Casefile True Crime - Case 79: Rayna Rison

Episode Date: March 24, 2018

16-year-old Rayna Rison was a devoted animal lover who dreamed of one day becoming a veterinarian. On March 26 1993, she arranged to meet her ex-boyfriend Matt Elser at the animal hospital where she worked part-time in the small Northern Indiana city of LaPorte. But when Matt arrived to pick Rayna up, the lights were off in the building and she was nowhere to be seen.  _ _ _  The Rayna Rison Memorial Scholarship c/o Director of Music 602 F Street La Porte, IN 46350 _ _ _  Episode narrated by the Anonymous Host Researched and written by Anna Priestland For all credits and sources please visit casefilepodcast.com/case-79-rayna-rison

Our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents. If you feel at any time you need support, please contact your local crisis centre. For suggested phone numbers for confidential support, please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website. In 1993, breaking news in the small northern Indiana city of La Port always seemed to be from Chicago or South Bend. Nothing shocking ever happened in La Port. With 22,000 people there was hardly a report of any serious crime that involved one of

their own. The community never worried about bad things happening, not in their quiet, picturesque corner of the world. Until March 1993. Not since the turn of the 20th century had the city of La Port talk so much about murder. Back then, local mother Belle Gunness had skipped town after burning her own property down and staging a body inside to look like her own. It was believed that over a 20-year period she had killed both her husbands, all their

children, numerous boyfriends, as well as all of the witnesses, and estimated 40 people in total, all for the apparent riches of life insurances. By March 1993, nearly 100 years had passed since Belle Gunness shocked the community of La Port, Indiana. But that spring, they were about to experience something else they weren't prepared for. The city of La Port is located in La Port County, in northwest Indiana. An hour and a half east of Chicago, it sits between the cities of Michigan, Gary, and South Bent.

Unlike major cities, La Port is one of those places where the population hasn't grown much in the last 50 or 60 years, hovering around 20,000 residents since 1960. It's outdoorsy, with a passionate hunting and fishing community. People are very friendly, down to earth, and caring. Indiana is the smallest of the 12 Midwestern states. For a small state, it has more than 21,000 miles of fishable streams and rivers, along with 452 natural lakes and 580 reservoirs. And although La Port City has its own large, well-known lakes, many prefer the solitude

and peace of the more remote ponds outside the city. Quiet and peaceful locations, where it's possible to sit alone, fishing all day without seeing another soul. On the morning of Friday, March 26, 1993, 16-year-old La Port High School freshman, Raina Rysom, got up for school. She played the clarinet, the flute, and the oboe, and was a dedicated member of the La Port High School marching band. She was naturally clever, where others around her worked hard for their grades.

Raina seemed to just up the knack. It wasn't just school that kept Raina busy. She had three-part-time jobs as well, her favourite one being at the local Pine Lake Veterinary Hospital, where she would clean the kennels and feed the animals. It was the dream job for Raina, because that's what she wanted to do when she finished school, become a vet and work with animals every day. In the afternoon of March 26, 1993, Raina headed home from school to change for her four o'clock shift at the vet hospital, which everyone called the clinic.

Raina was working just a short two-hour shift, and then she had a date with her boyfriend, Matt Elsa. Raina and Matt had been going out on an off since sixth grade, but they had broken up recently. Realising they couldn't be without each other, they had reunited and were both really excited for their date. Matt was liked by Raina's family. He was a good influence on her.

When Raina left home for work, she was wearing blue jeans, a sweatshirt, black shoes, and took with her Matt's high school Letterman jacket, a bomber jacket with his surname Elsa embroidered on the shoulders. Matt had given it to her as a symbol that they were together, and she was barely without it. Walking out the back door of the house, Raina said goodbye to her younger sister Wendy, who was going to the movies that night. Raina then jumped in her trusty, tan-coloured Ford LTD and drove to work, parking in the

vet clinic's car park. A thick fog settled over the port as dusk fell. Sometime around 7pm, Matt also arrived at Raina's house to pick her up for their date. Raina's mother Karen and her father Benny were there, but Raina hadn't arrived home from work yet. Benny invited Matt inside, and after waiting a while, Matt used the phone to call the vet clinic. After getting no answer, he drove down to see if Raina was still there.

When he arrived, the clinic was locked up, and there was no sign of Raina or her car. As the next hour rolled on, both Matt and Benny started to worry. Raina was not the sort of girl to change plans and not tell anyone, and she had been looking forward to her date with Matt all week. Benny called Raina's sister Laurie, who was 10 years older than Raina, and lived across town with her husband Ray McCarty. Raina spent a bit of time there, so they thought she may have decided to visit for some reason. But Laurie and Ray hadn't heard from her either.

