Search for missing Challis father’s remains suspended due to safety concerns
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CHALLIS — The search for the remains of a 47-year-old Challis father has been suspended due to safety concerns for first responders.
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, Bruce admitted to shooting Shelton, dismembering his body, burning the remains in a barrel and dumping the barrel into the Salmon River near Deer Gulch in Lemhi County.
The Custer County Sheriff’s Office has been searching for Shelton’s remains, but suspended its efforts Friday due to rising waters.
“This is due to high water runoff from the spring melt,” says Kathy Rodgers, sheriff’s office spokeswoman, in a statement. “The conditions are not safe for our responders to continue searching the Salmon River at this time.”
Rodgers says there is no timeline for when they will be able to resume the search but says it will happen as soon as the water levels decrease.
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“The Custer County Sheriff’s Office offers our sincere condolences to the family and friends of Patrick,” says the Sheriff’s Office on Facebook.
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.