St Louis Man Linked To Phoenix Cold Cases With DNA, Arrested After 20 Years

DNA evidence has led to an arrest in several separate cold cases after two decades.

The suspect, a St. Louis man, has been extradited back to Arizona, where the crimes occurred.

The FBI Phoenix Field Office, the Phoenix Police Department and the Peoria Police Department held a press conference Tuesday (December 29), announcing the arrest and asking the public’s help to uncover more information about the suspect and potentially more victims.

Lance David Ray, 53, was visiting Bloomington, Indiana, in October, when law enforcement officials arrested him.

He is accused of at least three cold case crimes — including kidnapping, sexual assault and homicide — that happened in Peoria and Phoenix in 2000.

Ray is now being held in the Maricopa County Jail.

His alleged victims were 14, 17 and 18 years old, reports show.

But authorities believe it doesn’t stop there.

Investigators are looking for additional information that could identify more victims of Ray’s alleged crimes.

Here’s what police said about where Ray has lived over the last few decades:

“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.”

Here’s how to contact law enforcement with further information:

“If you are a victim or have information 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,” according to the Phoenix Police Department.

Officials said the cases remain ongoing

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