Tonight, Dateline NBC will investigate the murder of 22-year-old Chelsea Bruck.
Bruck was last seen at a Halloween party in Frenchtown Township, Michigan, on the evening of October 26, 2014. Her body was discovered six months later.
Here’s what you need to know about the case:
1. Bruck Was Last Seen at a Halloween Party
Bruck was the youngest of five children– she had three sisters and one brother– and planned to attend Monroe Community College to earn a culinary degree.
Bruck was last seen at a Halloween party on a rural property in Michigan.
In an April 2015 interview with The Detroit Free Press, Bruck’s mother, Leannda Bruck, said, “… until somebody tells me otherwise, my daughter is out there waiting for someone to help her. And I will not believe otherwise.”
2. Bruck’s Halloween Costume Was Found Six Months After Her Disappearance
Chelsea Bruck, 22, is still missing after disappearing from a Halloween party http://t.co/eX0dQKK1Vw http://t.co/DclbjWRAyi
Bruck was last seen during the early morning hours of October 26, 2014, according to CBS News.
According to the Free Detroit Press, a man named Daniel Clay was leaving the Halloween party when he saw Bruck walking on the side of the road.
Monroe County Sheriff Detective Brian Sroka is reported as stating, “[Clay] pulled up next to her, asked if she wanted a ride. She said she did. She got in the vehicle… He stated that they drove down the road a little bit and they proceeded to have sexual relations there.”
According to CBS News, police found Bruck’s costume– a “Poison Ivy” costume– six months later at an industrial site. Her remains were located just weeks after that.
3. Daniel Clay Was Sentenced to Life in Prison in 2017
Funeral arrangements set for Chelsea Bruck: http://t.co/XRL3mKdZkc Photo credit: @salwangeorges http://t.co/Qpi7wT1JVA
Police were able to link the DNA on Bruck’s leggings to that of Clay. He was arrested in July 2016.
In an interview, Clay claimed the death was an accident. The Detroit Free Press reported Detective Sroka as saying, “Clay told detectives he and Bruck were having consensual sex… She stopped breathing and he tried CPR, he claimed, but he couldn’t revive her. He told detectives he ‘freaked out.’ He didn’t call the police, so he began to drive around … for 30-45 minutes.”
Clay was found guilty of first-degree murder in May 2017.
4. An Autopsy Showed Bruck Died of Blunt Force Trauma
Chelsea Bruck vanished on Oct.26th. Can you, or someone you know, help? #Dateline
http://t.co/KnY7lrarv9 http://t.co/JMVJsRCTWL
An autopsy conducted by the Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office showed that Bruck died of blunt force trauma and “had numerous fractures to her face, jaw, neck, and teeth,” according to the Detroit Free Press.
While Clay maintained that Bruck was “accidentally asphyxiated” in his car, the prosecution argued that Bruck’s facial injuries clearly suggested he’d assaulted her.
5. A Woman Testified That Clay Apologized to Her in a Final Phonecall
A woman named Jessica Pridyl had a child with Clay and was coincidentally acquainted with Bruck.
In court, she testified that she remembered smoking marijuana with Clay late on the night of the Halloween party. “In the many months since Bruck’s disappearance, Pridyl said, she doesn’t recall Clay saying anything about Bruck. But the day he was arrested, she received two voicemails from him while she was at work,” reported the Detroit Free Press.
In court, Bruck’s mother, Leannda Bruck, told Clay that she forgives him. According to The Detroit News, Leannda said, “Today, with the strength from Jesus Christ, I forgive Daniel Clay. I do not want my Lord to ask why I could not offer forgiveness to Mr. Clay.”
Clay reportedly responded, “I thank you for that Bible and I will keep it as long as I’m able to. I’m sorry for everything.”
The judge, however, did not believe Clay. Monroe Circuit Judge Daniel White is quoted as saying, “I spent 10 days in trial with Mr Clay and I listened to countless hours of him changing his story every time the detectives questioned him or brought up something new. It was very clear to me, Mr Clay – you are a liar, a rapist and a killer.”
Chief assistant prosecutor in the Monroe County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, Michael Roehrig, subsequently stated, per The Detroit News, “Today, 990 days after murdering Chelsea and concealing her body in those woods, I will again agree with one statement the defendant made, he is a monster.”