UPDATE: Former friend arrested for Dale Williams' murder - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

unsolved243 · 10-17-2024, 09:17 PM

To recap: Forty-two-year-old Dale Williams owned an auto body shop in Nucla, Colorado. He disappeared on May 27, 1999, after he received a call for help from an unknown motorist. A month later, his truck was found miles away in a river. However, no other trace of him was found.

One potential suspect in the case was a former friend of Dale's. A year before his disappearance, Dale had helped the friend's ex-wife move to another state without the friend's knowledge. One month later, Dale found on the floor outside of his shop ripped up pictures of him and his friend, along with several bullets. Dale's wife found a gun in their video rental store's drop box. After Dale disappeared, the former friend was seen ripping down his missing person posters. However, he denied involvement in Dale's disappearance.

Today, however, the former friend - Dan Bishop - was arrested and charged with Dale's murder. Investigators believe that Bishop and his cousin (now deceased) both killed Dale. It was noted that a gun was found in the bed of Dale's truck. It had an unspent shell casing in the chamber. Records showed that the gun belonged to Bishop. As of now, I have been unable to find what exactly led to the arrest or if Dale's body has been found.

https://www.9news.com/article/news/c...f-a659523b17d7

1990 UM fan · 10-18-2024, 02:09 AM

Thank you for the update. This one from the later years of Unsolved Mysteries always stuck with me.

TheCars1986 · 10-18-2024, 11:18 AM

Wait a minute, they found the gun in the bed of Dale's truck and knew it was registered to this guy and didn't make an arrest for 25 years?! The UM segment made it seem like this guy was the #1 suspect, but then law enforcement said he had an airtight alibi for the day of Dale's disappearance. I'm glad there was an arrest made finally.

ogapogadots · 10-23-2024, 11:18 PM

yeah I bet that so called air tight alibi was the killer hanging out with his cousin at his cousins place! The cousin got away with murder. I was shocked to learn that 2 men had killed Dale. I always assumed it was just his ex-friend. Why involve your cousin? Unless you need physical help in getting rid of the man's body and need another driver to follow the killer who perhaps drove dales truck and sunk it in the water. Then the driver would need a ride home. Ok, 2 people now makes more sense.

I never thought this would be solved. Awesome! Dale's daughter said in a podcast interview that the ex-friend / suspect would on purpose sit next to her in public waiting places like at a DMV, for example. Just to rub it in and perhaps say non-verbally "Hey, here I am - your dad's uncaught murderer and I'm still free and always will be". Knot!

Edit update: so 3 people were involved. the killer, his cousin, and his cousin's then wife. The killer gave his Corvette to his friend as payment. And the cousin's wife was the "stranded" lady who called Dale. The cousin and his ex-wife (they later divorced I think) are now deceased. I was shocked to learn that Dale was cheating on his wife with his ex-friend's foreign Russian wife! dang, no wonder the guy murdered his friend. So Dale cheated on his own wife AND it was his friend's then foreign-born wife.

DALLASTEXAN!! · 10-31-2024, 06:04 PM

glad it's finally solved. this seems like one of the more "duh" solves when compared to the many others that took 25 years. but yet there are so many more not closed when we know whodunnit.

Dude111 · 10-31-2024, 06:09 PM

Its good they finally found out!!

Zero · 11-12-2024, 07:08 PM

All this talk of wives and then-wives and ex-wives and foreign wives and cousins and friends and ex friends. Yeeeeeesh!

Clockwork · 01-30-2026, 02:04 AM

It is a shame he was murdered, and I guess that pastor friend of his who was at the shop that overheard the phone call and assumed rightly so that it was a woman on the other line was correct, that it was a woman. He said the way Dale was talking made it sound like a woman. It is too bad that in an indirect way Dale caused his own murder. He is running around on his wife and he is doing this with his former friend's wife by the sounds of it. This apparently led to his killing. It is actually better hearing that knowing it wasn't just a random thing.

EighthStreet · 01-30-2026, 11:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by unsolved243

TOne month later, Dale found on the floor outside of his shop ripped up pictures of him and his friend, along with several bullets. Dale's wife found a gun in their video rental store's drop box.

Giving someone the means to defend themselves as a threat is a unique way to go about doing that.

Kyle416 · 03-09-2026, 08:03 PM

The charges ended up getting dropped.

https://www.gjsentinel.com/news/west...6b4a63081.html

TheCars1986 · 03-10-2026, 07:30 AM

Both people the prosecution alleged to have been involved in the murder are now deceased. I do not see a successful prosecution unfortunately.

Allierain · 03-10-2026, 11:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kyle416

The charges ended up getting dropped.

https://www.gjsentinel.com/news/west...6b4a63081.html

Without prejudice. Interesting.

