In a ravine three miles west of Roseburg, Oregon, a burned and wrecked car belonging to Dr. R.M. Brumfield, a local dentist, was found twisted in the aftermath of a nighttime crash. Beneath the wreckage lay the headless body of a man.
But almost immediately, the case began to take a far darker shape.
Mrs. Brumfield said the body was that of her husband. The officers were not so sure. The remains were held for identification, and the mystery deepened when clothing, papers, and a watch connected to both Dr. Brumfield and a missing laborer named Dennis Russell were found near the scene.
Then came the sensational turn.
Authorities issued a warrant charging Dr. Brumfield with murder. They believed the dead man was not Brumfield at all, but Russell, whose body had been dressed in the dentist’s clothing. Police suspected that Brumfield, facing financial trouble, had planned to make the corpse appear to be his own so his wife could collect $25,000 in life insurance.
The horror of the discovery was only made worse by the method. According to police, Russell’s head had been blown off with dynamite.
Headless Body Found Beneath Wrecked Auto
ROSEBURG, Oregon. — An auto belonging to Dr. R.M. Brumfield, a dentist, was wrecked and burned in a ravine three miles west of here during the night. This morning the headless body of a man was found underneath the wreckage of the auto, but no trace of the head.
Mrs. Brumfield claims the body is that of her husband, but the officers disagree and are holding the body for identification.
Clothing, papers, and a watch belonging to Brumfield and a man named Dennis Russell were found.
Both Brumsfield and Russell are missing.
Sensational Developments
ROSEBURG, Oregon. — Sensational developments are following today the discovery of a headless body beneath a wrecked automobile in a ravine west of here.
A warrant has been issued charging Dr. R.M. Brumfield with murder.
The headless body has not as yet been positively identified, but the authorities are working on the theory that it is Dennis Russell, a laborer, who is missing.
The police claim there is a deep motive in the alleged crime. They claim Dr. Brumfield is in financial difficulties and it would help considerably if his wife was able to collect $25,000 life insurance money.
The police suspect that Dr. Brumfield planned to have Russell’s body mistaken for his own.
Mrs. Brumfield quickly identified the body as that of her husband, but the police say it is not.
Russell’s head was blown off with dynamite.
The body was dressed in Brumfield’s clothing.
Source: The Alaska Daily Empire. Juneau, Alaska. July 15, 1921.