When Raina's younger sister Wendy arrived home from the movies, she walked into the living room and immediately knew something was wrong. The air felt tense, and everyone looked worried. At 10.30pm, Benny and Wendy headed down to the La Porte City Police Station. Benny had considered just calling, but he wanted to talk face-to-face with the officers. Even though it was clear Raina's family had genuine concerns, there was nothing the police could do. It had only been a few hours since anyone had heard from Raina, and they said it wasn't

unusual for 16-year-olds to change their plans without letting others know. If she still wasn't home after 24 hours, then Benny could return and file a missing person's report. The following morning, Raina's bed remained made from the day before. Her room sat untouched, her car wasn't in the driveway, and no one had heard from her. Benny called everyone he could think of, and soon teams of family and friends were driving around town to try and find a sign of Raina or her car. Her marching band friends got together and jumped in cars with others who had volunteered

to drive out on the county roads. Flyers were printed and taken around to local businesses, but these search efforts came up with nothing. With that amount of people searching, La Porte Police realized that they needed to step in. It was looking likely that Raina hadn't just decided to go off on her own accord. After putting an appeal out to the public, someone called in, someone believing they might have seen Raina. Around 6pm on March 26, the night of Raina's disappearance, a man reported that he had

seen a car pulled into the parking lot at the Pine Lake Veterinary Hospital. There were two males in the front, and it seemed like one was having a lover's tiff with a young girl standing outside the car. The young girl fit Raina's description. A second witness then came forward with a similar account. With the knowledge that Raina's boyfriend Matt Elsa had driven down to the clinic to look for her, detectives immediately sought him out. He was the logical person to speak to.

On Sunday morning, March 28, while Matt was being questioned by La Porte Police, a call came into the station. Someone had seen a TN colored Ford LTD parked on the side of a secluded road, 9 miles northeast of La Porte. Timothy Short of the La Porte County Sheriff's Department was dispatched to County Road 200 East, where he found the vehicle matching Raina's. A license plate check confirmed it was hers. Raina's car was pulled over on the side of the road, with the hood propped up as if

it had broken down. Her car was unlocked, the keys were in the ignition, and her purse was sitting on the passenger seat. The glove compartment was open and its contents strewn onto the passenger side floor. On the ground outside the driver's door was a broken hair clip. There were a lot of scenarios going through the minds of investigators. Had Raina broken down and someone stopped and offered to help, but then abducted her. Had she been hit by a passing car and dragged?

The thing concerning them the most was her purse sitting in plain view in her unlocked car. If she had broken down and accepted a lift or started walking to get help, surely she would have taken her purse with her. Police looked under the hood and could see nothing unusual. Then they turned to the ignition. The car started on the first go. There was no indication that anything was wrong with the car at all, and after calling

a mechanic out to make sure, their fears increased. The breakdown had been staged. The search of the surrounding area came up with nothing. There was no sign of a struggle, and there was no further sign of Raina. Raina's family insisted she would never have driven there alone on a foggy night. It was an indirect route home from the vet clinic, and it was not the usual way she would have gone. But if for some reason she did, she would never have left her purse inside the car.

In Larry Mitchell, the evidence technician for the city of La Port Police Department examined Raina's car. He found no blood, and no other physical evidence that pointed to foul play. In 1993, if DNA was found, it would be checked to see if it belonged to the victim. If it didn't, it would be checked against those known to the victim. It was mostly used to rule people out. The large databases and systems in place today to check DNA evidence didn't exist back then.

But DNA wasn't going to be a factor in this case. There was none. Evidence technician Larry Mitchell found wet newspapers and plant debris on the floor on the front passenger seat. He believed these may have been soaked by a wet towel being placed over them. There was no logical explanation for the papers and the debris to be there. The location of the car was not near any water source, and although there had been a fog, there had been no rain.

In the glove compartment was a school-signant ring that didn't look like it would fit a 16-year-old girl. The first person they approached about the ring was Raina's boyfriend, Matt Elsa. He confirmed he had given Raina his class ring, but the one they were showing him wasn't his. His ring had his naming raved on it. After taking another look at the ring the police were showing him, Matt had a pretty good idea who might have owned it, but he was puzzled at how they had found it in Raina's

car. Jason Tibbs was a friend of Raina's. She had dated him briefly in the 7th grade, and although they hadn't been together for a few years, they had remained friends, even though Matt and others close to Raina didn't approve. Jason Tibbs was a school dropout and had been in trouble with the law. It was well known that Jason wanted to be more than just friends with Raina. He wanted to get back with her, and was trying to get her to leave Matt for him.

Matt didn't think he had anything to worry about, but now Jason's ring had been found in Raina's glove compartment. He started to wonder if there was something going on he was unaware of. With a lack of physical evidence, police focused on the circumstances leading up to Raina's disappearance, and the people she was close to. The other thing they had to consider was whether two people may have worked together to harm Raina. They now had three separate eyewitness accounts that placed another car outside the vet clinic

around the time Raina finished work. All three witnesses saw two males in the front seat of this car, and they all witnessed some kind of argument occurring. Had these two people followed Raina when she left work, or had she gone with them willingly? While tracing Raina's steps that evening, police spoke to Raina's workmate, Cheryl. Cheryl said that Raina made a comment that evening she thought was unusual. Raina said she didn't need anyone and could take care of herself. Cheryl left work early that evening as she wasn't feeling well.

Ordinarily, she would have finished her shift at the same time as Raina. Six days had now passed, and there were still no breakthroughs. With the local community deeply concerned and many questions being asked of the police, LaPorte police chief Jean Samuelson and police captain John Miller spoke to the press to ask for the public's help. Samuelson confirmed there had been no change in the status of the case, and that although Raina was still only considered a missing person, every day that passed made it more and more unlikely that she would be found alive.

By this stage, several agencies had become involved, including the LaPorte County Sheriff's Office and the Indiana State Police, who brought in their helicopter. The FBI had also been briefed. A reward was announced for any information leading to the safe return of Raina. Her family had raised $1,000, and an anonymous donor had increased the reward to $6,000, hoping that a cash incentive would help draw someone out to give information. A week after her disappearance, Raina's case was featured in a segment on America's Most Wanted, and from that, another lead was called in.

