Chelsea Bruck disappeared on Oct. 26, 2014, after attending a Halloween party held at 3587 Post Rd in Newport, Michigan. An estimated 600-1000 people attended the party and authorities continue searching for leads to explain what happened to the 22-year-old girl that fateful night. Reports say that Miss Bruck was last seen walking with an unidentified male to a parking lot.
Bruck has been missing nearly six months with vast searches taking place in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana. There has been a break in the case as on Monday, April 6, 2015, authorities with the Monroe County Sheriff's Department conducted additional searches in Flat Rock, Michigan and announced they found clothing that resembled parts of the Halloween costume Chelsea wore at the time of her disappearance. Bruck had worn a handcrafted costume of the Batman character "Poison Ivy" that consisted of leaves and other material. The clothing was located near an abandoned building in Flat Rock on Easter Sunday, April 5, 2014. The continued search and potential break prompted the family to hold a press conference on April 8, 2015.
Authorities are conducting DNA testing on the clothing.
April 8, 2015 Press Conference Video with Chelsea Bruck's Mother after Clothing Found
Find Chelsea Bruck Facebook Group
Chelsea Bruck Latest News Updates: Twitter
Tweets about chelsea bruck
Nancy Grace Transcripts Chelsea Bruck Case
NANCY GRACE, HOST: Breaking news tonight, live, Newport, Michigan. She goes to a Halloween costume party dressed as super-villain Poison Ivy from
"Batman." Amidst the other party goers, she disappears, never seen again.
Bombshell tonight. Happening right now. Police have found parts of a Halloween costume that may be connected to the disappearance of Chelsea
Bruck.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is the clothing discovered part of a Halloween costume Chelsea was wearing the night she disappeared from a party at a Monroe
County farmhouse?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I did not see Chelsea at the party at all. There were a lot of people. (INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I did not see her. There was quite a few people here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Good evening. I`m Nancy Grace. I want to thank you for being with us.
Bombshell tonight, live to Newport. She goes to a Halloween costume party dressed as super-villain Poison
Photo credit: Monroe County Sheriff’s Office
Ivy from "Batman." Amidst the other party goers she disappears, never seen again. Happening right now, police have found parts of a Halloween costume that may be connected to the disappearance of Chelsea Bruck.
Let`s go straight out to Rob Davidek, news director at WWJ. Thanks so much for being with us. We`ve been on this since the get-go, Rob. Tell me, where were the parts to the costume found?
ROB DAVIDEK, WWJ (via telephone): Nancy, this is in an abandoned industrial site area. It`s about 60 acres, overgrown, some hills, some mounds of dirt. It`s a perfund site, really, contaminated with hazardous waste. The EPA has listed it for a possible clean-up because it poses a
health risk, really, to the environment, to humans. And that`s where the police were over the past couple of days. That`s where the focus of the investigation was.
GRACE: Everybody, you`re seeing the party. It was cram-packed with up to 500 to 600 people. There you see Chelsea in the distance. Now, take a look. You`re seeing video of a previous Pickax Preacher (ph) concert Chelsea attended from YouTube.
Long story short, the party was mobbed. It was open to the public, but they never expected 500 to 600 people to show up. Well, they did. And
Chelsea goes to the party amidst all of these people, disappears. She went with some of her friend girls to the party. They saw her during the party.
At some point, they realize they don`t see her anymore. She`s never been seen again.
Now, this is the picture of what she looked like that night. We all know the supervillain Poison Ivy. It`s Batman`s nemesis, one of them. This is
not what she looks like in real life, but that`s what she looked like the night of the party.
Monroe County Sheriff's Office
In the last hours, happening now, police believe that they have found part of her Poison Ivy costume. Let`s see the map again, please, Justin.
That`s the costume -- the wig, the green ivy-leaf-covered skirt. She was wearing black yoga pants that night.
Look. It looks like quite a distance, but it`s only about an 11 to 14- minute drive from the party. And as you`re hearing Rob Davidek, news director WWJ, say it`s actually in a perfund area, which means it had been
polluted in the past and was ordered cleaned up by the U.S. government perfund law.
