Original subtitles

You're watching Investigation Discovery On Demand.

It's two days before Thanksgiving in the picture postcard town of Silverthorne,

Colorado.

Hey, Steph.

As the snow falls quietly outside.

Steph.

Inside the Bruner household.

Steph. Panic is starting to set in. Hey, Steph.

48 -year -old Dale Bruner's three young kids are late to school.

Hey, Steph, will you call me when you get this, please?

And their mother is nowhere around.

Stephanie has been gone hours at this point.

Daddy, where's Mommy?

I don't know, sweetie.

She's supposed to come on our field trip today to the museum. I'm sure she'll be

there, okay?

Why don't you finish getting dressed, get your jacket on, and help your

He got his kids off to school and called the non -emergency line.

Yeah, hi, this is Dale Bruner. I'm calling because I'm worried about my

Stephanie Bruner.

We had a bit of a disagreement last night, and she went out for a walk

p .m., and she never came back.

Can you let us know that she left the house walking?

I don't know.

She's wearing a red jacket, tie -dye shirt. She said she just needed to clear

her head.

I'm at 6321 Green Terrace Drive. The night that she went missing, the

temperature was about one degree above zero.

with a windfill factor of negative 24.

Temperatures like that, they can be really, really dangerous.

She left her house and just disappeared.

Did someone help her disappear?

After graduating from the University of California, Irvine, Stephanie Roller

hopes to one day join the Peace Corps.

Steph very much was the dreamer.

She really liked to help people, was always a lover of life.

A nature lover, Stephanie volunteers as a goodwill ambassador on Mount Hood in

northern Oregon.

See right up through there, that's Mount Hood.

It's actually a stratovolcano. Do you know what that means?

Please tell us.

It's built up over many, many years with layers of hardened lava.

Thank you. It's there she meets Dale Bruner, a professional wildlife

photographer. Hello. Sorry, I was distracted by that prairie falcon. Did

that by any chance?

No, but I've seen them before.

Dale was taking pictures, and he literally bumped into Stephanie.

Well, what are you doing, writing parking tickets?

Very funny. No, I'm actually an ambassador for the park.

He was, you know, very personable. He's not this macho guy. He was more of this

kind of quiet and calm.

What's with all the camera gear?

Well, I am working, too.

Stephanie.

Can I try something?

Oh, this is much better here. Just hold those.

I can remember her talking about this guy and later finding out his name was

Dale.

Those eyes, beautiful.

And that she was smitten with him.

He's very charismatic.

I remember thinking, oh, wow, I can see what she likes in him.

Their connection is instant.

After dating for a year.

The couple settles down in Silverthorne, Colorado.

Glad you like it. It's my favorite hike.

Me too.

Where do you want to go for vacation this summer?

Oh, man. Costa Rica?

Hawaii? Bahamas?

Fiji? I can go anywhere.

Costa Rica sounds amazing.

But then again, so does Fiji and every other tropical island I fantasize about.

I was happy for her. She was ready to venture off to that new adventure.

Well, then maybe Fiji.

Maybe that's the perfect place to get married.

Married?

Yeah, sure, why not?

Are you serious?

The two...

Became very close very quickly and ended up eloping in Fiji.

Damn. Hey, Mary.

I'd love to.

They soon start a family together, two girls and a boy.

He just was loving being a mom and was just so great at it.

Look at me, Dad.

You want a spot?

Nope. I'm good. It seemed by all appearances that Dale Bruner was a good

and father.

Race you to the top.

She's definitely your daughter.

Clearly.

When not caring for the kids, Stephanie teaches dance and works for the county

as a city planner.

She always had a love of dance.

We were in dance since we were young kids.

She was involved in local charities.

Very popular and well -loved by her family and her community members.

So it's even more chilling when Stephanie vanishes the night of November

2010, days before Thanksgiving.

It's not uncommon for people to go missing, but it is uncommon for a mother

walk away from her family a couple of days before a holiday.

She would never leave those kids. I just remember thinking, there's no way.

Stephanie's photo is released to the public while Officer Teresa Barger

forces.

Thank you.

Officer Barger?

He said she was alone.

And if you had to guess her age, what would you say?

