The metadata showed the photo was taken on Thursday at 6:25 a.m.
Bruce was arrested and booked into the Custer County Jail on a $1 million bond.
EastIdahoNews.com reached out to one of Bruce's attorneys, Jim Archibald, for comment but we have not heard back. We have also contacted Custer County Prosecuting Attorney Paul Rodgers, who declined to comment.
The Custer County Sheriff's Office reported Wednesday that they were still searching the Salmon River for Shelton's body.
Bruce is expected to appear for a preliminary hearing on May 27. If convicted, he could face the death penalty.
Though Bruce has been charged with these crimes, it does not necessarily mean he committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.
