← MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark & Mysterious Stories
MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark & Mysterious Stories
The Night Shift (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
00:35:55
On an afternoon in December 1991, a woman in small-town Utah opened her mailbox. Inside was a credit card bill, addressed to her husband, who'd disappeared a week ago. The woman found this strange, because she didn't even know her husband had a credit card. And when she ripped open the envelope and read over the charges, she realized that her missing husband had been keeping an even bigger secret from her.
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- [00:00]
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On an afternoon In December of 1991, a woman in small town Utah opened up her mailbox. Inside was a credit card bill that was addressed to her husband who had disappeared a week earlier. And the woman found this to be really strange because as far as she knew, her husband didn't have a credit card. However, when she finally ripped open the envelope and actually read the charges, she realized that her missing husband might have been keeping an even bigger secret. But before we get into today's story, if you're a fan of the strange, dark and mysterious delivered in story format, then you've come to the right place. Because that's all we do. And we upload two, three, even four times every week. So if that's of interest to you, the next time you notice the follow button parked at the grocery store, make sure you park your car close enough to theirs so they are not able to open up their driver's side door. Also, please subscribe to our channel and turn on all notifications so you don't miss any of our weekly uploads. Okay, let's get into today's story.
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- [01:42]
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- [02:14]
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around 6:30pm On December 10, 1991, a 22 year old security guard named Brian Ruff sat inside of a guard shack at the Kennecock Copper Mine in northern Utah reading a college textbook. The shack was barely big enough for one person to sit inside of, and there were windows on all four sides looking out into the total darkness. The sun was already down and this was a really isolated part of the mine with no lights or other buildings nearby, so apart from a little bit of moonlight on the snow, it was basically pitch black outside. Brian had worked as a security guard for this mine for a little over a year, but he'd only been stationed at this particular guard shack for a couple of weeks now. And in his opinion, it was the worst post he could have been assigned to. His job was to guard this chain link gate on a remote service road that led into the canyons. This was a really out of the way entrance into the mine, which meant that not a lot of vehicles came this way. So the job was basically just really boring. But it was also simultaneously, very dangerous. The Kennecock copper mine was known as the richest hole on earth because of the huge amount of valuable materials buried there, including, obviously, copper and gold and silver. And that made it a big target for thieves. In fact, in just the past few months, more than $150,000 worth of material and equipment had been stolen from the mine. So as a result, Brian was a little bit nervous about being out here in the middle of nowhere. Not only because it was, you know, pitch black outside, but also he was unarmed, and there were no security cameras. So if he did encounter thieves, he basically had to handle it by himself, armed with nothing more than a telephone to call for help. But on this particular night, his shift had been, you know, routine so far, slow and uneventful. So Brian was now just sort of passing the time studying. He was in nursing school, and his final exams were coming up in a few days, so. So he was just sort of poring over his textbooks and notes to prepare while he studied. He took out his thermos full of soup that he had brought for dinner. And just as he began eating the soup, the phone on his desk rang. Now, Brian immediately did want to answer the phone because he knew very likely it was his wife, Jennifer. But at the same time, right now, things at home were not great. Jennifer worked as a nurse's aide, and Brian had also started working nights at the mine to help support the family while he went to nursing school during the day. But even with both of them working, it was hard to make ends meet. And now Jennifer was pregnant again with their second child, which was going to make things even harder financially. And the pressure of juggling school and work and parenthood had been putting a big strain on their marriage. And about a month ago, Brian had sort of reached a breaking point, and he'd actually walked out on his family. He'd left a note for Jennifer saying he just needed time alone to think. And then he had driven to his work. He had turned in his security badge and told his boss he quit. Then he had left town, and he'd spent almost a week in Las Vegas. And eventually, he'd driven all the way out to San Francisco, but while he was there, you know, having his time