We called in search and rescue. We were running down any leads. We were getting

tips. Like, I mean, I don't got a lot of tips.

As word spreads, everyone joins the quest to find her.

Stephanie was so beloved by the community that just the community came

Excuse me, have you seen this woman? Her name's Stephanie Bruner.

The search was on for Stephanie.

Excuse me, have you seen this woman? Her name's Stephanie Bruner.

No, I haven't.

Stephanie enjoyed walking along the Blue River in the National Parkland just

behind her home.

Stephanie! But there is no sign of her there either.

Stephanie!

Stephanie! We had many, many volunteers that were combing the banks of the river

trying to locate Stephanie.

With all of that searching, we really found...

No leads that we could actually follow.

The next morning, Dale Bruner heads into the Silverthorne Police Department to

meet with Officer Barger.

I do want you to write down a statement for me.

My goal at that point was just to get the story.

So there are three options in a missing person case like this.

I'm Teresa, by the way.

Dale.

So, one, she ran off to start a secret life.

Two, she committed suicide.

Or three, she was murdered.

At first, he was kind of calm, cool, collected.

Are you okay?

No, I'm not okay.

And then he got very upset.

My kid's mother.

I know, I'm sorry.

So we need to verify a few details, okay? Just so we can try to eliminate

a suspect.

I just want to get this done as quickly as possible so we can...

Find out where she is so why don't you walk me through exactly what happened

last night, okay?

Around 10 10 p .m.

Stephanie went out for a walk to get some fresh air and I fell asleep soon

that and Next thing I know it's morning She never came home

Why do you think that she went for a walk so late at night in the middle of a

snowstorm?

Well, um things haven't been

exactly great in our relationship, and that's something that we're working to

try to fix, but I thought it would be good just to give her some space.

He had mentioned that they kind of had a disagreement. It really wasn't this

huge argument, but she just needed to leave and kind of clear her head.

Why do you think she didn't take her purse or her keys with her? Didn't you

think that was odd?

Okay, look, I'm going to be honest with you. The reason I wasn't really worried

about where she was going is I just assumed that she was going to go be with

boyfriend.

Her boyfriend.

As soon as Dale Bruner reveals his missing wife is

in a secret relationship, Officer Teresa Barger knows her case just got a lot

more complicated.

When Stephanie left the house, I just figured her boyfriend was coming to pick

her up.

So you knew she was seeing someone?

Yeah.

His name's Dennis Calden.

Stephanie was his dance instructor.

When she told me about the relationship, I mean, it affected our marriage

greatly, obviously, but I just want Stephanie to be happy,

even if that means that she's with him.

When Mr. Bruner mentioned the boyfriend, I thought, okay, this is something I

had no clue about.

He's like, they met on Dancing with the Mountain Stars.

Dancing with the Mountain Stars pairs notable residents with dance pros to

money for the county's hospital.

Is this the right place?

Oh, hi.

I'm Dennis. Stephanie. It's nice to meet you.

I have to let you know, though, I have two left feet.

It's local therapist Dennis Calden's first appearance at the dance charity.

And he's in good hands with Stephanie.

Okay, I think we'll just start with a basic salsa step.

So I'm going to take my hands like that. Get inside here. Okay.

So on the first count, it's going to be one and two. We come back to center. And

then your right foot goes back.

Three and four. And then you just repeat that.

One and two. Dennis was an interesting character.

Tall, athletic guy.

And the two quickly became very, very close.

Oh, this is easy.

I've got to get in.

Okay.

It's okay.

Okay. It took me a while.

There you go.

Yeah.

There we go. Oh, yeah. Okay.

You're good at that. You're a natural.

I've got this. Yes. Yes.

He made her feel like he was the world.

On the big night, Stephanie and Dennis pull off an impressive routine.

It's not enough to win the trophy, but they do take away something else, a

connection.

He was compassionate with her. He cared and wanted to know more about her. He

cared about what happened to her. That was amazing.

That was incredible.

You were so good.

Though Dale isn't able to attend the event,

There is someone special in the crowd cheering on Dennis.

Hi, baby.

Hey. Hi. His wife, Loretta. Did you see that? I did.

Oh, my.