An anonymous caller led police to Fail Road, a county road two miles east of LaPorte, and six miles south of where Raina's car was found. Hanging in a tree about 20 feet from the road was a black leather jacket. When officers approached and took a closer look, they found the name also embroidered across the shoulders. It was Matt Else's jacket, Raina's boyfriend. It was hanging in the tree in a way that suggested it may have been thrown from a passing car It was a wooded area and one that had already been searched the day before by a state trooper

who confirmed the jacket wasn't there at that time. When police sat for another press conference to update the public on the developments in the case, they also announced that a local bakery had added $5,000 to the reward fund, and Charlie Finley, the former owner of the Oakland A's baseball team, who had retired just outside of town, had added $25,000. The reward for information had now hit $36,000. The chief stated that it was his belief people in the community were keeping information from them.

He also confirmed that three persons of interest, all from LaPorte County, had participated in polygraph tests. Logically, the person police had in the spotlight was Raina's high school senior boyfriend, Matt Else. He had arrived at Raina's house around 7pm the night she disappeared, almost an hour after she was last seen by the witnesses outside the clinic. After arriving at Raina's house, Matt spent the rest of the evening with her family and had no significant amount of time unaccounted for to have gone back and done anything.

If he was responsible for Raina's disappearance, it was a short window he had to work in, but it was possible. He asked Matt if he was aware that Raina had been back in contact with Jason Tibbs. They were wondering whether Matt knew and was maybe angry about it, leading to an argument. Matt said he was aware Raina was in contact with Jason, but he was comfortable in his relationship and it didn't worry him. Next on the list of people spoken to was Jason Tibbs. Raina's family and friends knew him, and Raina had only been together for six months back

in the 7th grade, and Raina had pretty much been with Matt ever since. Most people knew that Jason was still in love with Raina, and he admitted himself that he had sent her love letters since they had broken up. She always knocked him back though, and said she was happy with Matt. Despite Jason's failed attempts to get back with Raina, they remained friends. Sometimes Raina would ask Jason to come to the vet clinic and keep her company while she finished her shift. Jason had dropped out of school, he had a criminal record, and to Raina's family,

he wasn't the type of guy they would choose Raina to be friends with. When questioned about the class ring found in the glove compartment of Raina's car, Jason didn't hesitate in saying it was his. He said Raina had recently had problems with her cast stereo and had asked him to fix it. While he was taking a look, his ring got in the way, so he took it off and put it in her glove compartment so it wouldn't get lost. He freely admitted to detectives that he still had strong feelings for Raina, and that he was devastated by her disappearance.

He had been one of the first friends to volunteer to go out looking for her. It was Jason who drove out to search some of the county roads with a marching band friend of Raina's. Jason told detectives that the night Raina went missing, he was out at the mobile home park on Fale Road, northeast of La Porte. He was tutoring two teenage sisters, Jamie and Misty, in Maths and Science. He arrived at 6pm, and he was picked up by his friend to chat between 9pm and 9.30pm. After that, he played a game of CB Radio Fox Hunt with other local kids until midnight.

Fox Hunt is a game where one person would be nominated as The Fox, driving out to a non-disclosed destination. The Fox was not allowed to move from that spot. The other players would radio them every few minutes, and the Fox would respond. Each player would check the signal strength of the call to gauge whether the signal was stronger or weaker than the last call. This went on until the Fox was found. A couple of things in Jason's alibi stood out to detectives.

The trailer park where he said he was tutoring the two teenage sisters was in very close proximity to where Raina's car was found. And on that note, why was a high school dropout with a criminal record not known for his academic abilities, tutoring school students? Detectives immediately got in contact with the teenage sisters to check his alibi, and they confirmed he was there. Apparently Maths and Science were subjects that Jason was good at when he attended school. Detectives then questioned the local kids who had played the game of Fox Hunt that night,

and they confirmed Jason took part in the game. His alibis were checking out. After the Fox Hunt game, Jason's friend Scott took him to another friend's place where they watched TV and played darts until 2 or 3am Saturday morning. When he got home, his parents and sister were waiting for him, and he went to bed. When he woke up, his mother told him Raina's mother had called to say she was missing. Students whereabouts seemed to be accounted for the entire night. The police did one final check.

They questioned Jason's friend Chad to confirm he had picked Jason up from the mobile home park after his tutoring session. Initially, Chad said no, but then he changed his story, confirming that he had picked Jason up that night. Chad was a teenager who was worried he was being implicated in the disappearance of Raina, and the police were used to hearing the changing stories of kids that age. Everyone else had backed up Jason's alibi that night, so police didn't find it suspicious. Given witnesses had seen two males with the female outside the vet clinic, police pondered

the possibility that it was Matt Elsa and Jason Tibbs there together, and the three of them were all arguing with each other. But the idea didn't make much sense. Matt and Jason weren't friends. It felt unlikely they would travel in the same car together. Matt and Jason were key people in the investigation, and they both voluntarily took polygraph tests. There was a third person who had taken a polygraph as well. The police didn't reveal who that third person was, but some had their suspicions.