alone, he'd received word that his daughter was in the emergency room with pneumonia back home in Utah. And for Brian, it was like that was his wake up call. He realized he could not live with himself if he truly abandoned his family briefly. And so he drove right back to Utah to be with Jennifer and to be with his daughter, who would make a recovery. And, you know, Jennifer, she would take Brian back despite, you know, him walking out on the family, at least for a short time. But her accepting him back into the fold did not sort of make them return to normal. In reality, you know, after he returned, there just was this constant sense that there was tension hanging over their relationship because of what Brian had done, you know, abandoning them. So now in the guard shack, Brian took a deep breath, and then he picked up the ringing phone. And for a few minutes, he just chatted on the phone until he suddenly saw something out the window, a flash of headlights coming up the road towards his guard shack. And so at this point, Brian said he had to go. He hung up and went right outside to meet the approaching vehicle. Brian about an hour and a half later. So around 8:00pm, Brian's boss, Todd Fallows, pulled up to the gate next to the guard shack. The shack's lights were on, but he couldn't see anybody inside of it. And Todd found this pretty odd because Brian wasn't supposed to leave his post under any circumstance. That was sort of like the main component to the job. You stay put. But making this even stranger was Brian's car was parked right next to the shack. And this shack is so far away from every other building that really there was no way for Brian to go anywhere without his car, especially not, you know, in the freezing cold like it was that night. So where was Brian? And so Todd, who was definitely feeling a bit apprehensive at this point, he parked his car, he got out, and he walked into the shack. And when he got in there, I mean, it's a very small space, but Brian, you know, was not in there, but there was a hat and a half eaten dinner on the desk inside. And so at this point, Todd felt like, you know, we have an issue. Like, I don't know where Brian is. Something seems off. So he picked up the phone inside the shack, and he called the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Department. Less than an hour later, Detective Manny Lassig drove down a snowy desert road toward the Kennecock copper mine. Now, everybody knew this mine was a target for thieves. So when the sheriff's department got a call that a security guard had seemingly vanished into thin air in the middle of his shift, well, Detective Lassig went out right away to investigate, because the thought was, you know, this could have been perpetrated by thieves. Maybe, you know, Brian's been kidnapped or something. When Lassig pulled up to the mine's main entrance, there was another vehicle parked right in front. And it flashed its headlights at him. And then a man in a security guard's uniform rolled down the driver's side window and sort of waved Lassig over. And so Lassig pulled up next to this car, and the man in this other car told Lassig that he was Todd Fallows, the supervisor who had called in about the missing guard. Then after that, Todd started up his engine and told Lassig to follow him. And so he did. He followed him off into the darkness, driving down this dark, winding road that led into the canyons. The Kennecott mine was three square miles wide with. With rocky terrain and mountains on every side. So they were driving for a good 10 minutes before finally Lassig saw this light up ahead, which was the guard shack that Brian had been in. The two men pulled up near the shack and got out of their vehicles. And then Todd told Detective Lassig that this shack was where the guard, Brian Ruff, had last been stationed. And so Lassig, he turned on his flashlight and then aimed it at the ground right outside of the shack. But there wasn't much to see. It had been snowing all evening, so any footprints or tire tracks that might have helped them were now covered up. And so Lassig stepped inside of the shack, and at first glance, everything looked to be in order. There was no blood, nothing overturned, you know, no sign of a struggle. But again, there was a hat, Brian's hat. And also Brian's half eaten thermos of soup, his dinner that was still just sitting on the desk, which was pretty conspicuous. And so Lassig is kind of taking the whole scene in, trying to make sense of what could have happened, coming up with maybe some theories here, looking for any clues of where to look next. And as he was doing that, the phone on the desk rang, and Detective Lassig just picked it up. And he asked who was calling. And the woman on the line sounded very surprised, and she said her name was Jennifer Ruff and she was trying to reach out to her husband, Brian Ruff. Lassig quickly explained that he was with the sheriff's department and that her husband Brian had, at some point this night, left his post and. And now couldn't be found. And so he was literally looking for her husband. And so he asked Jennifer when was the last time she had spoken to Brian. And Jennifer, you know, she was obviously taken aback by this news, but she said she had just