Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of murder. Reader discretion is advised.
Dateline NBC‘s episode titled “Trouble at the 7-11 Ranch” looks into Colorado rancher Jake Millison’s 2015 murder case. The episode will also look into Millison’s killer, Deb Rudibaugh, his mother, and the involvement of other family members in the cover-up. It airs on the network this Sunday, March 24, 2024, at 10 p.m. ET. A synopsis reads, “When a Colorado rancher mysteriously disappears, his friends know something isn’t right and spend years fighting for answers.”
Jake Millison went missing from his late stepfather’s massive 7-11 ranch in May 2015. A years-long investigation led to Millison’s mother, Deb Rudibaugh, confessing to his murder. She claimed to have shot the 29-year-old before burying his body in a manure pit, per Oxygen. Investigators also suspected Millison’s sister, Stephanie Jackson, and her husband, David, in the cover-up. They dug up his skeletal remains on the ranch over two years later.
Authorities arrested the suspects in March 2018, nearly three years after Millison’s murder. All three suspects—Rudibaugh, Stephanie, and David—eventually pleaded guilty to separate charges stemming from the case. The victim’s mother reportedly died of cancer in 2019.
How was Jake Millison’s murder case solved?
Authorities and Jake Millison’s friends searched for him for over two years before learning about his murder. Millison disappeared from the ranch after his friend Randy Martinez dropped him off sometime around midnight on May 16, 2015, per Oxygen. Martinez claimed, “I texted him [the next day] to see what was up and never got a reply.” The two had plans to meet up, but he never responded.
During the investigation, the outlet stated Millison’s mother, Deb Rudibaugh, who resided with him on the ranch, offered distinctive stories. Rudibaugh initially told his concerned friends that he left “with a friend and was going to the Reno, Nevada area.” She only filed a missing person’s report after months on August 4 of that year.
Reportedly, Rudibaugh’s stories kept changing, and she eventually told authorities, “My son [Millison] has been doing drugs.” She alleged that Millison had a dark side to his life and had “started doing the mixed martial arts and the drugs.” She also mentioned they were not close and had “one argument and fight after another.”
Investigators and Jake Millison’s friends began questioning her accounts but continued to search for him. In the meantime, his sister, Stephanie Jackson, and her husband moved to the ranch property and started taking over. Moreover, they remained unbothered by Millison’s disappearance.
Gunnison County Deputy District Attorney Jessica Waggoner said, “We couldn’t buy the family’s reasoning anymore.” Rudibaugh alleged that he “left for Reno, Nevada to do some martial arts fighting.” However, Stephanie told friends and family “that Deb Rudibaugh had told her that he was in Portland or Seattle.” Waggoner stated, “The cities kept changing and the reasons why he was leaving kept changing.”
According to the Denver Post, Jake Millison’s murder case was solved once Deb Rudibaugh confessed in July 2017 to killing him. Rudibaugh told investigators that she used a Smith & Wesson .357 revolver to shoot Millison in the head while he slept. She also admitted to wrapping his body in plastic and duct tape, dragging it down the stairs and outside the house before burying it in a manure pile. She claimed to have acted alone while committing the crime, per the DA’s report.
The report stated that during the investigation, detectives “found a completed will in [Rudibaugh’s] living room, dated April 27, 2015.” The will was an amended version of the previous one, leaving the ranch solely to Millison’s sister, Stephanie. They also learned that there had been existing tensions between David and Millison. After an altercation, the latter issued a restraining order against his brother-in-law.
Authorities deduced that Stephanie and David were also involved in the crime of taking over the ranch, which was worth millions. Moreover, Rudibaugh, who was suffering from cancer, had gone through surgery when Millison disappeared, which made it unlikely for her to dispose of his body alone. Moreover, several instructions from Rudibaugh post-surgery included not exercising or lifting anything over 20 pounds for two weeks. The surgery took place nine days before her son disappeared.
Following Deb Rudibaugh’s confession, investigators executed a search on the ranch and finally dug up Jake Millison’s skeletal remains. They found the remains inside a hole in a horse corral, wrapped in a tarp. Authorities arrested all three suspects in March 2018. Stephanie would later admit that they uncovered Millison’s body on the property and “had decided the body needed to be moved, and buried in a hole,” said C.B.I agent Rosa Perez.
Oxygen reported that all three suspects in Millison’s killing faced murder charges but accepted plea deals instead. Deb Rudibaugh pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, receiving a 40-year sentence. She died of cancer in 2019. The DA’s report mentioned that David Jackson pleaded guilty to tampering with a deceased human body and got a sentence of 10 years. Later, Stephanie Jackson also pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting along with tampering with a deceased body. She received a maximum of 24 years in prison.
Dateline NBC‘s episode on Jake Millison’s murder case will air this Sunday.