Hi, I'm Loretta. I'm Dennis' wife. Stephanie. Hi, Stacy. Oh, my gosh. Thank

so much. You did such a good job. He wouldn't dance with me at our own

It was very clear that Stephanie and Dennis had an intensely emotional

relationship.

That was complicated by the fact that they were also both married.

We've had some drinks. Let's get you home.

All right.

Thanks again, Stacy.

Definitely. Yeah. They were both very respectful of being in relationships.

There wasn't any adultery going on.

Still...

Over the next couple of months, Stephanie and Dennis' emotional bond

intensified.

I honestly have no regrets.

Things are different now.

I understand.

And I love my wife, but I feel like she doesn't see me, you know?

Like you do. She had fallen in love with him.

found somebody that she was able to connect with emotionally.

In mid -October, Stephanie shares her secret.

You know, something seems different about you today.

You're glowing.

You know that guy that I was teaching for the charity event?

Yeah, what about him?

Well, we've been seeing a lot of each other lately.

For what? The competition's over.

Wait a minute. I know that look. You are not.

I think I've fallen in love with him.

Wait, back up. Did you say love?

Tell me everything.

When she confided with these close friends, they actually were kind of okay

that, even though she had been married to Dale.

It just happened by accident, but nothing physical.

He makes me so happy.

Does Dale suspect anything?

Yeah, he knows.

Dale was hurt, and he wanted her back, and he was trying to get her family to

convince her to come back.

While search and rescue continue to blanket the town of Silverthorne,

Bureau of Investigation agent Greg Sadar... Brings in Dennis Calden.

I'm just going to ask you straight up.

Do you know where Stephanie is right now?

I absolutely have no idea.

He maintained that the relationship was not physical, but just spiritual and

emotional. When was the last time you saw her?

We met up Monday afternoon.

Two days ago.

The same day she went missing.

Yeah, I wrote her an email.

That Sunday evening, telling her that it was over, but she wanted to meet in

person the next day.

Thank you for meeting me.

I knew if we could just see each other, if we could talk face to face, we could

just figure out whatever this is going on.

We can make this work.

I can't.

I'm sorry.

With his wife still in the dark about Stephanie, Dennis decides to end the

relationship, hoping it's not too late to save his own marriage to Loretta.

What about us?

We had a plan. We can make this work. Don't think for a second that this

hurt me as much as it does you, because it does.

I have to go.

Please, don't.

Dennis had told us that he kissed her for that first time, and he realized

he really cared for her a lot, even though he had to separate it.

That probably just devastated her. This was...

her soulmate, and he's now closing the door on her.

Have you talked to her or seen her since then?

No.

That was it.

Where were you that night around 10 p .m.? I was at home with my wife.

His alibi was that the two of them were in bed.

that they slept well that night, that there were no issues of anyone getting

or leaving the house.

I didn't do anything to Stephanie.

Just five hours after their breakup, Stephanie disappears into the night.

While investigators track down Dennis' wife Loretta for questioning, Agent

pays a visit to the Bruner family home.

Just look around, find anything you can see that doesn't... Would you be willing

to sign a consent to search form?

Sure. We wanted to take a look and see if there was any crime scene evidence

that we would need to preserve.

When a person consents to search, that is a positive sign. That moves them a

little towards the non -suspect as opposed to the suspect.

We weren't able to find any signs of a struggle or where any possible crime

scene had been cleaned up either.

So I understand you and Stephanie were having some problems.

Now, I want you to know I already spoke to Dennis Calden, and he doesn't know

where she is.

Is there anything else that you could tell us that might be able to help us

her? I guess I was a little worried about her, yeah. I mean, she wasn't

recently.

She'd started taking some anti -anxiety medication, but I'm not really sure it

was working.

Turns out Stephanie had also lost her job just six weeks earlier, and Dale's

photography business was drying up.

When Stephanie lost her job, she filed a restraining order against me.

With a misunderstanding, it was rescinded. And what was that for?

I spanked our son.

I know I shouldn't have done that, but she overreacted.

Is that what you two were arguing about before she went out on her walk?

No, no, no. We weren't arguing.

We just... She went out for some fresh air.

It's a clear change in Dale's story, and Agent Sadar takes note.