spoken with her husband a couple hours ago. She said they were talking, and then suddenly Brian had to hang up because he said he saw a car coming up the road. Lassig asked her if Brian had said anything specific about this particular car that was approaching or, you know, who was driving the car or anything. But Jennifer said, no, he didn't say anything, just the car was coming and he had to go. Lassig was obviously disappointed that there wasn't more information here, but he still thanked Jennifer and told her, you know, I promise I will be in touch with you as soon as I possibly can. I'm going to go out there and find your husband. Then he hung up the phone and he turned his attention back to the scene, you know, the inside of this very small shack. But just a few seconds after he had put the phone down, the phone rang again. And so Lassig picked it up again, and once again, it was a woman saying she was Brian's wife, Jennifer, and she was asking where Brian was. But as Lassig is listening, he's thinking, this woman doesn't sound anything like the woman I just spoke to literally a minute ago, who also said she was Brian's wife, Jennifer. And also this second woman clearly doesn't have any recollection of the earlier conversation. Like, these are two different people who are both claiming to be Brian's wife, Jennifer. But obviously there could only be one. So one of these women had to be lying, right? So I've got a road trip coming up, and I have unfortunately learned the hard way that the worst time for car trouble, and often the most common time for car trouble, is, is when you are miles away from anywhere familiar. So this time, I made sure that I had my car looked at in advance to make sure it was ready and safe. And also, you know, just generally speaking, staying on top of routine auto maintenance can really help you avoid bigger issues down the line and also just prevent unexpected, costly repairs. And so what I did is I went to the Firestone Complete Auto Care right near my house, and let me tell you, great decision, because the whole experience was so smooth. Just from making the appointment online, to dropping off my car, to the text communication with the people that were there while my vehicle was being serviced, and then also picking it up, it all went great. And so I know in the future if I have any issues with my car or if I wanna be preventative, whatever it is, I am definitely going back to Firestone. So whether it's tires or an oil change, or your brakes, your battery, alignment or diagnostics, Firestone Complete Auto Care has everything your car needs, making it truly a one stop shop. And this year there's additional reason to celebrate. Because Firestone Complete Autocare is celebrating 100 years of dependable, reliable, value driven service. And with locations all across the country, expert care is always within reach. Get more life out of your car. Visit firestoneauto.com to find a location near you again, that is firestoneauto.com there's a lot of ways to feel alive. One way is to forget everything and be in the moment of excitement. And that's the idea behind the Genesis GV70. It's built to thrill. A thrilling yet elegant design always makes driving the Genesis GV70 an exciting adventure. Its powerful athletic stance screams performance and and turns heads. Command the road and experience a class leading standard 300 horsepower. Plus discover the different dynamic drive modes for all different terrains. Choose between the different terrain modes for whatever road conditions you may encounter. The Genesis GV70's award winning technology and performance lets you drive with comfort and drive with confidence. It's an exciting SUV with intuitive tech that can make your ride smooth even where the road is not. And its blind spot cameras allow you to see what's next to you. Its performance is measured not only in power, but also in how it makes you feel. The Genesis GV70 learn more@genesis.com and feel the GV70 picture a world where the
- [14:18]
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supernatural isn't just possible. It's streaming and it's free. Enter Pluto TV, your source for mind bending shows like the 100 in the X Files. Plus, Pluto TV is the ultimate destination for sci fi series like Battlestar Galactica and a fleet of Star Trek adventures. Check out what's landing on Pluto TV Stream now pay Never
- [14:43]
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on a morning in mid December of 1991. So just a few days after Brian Ruff's disappearance from his remote guard shack and still he had not been found yet, Detective Manny Lassig sat down with a cup of coffee in the Ruffs dining room across from Brian's wife Jennifer. The investigation had been moving slowly so far because for the first few days everyone had been hoping that Brian would just return on his own. But as the days passed and he still hadn't been heard from that was looking less and less likely. By this point, Detective Lassig had traced the phone numbers of both women who had called the guard shack on the night Brian disappeared, claiming to be his wife, Jennifer. And he had quickly found out that one of those calls was actually from Jennifer Ruff's work phone number, which meant very likely that was the real