David Parker Ray (found audio tape of American suspected serial killer; 1993)

This article has been tagged as NSFL due to its subject matter of murder, rape and sexual violence.

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Ray in custody.

Status: Found

Date found: 21 October 2022

Found by: Joseph Pasteris (a.k.a. Tom_Servo)

David Parker Ray, better known as the Toy Box Killer, was an American rapist, torturer and suspected serial killer based out of New Mexico, of who is suspected of having murdered up to 60 victims despite never being convicted for murder in his lifetime, during a crime spree that lasted between 1957 and 1999.

He would carry out his crimes by abducting women (usually sex workers), and then placing them in a soundproofed semi-trailer outside of his Elephant Butte home. He would later use the trailer (what he dubbed his 'Toy Box') to sexually assault, rape and torture his victims, sometimes getting family members and his dogs involved. He would also allegedly murder them, albeit no body remains have been found to date, leading many internet sleuths to conduct their own investigations on the matter. His crime spree would come to an end in March 1999, when he was arrested following one of his victims Cynthia Nixon escaping his trailer and reporting such matters to the police following her being hospitalised.

One aspect of this torture would consist of Ray playing an audio tape to his victims in his trailer that detailed what he planned to do with them in graphic detail. While the specific audio tape had been unreleased for decades, other elements of it (most notably the transcript) have surfaced in the years since.

Content of the Tape

The tape itself, dated to the 23rd of July 1993, detailed what he was planning on doing to the victim in question, calling it a 'general advisory tape for future female captives', promising to 'upgrade' the tape if needs be.

On the tape, he notes how he and his 'lady friend' (presumably his then girlfriend Cynthia Hendy, who was also convicted alongside Ray) had kept sex slaves for 'years' and detailing the numerous methods to capturing people who he compared to 'piece[s] of meat' who he had no sympathy for. He then warns that he planned to keep the victim for several days during his torture and sexual assault. He concludes the tape by giving said victim 'advice': to not scream, talk without permission and be obedient, among other things.

In the tape also, there are hints to him having killed others in the past. Most notably, he admitted that he didn't like killing unless it was 'absolutely necessary' and that 'occasionally things happen'. He also threatens to dump the victim in question in a 'canyon somewhere, to rot', which supports theories that he used his various jobs in the Elephant Butte and the nearby Truth and Consequences areas to hide the bodies of his victims, hence why they've never been found.

Availability and trial aftermath

The tape itself was believed to have never fully seen the light of day (with the original one not being released to the public); a purported transcript of its contents has since been released and is widely available.

However, on October 6th, 2022, LMW user Tom_Servo (known as Joseph Pasteris) sent a New Mexico Inspection of Public Records Act request to the New Mexico Department of Public Safety for a digitized copy of the tape. Fifteen days later, Pasteris received an .mp3 file of the five minute recording as a full release. He has since released it to the Internet Archive and YouTube.

Ray was convicted for abduction and sexual torture in the cases of Kelli Garrett and the aforementioned Vigil, receiving a sentence of 224 years in prison in 2001 following a plea bargain in the latter's trial. Several of his accomplices, including Hendy and his daughter Glenda, were also sentenced for their involvement. Ray died in May 2002 before he was set to be integrated by New Mexico state police about his crimes further.

Gallery

The true crime podcast I Could Murder A Podcast's examination of Ray's case, including the tape and the alleged murdered victims.