Despite the bitter cold, the community has now spent three days searching for

Stephanie.

We were all drained by Thanksgiving evening. We knew it wasn't going to be

We're getting...

More and more concerned, and it was hard to celebrate what is a family holiday.

The next day, a search and rescue team is scouring the forest along the Blue

River when they notice something on the water's edge.

They see something with some snow on it.

The day after Thanksgiving, investigators' worst fears are realized.

When 41 -year -old Stephanie Bruner's body is discovered on the banks of the

Blue River.

Just a half mile from her home.

I remember there just an overwhelming... Try to keep my composure

here.

She was naked except for a tie -dye T -shirt that was wrapped around

one arm, and it was just the sinking feeling of, oh, gosh.

You couldn't get any footprints. The snow's melting too fast.

I'm sure any DNA already washed down the river.

Still, we need to get a rape kit.

Foul play is suspected, but investigators can't rule out suicide.

Agent Sadar notifies Stephanie's husband.

Dale turned towards the river, which was just a few hundred yards away from

their house, and broke down sobbing.

Three days later, the results of her autopsy are in.

What's really interesting is that there's water in her lungs, and there

signs of hypothermia.

What does that mean?

Well, dead people don't drown, so she was definitely alive when she was placed

in the river.

Suicide?

Definitely not.

There was no damage at all to the soles of her feet, which made it unlikely that

she actually walked into the river. What about sexual assault?

No, no signs of that.

There was blunt force trauma to the head.

She was hit on the head by something that caused her skull to break.

So is that how she died?

I'm declaring it a homicide caused by a combination of drowning, hypothermia,

blunt force trauma, and strangulation.

The real turning point in the autopsy was when they had found out that there

evidence of...

manual strangulation.

Come take a look at my report.

Her throat was pretty much crushed, and she was alive when she went into the

water.

Strangulation is a very, very personal crime.

When you are strangling somebody, you are looking in their eyes.

So at this point, we have three prime suspects.

We have Dale Bruner, the boyfriend, Dennis, and Loretta.

This is one of those rare instances where you had a legitimate whodunit.

We felt that it was very important to interview Loretta. One, she was Dennis

Calden's alibi.

Second, she could be the murderer.

If she viewed Stephanie as a homewrecker, she could be exceedingly

You know why you're here?

I'm the jealous wife, right?

Well, let me put it this way.

At this point, everybody's a suspect.

When did you learn about the affair?

Dennis just told me a few days ago.

Dennis didn't tell his wife that he was having this emotional affair with

Stephanie until after she had gone missing.

When you look at the interview of Loretta, she's pissed at Denna.

Okay, so the official headcount for our Thanksgiving dinner is at 15.

Loretta, we need to talk.

What's wrong with you?

Stephanie Bruner is missing.

Your dance instructor?

The Silverthorne PD called me this afternoon.

They asked me to come in for questioning.

You hardly knew her.

Right?

Loretta, we were having an affair.

I knew it. And I'm sorry I had to tell you like this.

It was nothing. I kissed her once.

How could you do something like this?

I tried to break it off with her the other day. I wanted to focus on us make

this right.

But now she's missing.

You know what?

I hope she rots in hell.

After Stephanie's body was found, Loretta was pretty upset about having

those angry statements.

Where were you the night Stephanie went missing?

I was at home with Dennis.

She gives the same alibi, that they were home in bed, that they were alone.

Would you ever lie to protect your husband?

I love my husband a lot, but no, I'm not going to lie for him.

Even if it means him going to prison?

No.

Because you know what?

If he's made his bed, he needs to lay in it.

She was pretty resolute, and all the details of her statement matched up with

Dennis' details.

A week after Stephanie's body surfaced in the Blue River, friends and family

gather at her beloved dance studio to celebrate her life.

We would like to honor Stephanie now as her dance family and representatives.

of that world in a procession.

The memorial service was very well done.

All of her dance friends were all there, and it was beautiful.

Following the advice of investigators, Dennis and Loretta Calden do not attend

the service and both agree to take a lie detector test.

Did you have anything to do with Stephanie Berner's disappearance?

No. While polygraph results are not admissible in court, it really helps us

focus on our investigation.

Do you have any first -hand knowledge of Stephanie Bruner's death?