Jennifer Ruff. But Lassig was still trying to figure out why another woman had called and impersonated her. And also, like the timing of the calls was odd, it happened one right after the other. It was just a very strange coincidence. So now, as Lassig sat across from the real Jennifer Ruff, he started out by asking her where she had been on the night Brian disappeared. She told him she'd been at the hospital all night working. And then she gave Lassig names of some of her co workers who could verify that. At this point, Lassig completely pivoted and just asked Jennifer, point blank, is there any chance your husband could have been having an affair? Like, were there other women in his life? Was he acting secretive or just odd lately? Anything to indicate, you know, that he was maybe unfaithful? The reason Lassig asked, obviously, was because of the second woman who he knew had called and pretended to be Brian's wife. You know, he had no idea if the real Jennifer knew, but certainly he did. And the real Jennifer, when she heard this question, she just sort of looked down and then she looked up and she said, yes, I am suspicious of that. She told Lassig that she and Brian had been having some real issues in their marriage lately. And in fact, just the previous month, Brian had sort of inexplicably, you know, ran out on the family because he needed time alone. And he was gone and out of contact for that whole time until he just came back begging to be taken back. At this point, Lassig, when he heard that part, he sat back in his chair and wondered if he was just wasting his time on this case to begin with. Because if Brian had previously left and then eventually came back after being totally out of contact, well, what's to say he wasn't doing that right now? What if this was him again sort of running off to be alone and he would just turn back up again at some point. But Jennifer must have noticed that that's sort of where Lassig's mind was going, because she rushed to add in that, you know, the last time when he ran out for that week, he had left a note for her and even told his boss that he was quitting. Like, there was some warning before he left. She sort of made it dramatic, but he definitely told people before he was going to be gone. In fact, she became insistent that really, it was not like Brian to not give warning. You know, like, for him to just vanish mid shift like that, like he's done right now, that's not something Brian would do. You know, he's got some faults, but that's not something he would do. Detective Lassig asked Jennifer where Brian had actually gone when he disappeared that first time. And Jennifer answered him by handing him a piece of mail from a nearby table. She explained that it was a credit card bill that had come in the mail that week, and it was addressed to Brian. And she explained that she was pretty confused when she got this because she didn't even know Brian had a credit card, but he apparently did, and he used it while he was away to pay for hotels and meals and other expenses. And so Lassigi pulled out the bill and began to look it over. And he saw that a lot of the charges were made in Las Vegas and San Francisco. And the amounts that were being charged to restaurants and for room service seemed a bit too large for just one person. He looked up from the bill back at Jennifer, and just from the expression on her face, he knew that they had both drawn the same conclusion. Brian, when he was away for that week, likely had not been alone. Jennifer then grabbed another piece of paper from the counter and gave that to Lassig. This was a phone bill for the family's landline with a full list of every call that had been made and received in the past month. Jennifer said there were definitely some numbers on this list that she didn't recognize, and she thought maybe one of them could be this person that Brian had been traveling with. And as Lassig looked over this list, one of the phone numbers immediately stood out to him. Because that woman who had called the guard shack on the night Brian disappeared and pretended to be Jennifer basically called right after the real Jennifer. That one, that phone number that was used for the fake Jennifer was the number he was now seeing on this list. Later that same day, Lassig sat down in the living room of the house that was associated with that phone number. And sitting across from him was a young woman named Christy Bradley. Her husband, Dale Bradley, was also a security guard at the Kennecott Mine where Brian worked. Now, at the moment, Dale wasn't home, but it wasn't really clear when he would get home. And Lassig was really anxious to interview Christy alone. So before her husband got back so the instant they sat down, Lassig pretty much just cut to the chase. He told Kristi that he was nearly positive she and Brian had been having an affair. And then before she could say anything, he pulled out that bill that Jennifer had given him and showed her all the evidence. Kristi, when she saw this for a second, looked defiant, but then just broke down and admitted it was true. She said they'd been seeing each other for a while now, and in fact, the month before, they had run away together for about a week. But even though they had ultimately