Jeannie Mason Ray, a 67-year-old woman from Moncure, North Carolina, tragically lost her life on March 15, 2020. She was known for her loving nature and artistic talents, particularly her beautiful sketches of the local river basin areas. Her death was part of a larger, devastating incident that occurred in Moncure, involving multiple fatalities.
On the evening of March 15, 2020, Chatham County sheriff's deputies were called to three homes on a single property in Moncure.
They discovered seven people dead in what was later characterized as a murder-suicide. The suspected gunman, Larry Ray, shot six adults before taking his own life. Among the victims were Jeannie Ray, her mother-in-law Helen Mason, 93, Lisa Mansfield, 54, her husband Ellis Mansfield, 73, and John Paul Sanderford, 41, and Nicole Sanderford, 39. The only survivor was a 16-year-old boy who hid in his bedroom closet and called 911.
The motive behind the attack remains unclear, and law enforcement officers from the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office and North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation spent hours investigating the scene. Sheriff Mike Roberson described the incident as unimaginable, given the unexpected violence and loss of multiple family members at once.
This tragic event left the community of Moncure in mourning, as they grappled with the loss of several beloved residents. The families and friends of the victims have been left to cope with the devastating aftermath of this senseless act of violence.
