Naman Shrestha
When Charles “Charlie” McBride went missing from work in the small town of Challis, Idaho, in 2019, tensions arose in the entire community. However, when Charlie’s burned body surfaced about a month later, the townspeople were shocked to their core. Meanwhile, the investigators moved heaven and earth to get to the bottom of the case. The entire case and the investigation that followed are covered in a detailed manner in the episode titled ‘Murder on the Mountain’ of Investigation Discovery’s ‘Murder in the Heartland.’ The production also features interviews with the loved ones of the 23-year-old, as they talk about the case and share their perspectives.
Charlie McBride’s Body Was Found Nearly a Month After His Disappearance
On January 25, 1996, in the small town of Twin Falls in Twin Falls County, Idaho, Lawrence Everett McBride Sr. and Debbie Burton (nee McBride) gave birth to Charles Lawrence McBride. Lovingly referred to as Charlie, he was blessed with a loving family and grew up surrounded by the care and support of his loved ones. However, the equation between Lawrence and Debbie seemingly changed a while later, leading to their split. The former went on to remarry after finding love with Terry Allen. Despite going their separate ways, they ensured the situation didn’t affect their child. He received early education in Challis in Custer County, Idaho. During the summer holidays, Charlie used to visit his father’s family in Buhl, located 2 hours from Challis, indicating he shared a close bond with both parents.
Sometime in the mid-2010s, Charlie fell in love with Samantha Mariah. One thing led to another, and they moved in together, envisioning a future together. The couple welcomed a son in 2016 and named their little bundle of joy Jacob. Charlie adored his son and wanted to be able to give him all the good things in life. The father and son also bonded over guitar lessons and the sessions. Charlie would tell his parents how proud he was of the apple of his eyes. He dreamt of seeing Jacob reach the highest of highs in life. Unfortunately, his dream remained unfulfilled as the 23-year-old was taken away from his loved ones forever on February 25, 2019.
On the fateful morning, Charlie left for work as usual but never returned. As days went by, Samantha grew concerned for his safety and reached out to the authorities for help. He was reported missing by his partner on March 3, 2019. A search was launched and Missing Person flyers were handed out across the area, urging the townsfolk to reach out if they had any details about Charlie’s whereabouts. From the rescue inhaler he carried to the possibility that he might have been on his way to visit his father in Buhl, the flyer mentioned all the points that could assist the search for Charlie. Unfortunately, a few weeks later, on March 24, his burned body was found buried on a private property around the Morgan Creek drainage outside the town of Challis.
The Killer Turned Out to be Charlie McBride’s Co-Worker
During the search for Charlie McBride, the investigators turned to his loved ones to find out what was going on in his life before he vanished into thin air. His sister-in-law, Mari McBride, claimed that he went to work with a man named Benjamin J. Savage, who became a person of interest. This claim was supported by Charlie’s girlfriend, Samantha Mariah. After interviewing Charlie McBride’s family and friends, the detectives tried to connect the dots and figure out the circumstances under which he vanished. Their next step was to bring in Benjamin for questioning.
When they interviewed him, he admitted that he worked with Charlie near Morgan Creek in rural Custer County on February 25, 2019, and claimed that he had dropped Charlie into Challis, where he was supposed to purchase new work boots. As per his claims, that was the last time he saw Charlie. Right when the investigators were running out of leads, their phone rang on March 22, 2019, and on the other side was Benjamin. He claimed to know what happened to Charlie and where he was. According to him, while they were working at the Powell property in Custer County on the fateful day, they decided to work on different areas of the property — Charlie was responsible for the woodpile while Benjamin was working in the shop.
As per Benjamin, when he heard a loud bang and went outside, he found his co-worker shot to death with a woman standing next to his body. Not only that, the informant also told the detectives that Charlie’s body was buried on the property and explained how they could locate it. Following his instructions, the investigators managed to find the victim’s burned body buried in the Morgan Creek Drainage on March 24. For the following four days, the detectives were able to come to the conclusion that Benjamin was the only one present with Charlie when the latter was murdered. Thus, more than a month after the disappearance of Charlie, Benjamin was arrested at the Idaho Falls Regional Airport and charged with first-degree murder on March 30, 2019.
Benjamin J. Savage is Currently Incarcerated at an Arizona Prison Facility
Benjamin J. Savage chose to plead guilty in order to avoid a trial and get a shorter prison time. In exchange, he had to give a full confession of his crime, cooperate with the authorities in future interviews, take a polygraph test to determine the credibility of his statements and help the detectives gain possession of the murder weapon. As part of his confession, he testified, “On Feb. 25, 2019, I shot and killed Charlie McBride.” Much to the surprise of the law enforcement, he also admitted that he had been planning the murder of Charlie with his girlfriend.
In light of his admission of guilt, on February 18, 2020, the court sentenced the 36-year-old to a minimum of 22 years and up to life in prison for the first-degree murder charge. During his sentencing, he talked about how apologetic he was for his actions. Addressed the court, he said, “I take full responsibility for my actions. That’s why I plead guilty. I apologize and ask for forgiveness from Charlie’s family and his friends…If there was some way I could bring him back, I would.” As of today, Benjamin J. Savage is serving his sentence at the Saguaro Correctional Center in Eloy, Arizona, with his parole eligibility date set for March 2041.
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