come back and they both went back to their respective families, she said that they had still been very much in touch. Christy said that was the reason she had called the guard shack on the night Brian disappeared. Just to call and just be in touch with him. That was it. But she said when the person answered, and it was a voice that was unfamiliar, it was Detective Lassig. She said that, sort of on instinct, she just began to lie and pretended to be Jennifer, Brian's real wife, just so you know. Their affair would not come to light, but Christy made it very clear that she had not heard from Brian since he disappeared, and she had no clue what happened to him. At this point, Lassig sat back on the couch and just looked at Christy kind of sizing her up, and he thought, you know, she seemed pretty genuinely worried about Brian. And even though the call she had made to the guard shack was ultimately very suspicious and pretty bizarre, her explanation for it did make sense. But at this point, he was certainly not going to rule her out as a suspect quite yet. Also, Lassig knew that Christie's husband, Dale, was also now clearly a primary suspect, because, you know, if he had found out about this affair, he could have easily hurt Brian in retaliation. The following day, Lassig walked into an interrogation room at the sheriff's station, where Dale was already seated and waiting for him. And the moment Lassig walked in, Dale immediately asked him if there was any news about Brian. Lassig said, no, not yet. And it seemed to him like Dale's disappointment was genuine, like he was worried about him. Lassig sat down, and he asked Dale about how long he'd known Brian for. And Dale said they had met maybe about a year ago when Brian started working at the mine. And they'd become pretty close friends. They'd even hung out together outside of work. At this point, Lassig, almost to catch Dale off guard, he pivoted sort of abruptly and just asked Dale point blank about his wife's affair. And Dale, when he heard that his wife was having an affair, seemed sort of stunned, and he said he didn't know anything about Kristi having an affair. At this point, Lassig just explained to him what his wife had already told him. And Dael appeared genuinely upset. Like, the idea she was cheating on him was horrible, especially with someone he considered clearly to be a close friend. And so, as Dale is sort of reacting to this really shocking news, Lassig asked him where he was on the night of December 10th when Brian disappeared. And so Dale, who, again, is sort of, like, dealing with the shocking news he's just been told for a moment, he just was unable to answer, but he ultimately composed himself, and he said that actually his car had gotten stuck in the snow while he was at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, almost an hour away from the mine. And, in fact, he had even had to call a friend to come get him out of the snow. And then he gave Lassig the name of this friend so he could call and confirm it. After taking down this friend's name, Lassig told Dale that he really wanted him to take a polygraph test and also they would have to search his car. And Dale agreed to both, you know, with no hesitation. One morning a few weeks later, Lassig walked across a parking lot toward an office building at the Kennecott Mine. So far, Ryan had still not turned up. And the search for him had been frustrating because none of the people Lassig had questioned so far had given him any useful information. Dale Bradley, along with his wife, Christy Bradley, had both taken polygraph tests, and both had passed. Lassig had also searched the red Mustang that Dale drove, but there was no evidence in it that linked Dale to Brian's disappearance. Plus, the friend who had helped Dale get his Mustang out of the snow had confirmed he had done that, so his alibi was solid. So at this point, Dale and Kristi were sort of unofficially off the suspect list. Lassig had also considered the fact that maybe Jennifer, the real Jennifer, so Brian's actual wife, maybe she was involved in her husband's disappearance, despite how, you know, honestly, she came across. Now, her co workers had confirmed she had been at work all evening on the night Brian disappeared, but it wasn't impossible that she could have maybe been working with an accomplice or maybe hired somebody to kill Brian or something, but with no evidence against her and also no body, I mean, Brian has not been found here. All Lassig really had here was just a hunch that, you know, maybe she was involved, but who knows? However, just a few days ago, Lassig had received a new lead that sent his investigation in a new direction. That was why he was here right now at the Kennecott mine to speak to Brian's supervisor, Todd Fallows. So Lassig went inside the building and made his way down the hallway to Todd's office. And when Todd saw the detective, Brian, he jumped up, and he very eagerly greeted him and said he would do whatever he had to do to try to help find Brian. Lassig thanked him, but told Todd to sit back down. And then Lassig sat down as well. And then he pulled out a tape recorder, and he hit record. And then he told Todd why he was there. Two of Brian's fellow security guards had just been