Another thing that wasn't revealed to the public was that out of those three polygraph tests, one showed signs of deception. As the weeks went on, Raina's parents left their porch light on every night, hoping that she would come home. They continued searching for her every day, refusing to rest until she was found. By Tuesday, April 27, a month after Raina's disappearance, her case had appeared twice on America's Most Wanted. The city was dumbfounded to think there was literally no sign of her.

No evidence at all to suggest where she was. Finally free from the winter frosts, it was a mild and sunny spring day, and when school was out, 14-year-old Tracy went fishing with her family at a pond near Range Road, two miles from La Porte. Around 4.30pm, Tracy wandered off along the edge of the pond a little bored. She saw what she thought was a turtle in the water and went to take a closer look. As she got nearer, she realized it wasn't a turtle, it was a shoe on a decomposing body covered by a log and branches.

Her parents went for help and called 911. Two members of the police dive team recovered the fully clothed body from the water. When they put her on the stretcher, they could see two rings on her left hand. One engraved Matt Elsa, and the other, Raina Ryson. The Ryson family was notified, and although she would need to be formally identified, there was little doubt it was Raina. As her remains were transported for an autopsy at the Memorial Hospital in nearby South Bend, a copy of Raina's dental records were ordered.

The autopsy and dental records confirmed the body was Raina's. The cause of death was asphyxia due to cervical compression, strangulation. There were no wounds on her body, but they believed she may have fought with her assailant or assailants and been knocked unconscious prior to being strangled. Raina's death was ruled a homicide, and the investigation moved from being a missing person's case to a murder investigation. Raina's younger sister Wendy was sitting in her bedroom talking with her cousin. They heard footsteps getting louder and louder until her aunt burst through the door, stopping

their conversation in its tracks. Raina's older sister Laurie arrived soon after, as the family fell apart at the news. They had spent the last month praying that Raina would come walking through the door again, but that day, when they got the news, they all knew their lives would never be the same again. When Benny, Raina's father, spoke to the media, he said, Parents, hug your kids before you go out the door. Believe me, you don't know how much I miss that.

Raina's room had been left untouched in the hope she would return. It was filled with awards and ribbons she'd received going to music solo and ensemble competitions. One of her most prized wins was for her solo at the state comp. Music was just in her. Raina knew what she wanted from her life, already opening the doors and paving the way to achieve her dreams. Everyone who knew Raina loved her.

No one could understand who would want to do this to such a kind and generous person. On May 1, 1993, Raina Ryson was laid to rest at the Rowling Prairie United Methodist Church. Hundreds of people piled into the church and spilled out the front. Her white casket, trimmed in pink with brushed nickel hardware and adorned with flowers, sat in the front of the church as mourners still reeling from the shock looked on. A tattered baby doll from her childhood, a teddy bear and a clarinet sat nearby as a shrine. One by one, people stepped up to the casket and placed an orange ribbon upon it as a sign

of respect. The Ryson family sat in the front rows, Raina's parents and grandparents unable to fathom burying their daughter and granddaughter. Her sisters Wendy and Laurie, her brother-in-law, Laurie's husband Ray, and her boyfriend Mad Elsa all sat rung out with emotions. The police, although allowing family and friends time to grieve, had their eyes wide open. They were watching everyone. Reports vary, but during 1993 around 25,000 homicides were reported in the United States

and one third of those homicides were carried out upon people aged between 15 and 24. The great majority of those were carried out in major cities. Chicago, just an hour away, had a reputation for violent crime. There were 850 murders on record in the city that year, but not La Porte. Ask anyone from La Porte how many murders occurred in their city in 1993, and you'll likely hear of only one. When his murder took over the city, residents feared that the murderer could be anyone in their friendly neighborhood, that was constantly spoken about in every cafe, store, and home.

Police remained focused on solving the case. They were adamant that Raina knew her killer or killers, believing she had gone willingly to the rural area where her car was found. They were confident that someone in La Porte knew something, and it was just a matter of time before they got that break. During the first week of May, six weeks after Raina disappeared, Raina's brother-in-law, Ray McCarty, who was married to Raina's older sister, Lori, walked into the La Porte City Police Station.

Detectives were not surprised to see him. When first investigating Raina's disappearance, they had visited Ray and Lori's house to see if they had any information that might help the investigation. What was unknown to the public was that detectives had serious concerns over Ray's whereabouts the night Raina went missing, and he was the third person who had participated in a polygraph. Ray was on probation at the time, and although his probation period was nearly over, the reason he was on probation had set off serious alarm bells at La Porte City Police Station. Just over two years earlier, Ray had pleaded guilty to the class-D felony of child sexual

molestation, and he had served a three-year suspended sentence. The child he had sexually assaulted was Raina. When Raina was just 11 years old, 24-year-old Ray McCarty, who was already married to Raina's older sister, Lori, at the time, began the ongoing sexual assault of Raina until she turned 13. In 1991, Raina attended a clinic to terminate a pregnancy. The father of her child was listed as Ray McCarty. Ray was sentenced to serve three years on probation and complete counselling.

Records showed he had not completed the allocated counselling sessions. A further concern to investigators were the reports at the time that outlined a threat Ray had made to Raina, her parents, and Lori. If they ever told the police about the sexual assaults, he would kill Raina. Despite his crimes, Lori and Ray stayed together, living on the other side of town. His probation was nearly up, and they were trying to get their lives and their marriage back together. They were working on it.

