Clifton Lee Ray

Serial Killer

Clifton Lee Ray Jr.: The Kansas City Serial Killer

Background

Clifton Lee Ray Jr. was born on July 27, 1958, and grew up in a working-class neighborhood in Kansas City, Missouri. His father sold used automobiles and operated a gas station and several salvage yards, where Ray sometimes worked. As a child, Ray attended a Baptist church, played baseball in a church league, and later played football while attending school. He graduated from Paseo High School in 1976. Ray attended Metropolitan Community College-Penn Valley for one semester before joining the United States Marine Corps. He served for approximately three years at Camp Pendleton in California. After leaving the military, he returned to Kansas City and worked a series of temporary and irregular jobs. Ray began having serious encounters with law enforcement during early adulthood. He was arrested on a rape accusation in 1979, although that charge was dismissed. While attending Langston University, he was accused of stealing a woman's purse. He eventually married a woman he had known since high school, and the couple had four children. Over the following years, Ray accumulated numerous arrests and accusations involving disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, drug offenses, indecent exposure, sexual assault, and homicide. Many of the cases were dismissed or did not result in lengthy imprisonment. This pattern allowed him to remain free during much of the period in which women and elderly residents of Kansas City were being killed.

The 1987 Death of Tonya Taylor

One of the earliest killings connected to Ray occurred in May 1987. Tonya Taylor, a 23-year-old woman, was found nude and beaten to death. Investigators developed evidence that led prosecutors to charge Ray with second-degree murder. However, the case was dismissed because authorities believed the available evidence was insufficient to obtain a conviction. The dismissal meant that Ray was released without being tried for Taylor's death. Although the accusation became an important part of the later investigation into his history, he was never convicted of killing her. ...

Confirmed Victims: (3)

Deborah Taylor Age: (27), Date of Death: 1987-12-11

Suspected Victims:

Ernest Taylor Age: (66), Date of Death: 1993-12-08

Leroy Hightower Age: (54), Date of Death: 1993-12-08

Mia Smith Age: (29), Date of Death: 1994-03-30

Clifton Ray - Wikipedia