Dateline: Secrets Uncovered - What happened to Montana veterinarian Bryan Rein?

Dateline is set to revisit the murder of Bryan Rein, a 31-year-old veterinarian from Montana who was brutally shot to death.

When Bryan opened up a practice in Geraldine, Montana, little did he know that he would soon meet his end. On July 14, 1996, Rein was found dead in his trailer in Montana, and determining who killed the vet proved to be more difficult than anyone could have anticipated.

It took more than 18 years for any sort of resolution to be reached regarding what happened to the youngster. The case will be featured next on Dateline, the investigative long-running documentary series.

Trigger warning: This article contains graphic information about violence.

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Who was Bryan Rein?

Bryan Rein was a 31-year-old veterinarian from a small town in Montana who opened up a practice by setting up a clinic so he could pursue his passion for helping wounded and sick animals. He was an unmarried man, who had a close relationship with his family, especially his sisters whom he would often call and talk to about what was going on in his life.

Rein started dating a 21-year-old woman named Ann Wishman when his life soon turned upside down. Wishman had broken up with her then-boyfriend, Thomas Jaraczeski and started seeing Bryan.

However, Jaraczeski did not handle the breakup well and constantly harassed Ann and Bryan. He would call Bryan's number and hang up, and once Jaraczeski also threw a brick at his window. There were even instances when Jaraczeski had broken into Bryan's mobile residence under different pretexts.

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How was he killed?

Things started escalating and soon on 14 July 1996, Bryan Rein was found dead in his trailer home. His death was caused by three bullets in his body, two in one of his arms, and the other in his chest. Although the investigation ruled it to be a case of suicide, the autopsy report revealed that there had been a struggle, which had caused Rein to develop a bruised eye and abrasions behind his head.

Moreover, there was some tampering of evidence at the crime scene. The forensic evidence was contaminated by local officers who were attempting to clean the blood.

Based on evidence that could be scrapped together, it was found that the killer probably shot Rein first outside the trailer before taking the fight inside. Rein was shot with his own .357 magnum and the gun was cleaned with a solvent to remove fingerprints.

Although the exact time of his death could not be determined, investigators knew Bryan had been killed sometime after returning home from a conference in Bozeman. He last spoke to Ann Wishma at around 10:15 pm on Friday, before ending the phone call abruptly. Bryan's body was discovered on Sunday by his landlord.

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Suspects and trial

There were two main suspects in the murder case of Bryan Rein. Larry Hagenbuch, an old friend of Rein was a suspect along with Thomas Jaraczeski. Thomas' behavior towards Bryan showed that he was the one with a solid motive for murdering him.

In 1998 Thomas was arrested but he was soon released as there was no incriminating evidence against him. In 2014, he was arrested again and the trial that followed was a heated one.

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Catch the complete story of Bryan Rein's murder on the upcoming episode Mystery in Big Sky Country of Dateline: Secrets Uncovered, this Tuesday, September 6, 2022, on NBC.