Murder of Russell Turcotte

In 2002 Russel Turcotte was enjoying a free spirit lifestyle in July he began to make his way from his week-long hippie gathering in Brainerd, Michigan to his home state of Montana to attend a family member's wedding. He would hitchhike his way there and on July 12th Russel would make it to Simonson's Gas Station in Grand Forks, North Dakota. He would call to ask for a money order so that it would help him get back sooner. He was supposed to go to the Western Union to pick it up, but he never did.

On November 5, 2002, Russel's body would be found about 100 miles away in a tree row located ten miles west of Devil's Lake and half a mile north of U.S. Highway #2. His cause of death was blunt force trauma to the back of the head. His nearly nude body was covered with brush. It was believed that he'd been dead around the time he went missing to early August.

Some believe that the ball was dropped in this case. Russel was Native American a search for him took 3 months and not 3 hours to get off the ground and only a dozen police officers were used for it instead of over a 100. It is possible that he was a victim of serial killer Joseph Edward "Jet" Duncan III, who targeted young men.

SOURCES:

North Dakota Attorney General

Unsolved Mysteries 

Roots Web

Great Falls Tribune November 7, 2002

XL Country August 18, 2021

Montana Right Now March 28, 2022