Arrest made in 25-year-old Western Slope murder cold case

NATURITA, Colo. ( KREX ) — A 68-year-old Naturita man was arrested Thursday for first-degree murder for the 1999 disappearance of then 42-year-old Dale Williams, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation announced.

Naturita resident Dan Bishop was taken into custody and booked into the Montrose County Detention Center.

CBI — with help from the Montrose County Sheriff’s Office — opened a new inquiry in September 2023 after previous investigations into the case ended with no arrests.

Williams owned an auto body shop in Nucla at the time of his disappearance. According to CBI, Williams and his wife reportedly helped Bishop’s spouse leave her then-husband and relocate to Texas.

Williams was last seen on May 27, 1999, after he got a call about helping a stranded motorist near Bedrock. His truck was found about six weeks later submerged in a river.

CBI said investigators found a rifle in the bed of the truck with a spent shell casing in the chamber. Records showed the rifle allegedly belonged to Bishop.

The Colorado Bureau of Investigation said it believes Bishop acted with his now-deceased cousin to murder Williams.

Bishop is being held on a $1 million cash-only bond. A court date has yet been set.

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