arrested for stealing precious metal and equipment from the mine and then selling it at pawn shops. In fact, the investigation had discovered that a whole ring of Kennecott employees were involved in these thefts. Todd sort of began to shift in his chair and said he had heard about that, but he insisted he was never involved in any of these thefts. And he said he'd already been questioned by detectives from the property Crimes Division. Lassig said he understood that, and that was not really why he was here. He said when he looked through the records of the investigation about these thefts, he'd found out that Brian had actually been the one who reported some of the thefts that were going on. So now Lassig wondered if maybe on the night of Brian's disappearance, he'd stopped one of his co workers vehicles and found stolen materials inside, and maybe they had killed him to keep him quiet. Todd sat back in his chair and looked sort of lost in thought for a moment. And then he admitted that, yeah, that could be possible. He then told Detective Lassig he could actually think of several places on the mine's property where maybe Brian's body was hidden by these, you know, fellow employees, if they did this. And then as an example, he suggested the gravel pile by the concentrator, which crushes the minerals and grinds them up. Todd explained that if Brian had been placed there, he would have very likely gotten sucked into the grinders and pulverized with all the other rocks. He'd basically be gone. Detective Lassig was surprised by how specific Todd was being. I mean, Todd had really come up with this theory very quickly. So sensing that Todd might be a little suspicious here, he just let Todd keep going. And Todd did. He just kept spitting out all these theories about maybe what could have happened to Brian, including at one point, he said, maybe Brian could have been hidden under the waste piles where weeks worth of crush boulders would have already fallen down and completely covered him up. And he said if that had happened, if Brian had been hidden in a place like that, he would already be buried under several tons of rock at this point and the police would never find him. There's a lot of ways to feel alive. One way is to forget everything and be in the moment of excitement. And that's the idea behind the Genesis GV70. It's built to thrill. A thrilling yet elegant design always makes driving the Genesis GV70 an exciting adventure. Its powerful athletic stance screams performance and turns heads command the road and experience a class leading standard 300 horsepower plus discover the different dynamic drive modes for all different terrains. Choose between the different terrain modes for whatever road conditions you may encounter. The Genesis GV70's award winning technology and performance lets you drive with comfort and drive with confidence. It's an exciting SUV with intuitive tech that can make your ride smooth even where the road is not, and its blind spot cameras allow you to see what's next to you. Its performance is measured not only in power, but also in how it makes you feel. The Genesis GV70 learn more@genesis.com and feel the GV70 everyday life is full of moments that you plan for and moments that just happen often when you least expect them. Whether it's part of your normal routine or something unexpected, Amazon is where you go for everyday essentials, making shopping simple and dependable. From running out of household basics to last minute surprises, Amazon's great deals and low prices on everyday essentials make it easier to handle whatever life throws your way. Everything is in one place so there's no extra stress or jumping through hoops when time is already tight. Whether it's something you buy regularly or something you suddenly realize you need right now, Amazon makes it easy to find what you're looking for quickly and at a price that feels good. It's straightforward, dependable shopping that makes everyday moments feel more manageable with less stress, fewer steps and more confidence that your money is well spent. Shop Amazon and save on essentials. Save the everyday on July 10, 1993 so, a year and a half after Brian Ruff disappeared, Detective Lassig drove through a barren desert in Utah about 50 miles south of Kennecott Mine. There had been basically no progress on the case for over a year. The sheriff's department had spent countless hours scouring the mine with police dogs and helicopters, looking for any sign that Brian might have been killed or buried or hidden somewhere there, but so far there was still no trace of Bryant. Now, Lassig was confident that there had to have been foul play involved, but it was impossible to prove that when he didn't have a body or evidence that tied any of his suspects to the crime. For months, Lassig's team had looked into every single security guard at the Kennecott mine, especially the ones who had been implicated in that theft ring. But they had ultimately verified that every guard on duty was at their post at the time Brian disappeared. And they'd collected alibis from everyone who was not scheduled to work that night. And so they had not been able to actually link any guards to Brian's disappearance. And that also included Brian's supervisor, Todd Fallows, who