No. Did you kill Stephanie Bruner?

Absolutely not.

So they take the polygraph and they both fail the polygraph.

And suddenly the needle moves towards, uh -oh, have we made a mistake?

So that did cause us to take a step back, re -look at them as our suspects.

Did you have anything to do with Stephanie Brunner's death?

No.

Do you know who killed Stephanie Brunner?

No.

After Dennis and Loretta Calden both failed their polygraph exams,

circled back to their original statements.

But it's a meeting with Stephanie's best friend, Jennifer, that forces them to

reconsider another suspect.

Thank you for meeting me. Of course.

What's going on?

Did you know about the restraining order?

Yeah, Dale mentioned it already, but Stephanie rescinded it.

She only did it to protect the children.

She was afraid of what Dale might do if she didn't.

Seems there is more to the story than Dale let on.

She was rushing to go to work.

Realized she forgot something, needed to go back into the house.

Hey sweetie, where's daddy?

From the doorway, had heard.

Spanking so loud on their skin that it immediately

alarmed her.

Hey, what are you doing? Dale, that's enough. Stop it.

Horrified, Stephanie contacts authorities and initiates a restraining

A week or so later, Stephanie felt that keeping Dale away from the kids might

have been a little too harsh, and they both went to court to have the

restraining order rescinded.

After that incident, she confided in Dale about her relationship with Dennis,

and she told him that she wanted a divorce.

And how did Dale take that?

He was surprisingly understanding.

He even helped her.

Find a place of her own and move out.

She actually rented a place the weekend before she went missing.

Finally free to pursue a relationship, Stephanie reaches out to Dennis to

celebrate.

But her hopes are quickly dashed.

The first night Stephanie was in her new home, she was communicating online with

Dennis.

And Dennis expressed in writing he wanted to take a step back from their

relationship and try to focus on his marriage.

Just hours after moving into her own place, Stephanie and the children return

home.

It's expensive up here to live. And I think that's when Stephanie realized

she couldn't do it alone.

The next evening, Stephanie disappears.

So investigators zero in on those last 24 hours of her life.

They bring in Dennis Calden again.

I swear, I didn't do anything to her.

Dennis was pretty emotionally upset when we told him a little bit more about

Stephanie's death.

He would openly sob.

Legitimate, real tears rolling down his cheeks.

How could this have happened? What do I have to do to help you find who's ever

done this to her?

We're going to need to search her home if that's okay.

Yeah, fine.

We did a search on their homes and their cars. There was nothing that would say

that they had anything to do with her disappearance or her murder.

Looks like Loretta's been keeping a journal.

Listen to this. We did, however...

find some pretty compelling information to find that they were not involved.

I feel for those children who are going to be without their mother on

Thanksgiving. I pray that she comes home safe.

That doesn't sound like someone who's been involved in a murder.

Computer records also prove that Dennis was home the night Stephanie went

missing. We were able to cooperate. He was on his computer. He wrote an email.

He came up to bed later.

Loretta said the same thing.

With this new information, Dennis and Loretta are dismissed as persons of

interest. We realized that we probably made some mistakes in how we phrased

of the questions to each of them.

When Dennis and Loretta are officially eliminated as suspects, that just leaves

one person.

Dale. Dale Bruner.

Police obtain a warrant to search Dale's home for a second time.

You go all along here, up around the door.

Okay? All right.

Don't forget inside.

Oh.

What happened to all Stephanie's stuff?

I took it to Goodwill. I couldn't stand looking at it anymore.

One of the things we noticed that's really odd to us was there was not one

of Stephanie Bruner left in the house.

What about all the pictures?

All of Stephanie's clothes and personal items were gone. Any picture of her was

gone.

After a second search fails to yield forensic evidence, investigators get a

-changing tip.

I'm Officer Berger. I'm Dale Bruner's ex -girlfriend. Oh, okay. I have some

information that might help in the investigation of his wife's murder.

Please.

I know he did it.

I know he did it because he tried to kill me.

She goes, as soon as I knew that she was deceased, I knew it was Dale. Because

if I didn't get out, I think he would have killed me.

