Arrest made in 2021 murder of Russell Long

Indicted by grand jury, Bruce Long, 63, accused of murdering nephew, scheduled to appear in court June 17
An arrest has been made in the 2021 murder of Russell Long. Bruce Long, 63, Russell Long’s uncle, is charged with second-degree murder in the death of the 39-year-old Walnut Grove tree feller.
According to a press release from the Greene County Sheriff’s Office, Bruce Long, of Willard, was taken into custody in Clarke County, Iowa. Online records show he was arrested on Monday, May 19, and booked into the Greene County Jail on the evening of Tuesday, May 20.
Long was indicted by a grand jury in Greene County on Wednesday, May 7, online court records show, and he was accused of killing Russell by shooting on either March 31 or April 4, 2021. The indictment did not mention a motive for the alleged shooting.
Russell Long was last seen on March 31, 2021, in Willard. At the time, a family friend said they saw Long getting into what was possibly a white SUV. The friend also said that Long told them that a friend was coming to pick him up, and he (Russell) would be back later for his pickup. Long’s remains were found about three months later on June 4 along Farm Road 59, northwest of Bois D’Arc. In September of that year, the Greene County Sheriff’s Office announced they had identified a person of interest in Long’s death, but did not name the person at the time.
Bruce Long is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday, June 17. As of press time, he remained held without bond in the Greene County Jail.
In the press release announcing Bruce Long’s arrest, Sheriff Jim Arnott was quoted as saying that arrests like Long’s demonstrate the efforts of the Greene County Sheriff’s Office to bring justice to crime victims.
“Our detectives continuously work to find justice for victims,” he said. “We do not give up and will hold those who commit crimes like this accountable.”