seemed to, you know, very eager to offer up these very specific theories. You know, he too was not linked to Brian's disappearance. However, Todd was ultimately linked to that theft ring. As for Kristy Bradley, the woman Brian was having an affair with, and Christy's husband, Dale, those two, they had alibis. They passed a lie detector test and really had been ruled out much earlier on in the investigation, and nothing new had come up over the last year to change that. So they were still ruled out. And then as for Brian's wife, Jennifer, you know, Lassig at one point thought maybe she was involved, maybe she had a. An accomplice or something. You know, she certainly had the motive, you know, to potentially harm her husband. Their marriage was on the rocks. He had clearly been having an affair and she was onto him, but she really had been at work at the time he disappeared, and there was no link from her to any potential accomplice. And so it went nowhere. She was ruled out, too. So again, after more than a year, the case basically had gone cold. However, that particular morning, the investigation had been reinvigorated because a group of campers had called in and said they had found skeletal remains out in the desert. Lassig knew this was obviously a long shot, but he was holding out hope that maybe it was Brian. So when he arrived at the location the campers had described, Lassig got out of his car and he walked a short distance across the barren ground to where a forensics team was setting up crime scene tape in the brush. As Lassig got closer to the crime scene, he could see a human skeleton lying in a shallow grave. The skeleton was clothed in a dust covered dark blue jacket. And when Lassig crouched down to get a better look, he saw that it was clearly a security guard's uniform. Lassig put on some gloves and then searched the pockets of this jacket. And his fingers immediately landed on a wallet. And when he pulled it out and he looked inside, he found ID cards and credit cards with the name Brian Ruff. Now, at this point, it seemed fairly apparent that the body had to belong to Brian. But because the body was so decomposed, they would have to examine Brian's dental records to definitively ID him, which would take some time. So while the crime scene techs carefully loaded the remains into a van, Lassig stayed at the scene with the K9 unit that was searching for any other evidence nearby. And sure enough, just a few feet away from where the body had been, Lassig found five shotgun shells lying in the dirt. It looked like Brian very likely had been shot five times and then buried in this shallow grave. Then, just a few yards away from the shells, a police dog began barking. And an officer called Lassig over to look at what the dog had found. He walked over and the officer held up a black work boot. And there was a pretty obvious bullet hole through the leather. And so Lassig figured the boot must have belonged to Brian. But other than this boot and Brian's actual body, 18 months of heat and, you know, wind and sand and snow and rain out in this desert had basically erased any other traces of forensic evidence. So even though Lassig at this point felt very confident that he knew both where Brian was ultimately killed and how he was killed, because of this severe lack of forensic evidence, he was worried that he might not actually be any closer to figuring out who killed Brian. Twelve years later, on April 30, 2005, Detective Todd park of the Salt Lake City Sheriff's Office got a call from the sheriff's department in the next county over. Since the beginning of the year, Detective park had been working full time on solving various cold cases. The detective on the line told him that he was investigating a recent homicide, and he thought it might be connected to one of Park's cold cases, specifically the murder of Brian Ruff. After speaking to this Detective park, park hung up the phone and went right over to his filing cabinet and dug through until he found Brian's file. He sat down and began sorting through the decade old papers. And he realized that there was a tiny piece of evidence the original investigators had somehow overlooked. And upon closer examination, park realized it was actually the key to unlocking the entire case. Based on forensic evidence, this is what police believe happened to Brian Ruff. On December 10, 1991, Around 6:30pm, the killer drove down a winding service road toward A very isolated part of Kennecott mine. Up ahead, they saw a single light in the distance. It was coming from a small guard shack right next to a chain link gate. The killer pulled right up outside of the shack and parked their car and then got out. And then seconds later, Brian Ruff came out of the guard shack and waved hello. And the killer sort of waved back and walked over to Brian. And then as soon as they were close enough, the killer grabbed Brian, whipped him around, tied his hands behind his back, and then forced Brian, before he could do anything, into the back of the vehicle. At this point, the killer jumped into the driver's seat, did a U turn, and sped out of the mine towards the desert. And as they were driving, the killer heard Brian screaming and kicking in the back, Doing everything he could to