Bruce Aaron Falconer, 21, of Bismarck, North Dakota, was last seen in Bismarck on the night of February 20, 1981. Falconer, a U.S. Marine Corps sergeant who had enlisted at age 16, was home on leave and preparing to transfer to a new posting in Yuma, Arizona. That evening he went out with a childhood friend, Timothy Jewell, and the two visited several bars in Bismarck. After the bars closed, they drove Falconer's Chevrolet Blazer to an area known locally as "the Desert," along the Missouri River south of the city. Several days later the Blazer was found stuck in the mud and abandoned at the site; a campfire and cigarette butts were found nearby, but there was no sign of either man. Falconer was described as a white male, 5'10"–5'11", 150 pounds, with strawberry blond hair and brown eyes, a two-inch scar above his right eye, and a tattoo of a dragon. He was last seen wearing a pile-lined blue denim jacket, a tan shirt with braided trim, white corduroy pants, and brown-and-white cowboy boots.
The case has been investigated by the Burleigh County Sheriff's Department. In December 1992, a hunter discovered skeletal remains at the same site; dental records identified them as those of Timothy Jewell, with the medical examiner determining his likely cause of death to be exposure. Falconer's remains have never been located, and he was legally declared dead by the Marine Corps five years after his disappearance. Early theories that Falconer had gone absent without leave were discounted by his family, who noted he had left behind paychecks and was reportedly happy in his military career. The case remains an open, unsolved missing-person investigation. NamUs Case #MP17905. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Burleigh County Sheriff's Department at 701-222-6651. Case Number NDM10115.
