Overview
- Dwight “DJ” Rust Jr., who was indicted Monday and arrested Tuesday, remained jailed after a judge on Wednesday refused bail in the first-degree murder case.
- The grand jury indictment is sealed, so police have not revealed what new evidence led to the charge after more than two decades.
- At the hearing, prosecutors said Rust was having an affair and planning a new life in 2002, while the defense argued the case lacks proof beyond that claim.
- Michelle Rust vanished on July 20, 2002, and her green van was later found with a key broken in the door, with no activity on her bank or credit cards and no sign she left by choice.
- Detectives revived the cold case in 2023 with renewed searches and ground-penetrating radar, and Rust is set for an initial appearance in circuit court before a trial date is scheduled.