NATURITA, Colo. — A suspect in a 25-year-old homicide case on the Western Slope is now in custody.
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation said in a release that 68-year-old Dan Bishop of Naturita was arrested for first-degree murder Thursday and booked into the Montrose County Detention Center in connection with the 1999 disappearance of 42-year-old Dale Williams.
CBI said it opened a new inquiry into Williams' disappearance in September 2023 with the help of the Montrose County Sheriff's Office after previous investigations into the cold case concluded without criminal charges.
At the time of Williams' disappearance, he owned an auto body shop in Nucla. An investigation revealed Williams and his wife helped Bishop's wife leave him and resettle in Texas, the release said.
The release said Williams was last seen on May 27, 1999, after he received a call to help a stranded motorist, possibly near Bedrock, northwest of Naturita near the Colorado-Utah line.
Williams's truck was found nearly six weeks later, on July 4, submerged in a river, according to the release. Investigators found a rifle in the bed of the truck with a spent shell casing in the chamber. Firearm purchase records show the .22 caliber rifle belonged to Bishop, the release said.
The release said based on the investigation, it's believed Bishop acted together with his now-deceased cousin to murder Williams. A warrant was issued for his arrest on Monday, and he was taken into custody on Thursday.
“There have been countless interviews and hundreds of hours of investigation poured into this case," Montrose County Sheriff Gene Lillard said in a statement. "It has taken an entire team effort of law enforcement, family and concerned citizens to bring the case to where it is at today. We are grateful for the in-depth investigation over the last 25 years by the Agents of the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and Investigators and Deputies of the Montrose County Sheriff’s Office.”
Bishop is being held on a $1 million cash-only bond.