try to escape. But the killer was unfazed. They stayed calm and just kept on driving for nearly an hour, all while Brian's acting crazy and back. Until they eventually reached another very remote spot way out in the desert about 50 miles away. There they pulled off the road and they stopped their vehicle right in this open, snow covered patch of desert. They climbed out, they went to the back seat, and they opened the door up and they grabbed Brian, who was still fighting and trying to escape. But he was pretty tired at this point. And the killer dragged Brian out. And as they dragged Brian out, Brian began pleading for mercy and promised that if they just let him go, he would never tell anyone about this. But the killer just grabbed a shovel and a shotgun from their vehicle, untied Brian, and then forced him at gunpoint to. To dig his own grave. And then when Brian was done, the killer just raised their shotgun and shot Brian five times. And then after he was dead, they dropped his body into the grave he had literally dug himself. And then the killer got back into their vehicle, a red Mustang. But when the killer tried to leave their vehicle, the Mustang got stuck in the snow. And so they had to call a friend who did come out, who had no idea a murder has just been committed. Literally right over there, there's a body buried, you know, right over there. They didn't know. They helped the killer get out of the snow and off they drove. The killer was Dale Bradley, the co worker whose wife Brian was having an affair with. Dale's alibi that he had been an hour away. You know, his car was stuck in the snow on the night Brian disappeared. Well, it was true, except that wasn't an alibi. He was basically describing being at the crime scene and having Another friend come and help him flee the crime scene. But the friend, who absolutely said, yep, he was an hour away. I helped him get his car out of the snow. The friend had no idea this is where a murder has just taken place. And so they told the truth. And Dale sort of acted like, yep, that's my alibi. And the police never checked. And so they didn't realize that that wasn't an alibi. It was basically a description of where the crime scene was. Additionally, Dale took a polygraph early on in the investigation, and he did pass it. So he really was dismissed as a suspect very early on. And so Dale and Christy had eventually gotten divorced, likely over the affair, and Dale had ultimately remarried. But when his second wife, Crystal, was murdered in 2005, the detective investigating that murder noticed that Dale had been sort of indirectly connected to now two people who had been murdered, Crystal and Brian. And he thought it was suspicious enough that he got in touch with Detective park, the detective who was in charge of all these cold cases. And he told park, hey, you ought to take a closer look at Dale in the Brian Ruff cold case murder. And so that prompted Detective park to not just take a closer look at Dale, but really at the whole Brian Ruff case file. And when he did that, he noticed this really small piece of evidence that sort of went overlooked. And that piece of evidence was a tiny speck of red paint and on the sole of that black work boot, which had been found near Brian's body out in the desert. And park was eventually able to match that paint to the same paint on the inside of the trunk of Dale's red Mustang. Dale Bradley was charged with Brian ruff's murder on September 19, 2005. In 2007, he pleaded guilty to lesser charges of manslaughter and kidnapping and was ultimately sentenced to 40 years in prison. As for Crystal, Dale's second wife, who was murdered, her case remains unsolved. A quick note about our stories. They are all based on true events, but we sometimes use pseudonyms to protect the people involved. And some details are fictionalized for dramatic purposes. The Mr. Ballin podcast Strange, Dark and Mysterious Stories is hosted and executive Produced by me, Mr. Ballin. Our head of writing is Evan Allen. Our head of production is Zach Levitt. Produced by Jeremy Bone. Story editing by Evan Allen. Research and fact checking by Shelly Shue, Samantha Vanhus, Evan Beamer, Abigail Shumway and Camille Callahan. Research and fact checking, supervision by Steven Ear Audio editing and post produced by Whit Locasio and Cole Locascio. Perry Kroll and Jordan Stidham Mixed and mastered by Brendan Cain Production coordination by Samantha Collins Production support by Antonio Minotta and Delaina Corley Artwork by Jessica Clauden Kiner Theme song called Something Wicked by Ross Bugden thank you for listening to the Mr. Ballin podcast. And just a reminder, every new and exclusive episode we put out on the Mr. Ballin podcast, you can also now watch on the Mr. Ballin YouTube channel that very same day. And trust me, some of these stories you truly have to see to believe. Again, my YouTube channel is just called Mr. Ballin. If you want to listen to episodes one week early and ad free, you can subscribe to SiriusXM Podcast plus on Apple Podcasts or visit siriusxm.com podcastplus to listen with Spotify or another app of your choice. So that's gonna do it. I really appreciate your support. Until next time. See ya.
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