In the quiet town of Forest, Mississippi, a dark chapter began to unfold in February of 1986, forever altering the lives of a local family and the community. A 17-year-old high school senior, Shondra May, was making her way home from her job at a local McDonald's when her car was unexpectedly forced to a stop just short of her own driveway. In the moments that followed, she vanished without a trace, leaving behind a community gripped by fear and a family desperate for answers.
The initial search yielded no clues as to her whereabouts, and for three agonizing weeks, her loved ones waited in torment. The grim discovery was made on what should have been her 18th birthday; her body, bound with tape, was found in a creek in the neighboring Hinds County near Bolton.
For nearly four decades, the case of Shondra May's abduction, rape, and murder remained a painful cold case, a source of enduring grief for her family who never gave up hope for justice. Her parents sadly passed away without ever seeing a resolution to their daughter's brutal killing. Her brother, Tim, who was 18 at the time of her disappearance, carried the weight of the unanswered questions for forty years. The passage of time did little to dull the sharp edges of the tragedy that had befallen their family. Investigators, both active and retired, continued to work the case, piecing together fragments of information and re-examining evidence in the hope of a breakthrough.
A significant development finally came in April 2025 with the arrest of 63-year-old Ruben Weeks. The arrest was the culmination of years of persistent investigative work, including the crucial testimony of three witnesses who were present at the time of the crime. Weeks was taken into custody at an RV park in Madison County and subsequently charged with kidnapping, rape, and murder. Investigators also revealed that DNA evidence collected during the initial 1986 investigation was a match to Weeks. This long-awaited arrest brought a flood of emotions for Shondra's surviving family, who had patiently waited for this day.
The legal proceedings against Ruben Weeks, however, took an unexpected turn. While in custody at the Scott County Jail and awaiting trial, Weeks died in December 2025. Authorities have stated that they do not suspect foul play in his death, but as is standard procedure when an inmate dies in custody, the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation has taken over the inquiry into the cause of his death. Weeks's death closes a significant chapter in the long and painful saga of Shondra May's case, bringing a form of conclusion, though perhaps not the one her family had envisioned after decades of waiting for a trial.
