Editor’s Note: The following details may be graphic for some readers:
UPDATE:
CHALLIS, Idaho (KIFI) — The man accused of killing 47-year-old Patrick Shelton has confessed to shooting him and dismembering his body, according to court documents.
Monday, May 12, sheriff’s deputies arrested 70-year-old Alan Douglas Bruce of Challis on felony charges of murder and destruction of evidence related to Shelton’s disappearance.
The Custer County Sheriff’s Office was notified that Shelton was missing on May 10. That evening, they located his vehicle and his dog in the Big Hill Area, west of the city of Challis. According to court documents, investigators discovered blood splattered throughout the front interior of the vehicle and possible brain matter on the rear view mirror. The driver’s side window was reportedly down, and the passenger’s side window was smashed, with glass shards scattered throughout the interior.
According to the Custer County Sheriff, phone records indicated that the last location of Shelton’s phone was near Alan Bruce’s home. Deputies and Idaho State Police reportedly obtained a search warrant for Bruce’s property and took the 70-year-old to the Sheriff’s Office for an initial interview.
Bruce was escorted back to his property, where, through surrounding evidence, police determined Shelton had been killed. In a second interview, Bruce confessed to killing Shelton, dismembering and burning his body, and disposing of the 47-year-old’s remains in the Salmon River, court documents state.
The search for the remains of Patrick Shelton in the Salmon River is ongoing, according to Sheriff Levi Maydole.
ORIGINAL:
CHALLIS, Idaho (KIFI) — The man accused of killing 47-year-old Patrick Shelton has confessed to shooting him and dismembering his body, according to court documents.
Monday, May 12, sheriff’s deputies arrested 70-year-old Alan Douglas Bruce of Challis on felony charges of murder and destruction of evidence related to Shelton’s disappearance.
Court documents state that Bruce confessed to shooting Shelton, and afterwards dismembering and burning his body.
Residents of Challis describe Bruce as a troublemaker. Court documents indicate that Bruce has been charged with felony illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, among other charges, in connection with the killing. However, the documents do not show any prior convictions in Idaho, suggesting that his criminal record exists outside the state.
Bruce is being held in the Custer County jail on a $1,000,000 bond. His next court date is May 27, 2025.
This is a developing story that Local News 8 will continue to update throughout the day.