The whole Ryson family were working on it. Ray McCarty first spoke to detectives when Raina went missing six weeks earlier. His alibi then was that he was in the neighbouring city of South Bend at a pig farm to collect some money. Disconcerned detectives, South Bend was northeast of La Porte, and where Raina was found was more or less along that route. But when Ray first gave that alibi, Raina's body hadn't been found yet. So when it was discovered along that route, detectives were extremely suspicious.

During a second interview only days later, Ray admitted to police that he had not told them the full story. He wanted to add that later that evening he had been distracted by picking up a female hitchhiker, and instead of going home, he drove her to the state line. He then allegedly called Lori from a motel on Indiana State Road 39 later that night. He said he didn't tell them about the hitchhiker earlier because he didn't want Lori to find out and be upset. On May 7, 1993, a search warrant was issued for the home of Ray and Lori.

Both of their cars were impounded and sent to be forensically tested. A 44 magnum handgun, ammunition, and a stun gun were taken from the house. On May 11, as lab tests were being carried out, Ray voluntarily walked into La Porte police station and wanted to change his story again. He confessed that he hadn't told them the entire truth about the night Rayna disappeared. Around 5.45pm that evening, Ray admitted he had stopped by the vet clinic to see Rayna. He said he was looking at a house for sale across the street from the clinic. He saw Rayna's car in the parking lot and thought she might know where Lori was, so

he went in to speak to her. Rayna told Ray to go home as she was about to finish her shift and go on a date with Matt. Ray said he left straight away and their conversation only lasted half a minute. When Ray gave this third version to police, a further witness had come forward who stated they saw Ray McCarty's car in the same area that Rayna's car was found the night she disappeared. According to reports, during the police interview with Lori, she said that following Rayna's

disappearance, Ray had asked her to vacuum out the back of his car. Although Lori later retracted this statement. When reports came back from the lab after the search warrant was executed, it was revealed that the back of Ray's car showed evidence of blood. But any hopes of a breakthrough were quickly squashed when further testing revealed it was deer blood. Ray was a keen hunter. Despite Ray's changing stories of his whereabouts that night and all the circumstantial evidence

they heard, police didn't have enough for an arrest. Over a year went by as police continued to try and gather enough evidence for an arrest. They felt they were looking at the right people, it was just a matter of the last puzzle piece falling into place. It looked like that puzzle piece came in early November 1994, a year and a half after Rayna was murdered. Although it didn't have anything to do with the people they were looking at. Police in nearby Grant County had pulled over a van.

A man by the name of Larry Hall was being monitored by numerous jurisdictions. He was known to travel all over the Midwest to civil war reenactments and police wanted to question him in relation to two attempted abductions in Georgetown, Illinois. The young girls had given a license plate number registered to Larry Hall. Police in Grant County had spotted it and now they had him stopped. Along with the attempted abduction there were also concerns that Larry Hall was involved in the murder of Illinois girl Jessica Roach, whose body had been found across state lines in Indiana.

After pulling the van over and confirming the driver was Larry Hall, police immediately arrested him on suspicion of attempted kidnapping. After his arrest, La Porte police got a phone call. When the back of Hall's van was searched, police found newspaper clippings of several missing or murdered girls and women. Among the clippings were some about the disappearance of Rayna Rison. Then they found a bottle of prescription birth control pills with R. Rison typed on the label. When questioned, Larry Hall confessed he had abducted and murdered Rayna.

La Porte police had their breakthrough. Larry Hall further confessed that he had killed more women than he could possibly count, stating that they all looked the same and he found it hard to distinguish one victim from the other. But then he withdrew his confessions. This process repeated several times. Hall confessed then recanted his confessions. But for now they had him in custody on the attempted kidnapping charges and they had

time to build their case on the other crimes he was suspected of committing, including the murders of Jessica Roach and Rayna Rison. There were actually dozens of unsolved cases involving missing and murdered women across the Midwest and police discovered many of those cases tied in to when Larry Hall was in the area for civil war re-enactments. Racing the civil war re-enactments and plotting them against the countless murders, abductions and attempted abductions they had on file. Police built a comprehensive picture of Hall's habits and travels.

But no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't place him in La Porte, Indiana, in March 1993. It just didn't add up. Rayna fit his preferred type of victim, but unlike Hall's other suspected victims, Rayna was not raped or sexually mutilated. It was the evidence of the news clippings, the recanted confession and of course the birth control pill bottle found in Hall's van. But after investigating every pharmacy in the greater area, not one pharmacist could verify the prescription being Rayna's.

No pharmacy had prescribed those pills to Rayna and many believed the label seemed too crudely typed to be authentic. They briefly entertained the idea that Hall abducted Rayna in a joint effort with Ray McCarty, but they just couldn't reconcile it. Larry Hall went on to sign a confession for the abduction and murder of Jessica Roach and three other girls, but he maintained his innocence in Rayna Rison's case. In June 1995, Hall was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Though he admitted to killing only four, it's believed that number could be well over 50.

But the pieces just didn't fit in Rayna Rison's case. They realized that Hall was using the newspaper clippings and the fake prescription pill bottle in Rayna's name to fantasize about Rayna's case. He enjoyed claiming her as one of his victims, but she wasn't. Police could prove he wasn't in La Porte when she was murdered. After what looked like a significant breakthrough, police were back to square one. Police continued to investigate and build a case against who they felt was the prime suspect, Ray McCarty.

