The Murder of Bryan Ruff
For this case, I watched an episode of Forensic Files. It’s season 12 episode 29, titled ‘Guarded Secrets.’
A young security guard disappears on a cold winter night.
Background
Bryan Patrick Ruff was born on August 12, 1969. He was working as a security guard at the Kennecott Copper Mine just outside of Salt Lake City, Utah. Bryan was married to a woman named Jennifer, and together they had a 15 month old daughter and had another child on the way.
Bryan was also attending school to earn his nursing degree. Bryan was hardworking, but Jennifer said he worried a lot about finances. Jennifer said Bryan was disappointed that they had to move back in with her family. Bryan wanted to be able to provide for his family.
Bryan Ruff
Bryan and Jennifer
The Disappearance
On December 10, 1991, Bryan was reported missing. The Salt Lake City Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene. Bryan’s car was found in a nearby lot, and his lunch was left out in the guard shack.
It had just snowed a few hours earlier, but there were no footprints around the guard shack, or near Bryan’s car.
While the police were in the shack, they received a phone call from Jennifer. Jennifer said she had last spoken to Bryan around 6:30pm. Jennifer said Bryan had to get off the phone when another co-worker arrived.
The police also received another phone call. This time, it was the voice of a different woman claiming to be Jennifer. The police discovered that it was a woman named Christy Bradley, the wife of Bryan’s co-worker, Dale Bradley.
A Love Square
The police went to speak to Dale and Christy at their home. Christy said that she and Bryan had become good friends when she brought lunch to her husband at work. Christy said she and Bryan talked regularly on the phone.
Christy said she had been at home all day. Dale said he had been off from work and ran errands. He also told the police that his car had broken down near the University of Utah, so he had to call a friend.
Just 5 days after Bryan disappeared, Jennifer discovered that Bryan was having an affair. She had found a phone bill and credit card bills that she had no idea about. Jennifer also discovered that Bryan had been in Las Vegas with Christy in November.
This wasn’t actually the first time that Bryan had disappeared from work. In November, he quit his job, and went to Las Vegas for 6 days. When he returned, he was allowed to come back to work. Jennifer said Bryan was distant and cold when he came back. Jennifer said she was shocked to learn that Bryan was having this affair.
Christy was confronted by the police. She admitted to having an affair, and said she found Bryan attractive. Christy also told the police that Dale was very controlling, and she didn’t like to be feel tied down.
Christy and Dale were asked to take polygraph tests, and they both passed. Dale insisted that he had no idea about the affair, or where Bryan was.
Another Theory
The police didn’t have any evidence linking Dale or Christy to Bryan’s disappearance.
The police discovered that two other security guards at the mine had recently been arrested for stealing metals, and selling them at junk metal shops. Bryan’s boss said that about $150,000 worth of materials were stolen.
One of the guards that had been arrested, had arrived at the guard shack just a few minutes after Bryan disappeared. The police looked into the possibility that Bryan was killed after witnessing another robbery. However, the other security guards couldn’t be linked to Bryan’s disappearance.
The Search for Bryan
In July 1993, some hikers found human remains in a camping site about 3o minutes away from the mine.
The remains belonged to Bryan. He was still wearing his uniform, and had his wallet on him. His dental records were used to help positively identify his remains.
Bryan had been shot 5 times in the back, and put into a shallow grave. The police found .22 caliber shell casings near the body, but the murder weapon has never been found.
A cadaver dog also found one of Bryan’s work boots about 200 yards from the shallow grave. The other boot has also never been found.
Sadly, Bryan’s case would go unsolved for another 14 years.
The Prime Suspect
In 2005, the Carbon County police contacted the Salt Lake City Sheriff’s Office. They said they were looking into Dale Bradley for the murder of his second wife.
The police contacted Christy, Dale’s first wife, who was living in Texas. Christy told the police something she hadn’t told them before. She said she saw Dale cleaning the trunk of his ‘74 Camaro. Christy said she had never seen Dale clean his car.
The police re-examined the evidence. They noticed a reddish orange paint smear on Bryan’s work boot. It was the same color as the paint from Dale’s car.
A trace evidence analyst, William Schneck, said that the transfer would’ve occurred from something forceful. The theory was that Bryan was trying to kick his way out of Dale’s trunk.
Schneck had a friend that restored old cars, and had a ‘74 Camaro for him to examine. He was able to confirm that the Camaro would’ve had the red paint inside the trunk. The police searched for Dale’s Camaro, but he had sold it, and the new owner had sold it for scrap metal.
Jerry Townsend, a former detective, had taken paint samples from Dale’s car 14 years earlier. William Schneck had learned that the Camaro used led chromate paint. He obtained a sample from MIT, and compared it to the sample from the boot and samples from the car. They were all identical.
The Conviction
In September 2005, Dale Bradley was arrested and charged with murder.
Dale Bradley
The prosecution’s theory was that Dale knew, or had a strong suspicion about Bryan and Christy’s affair.
It’s believed that Dale knew Bryan’s schedule, and when the mine would be empty. He may have lured Bryan out to his car, and forced him into the trunk at gun point. Bryan tried to kick his way out, and was driven the 30 minutes to the campsite. Dale forced Bryan to take off his boots so he couldn’t run, shot him, and left him in a shallow grave.
In January 2007, Dale pled guilty to second degree manslaughter and kidnapping. He was sentenced to 40 years in prison.
Dale Bradley in a more recent photo
FINAL THOUGHTS
Sure, Bryan made mistakes. He shouldn’t have quit his job, and fled with his girlfriend to Las Vegas. But, he didn’t deserve to be killed by a jealous and controlling person. Dale killed Bryan, and probably killed his second wife. He deserves a lot longer than 40 years. Maybe someday Crystal’s murder will be solved too, and he will spend the rest of his life in prison.
Sources
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/8061611/bryan-patrick-ruff
https://forensicfiles.fandom.com/wiki/Dale_Bradley
https://archive.sltrib.com/story.php?ref=/news/ci_5684542
https://www.deseret.com/2007/4/17/20013536/maximum-sentence-is-imposed-in-91-slaying