Back to you, Rob. Question. That night, nobody remembers seeing her actually leave from the party. But we`ve now had a lot of tips, a lot of
false tips that seemingly have muddled the search for Chelsea.
[20:05:12]But I want to go back to this location. It`s an old abandoned factory site, Rob?
DAVIDEK: Yes. Yes, that`s it. It`s a -- it`s by a Ford plant, a lot of railroad tracks in the area, almost like a loading yard for railroad
tracks. It`s a place that`s called Specialty Petroleum, an abandoned industrial site, about 60 acres -- you know, about 60 acres there that the
police -- they had to use ATVs, all-terrain vehicles, to search. They had helicopters in the air yesterday, you know, looking and searching that
area.
GRACE: Everybody, we are looking for Chelsea Bruck, who went missing dressed as Poison Ivy. And what`s so disturbing about it is that people
may have seen her but not realizing it`s Chelsea because she was wearing this Poison Ivy get-up with a wig and everything!
Another question to you, Rob Davidek joining us. The search has just now turned up what we believe to be part of a Poison Ivy costume. To my
understanding, it`s the green leafy part that they think that they have found?
DAVIDEK: You know what? The cops aren`t saying anything at this point as to specifically what was found. The leafy part is what we`re hearing. We
haven`t confirmed that. They had other evidence also that they found. They took it. They sent it to the Michigan State Police...
GRACE: Hold on! Hold on! We`re showing a shot of it, and it is an artificial green leaf that matches up to her costume. Now, what does it
mean? Does it mean her costume was taken off her body? Does it mean she was there and she shed a part
Monroe County Sheriff: Chelsea Bruck, 22
of her costume just by sitting there? It
doesn`t make sense to me, Rob Davidek -- let`s look at the map again -- that she would be in this abandoned factory area, part of a perfund clean-
up, for casual reasons. I don`t think she would choose to go there. Let`s see the map.
Rob Davidek, does anybody go there for any reason?
DAVIDEK: As of this point, no. We can`t really say -- you know, a couple of neighborhoods nearby. But it looks like it`s pretty abandoned, maybe a
couple trails here and there, but it doesn`t look like anybody really spends much time there.
GRACE: Now, it`s interesting to me, there are active train tracks nearby, active in the sense that -- is that a commuter train? Is it a cargo train?
What is that train track nearby, Rob?
DAVIDEK: It`s -- as I look at it, it`s like a loading yard, a number of (ph), and it`s not surprising with a Ford plant nearby, right? You`re
going to have trains coming in. It would be more freight, not an Amtrak passenger train, something like that. It would be more freight in that
area.
GRACE: I just don`t see why she would be there for innocent reasons.
To Dr. William Morrone, forensic pathologist joining me tonight. Dr. Morrone, thanks for being with us. You have seen so many homicides, Dr.
Morrone. What if any evidence can we get off of that piece of what appears to be Chelsea`s Poison Ivy outfit?
DR. WILLIAM MORRONE, FORENSIC PATHOLOGIST: The most important thing is that the closer the clothes are to her body, the more likely we are to find
bodily fluids or DNA. So we have to find the leotards. We have to find the undergarments. We have to find the socks and the shoes and anything
around the head.
And the reason why this is coming out now is, in this area across the Great Lakes, this has all been under two or three feet of snow for the last six
months. That`s good news. This is why this is good news. It`s like all the DNA and all the fluids have been put in the refrigerator until now. So
that`s good news for the investigation and for the state forensics lab, good luck.
GRACE: Well, let me tell you, Dr. Morrone, if you`ll re call the case of Chandra Levy, who was actually bound by her leotards -- her body was found
there in Rock Creek Park in the D.C. area years after she was attacked and killed -- Chandra Levy, the congressional intern to Condit. And her
leotards were still intact and still had bodily fluids on them years later. Explain.
MORRONE: That`s because they dehydrate, and basically, over time, they just lose water. So the proteins, as long as they don`t break down -- and
they`re not going break down in this short of time because the snow and the cold weather was, like, keeping it all in the refrigerator. It`s a sine
qua non event that the refrigeration and the cold weather are going to work to preserve the DNA and bodily fluids -- sine qua non event.
