5 chilling details about the canal killings

The Canal Killings of Phoenix, Arizona, has found its place on Dateline NBC as the episode On the Hunt for The Zombie Hunter premiered on October 27, 2023. The thirty-year-old shocking disappearance and murders of two young women along the Phoenix Canal led investigators to Bryan Patrick Miller upon the discovery of DNA profiling in law enforcement.

The Phoenix Canal Killings brought forth gruesome incidents involving Angela Brosso and Melanie Bernas. Still, the details surrounding the Zombie Hunter's modus operandi will send chills down one's spine. Let's look at five chilling facts of the case.

Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of assault and violence. Reader's discretion is advised.

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Canal Killings - Five chilling details explored

1) The perpetrator divorced and had a daughter

The perpetrator in the Canal Killings, Bryan Patrick Miller, was the single father to a 15-year-old girl named Sarah when he was arrested. Miller married Amy for eight years, and the two lived in Everett, Washington. Amy was 19 when she met Bryan, and shortly after, the couple exchanged vows.

The detective in this particular cold case, Clark Schwartzkopf, arranged for an undercover operation at Phoenix's Chili's to collect Bryan's DNA samples in the guise of a meeting. Bryan entered with his daughter Sarah, who often accompanied him on his chores.

2) Bryan Miller was previously charged with aggravated assault and first-degree assault

Bryan Patrick Miller was no stranger to the police records in Phoenix. Apart from the murders of Angela Brosso and Melanie Bernas, Miller had a history of assaults, all involving his weapon of choice - a knife.

A still of Melissa Ruiz-Ramirez (Image via Clark Schwartzkopf)

At the age of 16, Miller assaulted 24-year-old Celeste Bentley after following her on a bus. This incident sent Miller to juvenile detention till he was 18. After the Canal Killings took place on November 8, 1992, and September 21, 1993, Miller was charged with first-degree assault of Melissa Ruiz-Ramirez with a deadly weapon, which landed him in jail in May 2002.

3) Bryan's mother finds a disturbing note with details of his MO

While Bryan Patrick Miller spent time in the juvenile detention center, his mother, Ellen, had come across a piece of paper detailing a disturbing action plan. Ellen and Bryan shared an abusive relationship where she beat up Bryan from the age of 5.

The note recovered by Bryan's mother while he was in juvenile detention (Image via Phoenix Police Department)

Ellen presented the note to the Phoenix police around Bryan's 18th birthday. Detective Schwartzkopf mentioned that she was worried about her safety and said,

"She flat out told police at the time that she was really scared for her safety. …And that she was not going to allow him to come home."

The note laid out a plan of abducting a girl, tying her, and cutting her clothes off - things that he adopted in his killings later. Bryan had been released from the detention center by then.

4) Bryan had an alternate ego named the Zombie Hunter

The Phoenix Canal Killings were the doings of the local hero named Zombie Hunter - an alter ego of Bryan Miller. When the Phoenix police began looking for the suspect again in December 2014, they narrowed it down to a local celebrity who drove around an old police car with Zombie Hunter written on it.

The Zombie Hunter in his Zombie Mobile (Image via Ben Garcia)

Popular on Facebook and a regular at parades and festivals, Bryan sported a funky-looking pair of goggles, a helmet, and a trench coat and carried a giant Gatling gun. The car was painted with blood, and he kept a full-sized zombie dummy in the back seat. Miller's zombie-hunting personality had pictures with fans and local police officers as well and was far removed from being a suspect in the Canal Killings.

5) Bryan's ex-wife reveals a third murder and a sexually deviant side to him

Apart from the Canal Killings, Bryan's ex-wife Amy revealed during the hearing that he was guilty of murdering another young girl who was collecting money for a school book-a-thon. Brandy Myers, 13, had mysteriously disappeared on May 26, 1992, and her body was never recovered. She was last traced two doors away from Bryan's house. The detective filled in, saying,

"A young girl had come to his door. … That he had grabbed this young female, pulled her in, killed her immediately. Amy said Miller told her he dismembered the girl and disposed of her remains in trash left on the curb."

Amy further elaborated on the deviant sexual tendencies Bryan harbored after he was released from prison following his charges of assault on Melissa with a 12-inch serrated kitchen knife.