In May 1998, five years after Rayna's murder, it was finally agreed that there was enough evidence to take to a grand jury. The grand jury was tasked with determining whether there was enough evidence to indict Ray McCarty for Rayna's murder. After reviewing all of the evidence and witness testimonies, and after issuing subpoenas for more evidence, documents and sworn testimony, the grand jury voted to indict Ray McCarty for the murder of Rayna. Finally, the breakthrough everyone had been waiting for.

Ray was formally charged and sent to jail awaiting trial. He entered a plea of not guilty. After spending 15 months in jail awaiting trial, newly elected La Porte County prosecutor Robert Beckman reviewed the case. In August 1999, Beckman's review cited insufficient evidence to convict Ray, and all charges were dismissed. Ray was free to return home. An affidavit submitted by the prosecution read, quote,

At no time has any witness presented direct evidence that Raynard McCarty was involved in the disappearance and murder of Rayna Rysen, nor has anyone come forward with any admissions by Raynard McCarty that he was involved in the disappearance or murder of Rayna Rysen. Rayna's family has strongly asserted McCarty's innocence since day one. In his history, many were shocked by the fact the Rysen family didn't believe Ray was guilty. La Porte police were devastated, they were sure they had their man, and he was allowed to walk out the door.

They were back to square one again. Coinciding with the 10 year anniversary of Rayna's murder, in 2003 the case was reinvigorated as part of ongoing reviews of cold cases, but nothing new came to light. Until 2008, 15 years after the murder and 5 years into the reinvestigation, La Porte city police got a phone call. An inmate at an Indiana correctional facility who was imprisoned for an unrelated murder wanted to speak to investigators in relation to the murder of Raynard Rysen. Ricky Hammons, originally from La Porte, told police he wanted to clear his conscience

of something he knew. He had spent some time thinking about his niece and thought that if something ever happened to her and somebody knew anything about it, he hoped that someone would come forward. Detective Williamson of the Indiana State Police and Detective Airey from La Porte police went to interview Ricky. Ricky stated he was giving this information because he believed it was the right thing to do. He didn't want to trade, he didn't want any benefit at all.

A recorder was switched on as Ricky began talking about that evening 15 years earlier. In 1993, Ricky was only 14 years old and was living on his parents' farm in La Porte. On the evening of March 26th, he had snuck into the barn on their property and climbed up into the rafters alone to smoke a joint. Not long after, his sister Jennifer's silver Buick backed into the barn at its rear end facing him. He recognized his sister's boyfriend Eric Freeman driving. Eric lived with them on the farm.

In the passenger seat was a friend of Eric's, Jason Tibbs, the high school dropout who had been desperately trying to get back with Raynard. The two got out of the car arguing and Ricky was sure he heard Eric yelling at Jason what the hell happened. At that point, Eric opened the trunk of the car where Ricky saw the body of a girl he didn't recognize, lying face up. She had no color in her face and she wasn't moving. She was partially covered with a dark colored jacket or blanket.

During the argument, Jason said to Eric, I know what to do with her. Ricky kept hidden in the rafters as Jason and Eric got back in his sister's car and left the barn. It wasn't until Ricky saw the newspaper and a photo of Raynard that he recognized who he had seen in the trunk of the car. Ricky said that he never confronted either Eric Freeman or Jason Tibbs about the incident. They were both older than him and he was scared they would kill him if he said anything. He had kept the secret for 15 years.

He hadn't told another soul until now. Police tracked Eric Freeman to South Carolina and detectives Ari and Williamson went to speak to him. They knocked on his door and asked if he would like to answer a few questions. Eric nodded, curious to see what they wanted to speak to him about. But as soon as the detectives mentioned Rainer Ryerson, Eric's demeanor changed and he refused the talk. The prosecutor at the time felt that with no confession or concrete evidence, there simply

wasn't enough for an arrest. They had the statement of Ricky Hammons, but inmate statements were notoriously unreliable. There was almost always an ulterior motive. But the detectives kept pushing the prosecutor. If Ricky Hammons was telling the truth, then it appeared that Eric Freeman wasn't responsible for Rainer's murder. Ricky said Eric seemed to be arguing with Jason about it. They believed if they could bring Eric in and confirm he wasn't actively involved in the

actual killing, then they might be able to offer him immunity if he gave them the full story of what happened that night. The prosecutor caved and allowed the detectives to bring Eric in for questioning. Eric was uncooperative. He denied having any knowledge about the murder of Rainer. He claimed he had never even heard of her before. The detectives made it clear to Eric that they had information which contradicted what he was saying, and they put immunity on the table.

But Eric continued to claim he knew nothing. He was released and allowed to return home, but the detectives kept working on him. Finally, after several months of pressure, Eric Freeman caved and agreed to give a statement. In exchange for immunity. But there was a problem. The detectives didn't have formal approval to offer Eric Freeman immunity. They petitioned hard to get immunity granted, but the state was not going to make any rash decisions.

There had been huge swings in Rainer's case over the preceding 15 years. There had been what looked like two sure thing prime suspects, one a convicted serial killer, and a relative of Rainer's who had assaulted her and threatened her in the past, and gave three different versions of his whereabouts the night she disappeared. The state wasn't about to get excited over a jailhouse informant claiming to know who was responsible. If anything, this was the least likely of the three scenarios. So they took their time considering this new twist in the case before making a decision

on immunity. They really took their time. They spent five years deliberating on whether or not to grant Eric Freeman immunity. Finally, in July 2013, immunity was officially granted and Eric Freeman gave his account of what happened on the night of March 26th, 1993. The investigators held their breath as the recorder was switched on. This was the information they had been waiting 20 years to hear. The first thing Eric Freeman did was confirm the account of Ricky Hammons.

