Mother, May I Murder on ID: What happened to Colorado rancher Jake Millison?

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Jake Millison, a Colorado rancher who worked at his late stepfather’s stretched out 7-11 ranch, went missing in 2015. He was last seen by a friend who dropped him off at the ranch, where is resided with his mother, around midnight on May 16. He disappeared the next day, and his decomposed body was found buried on the ranch two years later.

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A subsequent missing person investigation shed light on the suspicious behavior of Jake’s mother, Deb Rudibaugh, his sister Stephanie, and her husband David. They seemed unbothered and offered inconsistent stories about his absence. Eventually, in July 2017, Deb confessed to fatally shooting him while he was asleep and buried his body under a manure pile.

Investigators believed that Deb did not act alone, given that she was battling with cancer and recovering from surgery at the time. They also suspected Stephanie and David’s involvement in the crime. All three suspects ultimately pleaded guilty to separate charges.

An all-new episode of Mother, May I Murder on ID is slated to chronicle rancher Jake Millison’s murder by his family. The episode, titled Blood Feud, will air on the channel at 10 pm ET on Monday, August 21, 2023.

Here’s an official synopsis of the episode:

“The heir-apparent to a Colorado ranch, Jake Millison, suddenly disappears, which shocks his friends, but his family doesn’t seem to care; when a worker discovers human remains, an unexpected confession destroys the bond between mother and child.”

Jake Millison was last seen by his friend who dropped him off on the ranch where is resided with his mother

According to Oxygen, Jake Millison resided on his later stepfather’s 7-11 ranch with his mother and worked on the same Colorado property. Jake drove a vintage Harley Davidson motorcycle and trained at a jiu-jitsu gym before heading to the local Gunnison bars to play pool and hang with friends. He was reportedly the most consistent at the gym and “was there every night, four nights a week.”

However, 29-year-old Jake mysteriously disappeared on May 16, 2015, after being dropped off at home by his friend Randy Martinez sometime around midnight and making plans to hang out the next day. Martinez claimed he “pretty much talked to him [Jake] every day” but “texted him to see what was up and never got a reply.”

The outlet reported that Jake’s family, including his mother Deb, older sister Stephanie, and her husband David, who had moved into the ranch after his disappearance and taken over the property, seemed unbothered. Deb insisted that he wasn’t missing and told that “he left with a friend and was going to the Reno, Nevada area.” However, his friends soon got suspicious.

Deb then went on to paint Jake as an individual with a dark side, alleging that “my son has been doing drugs.” She claimed that they weren’t close and had “one argument and fight after another.” Jake’s friends were livid after learning of his mother’s claims because they knew him as a completely different person.

Jake Millison’s family members, including his mother and elder sister, pleaded guilty to charges stemming from his murder

Investigators stopped buying the reasoning Jake Millison’s family gave beause Deb Rudibaugh initially asserted that he left for Reno, Nevada, to train at a mixed-martial-arts gym. But his sister claimed that he was in Portland or Seattle. The cities where he had been changing as time progressed. Moreover, his financial records failed to back these statements.

More than two years later, in July 2017, Deb confessed to fatally shooting Jake while he slept, dragging his body down the stairs, and burying it in a manure pile. That same day, his body was discovered wrapped in a tarp on the ranch.

Deb insisted that she acted along, but investigators alleged the involvement of Stephanie and her husband. The mother was reportedly battling cancer and recovering from surgery that prevented her from lifting heavy objects. They believed she couldn’t have done it alone and suspected that Stephanie’s desire to own the ranch, which was worth millions, was the murder motive. Following this, all three were arrested.

In May 2019, Deb pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in Jake Millison’s slaying and was given a 40-year prison sentence. She died of cancer while serving this sentence later that year.

Meanwhile, David pleaded guilty to tampering with a deceased body and was sentence to 10 years in prison. Stephanie then confessed to being part of the cover-up, after which she also pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting and tampering with a deceased body. She was sentenced to a maximum of 24 years in prison.

Learn more about Jake Millison’s murder case on ID’s Mother, May I Murder this Monday.