20-year-old Kristy Ray was murdered by Charles Ray Crawford. The latest episode of Your Worst Nightmare on Investigation Discovery features the case.
On January 29, 1993, Mary Ray reported her daughter missing after returning to her home in Chalybeate, a community near Walnut, Mississippi, and finding Kristy’s room in complete disarray and a ransom note on the table, which demanded $50,000.
On that same day, Crawford’s family discovered a ransom note in their attic, similar to the one found in Mary’s home, and they reported it to the police.
Charles was taken into custody.
When detectives with the Tippah County Sheriff’s Department asked him about Kristy’s whereabouts, he began to cry. That’s when he confessed to killing her.
Crawford led police to a wooded area near an abandoned barn. The body of the Northeast Mississippi Community College student was found under a pile of leaves.
Kristy was blindfolded and handcuffed with her hands behind her back. She had been sexually assaulted and stabbed to death after Crawford abducted her from her home.
Watch the Latest on our YouTube ChannelAt the time of the crime, Crawford was out on bond awaiting trial for a 1992 rape and aggravated assault charge.
In 1994, Crawford was found guilty of the kidnapping, rape, and murder of Kristy. He was sentenced to die by lethal injection.
His execution date is pending.
Your Worst Nightmare – Behind the Barn, airs at 10:00 p.m. on Investigation Discovery.