Challis, ID – A 70-year-old Idaho man who murdered and dismembered another man before sending a disturbing letter to the victim’s daughter has been sentenced to decades in prison, ending one of the state’s most unsettling homicide cases in recent years.
Alan Douglas Bruce, convicted of killing 47-year-old Patrick Shelton, received 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder and evidence destruction. Investigators say Bruce not only killed Shelton but also dismembered his body, burned the remains, and disposed of them in a river—actions he later described to police in graphic detail.
Discovery of Shelton’s Abandoned Truck
The case began on May 10, when Shelton failed to return from a wood-cutting trip in Custer County. Deputies located his truck in the Big Hill area near Forest Service Road 256. His dog was still inside, but Shelton was missing.
Detectives found blood spatter, brain tissue, and human hair inside the vehicle. A piece of mail addressed to Alan Bruce was found near the truck, immediately drawing investigators toward him as a possible suspect.
Evidence at Bruce’s Property
Phone records showed Shelton was on Bruce’s property between midnight and 9 a.m. on May 8. During a search, investigators uncovered disturbing evidence:
- Bone fragments and broken glass behind a pickup truck
- “Small flecks of human flesh” on the ground
- Red human hair matching Shelton’s
- K-9 alerts indicating human remains in several locations
When confronted with this evidence, Bruce admitted he was “going to prison for a long time.”
Bruce’s Account of the Killing
In a taped interview, Bruce claimed he and Shelton were involved in a traffic accident before the killing. According to his story, he retrieved an AR-style rifle, used night-vision binoculars to track Shelton for hours, and eventually confronted him.
He alleged Shelton pointed a gun at him, stating, “You better pull the trigger,” prompting Bruce to fire. Bruce told detectives:
“When that .45 came up, it was me or him.”
Investigators later determined that instead of calling authorities, Bruce dismembered Shelton’s body with a chainsaw, burned the remains in a barrel, and dumped the container into a river. He then cleaned the crime scene using bleach and a Shop-Vac and abandoned Shelton’s truck to make it appear he had disappeared during the wood-cutting trip.
Bruce reportedly told investigators that he followed the rule to:
“Shoot, shovel and shut up.”
Authorities have never recovered Shelton’s body.
Letter Sent to the Victim’s Daughter
One of the most shocking elements of the case surfaced during Bruce’s sentencing hearing. One of Shelton’s daughters told the court she received a disturbing letter from Bruce. In it, he claimed he had done the family a “favor” by disposing of Shelton’s remains so they wouldn’t “have to pay funeral costs.”
The statement left the courtroom stunned, adding another layer of cruelty to an already gruesome crime.
Courtroom Behavior and Sentencing
During the sentencing hearing, Bruce attempted to withdraw his guilty plea, arguing he acted in self-defense. The judge rejected his claims, noting the extensive steps Bruce took to hide the killing, including burning and disposing of the body, cleaning up evidence, and staging the crime scene.
Bruce remained defiant through much of the hearing, while Shelton’s daughters described their devastation, ongoing trauma, and the pain of never being able to recover their father’s remains.
Community Impact and Ongoing Investigation
While the court has closed the criminal case, authorities continue searching for Shelton’s remains. For the family, the inability to recover the body has deepened their grief.
Cases involving dismemberment, property concealment, and unlawful disposal of remains are rare in rural Idaho, and the community has been shaken by the brutality involved. Local officials have urged residents to remain supportive of the Shelton family as they continue to seek emotional closure.
Conclusion
The sentencing brings a legal conclusion to a horrific crime, but the emotional aftermath for Shelton’s children and community will endure. With no body recovered and a final letter that added cruelty to tragedy, the case stands as one of the state’s most disturbing examples of violence in recent memory.
Share your experiences in the comments below.
