In the spring of 2025, the small community of Challis, Idaho, was unsettled by the disappearance of a local man. Patrick Ray Shelton, a 47-year-old Caucasian male, failed to return home from a solo trip to gather firewood in the mountains surrounding Challis on May 8th. When he was still missing by Saturday, May 10th, he was reported overdue, prompting a search. Deputies from the Custer County Sheriff's Office began looking for him, focusing on the areas he was known to frequent.
That evening, they located his red 2001 Dodge Ram pickup truck in the Big Hill area, west of the city. Inside the vehicle was his dog, but there was no sign of Shelton.
The discovery of the truck intensified the search efforts. On Sunday morning, Challis Search and Rescue teams were deployed, and by that evening, Idaho Mountain Search and Rescue had joined the operation, utilizing canine teams and thermal imaging drones. However, the search for a missing person took a dark turn and was called off on Monday as the investigation shifted to a homicide. The inside of Shelton's truck revealed a grim scene, with law enforcement finding blood and what appeared to be possible brain tissue. The passenger-side window was broken, and investigators believed it had been shattered from the inside. They also found the copper jacket of a bullet on the windowsill. The focus of the investigation soon turned to a 70-year-old Challis resident, Alan Douglas Bruce. Shelton's mother, who had gone to the area where her son's truck was found, discovered a piece of mail on the road addressed to Bruce. Additionally, cellphone data confirmed that Shelton's phone had been in the vicinity of Bruce's home on May 8th.
Investigators interviewed Bruce, who initially denied any involvement in Shelton's disappearance. However, during a search of Bruce's property, he confessed to killing Shelton. Bruce claimed that Shelton had come to his property and that a confrontation ensued. He alleged that Shelton drew a pistol, and in response, he shot him, stating, "it was me or him." Following the shooting, Bruce admitted to a horrific series of acts to conceal the crime. He told authorities that he dismembered Shelton's body, burned the remains in a barrel, and then dumped the barrel into the Salmon River at Deer Gulch. Despite his confession, Shelton's body has not been recovered; the search for his remains was suspended due to dangerous high water runoff in the river.
Alan Bruce was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, destruction of evidence, failure to report a death, and unlawful possession of a firearm. He was booked into the Custer County Jail with his bond set at one million dollars. In subsequent legal proceedings, Bruce's defense has indicated they will argue self-defense. His attorney filed a motion to have separate trials for the murder charge and the other charges, arguing that combining them would be prejudicial to his client's claim of self-defense. The community of Challis was left to grapple with the shocking details of the case as they awaited the outcome of the trial.