I mean, Dale would be very charming and very kind, but when he would get mad, he

would just switch, like Jekyll and Hyde. I mean, we would get this look in his

eyes.

Hey, Dale!

Stop it!

I wasn't done talking to you. Damn it!

If you ever talk to me like that again, I will kill you. I will kill you.

That was huge when we got that tip.

Over the next few months, investigators dissect every detail of Dale's past.

The results are troubling.

It became apparent to us that Dale had a repeated...

pattern and practice of strangling women when he was upset with them.

He was kind of seen as this nice photographer guy.

But through this investigation, we're going to see a very different side of

Bruner. Hey, Dale, that's enough. Stop it.

That in private, he could be very violent.

Turns out, Dale's ex -girlfriend was not his only victim.

Has he ever been violent with Stephanie?

Stephanie told me that Dale actually threatened to kill her.

She was so ashamed of it.

I swear to God, if you leave me, I will kill you! Dale, the kids!

Don't turn your back on me. Get over here!

Dale!

Stop! Stop! Let go of me!

Let go!

We were able to get warrants for Dale's arrest, and obviously we were very

comfortable that we had the right guy.

Eight months after Stephanie's body is discovered in the river near her home.

Put your hands on the steering wheel now!

Dale Bruner is taken into custody.

You're under arrest for the murder of Stephanie Bruner. But without physical

evidence, will he be convicted?

Put your hands on the steering wheel now!

In August 2011, Dale Bruner is arrested for the murder of

his wife of 11 years, Daphne Bruner.

Put your hands behind your head!

You have the right to remain silent.

He's offered a plea in exchange for a guilty verdict, but adamantly proclaims

his innocence and opts to face a jury.

I remember thinking, bring it on.

We'll get you.

Although the case is circumstantial, the prosecution believes the sum of the

evidence clearly points to Dale as the killer.

When you have no physical evidence and you have no eyewitnesses, you have to

build your case piece by piece by piece.

Investigators believe that just hours after Dennis breaks up with Stephanie,

emails him to try to win him back.

One of the critical things about that email was that it autosaved just before

midnight.

So that put her in the house from their IP address prior to her sudden

disappearance.

And that email was professing her love to Dennis.

And her email stopped mid -sentence, not finished.

It led us to believe that she may have been typing an email when Mr. Bruner

looked at her computer and saw what she was doing. What do you think you're

doing?

Nothing. I was just writing an email to my sister.

Come on, how stupid do you think I am?

Please, the kids are sleeping. He grabbed that computer.

and hit her in the head with that, causing blunt force trauma.

He then strangles her with so much force, it breaks a bone in her neck.

She is unconscious, and he thinks he has killed her.

And so he takes her, and he dumps her body into the Blue River.

thinking that she will float down the Blue River and they will never, ever

her body.

The most dramatic moment in the trial comes from Stephanie's own agonizing

words.

The recording of the restraining order made against Dale just six weeks before

her murder.

It was one of the most incredibly powerful things that we were able to

Stephanie's voice from essentially beyond the grave, when we played that,

just silence in the courtroom. Everybody was just stunned.

It really put it in perspective what she had been enduring and going through for

so many years.

And that was tough.

I think that was the turning point for the jury.

Dale Bruner is found guilty on all charges.

He is sentenced to 112 years in prison.

It's just relief that maybe you've got a little bit of justice for Stephanie,

who died such a horrible, horrible death.

He was a manipulator. Oh, beautiful.

He's a narcissist.

Love you. There was no doubt in my mind that he had done it.

It's exactly like a double life. That person right here behind these closed

doors, one person. They come out and what they show the world, totally

different. And that's what he was.

Today, Stephanie's children are being raised by her family.

I remember thinking, now they're going to go through life without their mom and

their dad.

No child should have to go through this.

I'll never forget Stephanie and I'll never forget her kids.

When I think of this case, it still really bothers me. It's going to be one

will stay with me because I don't want that ever to happen to anybody else.

If I could go back in time.

I would just say, Steph, you'll be safe with me. Come, you know, we'll get you

out of this.

There's organizations out there to help

get you out while you're still alive.

Thank you for watching Investigation Discovery On Demand.

Repair and Synchronization by Easy Subtitles Synchronizer 1.0.0.0