GRACE: Yes, thanks for Latin, Dr. Morrone. I believe we`ve talked about that before.
Everybody, you`re seeing video from a previous Pickax Preacher concert Chelsea attended on YouTube.
[20:10:02]Joining me right now, special guest Mike Williams, who actually hosted the party where Chelsea vanishes into thin air. Mike Williams,
thanks for being with us. How did the party get so out of control? I know it was not your plan.
MIKE WILLIAMS, HALLOWEEN PARTY HOST (via telephone): The party -- I mean, I was expecting a large amount of people at the party, I mean, as always,
when I throw these large, extravagant concerts. But I mean, it got out of hand to the point where people started parking on the street. But I
managed to clean that up in a matter of couple hours and managed to get everything mostly under control, you know, for the most part.
GRACE: Did you see Chelsea Bruck there?
WILLIAMS: I did not see her at the party, no.
GRACE: You know, a lot of people have said they didn`t see her. How do you know her?
WILLIAMS: She came to previous parties. She came to shows, too. She came to our CD release show back in May. And she was a fan of the band.
GRACE: And when did you find out, you know, after this party, that she vanished?
WILLIAMS: I found out Monday morning around probably 7:00 AM.
GRACE: How did you find out?
WILLIAMS: Her sister messaged me on Facebook and asked me if I`d seen her, or knew of her whereabouts, and I had no idea. And as the day went on, it
escalated, and then that`s when about 5:00 or 6:00, I, you know, became, like, a really big concern and something -- and we knew something had
happened.
GRACE: Everyone, with me is the guy who hosted the party where hundreds of people showed up. They were expecting a lot of people, but not that many
people. Take a look at the type of party that was going on that night with this group, Pickax Preacher.
With me, Mike Williams. So question. You knew her from previous parties. Tell me about the Halloween party. What was it like? How could she vanish
and nobody notice, Mike Williams?
WILLIAMS: Well, I mean, once again, we`ve mentioned that everyone was in costume, and there was also a lot of people I didn`t even know who came to
the party who know the band but don`t know me personally. So you know, it`s just -- it`s just a bad situation.
GRACE: Everyone, is there a break in the case finally in the search for Chelsea Bruck? She goes to the party dressed as Poison Ivy, Batman`s
nemesis. Even if people saw her, they may not be able to identify her because she`s wearing this Poison Ivy costume, complete with wig.
In the last hours, happening now, police have just discovered what they believe to be a portion of her Poison Ivy costume about 15 miles away at an
abandoned factory. What does it mean?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[20:17:13]UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She was dressed as the Poison Ivy character from "Batman."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Forensic analysts are now examining clothing and other evidence discovered at this abandoned building and 60-acre site. Their
goal is to find clues in the disappearance of Chelsea Bruck.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Missing from a giant costume party.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Kindhearted and sweet and innocent person.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Imagine your daughter going to a Halloween party dressed as Poison Ivy, to have a good time. You never see her again. That`s exactly what
happened to the family of the Chelsea Bruck.
But tonight, is there finally a crack in the case? Happening now, police believe that they have found a portion of a Poison Ivy outfit. It`s about
13 miles away, where this huge monster party was held. It looks to be a leaf off of the Poison Ivy costume. We`ve got a picture of that for you.
To Rob Davidek, news director, WWJ. I want to go through what happened that night. So who does she go to the party with, Rob?
DAVIDEK: She went with a couple of girlfriends.
GRACE: And what happened during the party? How did they get separated from her?
DAVIDEK: From what I understand, she met a guy and she was -- you know, the friends wanted to go. She went with this guy, who -- they were seen by
some cars, and she gave her friend that she went there with her phone and her purse. And then that was the last anyone seems to see of her.
GRACE: That`s crazy. Why would she give away her phone and her purse?
Do we have a sketch of the guy, Justin, that we can put up? It`s a very rough, a very rudimentary sketch of who she may have been with, somebody
that she was just talking to. But in a party of 500 people, just because she talked to him doesn`t mean she left with him.
Rob, did they say she left with this guy or they saw her with this guy?
