"You go through phases of what should we do, what can we do, and the only thing I knew to do was to make fliers and I went to Jeff City and I posted them around all of the blocks where his car was found because I wanted everyone there to know we weren't laying down, that we weren't giving up and we're still not going to." -Christopher Cray's sister Jessica Council
Christopher Cray, a 23-year-old father of four, was last seen in the area of Schnucks supermarket, 1801 Missouri Blvd in Jefferson City on May 20, 2014.
His car was found abandoned six days later on May 26.
On
June 11, 2014,
Office of the Maries County Sheriff Chris Heitman announced it was believed he was possibly in route to the Belle area driving a white Ford Crown Victoria with several other people. Police
asked the public for help finding Cray and were assisted by the Missouri State Highway Patrol Division of Drug and Crime Control and Boone County Task Force One with locating and confirming potential crime scenes.
Initially when we began this investigation we began it as a missing persons investigation. As time goes on however, while we've tried to remain optimistic evidence and information we have received is kind of pointing us to the contrary so we're really taking this investigation as less of a missing person and really focusing it on more of a potential homicide investigation.
-Captain Doug Shoemaker
On July 1, police announced the missing person case was now a homicide investigation.
For several weeks officers and detectives combed through trash with cadaver dogs at the Allied Waste Landfill located at 5605 Moreau River Access Road in the eastern part of the city.
Cray was allegedly cooperating with police in another investigation, and the information he provided may have been the motive behind his murder as his cooperation led to the arrest of an individual” who was associated with the suspect. A Jefferson City Police Department probable cause statement shows on June 17 one suspect sent a text message to a witness in the Cray case which said the witness would “die like the first ‘rat.’ That suspect later admitted to authorities he sent the text message, the police statement reported.Two men were arrested, since then charges against both men have been dropped.
Shoemaker said the investigation is not strictly focused on the landfill anymore and a lot of work still needs to be done.
His sister has fought to keep the case alive and find justice for her brother, granting interviews to the press and making public appeals, but the case remains unsolved.
"We are still investigating a series of leads and other sources of information regarding the case. We have not ruled anything out as of yet to include various locations. We have not stopped the investigation. It is still very open and still very active." -Capt. Doug Shoemaker
The Jefferson City Police are continuing to interview people with knowledge of the events surrounding Cray's disappearance.
Height: 5' 8" (68 Inches)
Hair Color: Blond/Strawberry
Eyes: Blue
He has pierced ears, and a tattoo on the right side of his neck that says "baby girl Mya" with angel wings on the sides of it.
He also has Fearless across his back
and unknown tattoos on both arms, chest, and a calf.
If you have any information please contact:
Jefferson City Police Department
Phone: (573) 634-6400
or
Submit an Anonymous Public Tip to Missouri Information Analysis Center (MIAC)
or contact the
Jefferson City Crimestoppers
by phone at 573-659-TIPS or
Submit an Anonymous Public Tip Online
Verify active missing status
here.
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