PHOENIX, AZ — A man arrested in Bloomington in October is believed to be the suspect in an Arizona cold case homicide and two kidnappings that all happened in 2000. Investigators also believe the suspect, who is an alleged sexual offender, potentially has additional victims.
According to the Phoenix Police Department, Lance David Ray, 53, is accused of kidnapping a 14-year-old boy in Peoria, Arizona, holding him at gunpoint, and sexually assaulting him in 2000.
In two other incidents that same year in Phoenix, Ray is also accused of kidnapping a 17-year-old and 18-year-old. The 17-year-old boy was bound, held at gunpoint, and sexually assaulted. The 18-year-old was shot and killed after struggling with the suspect.
New DNA evidence is what linked Ray to all three crimes 20 years later, according to investigators.
The 53-year-old was arrested while on a business trip in Bloomington on Oct. 28, according to the Bloomington Police Department. He was taken into custody without incident from a hotel to BPD, where investigators from Arizona questioned him.
Ray was held in the Monroe County Jail on the outstanding warrant from the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office before being extradited and booked into the Maricopa County Jail in Phoenix.
According to the FBI and Phoenix police, the investigation is still ongoing, and it is believed that additional victims may exist.
Police released the following information on Ray’s whereabouts over the years, to try and help notify any other potential victims:
"Ray lived in the San Francisco, California area in the early 1990s before moving to Portland, Oregon, in 1993. Ray resided in Oregon, Washington, and California until 1999, when Ray moved to Phoenix, Arizona, from 1999 to 2003. Ray then resided in California again from 2003 to 2017 before moving to St. Louis, Missouri, in 2017."
If you or someone you know may have information regarding Lance David Ray, please email ReportRay@fbi.gov or call 1-800-CALL-FBI. In your email, please provide your name, date of birth, phone number, and address.