He then told his story. On the day Rainer Rice disappeared, Jason Tibbs contacted Eric in the afternoon and asked him to pick him up and drive him to the veterinary clinic so he could see Rainer. Jason had previously introduced Rainer to Eric as his girlfriend, so Eric thought nothing of it. Then told Eric they had stuff going on and he wanted to try and work things out. So Eric took his girlfriend's car and went to pick up Jason. When Eric and Jason arrived at the clinic, Jason went inside to speak with Rainer and

after a short time, the two of them walked back outside together. That's when Eric noticed they were arguing. Jason told Rainer how much he wanted to be with her and he didn't want her to be with anybody else, but Rainer didn't want to talk to him. She was looking forward to her date with Matt. Jason begged her to get in the car. He told her that Eric would drive them and they could just talk. Rainer agreed and she got into the back seat of Eric's girlfriend's car.

Eric drove off and Jason continued pleading with Rainer that he wanted her back, but Rainer didn't want a bar of it. At one point, at a spot out of town on Fail Road, either Rainer or Jason asked Eric to pull over. He couldn't remember who it was. Eric pulled off the road and Jason and Rainer got out of the car continuing their argument as they walked to the rear of the vehicle. Eric looked into his rearview mirror and saw Jason punch Rainer, causing her to fall to

the ground. Eric got out of the vehicle and saw Jason on top of Rainer, his hands around her neck strangling her. Eric yelled at Jason to stop, saying, you're going to kill her. But it was too late, Rainer wasn't moving. Jason turned to Eric and told him to pop the trunk. Jason put Rainer in the trunk and told Eric to drive to his girlfriend's farm, where Eric was living with his girlfriend, his girlfriend's parents, and his girlfriend's

brother. Ricky Hammons Eric drove into the barn and they didn't know that Ricky Hammons was hiding up in the rafters. During the argument between Eric and Jason in the barn, Jason said, if I can't have her, then no one can. When they left the barn, Jason told Eric to drive back to the vet clinic. Jason drove off in Rainer's car and Eric followed in his girlfriend's buick with Rainer's

body still in the trunk. Jason drove out to the pond where Rainer's body would later be found, and with the help of Eric, they dumped her in the water. Jason weighed her body down with logs because she kept floating to the surface. Eric's description of the dumping of Rainer's body matched details the police had kept from the public in the hope that one day, someone's testimony would match those details. And now it had. From there, Eric went home and Jason went his own way.

Later that evening, Eric found the black letterman jacket belonging to Rainer's boyfriend, Matt Elsa, that was still in his girlfriend's car. They had forgotten about it, so he called Jason to come and get rid of it. When the tape recorder was switched off, the detectives knew they had probable cause to arrest Jason Tibbs. On August 23rd, 2013, over 20 years after Rainer's murder, police approached the house of Jason Tibbs, the same house he lived in in 1993. He was now 38 years of age and married with kids.

As he walked under his driveway, he was approached by officers, restrained and placed under arrest for the murder of Rainer Rison. There was no damning DNA evidence, no swap or viola fluid tested in a cutting edge crime lab that got the breakthrough. That was someone with information who finally decided to come forward. Rainer's parents, Benny and Karen Rison, were at home in the La Porte house they had lived in since Rainer was alive. When the phone rang, Benny answered.

The detective on the other end delivered the news Benny had been waiting two decades to hear. Rainer's family knew who Jason was, they knew he was a friend of Rainer's in middle school. They were aware they had dated as youngsters, and they knew Jason was involved in the search for Rainer from the first morning she was missing. There was Jason who had been one of the kids to volunteer to drive others around. One of Rainer's bandmates had driven out of town with Jason that morning looking for her.

But Jason turned the car around before getting too close to the area where Rainer's car would later be found. Regarding Eric's immunity, Rainer's family agreed that the police needed to do whatever it took to solve their daughter's murder, and if that meant giving immunity to an accomplice, then so be it. At least they would have answers and the ability to understand what actually happened that night. The news of Jason Tibbs' arrest spread like wildfire through La Porte, a city which had

never forgotten Rainer Rison was now coming to terms with the fact that someone from their own community was responsible, someone from Rainer's world who had continued to live amongst them throughout the following two decades. People were glad to see some resolution and answers. It had been a bizarre case from the beginning. When most cases grow cold, there is barely a suspect to point a finger at, or maybe one that police just can't find enough evidence to arrest. But in Rainer's case, there seemed to be more suspects than the investigators knew what

to do with, all seemingly with motive or means, or both. The investigation had gone full circle back to Jason Tibbs, but they now had to prove beyond reasonable doubt that he was the one responsible. During the pre-trial hearing, evidence was produced which discredited Jason Tibbs' original alibi. Chad, his friend who supported Jason's alibi by stating that he had driven out to the mobile home park to collect him that night after tutoring, admitted that Jason had told him to say that.

