On October 17, 2003, 20-year-old Brandon Keith Rumbaugh, a White male, and his 19-year-old girlfriend, Lisa Gurrieri, embarked on an overnight camping trip to celebrate their one-year anniversary. They left Scottsdale, Arizona, in a borrowed white 2000 Ford F-150 pickup truck with plans to return the following day. When the couple did not return as expected, their concerned family and friends initiated a search.
The search ended in tragedy on October 18, 2003, when their bodies were discovered in the bed of the pickup truck. The vehicle was parked in a dirt area off Bumble Bee Road near Interstate 17 in the Black Canyon City area. Both Rumbaugh and Gurrieri had sustained multiple gunshot wounds in what investigators determined to be a deliberate attack.
Investigators at the scene found a broken disposable camera about 100 feet from the truck. The camera contained several photographs, including one believed to be the last picture taken of Rumbaugh and Gurrieri alive, showing them in the back of the truck. Another image captured a light fixture inside an unidentified building. A video camera that the couple had borrowed was missing from the scene, though its case was left behind.
Despite an extensive and ongoing investigation by the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office, the double homicide remains unsolved. Over the years, numerous individuals have been interviewed and multiple leads have been pursued, but no arrests have been made and no suspects have been publicly named. Authorities have utilized advancements in technology, sending items from the crime scene for DNA analysis in the hopes of developing new leads. A reward of up to $10,000 has been offered by Yavapai Silent Witness for information leading to an arrest in the case, as law enforcement continues to seek public assistance in bringing closure to the families of Brandon Rumbaugh and Lisa Gurrieri.
