Dakota Double Murder

[AVERMAN]

I don;t know if this story has already been posted.

Around 1992-1993, 2 girls and a guy are driving home after a night of drinking and partying. As they're driving home they run a stop sign and skid and crash into a frozen ditch. When help finally arrives, one of the girls comes around and realises the other 2 have disappeared from the car.

Three months later, their bodies are found in the ditch, even after the search has been conducted. Oddly, both bodies have different levels of body decomposition suggesting possible murder.

Any news on this story?

[Huskerz85]

You're talkin about Arnold Archambeau and his girlfriend Ruby Brugier (sp?) I think.......

[LooksLikeCRicci]

Yeah, it's the Arnold and Ruby story. I think this segment is on the Bizarre Murders set, if you're interested in watching it again. I think they explained the different levels of decomposition by saying that one of the bodies was swept under the ice somehow, which preserved the body? I'm not sure.

[asmitty]

Originally Posted by Huskerz85

You're talkin about Arnold Archambeau and his girlfriend Ruby Brugier (sp?) I think.......

Yeah, that's the one. It happened less than 150 miles from my home. Quite an interesting case. I've got a couple of ideas of what could have happened but none of them fit all the facts. First, in South Dakota, it's cold enough in the winter that if they did fall through the ice and the water in the ditch was deep enough it could have frozen back over by the time they found the accident and started the search so that there was no trace of that happening. If that were the case the bodies were 15 yards apart which is far enough that she could have been in a part of the ditch that thawed while his portion stayed frozen. This doesn't explain the keys in his pocket or the tuft of her hair found by the road. Although her hair could have blown off the body and to the road rather than coming off because her body was where the hair was found. I've also contemplated the idea that they wandered off and got lost because they'd been drinking and that area is wooded. That someone found their bodies in the woods three months later and moved them rather than report them to avoid a hassle. Again, because of the weather here, her being in direct sunlight and him not could possibly explain the difference in decomposition but I couldn't say that conclusively. There is also a lot of bigotry toward Native Americans in this part of the country so it is entirely possible that someone saw them wreck and took them somewher and eventually murdered them. Although, my big question is why would a killer leave a set of his keys in a victim's pocket. The question I've always had about the keys is this, they were out at parties the night they died. The police said they never found what the keys go to. Did they interview all of the friends of the victims? Is it possible the keys were those he took from someone at one of the parties to keep a drunk acquaintance from driving? Just a few thoughts on it.

Oh, and since there was some question in the above post Ruby's last name was spelled Bruguier.

[boechsner]

Does anyone know when this case originally aired?

[peachysquirt21]

This case has always baffled me. Especially the 2 bodies being found in different areas & after they crashed, those 2 got out but left there cousin in the car. I dont get why they would do that.

[Huskerz85]

Originally Posted by boechsner

Does anyone know when this case originally aired?

I'm thinkin early 90's.......between 1992 and 1994 maybe??

[boechsner]

Originally Posted by Huskerz85

I'm thinkin early 90's.......between 1992 and 1994 maybe??

I think it actually aired during 1994-1995 season. If anyone can give an exact date, please let me know.

[MissKryssy2287]

Yeah but to me the whole case is strange..I mean they were most likely drunk driving in icy weather ( as according to the grandparents who stated they had had too much to drink to take their baby home that night) and flipped the car over. It really is weird that a killer would be waiting in freezing temps outside in the middle of essestially nowhere to kill them. Plus, what's the motive? Rudy's cousin whom they left in the car never heard any screams or noises after they both exited the car. When recuse personal came to the scene, no blood was found in the area or signs of a struggle. There's just no motive. Random killings usually have a motive such as robbery, rape, ect. Yet, nothing was taken and to rape someone outside in freezing weather ( below 0) doesn't make any sense. Again, the fact that some killer was walking around in that weather in the middle of nowhere, where they flipped the car over is a little odd to me to say the least. Remember, when that happened forensic technology and things like that were in their infancy. I'v been reading some things online about it and I believe that in all probability this is what happened....All 3 were intoxicated from a long night of partying. They chose to drive. The grandparents noticed they were intoxicated and advised it would be better to pick up their daughter in the morning. I believe it was a combination of icy weather and being intoxicated that the car flipped into the ditch. Arnold freed himself from the car and went over to help Rudy get out. Why did they not help their cousin? Well, there's a few explainations...1) If they're drunk they aren't thinking in a rational state of mind. 2) Panic, they knew the cops would be to the crash scene soon and they had been drunk driving. I believe they fled the crash scene and again, as they were intoxicated weren't thinking clearly to judge where the ice was too thin and they fell threw. Anyone who's fallen into freezing water in below 0 temps knows that your body goes into shock right within seconds. Plus all the heavy winter clothes they had on would weigh them down and make it very hard to pull themselves out. Even if they pulled themselves out, hypothermia with those temps would set it immediately. Remember they were in the middle of nowhere..this was not a populated area. The medical examiner stated they died from exposure. If you research this case further..no signs of stabbing, strangling, ect was found on the bodies. Nothing. Even with just bones left many medical examiners have been able to detemain strangulation (e.i the hyoid down is broken) or stab wounds that struck the bones. However, in this case the bodies were decently preserved because of the cold. Nothing was found. In recent years, more technology and research (The Body Farm, which specializes in decomposition of bodies for investigators (thats where Caley Anthony's body was sent) has found that even 2 bodies in the same place might not decay the same depending on many factors. The hair found on the road might have blown there after the spring thaw. Their friends who stated they saw arnold after the crash and passed polygraph tests in all probability were just mistaken about the date. So, in that case they weren't lying and would've passed the lie detector. Consider Arnold was found wearing the same clothes he had on the night of the crash, it seems that his friends were just mistaken of the date. Why would he have been walking around in the same clothes for that many days? and the friends NEVER saw Ruby. So, does that mean that Arnold was spared by the killer but Ruby wasn't? And that Arnold never said anything and just went to a party with his friends? And somehow the killer came back for Arnold later? Highly doubtful. That has happened in many investigations were witnesses were mistaken about the date. Also, the police department was very small and did not have the resources that larger agencies have or the technology we have today. So they might have combed the area in the winter but in area's like that until the spring thaw many things can go unnoticed especially with as little man power as that had. Honestly, this just seems like a horrible tragic accident. Questions can always remain like "Why didn't they just stay in the car"? "Why didn't they help Ruby's cousin?" ect But like I said being drunk and being in a panic state of mind can alter rational thinking.