Another friend of Jason's who had told police he was with Jason that night came forward and said he had actually lied. He was at work, and had no idea where Jason was. The two teenage girls who Jason said he was tutoring were re-interviewed, and they said they had no recollection of Jason tutoring them that night. It was clear what the defense strategy was from the beginning. They were going to try and paint Ray McCarty as the killer. The prosecution sought to have the evidence regarding Ray McCarty's grand jury indictment

excluded from Jason's trial, as well as evidence of his changing alibis and his threats to kill Rayner. According to law, such evidence can be excluded if its value is outweighed by unfair prejudice, confusion of the issues, or the potential to mislead the jury. Also, before evidence of a third party being responsible can be introduced, the defense must show some connection between the third party and the crime. But the defense and the prosecution both made their submissions. The judge ruled that Ray McCarty would be exempt from testifying about his arrest and

charge for Rayner's murder, but he could be questioned over the sexual assault of Rayner and the threats to kill her. When the trial began, 39-year-old Jason Tibbs was escorted into the courtroom at La Porte County Circuit Court. And his family sat together, determined to see every moment of the trial through, determined to face the man who once said he loved Rayner, who had continued to live in their community, in Rayner's community, all these years. There was a trial with no forensic evidence to dissect, no scientific proof, just folders

full of eyewitness statements, both credible and not so credible. The prosecution case hinged on the testimony of Ricky Hammons and Eric Freeman, two convicted criminals coming forward with eyewitness testimony after two decades. The first words the prosecutor said in his opening statement were, if I can't have her, nobody can, quoting what Jason Tibbs was alleged to have said after Rayner's murder. He then told the jury that they would hear how Jason Tibbs arrived at Rayner's work that evening to tell her not to go back to Mat Elsa, but to date him instead. When Rayner refused, he told her to get into the back of their car under the pretense that

they would just talk about it. Instead, he took her to a remote location and murdered her. The defense stuck to their strategy of taking the focus off Jason and putting it on to Rayner Cardi. They also hammered away at Ricky Hammons' statement, a statement from a convicted murderer who simply decided to come forward after 15 years because he thought it was the right thing to do. Defense Attorney John Tompkins mocked the state's case by saying, quote, that was a

good story, problem is, it's not true. Ray McCarty took the stand and agreed he had changed his alibi's for the night Rayner was murdered, but with good reason. He also agreed he had sexually assaulted Rayner as a child, but denied he threatened to harm her or her family if they went to the police. As Jason's alibi's were knocked down one by one, the jury began to see the picture of a teenage boy scrambling to get people to back him up. His alibi's which held up in 1993, no longer did.

The game of Fox Hunt joined the list of Jason's faltering alibi's. The game did happen that night, with many of the local kids tuned in to their C.B.'s, but no one actually saw Jason, they only heard his voice on the radio. He could have been anywhere. When Jason's alibi's fell down, the defense were quick to remind the jury that Ray McCarty had lied about his whereabouts that night. The defense continued to hammer the jury with details about the sexual assaults Rayner suffered from Ray.

Her aborted pregnancy to Ray, and finally, as a last effort to sway the jury, the defense held up the police statement made by Rayner against Ray in 1991. Quote, Ray said that if I didn't do as he asked of me, he would hurt me, and he said that if I ever told, he would kill me. On November 7th, 2014, the jury sat for over five hours to deliberate their verdict. The courtroom, packed with the Rice and Family on one side, and the Tibbs Family on the other, felt the weight of the coming conclusion.

Two families from the same community, both forever changed. The crowd hurried back in to hear the verdict. Guilty. The Tibbs Family sobbed loudly, as the Rice and Family cried quietly, hugging each other, and hugging the prosecutor and police officers involved in the case. One month later, on December 19th, 2014, Jason Tibbs was sentenced. One by one, each member of the Rice and Family told Jason Tibbs face-to-face of the pain and anguish he had brought upon their family.

Rayner's father played a mix-up of home video showing Rayner's vibrant life from beginning to end. He finished by telling Jason that all he had left were the memories because of what he had done. Quote, My family can find some semblance of peace from what we've been through for the last 20 years. Laurie, Rayner's older sister, looked Jason Tibbs directly in the eye and said she would

have no problem flipping the switch or pulling the trigger on him. The defense quickly objected to that statement, but the judge allowed it. When it was Rayner's younger sister, Wendy's turn to get up, she asked Tibbs, if you loved her so much, why did you kill her? She said it was because of her faith in God that she could forgive him, but she would not forget. The prosecution requested a sentence of 55 years, but the judge gave a sentence of 40 years, with a minimum period of 20 years.

Jason Tibbs will be eligible for parole in 2034. The defense immediately lodged an appeal. They said that excluding Ray McCarty's indictment for the murder of Rayner, as well as other evidence against Ray, was unfair to Jason. They also alleged that Ricky Hammons had received a benefit in exchange for his testimony, despite the prosecution saying he had not. The defense claimed Ricky had received a reduced sentence. The court held an evidentiary hearing on the two motions, and they denied both.

The Ryson family set up a music scholarship in Rayner's name, the Rayner-Ryson Memorial Scholarship. The fund gives one band member a scholarship every year. The details can be found in the show notes. In an interview with the local news station, Rayner's father, Benny, expressed the loud what all those who loved Rayner were thinking. Quote, It really hasn't changed that much.

We can't hold her in our arms anymore. We can't bring her back. But knowing that he will be put away so we can't do this to some other family is relief. Don't give up. Don't give up. It's not often you have a case that's 20 years old that gets solved. But you know, tomorrow is a new day, and that could be the day that their cases are solved.