DAVIDEK: They (sic) were just seen with the guy. They were walking towards some cars, but then no one knows what happened after that.
GRACE: You`re seeing a previous Pickax Preacher concert Chelsea attended from YouTube. That`s who`s playing at the party that night. Amidst all of
these party goers, she disappears.
Let`s see that aerial shot, please, Justin, of the floor (ph) plan (ph) -- specialty restoration. Take a look at that. And if you see, that`s over
on the left, the abandoned property. Police got a search warrant for that based on a tip. This investigation has been muddled with false tips, false
claims. Every one has been investigated. This is the first big break in finding Chelsea.
But question to you, Rob Davidek. What`s on the other side of the train tracks? Let`s see the aerial again, please. What`s on the other side of
the train tracks?
[20:20:06]DAVIDEK: Well, again, it`s a vacant area, abandoned. And then again, to the northwest, you see some neighborhoods. You have the freeway,
I-75, and pretty much, it`s straight, you know, south from where this is at, where the search was. If you go south down -- you know, like you said,
11, 12, 14 miles down, it`s just in that area of where they`re searching. So you have the Ford, the Mazda north operations plant to the southeast,
some railroad tracks, and then to the northwest, you have neighborhoods in that area.
GRACE: Rob, what do you know about the tip that led police to this spot?
DAVIDEK: Really, you know what? It just came in as that, right, a tip that they`re following up on. They said they`ve been following up on more
than 600 tips, and that was one of them, and so they moved forward with it.
GRACE: OK, let me see that aerial one more time. Stacey Newman, a point I`m getting at is, across the train tracks from where this restoration
plant is, specialty restoration, a Ford plant -- to the right of it, northeast of it, see that community?
Now, who would think about this abandoned Ford plant? Who would think to go there? Somebody familiar with it, somebody that knows about it, knows
nobody will be around, know they`re safe there if they want to be up to trouble.
Who lives in that community? What is that community, Stacey Newman?
STACEY NEWMAN, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: Well, we know it`s been abandoned and this plant has been abandoned for 50 years. But we did locate that. Close
to this area, there is a mobile park community. And a neighbor that lives there has said if you want to get to this area where this clothing was
found, you would have to know that spot. So it can`t just be a stranger who stumbled onto it. They knew where that was.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[20:25:52]UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where`s Chelsea Bruck? The 22-year-old last reportedly seen at a huge Halloween party held in this rural area of
Newport.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Too big of a party, too dangerous. I even told her it was dangerous.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Acting on a tip, during a two-day search here at Freeland (ph) and Peters (ph) in Flat Rock, state police and deputies able
to collect clothing and other evidence.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Who called in that tip? This is an investigation that has been muddled with false tips from the get-to.
Rob Davidek, people have -- news director WWJ -- what are some of the false tips that the police have been chasing?
DAVIDEK: Well, Nancy, there were a couple of cases that actually -- where -- you know, where there were charges in them. There was one lady out of
Toledo, Ohio. She was charged with lying to a police officer. She said that her ex-boyfriend had killed Chelsea and dumped her body in a cemetery.
There was another, a 19-year-old from the Flat Rock area where this search is going on -- he was charged with lying to a police officer. He says he
saw two men harassing her and drive off with her. So those are the two that they`re trying to find out. They also said, You know what? A lot of
people were drunk at this party, so they don`t know it`s reliable information that they have coming from these folks.
GRACE: Whoa, 136 registered sex offenders in a very tight proximity, just 8-mile radius!
Where is Chelsea tonight? Is there finally a break? I`m very, very curious. Who called in the tip? Who knew? Why would anybody be looking
out there, why would anybody be there on a perfund area, highly polluted, that`s been ordered by the government to be cleaned up of its toxic
ingredients?
To Mike Williams, who hosted the party. Mike, how was the party advertised? Who were you aiming at? Who was invited to the party? How
did they find out about it?
WILLIAMS: It was advertised through Facebook and our band page and just social media. I mean, that`s how I advertise any event that the band does.
GRACE: So thousands of people, thousands knew about the party. There is a $30,000 reward. Tip line, 734-240-7530.