10-18-2024, 02:09 AM	#2
1990 UM fan Unsolved Mysteries fanatic Senior Member Join Date: Jul 14, 2011 Location: United States Posts: 2,510	Thank you for the update. This one from the later years of Unsolved Mysteries always stuck with me.
	__________________ Join my Unsolved Mysteries page (Facebook): http://www.facebook.com/pages/Unsolv...899616?sk=wall

10-23-2024, 11:18 PM	#4
ogapogadots Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Aug 14, 2023 Location: rome new york Posts: 127	yeah I bet that so called air tight alibi was the killer hanging out with his cousin at his cousins place! The cousin got away with murder. I was shocked to learn that 2 men had killed Dale. I always assumed it was just his ex-friend. Why involve your cousin? Unless you need physical help in getting rid of the man's body and need another driver to follow the killer who perhaps drove dales truck and sunk it in the water. Then the driver would need a ride home. Ok, 2 people now makes more sense. I never thought this would be solved. Awesome! Dale's daughter said in a podcast interview that the ex-friend / suspect would on purpose sit next to her in public waiting places like at a DMV, for example. Just to rub it in and perhaps say non-verbally "Hey, here I am - your dad's uncaught murderer and I'm still free and always will be". Knot! Edit update: so 3 people were involved. the killer, his cousin, and his cousin's then wife. The killer gave his Corvette to his friend as payment. And the cousin's wife was the "stranded" lady who called Dale. The cousin and his ex-wife (they later divorced I think) are now deceased. I was shocked to learn that Dale was cheating on his wife with his ex-friend's foreign Russian wife! dang, no wonder the guy murdered his friend. So Dale cheated on his own wife AND it was his friend's then foreign-born wife.
	Last edited by ogapogadots; 10-24-2024 at 12:01 AM.

10-31-2024, 06:04 PM	#5
DALLASTEXAN!! Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Dec 31, 2007 Location: Devil's Backbone Posts: 3,138	glad it's finally solved. this seems like one of the more "duh" solves when compared to the many others that took 25 years. but yet there are so many more not closed when we know whodunnit.
	__________________ "Payback is a MF" -RS

11-12-2024, 07:08 PM	#7
Zero Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jun 15, 2003 Posts: 495	All this talk of wives and then-wives and ex-wives and foreign wives and cousins and friends and ex friends. Yeeeeeesh!
	__________________ "Are we ourselves, and do we really know?"

10-17-2024, 09:17 PM	#1
unsolved243 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Aug 11, 2010 Posts: 261	UPDATE: Former friend arrested for Dale Williams' murder To recap: Forty-two-year-old Dale Williams owned an auto body shop in Nucla, Colorado. He disappeared on May 27, 1999, after he received a call for help from an unknown motorist. A month later, his truck was found miles away in a river. However, no other trace of him was found. One potential suspect in the case was a former friend of Dale's. A year before his disappearance, Dale had helped the friend's ex-wife move to another state without the friend's knowledge. One month later, Dale found on the floor outside of his shop ripped up pictures of him and his friend, along with several bullets. Dale's wife found a gun in their video rental store's drop box. After Dale disappeared, the former friend was seen ripping down his missing person posters. However, he denied involvement in Dale's disappearance. Today, however, the former friend - Dan Bishop - was arrested and charged with Dale's murder. Investigators believe that Bishop and his cousin (now deceased) both killed Dale. It was noted that a gun was found in the bed of Dale's truck. It had an unspent shell casing in the chamber. Records showed that the gun belonged to Bishop. As of now, I have been unable to find what exactly led to the arrest or if Dale's body has been found. https://www.9news.com/article/news/c...f-a659523b17d7

10-18-2024, 11:18 AM	#3
TheCars1986 #VLSKMS Forum Fanatic Join Date: Nov 22, 2008 Location: Maryland Posts: 8,610	Wait a minute, they found the gun in the bed of Dale's truck and knew it was registered to this guy and didn't make an arrest for 25 years?! The UM segment made it seem like this guy was the #1 suspect, but then law enforcement said he had an airtight alibi for the day of Dale's disappearance. I'm glad there was an arrest made finally.

10-31-2024, 06:09 PM	#6
Dude111 Forum Legend Join Date: Nov 05, 2013 Posts: 36,303	Its good they finally found out!!

01-30-2026, 02:04 AM	#8
Clockwork Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Dec 30, 2022 Location: Canada Posts: 461	It is a shame he was murdered, and I guess that pastor friend of his who was at the shop that overheard the phone call and assumed rightly so that it was a woman on the other line was correct, that it was a woman. He said the way Dale was talking made it sound like a woman. It is too bad that in an indirect way Dale caused his own murder. He is running around on his wife and he is doing this with his former friend's wife by the sounds of it. This apparently led to his killing. It is actually better hearing that knowing it wasn't just a random thing.

03-09-2026, 08:03 PM	#10
Kyle416 Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Apr 13, 2010 Location: Canada Posts: 30	The charges ended up getting dropped. https://www.gjsentinel.com/news/west...6b4a63081.html

03-10-2026, 07:30 AM	#11
TheCars1986 #VLSKMS Forum Fanatic Join Date: Nov 22, 2008 Location: Maryland Posts: 8,610	Both people the prosecution alleged to have been involved in the murder are now deceased. I do not see a successful prosecution unfortunately.