A decomposed body was found on the on-ramp to Interstate 64 from S. Military Highway in the City of Chesapeake In the summer of 1988, the discovery of a young man's body on a Chesapeake highway on-ramp began a mystery that has lingered for decades. Joseph Alex Ray, a 26-year-old white male, was last seen alive on July 12, 1988. A week later, on July 19, his decomposed body was found on the on-ramp leading from South Military Highway to Interstate 64 in Chesapeake, Virginia.
Due to the condition of his remains, determining a definitive cause of death proved challenging for investigators.
While one account stated the cause of death could not be determined, another indicates that the case was ruled a homicide caused by strangulation. The circumstances of his death and the location where his body was left pointed towards a violent end. The Chesapeake Police Department's Cold Case Unit continues to investigate the case, hoping that advances in forensic technology might shed new light on the evidence.
No arrests have ever been made in connection with Joseph Ray's death, and the case officially remains unsolved. Over the years, potential connections to other unsolved murders in the Hampton Roads area have been considered. One such possibility involves Elton Manning Jackson, a convicted murderer known as 'The Hampton Roads Killer,' who was active between 1987 and 1996. Jackson was known to target gay men, and many of his victims were found nude and strangled along deserted roads, sharing similarities with Ray's case. However, there has been no public information directly linking Jackson to Ray's death. Authorities continue to seek information from the public that might finally bring a resolution to this long-standing cold case.
